Van der Poel wins 2nd stage in Luxembourg after 175 KM solo breakaway; Visma | LaB takes the overall victory
CyclingMonday, 21 September 2026 at 16:51
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Follow us on GoogleMathieu van der Poel won the fifth stage of the Tour of Luxembourg on Sunday. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech claimed his second stage victory in the race and did so in spectacular fashion: from the start, he set off on his own, and finished off a break of 174 kilometers. Davide Piganzoli (Visma | Lease a Bike) held on and secured the overall victory.
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Mathieu van der Poel had won the first stage, but lost the lead to Marijn van den Berg the next day. In Stage 3, Pepijn Reinderink capped off the celebration with his first pro victory, but Davide Piganzoli took over the lead. The Italian rider from Visma | Lease a Bike then won the time trial and took a step toward the overall victory.
Van der Poel left nothing to chance on final Luxembourg stage
He had to defend his lead in the final stage, and that wasn’t going to be easy. The stage covered 177 kilometers with nearly 3,000 meters of climbing, the perfect setting for a spectacular race. And that’s exactly what unfolded right from the start: shortly after the starting gun, it was Van der Poel himself who made his move. The Dutch rider from Alpecin-Premier Tech opened up a gap on his own.
After a while, a chasing group formed, but Moritz Mauss (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Johannes Adamietz (REMBE | rad-net), Morten Nortoft (ColoQuick), Fausto Penna (Lotto Kern-Haus), Loïc Bettendorff (Hrinkow Advarics), and Larry Valvasori (AC Bisontine) could only watch as the leader pulled further and further ahead. Kilometer after kilometer, he extended his lead.
Read more below the video!
Van der Poel vs. the rest in Luxembourg
With all the mountain sprints in the final stage, he also took the mountains jersey from his compatriot Reinderink. It was all secondary, however, because it was the stage victory he wanted. His lead over the chasers grew to one minute, then a minute and a half, then two... With seventy kilometers to go (he had already been riding alone for a hundred kilometers by then), his lead was well over three minutes, and the peloton had to make up 4.30 minutes.
And it was all hands on deck. EF Education-EasyPost, Soudal Quick-Step, and Visma | Lease a Bike all sent riders to the front to catch Van der Poel, but it wasn’t going smoothly. The pursuers were caught, and the lone leader saw his lead shrink somewhat. The final 40 kilometers were raced on a very challenging circuit, and Van der Poel still had a 3.30-minute lead at that point.
With 25 kilometers to go, the battle heated up in the peloton. It was Reinderink who accelerated and pulled away from the thinned-out group, where Visma | Lease a Bike was in control. As a result, the Dutch rider from Soudal Quick-Step held back, and the chase group was back together. Meanwhile, Van der Poel took plenty of risks in the rain, which led to a few close calls.
Read more below the video!
Favourites battle it out, Van der Poel struggles more and more
Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost) was the next to make a breakaway. The Dane broke away and gradually closed the gap on Van der Poel. But could he make up two minutes in less than 20 kilometers? Behind him, it was once again Reinderink who set the pace, but Piganzoli and Van den Berg showed their strength and wouldn’t let him get away.
As the final lap began, with 10 kilometers to go, things were looking better and better for Van der Poel. It was becoming more and more a matter of jostling and grinding it out, but his lead remained comfortable. The favorites behind him kept fighting, but it was all for naught: the Dutchman gloriously capped off his solo ride of over 170 kilometers. Piganzoli stayed calm and clinched the overall victory.
Results of Stage 5 of the 2026 Tour of Luxembourg
1. Mathieu van der Poel
2. Mikkel Honoré
3. Pepijn Reinderink
4. Davide Piganzoli
5. Lukas Nerurkar
2. Mikkel Honoré
3. Pepijn Reinderink
4. Davide Piganzoli
5. Lukas Nerurkar
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David Bavin-HobbsChief Editor
David has been working in the sports & cycling industry for 16 years. Covering racing, business and technology, he has worked in communications for cycling companies, teams, and as a journalist. His proudest achievement is winning the first bike race he ever entered. He hasn't won a race since.
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Latest Comments
- - Honoré was flying—closing chunks late—but starting two minutes down with 20k to go was always a stretch. EF and Soudal chased a bit messy, no? Felt like too many pulls got neutralised by Visma’s tempo.bikebuffj21-09-2026
- - Minor gripe: the article lists the stage top 5, but can we get the final GC top 10 too? Hard to gauge just how close Visma had to ride those last laps.davidm21-09-2026
- - Was the course as lumpy as 3,000m sounds? I’m trying to understand how he kept 3+ minutes while solo. Did the peloton misjudge the chase or were the circuits too technical with the rain?breakawaybikerd21-09-2026
- - Unreal ride from MvdP. 174km solo in the rain and still nicking the KOM jersey on the way — that’s box office. Chapeau.cadencekingm21-09-2026
- - Gran artículo, pero una duda: ¿por qué solo dos horas de reconocimiento? Eso suena muy corto para un Mundial. Merci!velodromevirtuoso119-09-2026
- - Wait, Rwanda 2025—did he really win last year by over a minute on Jay Vine? I thought the huge margin was two seasons ago. Feels like the article’s mixing editions?jennifer1919-09-2026
- - Fifth in Montréal after the Québec win isn’t a red flag. That parcours is punchier and the cadence demands are different. TT legs should be fine by Sunday. Allez Remco!davidm19-09-2026
- - Ganna’s “2–3 km” power is insane, but this is 39k. Over/under pacing will decide it. If Remco negative splits like Québec, he’s favourite. If it’s blustery, Ganna’s mass might help. Flip a coin.sprocketspiny19-09-2026
- - Remco’s right to be annoyed. Two hours for line choice, wind mapping, road surface, manhole locations, roundabouts, and turnaround pacing is tight. He’s meticulous—racetrack sessions, CdA dialing, the whole lot. Marginal gains win rainbow bands.andrewf19-09-2026
- - How does course reconnaissance actually help in a time trial if it’s mostly flat and straight? Is it just corner lines and wind spots, or are there other things they look for?bikebuffj19-09-2026
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