Van Dijke wins, but Visma celebrates hardest after overcoming leader Söderqvist at the Eneco Tour

After no fewer than two time trials and a sprint, the Eneco Tour finally presented an opportunity for the attackers. Jakob Söderqvist had a fairly solid grip on the lead after winning the time trials, but the Swedish rider from Lidl-Trek could very well come under pressure in the hills around Sittard. The finish was also located on a challenging stretch.

It was a short but grueling race, covering 113 kilometers. And right from the start, we saw strong riders launching attacks. First, Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto-Intermarché) tried to make his move, but in the end, Jesse Kramer (BEAT) and Pierry Thierry (TotalEnergies) pulled away. The latter, a French rider, was just outside the top twenty, making him a dangerous contender.

Rick Ottema (EEW-VDK) and Jonas Rutsch (Lotto-Intermarché) quickly joined the duo. They never really got much of a lead: it never exceeded one minute. Lidl-Trek quickly took control and ensured that the virtual leader’s jersey was never lost to the breakaway group. But with fifty kilometers to go, Visma | Lease a Bike threw a wrench in the works.

Menno Huising accelerated twice, but Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Lidl-Trek sent groups to block him both times. When Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step) tried to join the breakaway, his attempt was also thwarted. But Victor Campenaerts (Visma), Mick van Dijke (Red Bull), and Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Rose Rockets) had better luck.

They made their way up to the early breakaway group. And on the hilly, winding course in Limburg, it was difficult to close the gap of roughly thirty or forty riders. Tim Merlier took on a support role and launched Reinderink, who was eager to move up. Team leader Söderqvist couldn’t keep up and had to drop back. He was passed by everyone and seemed to be saying goodbye to his position.

However, he recovered impressively and fought his way back to the front, but the lead group was still ahead. Van Dijke, Thierry, and Campenaerts proved to be the strongest and pulled away: Campenaerts was 29 seconds ahead and posed a serious threat to Söderqvist. Söderqvist collapsed a few kilometers later and could now truly be ruled out of contention.

The Rockets smelled blood, and with De Vries’s help, Wessel Mouris—fourth in the standings—tried to make his move. However, he ended up drifting between the groups. Things quieted down in the peloton, allowing Söderqvist to rejoin the group after all. But it all seemed like a show, because Van Dijke and Campenaerts, who had dropped Thierry, rode farther and farther away.

On top of that, there were two more groups in between. Finn Fisher-Black, second in the general classification, was in the third group and had to fight to keep Campenaerts in sight. But they couldn’t catch up. As they entered the final climb, with about eight kilometers to go, the gap to the Mouris group was about twenty seconds, and to the Fisher-Black group, 55 seconds.

Fisher-Black picked up the pace, but couldn’t shake Huising. Huising then fell after a collision with the New Zealander. The top riders were at the front, and the two battled for the win. Campenaerts gave it a shot, but Van Dijke was far too strong in the final meters. The Belgian did, however, take the lead. Mouris closed in and kept his sights set on the overall victory.