Eneco Tour race guide
Last Updated: 08/08/15 4:15pm
The WorldTour roadshow returns to the Benelux as some of the strongest riders in the peloton line up for the 11th edition of the Eneco Tour.
Preview of the 11th edition
The WorldTour roadshow returns to the Benelux as some of the strongest riders in the peloton line up for the 11th edition of the Eneco Tour.
The cross-border event is one of the most testing mid-season races on the calendar, with the organisers routinely seeking out the most challenging bergs in the region in a bid to test out the world’s elite.
Run in equal parts across Holland and Belgium, the race has often rewarded the strong men and classics stars in the bunch, and with precious WorldTour points up for grabs there will be no quarter given once again.
Team Sky arrive at the start in Bolsward with a strong squad, with Nathan Earle, Lars Petter Nordhaug and Chris Sutton arriving after racing the Tour of Denmark. Bernhard Eisel, Andy Fenn, Danny Pate, Ian Stannard and Elia Viviani complete a selection which combines experience and classics firepower.
Stages
Monday 10 August - Stage one: Bolsward - Bolsward, 183.5km
A flat start to the race, stage one will appeal to the sprinters but a loop run largely on coastal roads could mean that wind is a factor. Whether the bunch stays together or not, things will be decided over two laps of a 20.4km local circuit.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1400-1615 with highlights at 2000 and 2230 (BE2).
Tuesday 11 August - Stage two: Breda - Breda, 180.7km
The racing stays on Dutch soil but moves inland for what should be a more straightforward sprint stage. A technical run-in will mean the sprint trains need to be on point, but the peloton will get a look at the finish as it once again forms part of a final circuit.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1400-1615 with highlights at 2000 and 2300 (BE2).
Wednesday 12 August - Stage three: Beveren - Ardooie, 171.9km
The race arrives in Belgium in time for day three and a final chance for the sprinters to shine. Heading west, the riders will complete a loop at each end of the course, with bonus seconds hotly contested as always along the way.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1345-1615 with highlights at 2005 and 2330 (BE2).
Thursday 13 August - Stage four: Hoogerheide, 14km individual time trial
Back into Holland for a key day in the GC battle, the time trial takes in the roads around Hoogerheide and should allow time gaps to open out. At 14km the test is longer than in 2014 and will give the time trial specialists time to stretch their legs. A slight uphill drag to the line will burn the legs and we could well see a new leader at the end of the day.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1400-1600 with highlights at 2000 and 2230 (BE2).
Friday 14 August - Stage five: Riemst - Sittard-Geleen, 179.6km
A barrage of climbs greet the peloton as the race moves into a new phase and the classics men arrive at the fore. 23 categorised bergs litter the stage including some used in the famous Amstel Gold one-day race. The action is condensed in the closing stages, with two laps of a finishing circuit which features four climbs. It will be a heavy day rewarding those with good legs.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1400-1600 with highlights at 2000 and 2230 (BE2).
Saturday 15 August - Stage six: Heerlen - Houfalize, 208.6km
It's into the Ardennes for the penultimate stage and a parcours which has a distinct feel of Liege-Bastogne-Liege to it. Again the climbs come thick and fast with 15 categorised peaks to tick off before a winner can be found. A tough finishing circuit, which starts with the Cote Saint-Roch and finishes with the Cote Petite Mormont, should produce a worthy winner.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1345-1600 with highlights at 1700 (BE2), 2030 (BE2) and 2315.
Sunday 16 August - Stage seven: St. Pieters-Leeuw - Geraardsbergen, 188.6km
The excitement reaches a crescendo on the final day at the race is decided in the cycling heartland of Flanders. Climbs from the famous Ronde van Vlaanderen pepper the parcours, with the likes of the Leberg, Valkenberg, and most significantly, the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Scrubbed from the Flanders route in recent years, that race's loss is Eneco Tour's gain, with the race decided on the famous climb.
TV coverage: Live on Eurosport between 1345-1600 with highlights at 2000 and 2230 (BE2).
