Victor Campenaerts secured the overall victory at the Eneco Tour on October 18, 2026, finishing safely in the main bunch during a 149.2-kilometer concluding stage in Arnhem that culminated in a mass sprint won by his compatriot Tim Merlier, according to race reports from Wielerflits and NOS.

Arnhem Circuit Shapes the Final Showdown

The closing stage started and finished in Arnhem, sending the peloton across a varied course through the Gelderland landscape. While the route favored fast finishers, early attackers animated the racing on the opening large circuit. Mattanja Woets of VolkerWessels, Marijn Maas of BEAT cc p/b Saxo, and Rick Ottema of EEW-VDK broke away early. Ottema wore the red jersey on Sunday as the most combative rider from the previous day’s stage, as detailed by Wielerflits. The sprinters’ teams kept a tight leash on the trio, never granting a substantial advantage.

As the gap dwindled to half a minute, Ottema accelerated at the front. Woets dropped back, but Maas bridged the effort to maintain a two-man breakaway with 33 kilometers remaining. Moments later, 19-year-old Michiel Mouris—racing for the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe WorldTeam after stepping up from the development squad—crossed over to form a leading trio. Ottema eventually faded, and Maas cracked with 12 kilometers to go under sustained pressure. Mouris pressed on alone before the charging peloton absorbed him with eight kilometers left, setting up a closed bunch for the final circuit.

Groenewegen Maneuvers as Merlier Dominates Sprint

Entering the final kilometers, Soudal Quick-Step and Unibet Rose Rockets jostled for control of the sprint trains. Onder de rode vod had Dylan Groenewegen nog drie Rockets voor zich in de Unibet Rose Rockets formatie. Groenewegen then executed a tactical maneuver, intentionally letting a gap open so teammate Lukas Kubis could launch into the final straightaway with an advantage.

Merlier reacted instantly to the tactical shift. The 33-year-old Soudal Quick-Step sprinter launched his effort from roughly 500 meters out, easily overhauling Kubis and holding off Groenewegen and the rest of the field by multiple bike lengths. The victory marked Merlier’s second stage win of the week following his earlier success in Ede, cementing his dominance in the bunch sprints.

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🚴 | De mannen van Rose Rockets waren met z’n vieren vooraan, maar het is Tim Merlier die er met de overwinning vandoor gaat. 👏🏻 #EnecoTour Koers 👀 HBO Max

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) October 18, 2026

Campenaerts Claims Historic Stage Race Triumph

For Victor Campenaerts, a safe finish inside the main pack preserved his 15-second lead over Wessel Mouris in the general classification. Campenaerts laid the groundwork for his overall title during Friday’s hilly stage to Watersley, where he gained the decisive margin alongside stage winner Mick van Dijke, as reported by Wieler Revue. The triumph marks the first multi-day stage race victory of the 34-year-old Visma | Lease a Bike rider’s professional career.

The final day also featured the conclusion of the women’s Eneco Tour, where Marthe Truyen of Fenix won the 70-kilometer concluding stage from and to Arnhem out of a small breakaway. Lieke Nooijen of Visma | Lease a Bike secured the women’s general classification title after capturing victories in the prologue and the individual time trial earlier in the week.