We already have reached the 8th edition of the Eneco Tour. After a few years with many criticisms towards this tour its value though seems to increase in the Low Countries and beyond. This year the Eneco Tour will experience, in all probability, a highlight, with the departure of big star Contador who attends his first race after his suspension! His presence will certainly provide extra media attention. The first stage seems not to be made for the frail Spaniard. This is because the peloton moves towards Zealand, where the wind normally divides the peloton into smaller pieces.


Today the peloton starts in Brabant, in the city Waalwijk, and there is first a neutralized lap along the Eneco Eco Park to pay some attention to the sponsor. After this, they let the peloton go through the province of Brabant and the route twists for the first 32 km on typical Dutch rollercoaster roads with a lot of obstacles until the first Eneco Sprint in Oosterhout. This then continues until km 78, when they reach the province of South Holland where in Oud Tongeren , the Primus Checkpoint sprint has been laid.

From here, the course will be on wider and more orderly roads and the sea breeze gets more influence on the peloton through the open landscape. Then they ride to Zealand via the N59 and make their way to the Eastern Schelde barrier. Here, there is almost always hard westerly wind and the final can begin and after 138 km, the 2nd Eneco bonus sprint is laid. This is certainly the ability to create echelons such as during the Giro Italia 2010, when the peloton completely fell apart on the Zeeland dykes!

After crossing the Schelde barrier, after 158.5 kilometers, the local circuit is reached. This lap is approximate 44 km long and contains two intermediate sprints. Many of the roads again are narrower and there are a number of Zeeland towns to drive trough. So the peloton has to be careful. The third bonus Eneco Sprint at Veere after 154 km is the first intermediate sprint. After this follows the first finish passage in Middelburg, after 160.1 km.

A survey is useful because about 700 meters from the finish there is a sharp right turn and the finish lane itself also slightly turns left until just before the finish. In the last round follows a second Primus Checkpoint Sprint at Dom-Burg at 24.4 km from the finish. Then the landscape remains open and follows the roads back along the route through Veere to Middelburg where the finish is expected 4:30 p.m.

Whether Contador still will be at the front after this stage, is questionable. If one knows how to use the wind it will certainly be the strong men from Belgium and Holland. These are often sprinters. Because of that it would be nice if a champion such as Boonen or Farrar could win here to honor Weylandt. The finish is at the memory place of Wouter Weylandt. This is because in Middelburg he celebrated his last major victory.

The second stage of the Eneco Tour is a team time trial with start and finish in the Limburg city, Sittard. It isn’t coincidentally that Sittard is also de host of the start of the World Cup team time trial, for brand teams, this fall. So this ride can be seen as a sort of dress rehearsal for the World Cup in September.


The course is 18.9 km long but not like the World Cup course, that is around 3 times as long in distance. Technically it seems to be quite easy with mostly straight roads, though there are also about 10 points that have to be rounded with care. The technical points are around the 3 villages and Sittard. In between are the straight roads where the speeds reach their max.

Halfway, there is also a hill, the Hillensberger road. Rates and length are unknown to me, but this hill can probably harm the rythm of the teams a bit. This course can be seen alternately as the opportunity for both rouleurs and technical skilled bike racers, to use their specific strength to make their team win.

Since the Eneco Tour usually turns out to be a second’s game, this may be a decisive stage for the final ranking.

Stage 3 is a combined Dutch Belgian stage with the start and finish in Riemst and Genk. The stage is 188 km long and takes the riders along Genk twice. The last two years Genk also served as the finish location. Furthermore, the stage goes through Limburg territory where the World Cup circuit is raced one and a half lab before returning to Genk. The finish strait in Genk is not the same as last year when a group of three fugitives managed to stay ahead, with Bono as the winner.


During this stage there will be a series of sprints. The first Eneco bonus sprint is also the first passage of the finish in Genk after 37.3 km of racing. After 70.1 kilometers follows the ascent of the Bemelerberg. The 800m long Bemelerberg is a 4% average. Next, they explore the rest of the world cup circuit between Valkenburg and Maastricht. It also contains the Cauberg at 110.9 km from the finish. At the top is the second bonus Eneco Sprint. Here it is not suitable for attacking because of the large distance to the finish. They then go over the Bemelerberg again, before they go down south. At 89 km from the line follows the 4th berg at de Moerslag, which is 600m and 4.8%.

Then the bunch arrives back in Belgium, where after 106 km the refueling is. After crossing the Meuse, the hardest climb of the day is concurred. Hallembaye-North is 750 meters long and 8.7 percent steep. For the fun the top of the climb is a Primus Checkpoint sprint. After 122.2 km, follows the combined Eneco bonus sprint and climb of the Muizenberg (650 meters and 6.6%). Now there are 65.8 kilometers to go, and if we forget the second checkpoint sprint, the terrain gets a lot easier.

At 35.6 km from the finish the bunch turns on to the local route. It goes through and around Genk for 22.7 kilometers . At 28.9 km is the last checkpoint sprint. In the last 2 km there are 3 angle bends and the finishing straight is 700 meters long. Ideal for a mass sprint. This is expected at around 4:30 p.m.

The 22 year old American has been in superb form of late and while the validation of a win didn't happen today, his directeur sportif Max Sciandri said he got an alternative indication that he put out a top performance.

“He did a fantastic ride, very strong, with a good cadence. Everything was there. He put out his best average power ever so he couldn’t have been any better,” he said.

Phinney and team-mates Greg Van Avermaet plus former world champion Alessandro Ballan have one more chance to chase a victory tomorrow when they compete in a lumpy final stage. “We will play all our cards tomorrow,” promised Sciandri.