The Eneco Tour Women moves onto the road on Wednesday 14 October with a short 79.5km stage starting and finishing in Ede. The race begins at 09:00 BST, with UK television coverage from 09:30 BST and the finish expected shortly before 11:00 BST.
After Tuesday evening’s 3.1km prologue in The Hague, this is a very different test. There is little climbing and the route should suit the sprinters, although the exposed roads around the Veluwe leave plenty of scope for the wind to make things more complicated.
Lieke Nooijen starts in the leader’s jersey after winning the prologue by 8.21 seconds from Charlotte Kool. Lonneke Uneken was third at almost the same gap, while Nienke Vinke begins the stage 10 seconds behind Nooijen.
Eneco Tour Women Stage 1 start time and viewing details
- Date: Wednesday 14 October 2026
- Route: Ede to Ede
- Distance: 79.5km
- Race start: 10:00 CEST / 09:00 BST
- UK television: TNT Sports 2
- Live coverage begins: approximately 09:30 BST
- Streaming: HBO Max
- Expected finish: approximately 10:55–11:01 BST
The broadcast begins around half an hour after the start. With such a short stage, viewers should still see most of the important racing rather than joining only for the final kilometres.
The full Eneco Tour Women start list contains 84 riders across 14 teams, while the Eneco Tour Women route guide covers the full six-day race.
How to watch Eneco Tour Women Stage 1 in the UK
TNT Sports 2 is scheduled to show Stage 1 live from approximately 09:30 BST, with the same coverage available through HBO Max.
That should provide around 85 to 90 minutes of live racing before the expected finish. Anyone joining at around 10:15 BST should still catch the main finale, although the short distance means any wind-related splits could already have happened by then.
Ede gives Charlotte Kool her first clear sprint chance
Stage 1 uses two laps around Ede and the surrounding Veluwe countryside, passing Wekerom and Harskamp before returning through the De Valk area. There are only around 238 metres of climbing across the entire stage.
In calm conditions, a bunch sprint is the obvious expectation.
Kool is the clearest favourite after finishing second in the prologue on a course that did not particularly favour a pure sprinter. Wednesday gives her a much more conventional opportunity to use her finishing speed.
Femke Gerritse, Margaux Vigié, Linda Riedmann, Scarlett Souren and Nicole Steigenga are among the other riders who could feature if a sizeable group reaches Ede together.
The absence of defending champion Lorena Wiebes also leaves the sprint hierarchy much more open than it was during the 2025 Simac Ladies Tour.
The wind could be more important than the profile
The elevation profile makes Stage 1 look straightforward, but the open Dutch roads can change that quickly.
This race has repeatedly been shaped by echelons under its previous Simac Ladies Tour identity. In 2025, one stage was reduced to an 11-rider front group by crosswinds, while another flat day created sizeable GC gaps when the peloton split.
The short 79.5km distance reduces the time available to repair any damage. If a strong group gets away in the wind, teams behind will have far fewer kilometres in which to organise a chase.
That makes positioning important from the opening lap. Riders with GC ambitions cannot afford to treat the stage as a routine sprint day and wait until the final 20km to move towards the front.
Photo Credit: Cor VosNooijen has extra seconds to defend
Nooijen begins the stage with a useful advantage after her prologue victory in The Hague, but the gaps remain small enough for the bonus seconds to matter.
The Red Bull Kilometre offers six, four and two seconds to the first three riders across the designated section. With Kool and Uneken only a little over eight seconds behind Nooijen, those bonuses could quickly tighten the top of the classification.
Kool’s main target will still be the stage win, but six seconds on the road would put her much closer to the leader’s jersey. Visma | Lease a Bike therefore have to pay attention to more than simply keeping Nooijen safely in the bunch.
Further time bonuses at the finish add another route to a possible change of leader even if the peloton arrives together.
What time should you watch Eneco Tour Women Stage 1?
For the full UK broadcast, tune in at 09:30 BST when TNT Sports 2 is scheduled to begin coverage.
The race itself starts at 09:00 BST, so the opening half-hour will already have been completed. Given the short stage and the possibility of crosswinds, it is worth joining when the live pictures begin rather than assuming everything will wait for the final kilometres.
If you only want the finish, 10:15 BST is a reasonable target. The race is expected to finish between approximately 10:55 and 11:01 BST, although a fast stage could bring that forward.
Kool and the other sprinters have their first obvious opportunity of the week, but the wind, bonus seconds and Nooijen’s relatively small lead give teams reasons to race aggressively well before the final sprint.
