Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 takes place on Sunday, 24th May, with the women’s peloton taking on one of Belgium’s roughest late-spring one-day races. It is flat in profile terms, but the repeated gravel roads, cobbled sections, exposed port roads and constant fight for position make it much more selective than the altitude gain suggests.
The race starts and finishes at Schengenplein in Antwerp. The women’s race is a 125km event through the Antwerp polders, unpaved roads around the city and the port area, with a 14:00 local start and an expected finish around 17:45 local time. For UK viewers, that means a 1:00pm BST start and an expected finish around 4:45pm BST.
For UK viewers, the main live route is HBO Max, with TNT Sports also the relevant platform to check for listings and schedule updates. The race is one of the weekend’s more distinctive viewing options, especially for anyone who enjoys the rough-road feel of Belgian racing without the usual climbs.
Photo Credit: Gregory Van GansenWhen does Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 start?
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 takes place on Sunday, 24th May.
The race starts at 14:00 local time in Antwerp, which is 1:00pm BST in the UK. The expected finish is around 17:45 local time, or 4:45pm BST. The organiser’s programme also lists the team presentation at Schengenplein from 13:00 local time, with the podium ceremony scheduled for 18:00 local time after the finish.
That makes it a compact Sunday afternoon race for UK viewers. It should build quickly once the peloton reaches the repeated rough sectors, but the most important selection is still likely to come in the final 90 minutes.
How to watch Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 in the UK
UK viewers should check HBO Max as the main live streaming route for Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026. TNT Sports is also worth checking on race day, particularly for schedule listings and any linear coverage.
The organiser’s race information and live-following page should also be useful for updates, race details and following the situation if the broadcast tile is not immediately obvious. Smaller one-day races can sometimes sit inside broader cycling listings rather than appearing as a heavily promoted standalone event.
What time should UK viewers tune in?
The full race starts at 1:00pm BST, but the best general viewing window should be from around 3:15pm BST. That should bring viewers into the final 90 minutes, when the accumulated stress of gravel, cobbles, open roads and positioning should start to break the race apart.
For those who want the full tactical picture, watching from the start will show how the early moves form and which teams take responsibility. In Antwerp Port Epic Ladies, that can matter because a strong group can become dangerous if several major teams are represented and the chase behind becomes disorganised.
The essential viewing window is from around 3:45pm BST. By then, the race should be deep enough into the rough-road sections for the selection to be clear, but still far enough from the finish for attacks, punctures or splits to change the result.
Why this race is worth watching live
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies is not a conventional flat race. The absence of long climbs does not make it easy. Instead, the difficulty comes from repeated friction: gravel, cobbles, open roads, wind exposure, mechanical risk and the need to stay near the front all day.
That makes it a race where the strongest team on paper does not always get a clean run. A puncture at the wrong time, a split after a rough section, or one moment of poor positioning can remove a favourite before the final even begins. It also gives riders from outside the Women’s WorldTour a genuine chance to challenge bigger squads if they are brave enough to race before the final kilometres.
The race also sits neatly alongside the other rough Belgian races on the calendar. It has the surface stress of cobbled racing, but without the same climbing rhythm as the Tour of Flanders. That changes the type of rider who can win. Sprinters, cyclocross riders, Classics specialists and strong all-rounders can all make a case.
What kind of finale should viewers expect?
The most likely finish is a reduced group sprint, but a late attack is very realistic. That uncertainty is the appeal of the race. If the strongest sprint teams keep enough riders at the front, the final can come back together. If the rough sectors and wind split the race earlier, the winning move may go before the last few kilometres.
The favourites will need more than speed. They need bike-handling, timing and support. A fast rider who reaches the final group isolated can still win, but the effort required to survive the rough sections may blunt the final sprint. A technically sharp rider who attacks at the right moment could be much harder to bring back.
That makes the final hour especially valuable. The race may look controlled one minute, then be split across the road after the next gravel or cobbled section.
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Photo Credit: RCS
Riders and teams to watch
The full start list for Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026 points towards a race with several possible outcomes. SD Worx-Protime have options through Marta Lach, Femke Markus and Femke Gerritse, giving them both reduced-sprint strength and attacking power.
AG Insurance-Soudal can look to Letizia Borghesi, with Leonie Bentveld and Ilse Pluimers also giving the team useful rough-road depth. Cofidis bring a strong sprint and track-power group around Amalie Dideriksen, Valentine Fortin, Martina Alzini and Malwina Mul.
Fenix-Premier Tech look particularly well-suited if the race becomes technical and fractured. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Marion Norbert Riberolle and Marthe Truyen all have qualities that should matter on rough surfaces and in a race shaped by repeated accelerations rather than long climbs.
Human Powered Health also have several cards, with Maggie Coles-Lyster, Lily Williams and Kathrin Schweinberger all capable of surviving a hard day and still influencing the finish.
UK viewing details
The key details for UK viewers are:
- Date: Sunday, 24th May
- Race: Antwerp Port Epic Ladies 2026
- Start and finish: Schengenplein, Antwerp
- UK start time: 1:00pm BST
- Expected UK finish: around 4:45pm BST
- Main UK live route: HBO Max
- Also check: TNT Sports listings and the organiser’s live race-following page
- Best viewing window: from around 3:15pm BST
- Essential final window: from around 3:45pm BST
Antwerp Port Epic Ladies should be one of the more unpredictable Sunday races of the month. It is not a mountain race and not a clean sprint race, but a rough, tactical Belgian one-day event where surface, positioning and timing can decide as much as raw speed.
