Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 stage 5 preview & how to watch on TV in the USA and UK - Can anyone dethrone Aranburu on the final stage?
Cycling
The Baloise Belgium Tour will be taking place from the 17th to 21st of June in 2026, and it will be the single most important preparation race for the sprinters ahead of the Tour de France. We take a look at the stages for this year's edition. Below, you'll also find all the information on how to watch the race live and on TV, including coverage in the UK and the USA.
Belgium is a country with an entire history in cycling itself, and the race was created back in 1908 - one of the oldest events in the sport, especially when it comes to stage races. The first edition was also won by Lucien Petit-Breton, who would in the same year become the first rider to ever win two Tour de France editions. During World War I and II the race was put on hold, with one exception (from 1991 to 2001) it was always held continuously.
Names like Pino Cerami, Rik van Looy, Erick de Vlaeminck, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens, Eddy Planckaert cemented this as a headliner event throughout the sport's history. Whilst it has never been a World Tour-class event, in this century it continued hosting many of the world's best classics riders, sprinters, and time trialists.
Michael Rogers, Sylvain Chavanel, Tom Boonen, Stijn Devolder, Philippe Gilbert, Tony Martin, Greg van Avermaet... For many years, every winner was either a monument winner or a world champion in the past, in more than one discipline. That reputation holds until today, with recent winners like Remco Evenepoel in 2019 and Mathieu van der Poel in 2023. In 2025, it was Filippo Baroncini who took the overall win ahead of Ethan Hayter and Jenno Berckmoes.
Due to the race's position on the calendar, in the weeks leading up to the Tour, and due to Auvergne and Suisse's mountainous difficulties, this race has become a staple in the sprinters' racing schedule ahead of the Grand Boucle.
Jasper Philipsen will be one of the headliners at the 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour
Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 Schedule and start times
The 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour will be held from the 17th to the 21st of June. Stage dates and times (in Central European Time: CET) are as follows:
| Stage | Day | Date | Start Time | Finish time |
| Stage 1 | 17 June | Wednesday | 12.10 | 16:10 |
| Stage 2 | 18 June | Thursday | 12:00 | 16:15 |
| Stage 3 | 19 June | Friday | 12:05 | 16:15 |
| Stage 4 | 20 June | Saturday | 12:30 | 16:30 |
| Stage 5 | 21 June | Sunday | 12:50 | 17:00 |
How to watch the 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour on TV
The race will be broadcast on the traditional channels, most notably Discovery, MAX, and Eurosport. As always, you can always follow the 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour on CyclingUpToDate with our full coverage of the race.
In the United States and Canada you will be able to find the race on FloBikes. In the United Kingdom, viewers can watch the race live on TNT Sports. In Belgium, it will be possible to watch it on Pickx.
| Location | TV |
| United States | FloBikes |
| Canada | FloBikes |
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports |
| Belgium | Pickx |
Stages 2026 Baloise Belgium Tour
Prediction Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 stage 5:
*** Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay
** Florian Vermeersch, Jasper Stuyven, Soren Waerenskjold
* Tim Merlier, Olav Kooij, Toon Aerts, Rune Herregodts, Héctor Alvarez, Carlos Canal, Alex Aranburu, Jonas Abrahamsen, Rasmus Tiller, Tom Crabbe, Quinten Hermans
Pick: Jasper Philipsen
How: Small group sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
Profile stage 5: Gimgelom - Hoeilaart
Stage 5: Gingelom - Hoeilaart, 182.6 kilometers
The final stage of the race is another one which features a circuit finale, with explosive roads in which differences can be made, and the race can be very tactical. Starting in Gingelom, the first half of the day is quite flat, but as the riders reach the circuit and the finale in Hoeilaart, the scenerty changes.
The circuit features a slight uphill 2-kilometer long cobbled sector at the Mommaertsstraat, which should be a key point of the race. There are two more categorized climbs afterwards, the latter having a 6% gradient and ending with a mere 6 kilometers to go. It can be a very open race before the flat finale.
Preview predictions
Prediction Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 stage 1:
*** Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier
** Juan Sebastián Molano, Olav Kooij
* Tim Torn Teutenberg, Ivan García Cortina, Biniam Girmay, Soren Waerenskjold, Tom Crabbe, Max Kanter, Milan Fretin, Sam Bennett, Emilien Jeannière, Arvid de Kleijn, Timothy Dupont
Pick: Tim Merlier
How: Regular bunch sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
Profile stage 1: Scherpenheuvel-Zichem - Scherpenheuvel-Zichem
Stage 1: Scherpenheuvel-Zichem - Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, 188.3 kilometers
The race opens up with a circuit and a day that is typical of racing in Belgium, with cobbled sectors and explosive climbs all throughout the day, starting and finishing in the town of Scherpenheuvel-Zichem.
The stage should still end in a sprint however, despite having a short berg which is 700 meters long at 4% towards the end of the stage, finishing with only 3 kilometers to go.
Prediction Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 stage 2:
*** Tim Merllier, Biniam Girmay
** Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij
* Tom Crabbe, Stefan de Schuyteneer, Max Kanter, Milan Fretin, Soren Waerenskjold, Arvid de Kleijn, Tim Torn Teutenberg, Timothy Dupont, Emilien Jeannière
Pick: Tim Merlier
How: Regular bunch sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
Profile stage 2: Merelbeke-Melle - Knokke-Heist
Stage 2: Merelbeke-Melle - Knokke-Heist, 197.5 kilometers
Stage 2 sees the riders head towards the Atlantic ocean for a finale that is not unfamiliar to the riders who race in the region. The peloton moves from Merelbeke-Melle to Knokke-Heist, a stage where the wind could play a huge role as the riders make it to West Flanders.
The finale is in an urban circuit, where the speeds can be very high and there should be a lot of tension. A circuit finale and a stage for the sprinters.
Prediction Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 stage 3:
*** Florian Vermeersch, Riley Sheehan, Soren Kragh Andersen
** Rasmus Tiller, Quinten Hermans, Tibor del Grosso
* Toon Aerts, Antoine l'Hote, Hector Alvaréz, Lewis Askey, Krists Neilands, Jonas Abrahamsen, Davide Toneatti, Rick Pluimers
Pick: Soren Kragh Andersen
How: Short group sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
Profile stage 3: Durbuy - Durbuy
Stage 3: Durbuy - Durbuy, 173 kilometers
Stage 3 of the race is a cricuit as well and can be termed the queen stage. The 173-kilometer long stage features four laps of a long circuit with plenty climbing. They are short, explosive, and also feature a hilltop finish.
The difficulty of the finish may see a race that is more conservative than what it would otherwise be, however there is terrain to create differences. The finale in Durbuy features a 600-meter long ramp at 900% that coincides with the finish line.
Prediction Baloise Belgium Tour 2026 stage 4:
*** Jasper Philipsen, Biniam Girmay
** Tim Merlier, Jonas Abrahamsen, Alex Aranburu
* Florian Vermeersch, Riley Sheehan, Jasper Stuyven, Toon Aerts, Cees Bol, Jakob Söderqvist, Quinten Hermans, Emilien Jeannière, Lewis Askey
Pick: Jasper Stuyven
How: Late attack
Original: Rúben Silva
Profile stage 4: Betekom - Aarschot
Stage 4: Betekom - Aarschot, 182.7 kilometers
The fourth day of racing sees the peloton race from Betekom to Aarschot. It is another circuit stage, with the outcome being a likely sprint but... With plenty chances to turn the race around.
There is a circuit that includes five small climbs, which can see attacks and riders trying to flip the overall classification. The last of which ends with 18 kilometers to go, meaning that most likely a sprint will still decide the outcome of the day.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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