“I never imagined I'd get the chance” - Victor Campenaerts goes from Visma domestique to Eneco Tour champion with first-ever GC win
Cycling
Victor Campenaerts has won the first stage-race general classification title of his professional career at the 2026 Eneco Tour, less than two years after returning to Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the express intention of becoming a full-time domestique rather than pursuing his own results.
The almost 35-year-old Belgian completed his unexpected triumph in Arnhem on Sunday, finishing safely in the peloton as Tim Merlier sprinted to the final stage victory. Having spent much of his time at Visma working for Jonas Vingegaard, Campenaerts was instead the rider receiving the congratulations after six days of racing in the Netherlands.
"I'm very proud," Campenaerts said in his post-race flash interview. "When I joined Visma | Lease a Bike, it was to be a domestique, 100 per cent. I never imagined I'd get the chance to ride for the general classification at one of the biggest teams."
Back in January, as he prepared for another campaign built around supporting Vingegaard at the Grand Tours, Campenaerts had declared: "I don't really have any ambitions of my own any more."
That was a considerable departure from the ambitions that had defined his earlier career, including his first spell with the Dutch organisation between 2016 and 2017. A former Hour Record holder and Grand Tour stage winner, Campenaerts returned to Visma in 2025 specifically to help others achieve their biggest victories, a role reaffirmed when he extended his contract through 2028 in September.
An unexpected opportunity in the Netherlands
Campenaerts' path to overall victory was opened by Friday's dramatic third stage, when he attacked during a heavily fragmented finale and eventually escaped alongside Mick van Dijke.
The Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider came past him in the sprint for the stage victory, but Campenaerts gained enough time on his principal general classification rivals to move into the leader's jersey for the first time in his long professional career.
With Wessel Mouris and Finn Fisher-Black among his closest challengers, Campenaerts then survived Saturday's Col du VAM stage with his advantage intact before completing the job in Arnhem.
He had started the final day 15 seconds ahead of Mouris and 30 seconds clear of Fisher-Black, with Sunday's closing kilometres eventually producing a bunch sprint rather than another major shake-up in the general classification.
"It was an honour to see it through successfully alongside such experienced riders," Campenaerts said. "We've had a really enjoyable week together. Now we're going to have a nice celebration on the team bus."
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The overall victory also adds to Team Visma | Lease a Bike's charity initiative during the Eneco Tour. Earlier in the week, the riders collectively agreed to donate all their prize money from the race to 'Ieder kind een fiets' ('Every Child a Bike'), with Campenaerts subsequently speaking about how much that money could mean to the children involved.
Having taken the leader's jersey on Friday, Campenaerts had urged his teammates to defend it so they could donate as much as possible. By Sunday afternoon, they had successfully protected it through the remaining two stages, completing a week that ended with both a first career GC title and the team's prize money pledged to charity.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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