Results Eneco Tour 2026 Stage 5 - Victor Campenaerts seals first-ever GC triumph as Tim Merlier doubles up in Arnhem finale
Cycling
Victor Campenaerts has won the 2026 Eneco Tour, securing the first overall stage-race victory of his professional career as Tim Merlier sprinted to victory on the final stage in Arnhem.
The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider finished safely in the peloton in tenth place, completing his successful defence of the leader's jersey he had taken with an aggressive performance on Stage 3.
Campenaerts had started the final day 15 seconds ahead of Wessel Mouris, with Finn Fisher-Black third at 30 seconds. Having retained his advantage through Saturday's Col du VAM stage, the Belgian completed the job on Sunday as the race ended in a bunch sprint.
It marks a career milestone for Campenaerts, who had never previously worn the overall leader's jersey in a stage race before this weekend. His triumph also comes during a week in which the Visma riders pledged to donate all their Eneco Tour prize money to the charity Ieder kind een fiets (Every Child a Bike).
MERLIER JUEGA EN OTRA LIGA 🌎 El belga le arranca las pegatinas a Groenewegen para llevarse la última etapa del #EnecoTour. Victor Campenaerts conquista la primera general de su carrera. #LaCasadelCiclismo https://t.co/YOvY2kgyrn
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) October 18, 2026
Merlier doubles up in Arnhem
The final stage victory went to Merlier, who followed up his Stage 1 success in Ede with another sprint win, beating Dylan Groenewegen and Davide Donati to the line.
The Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter launched his effort inside the final 400 metres after a heavily represented Unibet Rose Rockets team had moved to the front in the closing kilometres.
Earlier, Rick Ottema, Marijn Maas and Mattanja Woets had formed the day's breakaway, before Michiel Mouris attacked from the peloton and joined Maas at the front. Their move was eventually brought back inside the final eight kilometres. With the bunch reunited, Merlier proved strongest once again, while Jakob Söderqvist finished fourth, ahead of Elmar Reinders and Lukáš Kubiš.
Campenaerts crossed the line tenth on the same time as the stage winner, bringing a remarkable turnaround to its conclusion after Söderqvist had dominated both time trials earlier in the week.
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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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