Results Tour de Luxembourg 2026 Stage 2 - Van der Poel denied in uphill sprint as Marijn van den Berg rides into leader's jersey
CyclingThursday, 17 September 2026 at 18:34
Mathieu van der Poel was denied a second win in a row at the Tour de Luxembourg as Marijn van den Berg came late to deny the Dutch rider in an uphill drag to the line on stage 2.
A course of 166 kilometers from Niederkorn to Junglinster saw multiple hills and climbs on the way to a local circuit to finish, promoting aggressive riding throughout the day as multiple teams vied for control.
Could it be Mathieu van der Poel's day again after his stage one attacks and victory? The parcours certainly suited him but he would face considerable opposition and a stubborn breakaway.
As the race was heading into its finale, seven riders had forged a small gap and drove the front of the race throughout, even if their time at the front seemed numbered with bigger teams leading the chase.
Mae Guegen, Steyn van der Veen, Mauro Brenner, Conrad Haugsted, Mats Berns, Joshua Gudnitz and Sebastien Nielsen made up the seven riders.
Breakaway's lead reduced as peloton battle heats up
The longest climb of the day - the 4-kilometre Montee de Beerhof ascent - caused a definitive increase in pace as Visma | Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates - XRG and EF Education - EasyPost were active at the front, causing the gap to come down to less than 1:30.
With 20 kilometres to go, a split in the peloton opened up the race. Mathieu van der Poel was forced to go to work at the front of the second part of the bunch to get back to the front of affairs as the attacks soon came thick and fast.
Dylan van Baarle kicked off a counter move that featured Stan Dewulf, Per Strand Hagenes and Mikkel Honore as the fireworks reeled in the breakaway - which in itself was fracturing as only three remained - Gudnitz, Haugsted and Nielsen.
The furious chase of the attackers brought the remainder of the peloton brought the gap down to 25 seconds as the race hit the final lap of the local finishing circuit.
Breakaway caught on final lap of circuit
The breakaway were caught as the race hit 10 kilometres to go and the attacks restarted as Soren Krogh Andersen launched on a descent of a short climb. He was joined by Matteo Vercher in a daring move as van der Poel himself gave chase in the bunch.
Decathlon, UAE and other teams were among those who helped with the chase as the duo forged a gap of over the rest of the race with just over 5 kilometres remaining.
Kragh Anderson was all-in as he drove the pair into the penultimate kilometre, but their attack just came short at the Flamme Rouge as the race quickly reset for a slight uphill to the line led by Visma's Stand Hagenes.
UAE were there in numbers in chase but it was Jasper Stuyven launched into a headwind before Honore gave chase in leadout for Marijn van den Berg. But Mathieu van der pole opened up with 150 meters to go as he was beaten by van den Berg - going into the leader's yellow jersey in a gruelling sprint to the line.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- So Belgian and therefore so ironic. Start by getting along with or accepting each other and maybe representing your country won’t be such dilemma. Funny how when we hear about this kind of thing it’s always from the same countries, Belgium for the men and The Netherlands for the women, unless of course you count Tadej’s refusal.Mistermaumau17-09-2026
- What was funny was that Red Bull's official news website didn't state how long the contract is for
Rafionain-Glas17-09-2026 - Michael Goolaerts (RIP), Briastre: in 2018 he suffered a cardiac arrest and crashed.,which was sadly fatal. Johan Museeuw, Arenberg: suffered a serious fractured kneecap in 1998 which threatened his career Davide Ballerini: Fractures of the hamate and trapezium bones in the left wrist in 2025. Ayco Bastiaens also sustained a left collarbone fractured, while Stefan Küng sustained facial and knee injuries and Silvan Dillier fractured his right hand, still completing his work for van der Poel.Rafionain-Glas17-09-2026
- luke and tom on Race Communique podcast talk about the race and the way it was ridden and how it frazzled the leaders more than normal-- super interesting segment I thoughtjad2917-09-2026
- I'm surpised we havn't seen any articles about that outburst, it was one of his best! He was screaming so loud you could hear it through the footage, full on psycho mode.jad2917-09-2026
- PogiFanBoy peaking through the window to get his photofrieders317-09-2026
- Since these insiders thought doping was the right thing to do, maybe outsiders wouldn't be such a bad thing. I still scratch my head over Hincapie running a pro team. He used just as much as Armstrong.
ScottG17-09-2026 - He won't, neither Seixas nor Del Toro are better climbers or time trialists than him, he is about to be at his physical peak in age.awp17-09-2026
- Well, that's not true, he podiumed in the Tour twice and won the Vuelta. He's by far the third best climber in the world, all the climb records where he has raced show this to be true.awp17-09-2026
- He could have, he has been injury free and seen good form, which he usually has.awp17-09-2026
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