The Eneco Tour evening prologue will see men and women start alternately on the same 3.1km course around the city of The Hague on Tuesday, October 13 in a rebranding of what was the Tour of Holland.
It is self-explanatory: a male rider will roll off the ramp and start the racing followed by a female rider and so on before finishing at around 21:00 local time. The men’s and women’s race results will, of course, be separate, but they will be racing together at the same time.
The organiser lists both prologues for 18:00 at Sportcampus Zuiderpark, with the last finishers due at 21:00 and a ceremony at 21:15. It says the timetable may still change. For spectators, the format puts both fields in front of them on one evening, with no gap between the two races.
"The UCI still needs a little time to get used to ideas like this. At the prologue in The Hague, of course, this is perfectly possible," course director Thijs Rondhuis told Wielerflits.
However, the website does state the schedule may change and it appears it may well have done. Tim de Vries is a commentator for Eurosport Netherlands with a focus on women’s cycling, he replied directly to our story on BlueSky:
“The prologue format has actually changed a little, which will make it a little less chaotic. 30 women start, each with a minute between them - 5 minute break in starts - 30 men - 5 minute break in starts - repeat.”
We have asked for confirmation on this but this is likely going to be the case instead of seeing men and women racing together. Likely a disappointment to many but potentially a more sensible option for the race itself.
This will only happen during the prologue. The races to come afterwards see flat stages, hilly days including a stage around the cobbled climb of the VAM-berg and a longer time trial, with the men’s and women’s races held on the same day but at different times.
The 13.6km individual time trial in Tilburg will not use alternating starts, because the speed difference between the fields could lead to dangerous overtaking. Over 3.1km, there is little distance for faster riders to close down a rider who started ahead of them. Over more than four times that length, the risk of catches grows.
The Hague start also moves indoors this year, after a cold evening at the race's return in 2025, while the spectator stands will stay open. Ethan Hayter (Soudal-Quickstep) won that 4km prologue ahead of Cameron Rogers (then of Lidl-Trek, now with Netcompany-Ineos Racing Academy) and Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek).
One event, two races
The Eneco Tour combines two races that existed previously. The men’s side saw the return of the Tour of Holland in 2025 while the women’s race is taking over the former Simac Ladies Tour. Both races run from October 13 to 18 over the same route; their start times differ, and distances are adjusted as needed. Fifteen teams line up in each race. The men's field includes seven WorldTeams and the women's field six Women's WorldTeams.
"The women's race is not a side event, but a full-fledged race alongside the men's race," race director Roxane Knetemann said.
Before the professionals start, the course hosts a celebrity prologue from 16:30. Riders start every 45 seconds in two groups. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar rides alongside Annemarie van der Sar, Viggo Waas, Richard Krajicek and Lucinda Brand (Lidl-Trek), with Ellen van Dijk and Michael Boogerd as team captains.
Brand is riding the celebrity prologue instead of the professional race, shortly after announcing she will be leaving Lidl-Trek, a team that has decided to not race the Eneco Tour on the women’s side.
The ride supports the Hersenstichting's Hard Koppie campaign, which aims to make helmet use more common among young people. Some participants are living with acquired brain injury. "By taking part, they put a face to the impact of brain injury and draw attention to the importance of healthy and well-protected brains," said Ronald Schouten, the foundation's fundraising manager.
