Description
September 17, 2026
86th Skoda Tour de Luxembourg 2026 🇱🇺 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 2 – Niederkorn (Differdange) – Junglinster : 166,8 km
Tour de Luxembourg is a UCI ProSeries multi-stage road race through the rolling and hilly terrain of Luxembourg,
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September 17, 2026
86th Skoda Tour de Luxembourg 2026 🇱🇺 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 2 – Niederkorn (Differdange) – Junglinster : 166,8 km
Tour de Luxembourg is a UCI ProSeries multi-stage road race through the rolling and hilly terrain of Luxembourg, combining short climbs, technical descents and fast valley roads across several stages. The route typically features narrow rural lanes, wooded sections and repeated changes of gradient, with climbs generally short to medium in length and occasionally reaching 8–12%. Rather than one dominant mountain, the race is shaped by accumulated elevation and frequent accelerations, making pacing and positioning important throughout. Tight bends and rapid transitions between climbs and descents demand precise bike handling, while exposed sections can add wind as an environmental factor. Breakaways can form early, with the peloton controlling the tempo before increasing pressure on the climbs and finishing circuits. The field may split into smaller groups before regrouping on flatter roads. Finishes can range from reduced-group sprints to late attacks or uphill accelerations, while the individual time trial, when included, adds a separate test of pacing and sustained power.
It was a ‘dubbelslag’ for Dutch sprinter Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) on stage 2 of the Tour de Luxembourg as the 27-year-old started his sprint from a long way out in Junglinster to both win the stage and move into the race lead.
As Van den Berg powered up the right side of the road, stage 1 winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) popped out and tried to match him, but faded in the final 50 metres and finished fifth, outside of the time bonuses
Timo Kielich (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished on the stage podium.
With the 10-second time bonus, Van den Berg leads Gautherat by four seconds with Van der Poel tied on the same time.
“It was always the goal to go for the sprint with me, and the team was super strong with keeping me in a good position,” Van den Berg said. “I think we never really lost control because Mikkel [Honoré] was always also there, and Lukas [Nerurkar] did a really good lead-out, like we planned already in the bus this morning. Luckily I had some legs to to do a long sprint. I went a bit too early, but it was good enough.”
It could have come out very differently had there been one more metre of road, as Van den Berg won by a thin margin after having a more sizeable lead with 50 metres to go.
“It was a bit of a stupid move, I guess, but I felt good, and I felt that was the moment to add the momentum there. And I was like, I just go. And when it was 25 meters left, I felt it was 25 meters too far. But I kept on going, and I really was super motivated to get this victory. So I couldn’t stop anymore, and I needed to win this one.”
The second day of the Tour de Luxembourg offered a 166.8km route from Niederkorn (Differdange) to Junglinster, with three categorized ascents and two finishing circuits.
Van der Poel lined up as the overall race leader after winning the previous day, but held only a slim margin over Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost).
The breakaway formed early on and included Maël Guégan (CIC Pro Cycling Academy), Steyn van der Veen (Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel), Mauro Brenner (REMBE-rad-net), Mats Berns (Team Storck-MRW Bau), and Conrad Haugsted (Team ColoQuick).
The five riders gained two minutes over the first climb, Montée Wuermer Mauer (1.6km at 6.3%), and then maintained that advantage over the Montée de Berdorf (4.1km at 4.9%) as Alpecin-Premier Tech led the pace at the front of the field with help from EF Education-EasyPost and Decathlon CMA CGM.
As they reached the foot of the Montée de Waldbillig (2km at 4.4%), however, the gap dropped, but it allowed Haugsted’s Team ColoQuick teammates Sebastian Nielsen and Joshua Gudnitz to bridge across.
The race hit the final two circuits, and the toll on the breakaway riders began to show, with riders being distanced and, at one point, only the three Team ColoQuick teammates out front by a handful of seconds.
Several accelerations led to a short-lived break from Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike), Dylan van Baarle (Soudal Quick-Step), and Mikkel Frølich Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost). When they came back, Søren Kragh Andersen (Lidl-Trek) and Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) cleared the peloton, but they were caught in the final 1/5km as Visma-Lease a Bike led the race into the final stretch.
While Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-QuickStep) launched his sprint first, van den Berg took the victory and moving into the overall lead.
Results :
 ME - Stage 2 </strong> - Niederkorn (Differdange) - Junglinster : 166,8 km
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Tour de Luxembourg is a UCI ProSeries multi-stage road race through the rolling and hilly terrain of Luxembourg, combining short climbs, technical descents and fast valley roads across several stages. The route typically features narrow rural lanes, wooded sections and repeated changes of gradient, with climbs generally short to medium in length and occasionally reaching 8–12%. Rather than one dominant mountain, the race is shaped by accumulated elevation and frequent accelerations, making pacing and positioning important throughout. Tight bends and rapid transitions between climbs and descents demand precise bike handling, while exposed sections can add wind as an environmental factor. Breakaways can form early, with the peloton controlling the tempo before increasing pressure on the climbs and finishing circuits. The field may split into smaller groups before regrouping on flatter roads. Finishes can range from reduced-group sprints to late attacks or uphill accelerations, while the individual time trial, when included, adds a separate test of pacing and sustained power.
It was a 'dubbelslag' for Dutch sprinter Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) on stage 2 of the Tour de Luxembourg as the 27-year-old started his sprint from a long way out in Junglinster to both win the stage and move into the race lead.
As Van den Berg powered up the right side of the road, stage 1 winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) popped out and tried to match him, but faded in the final 50 metres and finished fifth, outside of the time bonuses
Timo Kielich (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) finished on the stage podium.
With the 10-second time bonus, Van den Berg leads Gautherat by four seconds with Van der Poel tied on the same time.
"It was always the goal to go for the sprint with me, and the team was super strong with keeping me in a good position," Van den Berg said. "I think we never really lost control because Mikkel [Honoré] was always also there, and Lukas [Nerurkar] did a really good lead-out, like we planned already in the bus this morning. Luckily I had some legs to to do a long sprint. I went a bit too early, but it was good enough."
It could have come out very differently had there been one more metre of road, as Van den Berg won by a thin margin after having a more sizeable lead with 50 metres to go.
"It was a bit of a stupid move, I guess, but I felt good, and I felt that was the moment to add the momentum there. And I was like, I just go. And when it was 25 meters left, I felt it was 25 meters too far. But I kept on going, and I really was super motivated to get this victory. So I couldn't stop anymore, and I needed to win this one."
The second day of the Tour de Luxembourg offered a 166.8km route from Niederkorn (Differdange) to Junglinster, with three categorized ascents and two finishing circuits.
Van der Poel lined up as the overall race leader after winning the previous day, but held only a slim margin over Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost).
The breakaway formed early on and included Maël Guégan (CIC Pro Cycling Academy), Steyn van der Veen (Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel), Mauro Brenner (REMBE-rad-net), Mats Berns (Team Storck-MRW Bau), and Conrad Haugsted (Team ColoQuick).
The five riders gained two minutes over the first climb, Montée Wuermer Mauer (1.6km at 6.3%), and then maintained that advantage over the Montée de Berdorf (4.1km at 4.9%) as Alpecin-Premier Tech led the pace at the front of the field with help from EF Education-EasyPost and Decathlon CMA CGM.
As they reached the foot of the Montée de Waldbillig (2km at 4.4%), however, the gap dropped, but it allowed Haugsted's Team ColoQuick teammates Sebastian Nielsen and Joshua Gudnitz to bridge across.
The race hit the final two circuits, and the toll on the breakaway riders began to show, with riders being distanced and, at one point, only the three Team ColoQuick teammates out front by a handful of seconds.
Several accelerations led to a short-lived break from Per Strand Hagenes (Visma-Lease a Bike), Dylan van Baarle (Soudal Quick-Step), and Mikkel Frølich Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost). When they came back, Søren Kragh Andersen (Lidl-Trek) and Mattéo Vercher (TotalEnergies) cleared the peloton, but they were caught in the final 1/5km as Visma-Lease a Bike led the race into the final stretch.
While Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal-QuickStep) launched his sprint first, van den Berg took the victory and moving into the overall lead.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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