Eneco Tour 2026 – Stage 3 [FULL STAGE] (ladies)

October 16, 2026

28th Eneco Tour Women 2026 🇳🇱 (2.1) WE – Stage 3 – Sittard – Watersley : 87,8 km

Eneco Tour Women is a UCI 2.1 multi-stage women’s road race across the mostly flat roads of the Netherlands. The route typically combines paved rural roads, urban sections and short finishing circuits, with limited sustained climbing but frequent changes of pace. Most gradients are modest, while occasional short, steep rises create brief selection points rather than long mountain tests. Open farmland and exposed dikes make crosswinds a major tactical factor, as echelons can split the peloton and turn a controlled stage into a fast pursuit. Narrow lanes, roundabouts and technical corners also reward early positioning. The format can include an individual time trial alongside road stages, adding a test of pacing and aerodynamic efficiency to the demands of bunch racing. Breakaways often form early, but sprint teams may control flatter stages, while wind and repeated accelerations can reduce the group. Finishes can come from bunch sprints, reduced groups or late attacks, depending on terrain and conditions.

Femke Markus (SD Worx-Protime) soloed to victory on stage 3 of the Eneco Tour Women, attacking multiple times to eventually move away alone 17km from the finish and hold off the chasers all the way to the line.

The reduced bunch sprinted out the uphill finale for the minor placings and, more importantly, the bonus seconds on GC, with race leader Lieke Nooijen (Visma-Lease a Bike) finishing second to defend her hold on the leader’s jersey.

Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels) completed the stage podium in third, just ahead of Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL). Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) survived the hilly, punchy day to make it to the finale in the main group, but had to settle for sixth on the uphill drag to the line.

“I’m proud of this victory,” Markus said. “We started the stage with a patient approach as a team, but we quickly felt there were opportunities for attacks. So we fully committed to that.

“Actually, I didn’t want to go so early at first, but I sensed a moment and thought: I’m taking my chance. But it turned into a long and tough effort, during which I kept thinking: why do I keep doing this to myself? But I do enjoy long attacks and racing like this. To also finish it off is even better.”

Nooijen now leads the race by 28 seconds over Markus, who started the day 43 seconds down, and will look ahead to the final two stages to try and defend her lead and take home the overall title.

Stage 3 featured four laps around Sittard and Watersley, with the Schatsberg climb mid-lap and a kick up to the finish line for a fairly punchy stage. Only 88km long, it wasn’t a day where an early break could be allowed to go up the road, so things stayed together for much of the first two laps, before splitting up on a climb towards the end of the second loop, putting stage 1 winner Sandrine Tas (Lotto Intermarché) in difficulty.

That split came back together again on the third lap, but the aggression didn’t let up, with SD Worx-Protime in particular trying to put the pressure on Visma-Lease a Bike with multiple attacks. Nooijen herself had to get involved in the attacks to try to defend and extend her lead, but though the constant digs were wearing down the group, with fewer than 25 riders left with 20km to go, it was hard to make anything stick.

Markus, who had already attacked solo earlier in the race, went away again with 17km to go, building a gap of 20 seconds. Visma-Lease a Bike and Picnic PostNL tried to chase her down, but they couldn’t reel the strong Dutch rider back in and she soloed to the win.

Despite not bringing her back, Visma’s work did mean Markus only took five seconds on the line, so Nooijen limited her losses on GC and remains fairly solidly in the lead, after dispatching with Tas who had been at 20 seconds but lost time on stage 3.

Results :