Tour de Luxembourg 2026 – Stage 1 [FULL STAGE]

September 16, 2026

86th Skoda Tour de Luxembourg 2026 🇱🇺 (2.Pro) ME – Stage 1 – Luxembourg-Knuedler – Luxembourg-Fëschmaart : 157,5 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.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won the opening stage at the Tour de Luxembourg, beating Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) in an uphill sprint to the finish line in Luxembourg-Fëschmaart.

Van der Poel was part of a late-race attack alongside Eike Behrens (Team Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur) with 11km to go that was caught in the closing kilometres of the stage. However, Van der Poel had enough left in the tank to launch his sprint from 500 metres out and take the stage victory.

The Dutchman’s victory earned him the event’s first leader’s jersey of the five-day race, and he now leads the overall classification by four seconds over Gautherat and six seconds over Van den Berg heading into the second stage on Thursday.

The peloton competed in a 157.5km from Luxembourg-Knuedler to Luxembourg-Fëschmaart on the opening stage tackling four climbs over the Montée de Niklosbierg, Côte de Bourscheid, Côte de Eschdorf and lastly the Côte de Stafelter.

Six riders formed an early breakaway that included Noé Ury (Storck-MRW Bau), Jonathan Malte Rottmann (Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur), Malte Hellerup (ColoQuick), Ruud Junior Nagengast (Metec-SOLARWATT p/b Mantel), Fábio Costa (Feira dos Sofás-Boavista) and Cole Kessler (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling).

Rottmann took full points on the first ascent, Montée de Niklosbierg, as the leaders gained just over two minutes on the main field.

By the time they reached the next ascent, Côte de Bourscheid, Hellerup took the points over the top, but four riders were distanced from the move, leaving only himself and Costa out front with a minute lead over the Côte de Eschdorf and into the final third of the stage.

EF Education-EasyPost and Lidl-Trek set the pace at the front of the field; the gap closed completely with 12km remaining over the Côte de Stafelter.

Van der Poel launched out of the field with 11km to go and was later joined by Behrens, but the pair were reeled back in at the 4km-to-go mark.

With the field together heading into the final sprint, Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek) launched a long-range attack, but Van der Poel countered with 500 metres to go and held off the field for the win.

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