Eneco Tour: Jakob Söderqvist doubles up with dominant stage 2 time trial victory, extends race lead
Swedish rider survives late mistake to beat Finn Fisher-Black and Ethan Hayter in Tilburg
Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) doubled up on victories at the Eneco Tour, adding the stage 2 individual time trial to his prologue success in the Netherlands on Thursday.
In a close-fought battle over the flat 13.6km course in Tilburg, Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) had set the best time and held off a powerful charge from Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) by less than half a second, but the Swedish rider was simply too fast and knocked him off the hot seat as the last starter.
Almost crashing as getting on the power too early caused him to pedal strike around one of the final corners, Söderqvist stayed up and arrived at the line in a time of 15:04 to beat Fisher-Black by 11 seconds, also the only rider to average more than 54kph throughout his effort.
With a small hop over the line, the Swede netted the eighth win of his career and sixth in a time trial as a professional, also extending his overall lead of the race to 14 seconds from Hayter and 15 from Fisher-Black.
"It was a fast one, actually; I think I experienced it faster than I expected beforehand. I didn't feel too much headwind even though we were talking about it a lot before, so it was just a good day, and I cannot say much more than that," said Söderqvist.
"It was nice corners, kept you on your toes a bit – how I like it – and it was a bigger pleasure than normally."
He'll look to defend his orange jersey in the remaining three stages, with punchy routes and some likely breathless racing standing in his way of the overall title on Sunday. Sat in eighth overall, 29 seconds down, Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) looks the most likely rider to challenge Söderqvist for the overall.
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"For sure I'm happy. Everything so far is as good as we could ever expect. I was strong in this race also last year, so we know it suits me really well, but I'm happy the shape is still here with me this time of year, and we hope to keep it," he said.
"The pressure will be on, and we know how good people like Christophe Laporte are on Vam Berg," who won his European title there in 2023, "and even tomorrow will already be a lot of pressure from the other teams who believe. We are here to fight, and this is how we need to pursue."
Racing continued at the Eneco Tour with Milan De Ceuster (Picnic PostNL) leading the 87 riders off the start ramp of the stage 2 individual time trial in reverse GC order.
An early benchmark was set by Steffen De Schuyteneer (Lotto Intermarché) with a time of 15:46 over the 13.6-kilometre course in Tilburg, until he was beaten by Milan Lanhove (Team Flanders-Baloise), who went eight seconds quicker.
As a result of the opening day's prologue, most of the top time trial riders were placed inside the top 10 on GC, so Lanhove would have known his time was vulnerable, and it was Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) who knocked him off the hot seat by 11 seconds – but there were several riders going even faster on the course.
Among those ahead of Campenaerts at the intermediate check were his Visma teammate Edoardo Affini and Kristian Egholm (Lidl-Trek Future Racing), but both lost out by more than 10 seconds after a rapid final run to the line by the Belgian.
Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step) was the first rider to average more than 53kph over the course, knocking Campenaerts out of the top spot, with just eight riders still to come in. But it wasn't long before Fisher-Black scorched to the line four seconds quicker than the Dutchman.
Hayter ran him close, missing out on the lead by less than half a second, but the prologue winner and pre-stage favourite Söderqvist was powering through the course, clocking through the intermediate check five seconds faster than the Kiwi.
Söderqvist ramped up his speed and the risk, almost coming unstuck before the final kilometre, but he kept it together to convincingly beat everyone by more than 10 seconds.
Results
Position |
Rider (Country) Team |
Time Gap |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Jakob Söderqvist (Swe) Lidl-Trek |
15:04:71 |
2 |
Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe |
+0:00:11 |
3 |
Ethan Hayter (GBr) Soudal Quick-Step |
+0:00:11 |
4 |
Pepijn Reinderink (Ned) Soudal Quick-Step |
+0:00:16 |
5 |
Tomáš Kopecký (Cze) Unibet Rose Rockets |
+0:00:17 |
6 |
Wessel Mouris (Ned) Unibet Rose Rockets |
+0:00:18 |
7 |
Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
+0:00:22 |
8 |
Michiel Mouris (Ned) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe |
+0:00:28 |
9 |
Christophe Laporte (Fra) Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
+0:00:28 |
10 |
Kristian Egholm (Den) Lidl-Trek |
+0:00:32 |
11 |
Milan Lanhove (Bel) Team Flanders - Baloise |
+0:00:33 |
12 |
Edoardo Affini (Ita) Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
+0:00:37 |
13 |
Sebastian Grindley (GBr) Lidl-Trek |
+0:00:40 |
14 |
Steffen De Schuyteneer (Bel) Lotto Intermarché |
+0:00:41 |
15 |
Davide Donati (Ita) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe |
+0:00:41 |
16 |
Ferre Geeraerts (Bel) Team Flanders - Baloise |
+0:00:41 |
17 |
Lukáš Kubiš (Svk) Unibet Rose Rockets |
+0:00:41 |
18 |
Rik Van Der Wal (Ned) EEW-VDK Cyclingteam |
+0:00:43 |
19 |
Julius Van Den Berg (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL |
+0:00:44 |
20 |
Tuur Verbeeck (Bel) Lotto Intermarché |
+0:00:45 |
21 |
Thomas Monkelbaan (Ned) EEW-VDK Cyclingteam |
+0:00:46 |
22 |
Jarne Van De Ven (Ned) Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel |
+0:00:47 |
23 |
Pierre Thierry (Fra) TotalEnergies |
+0:00:50 |
24 |
Edward Theuns (Bel) Lidl-Trek |
+0:00:51 |
25 |
Elmar Abma (Ned) VolkerWessels Cycling Team |
+0:00:52 |
26 |
Joerl Schaper (Ned) Soudal Quick-Step |
+0:00:53 |
27 |
Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
+0:00:54 |
28 |
Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk (Ned) Lotto Intermarché |
+0:00:56 |
29 |
Pavel Bittner (Cze) Team Picnic PostNL |
+0:00:57 |
30 |
Victor Vercouillie (Bel) Team Flanders - Baloise |
+0:00:57 |
31 |
Paul Conor (Fra) TotalEnergies |
+0:00:57 |
32 |
Hartthijs De Vries (Ned) Unibet Rose Rockets |
+0:00:59 |
33 |
Menno Huising (Ned) Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
+0:01:00 |
34 |
Sente Sentjens (Bel) Alpecin - Premier Tech |
+0:01:01 |
35 |
Ceriel Desal (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step |
+0:01:03 |
36 |
Simon Goossens (Bel) Alpecin - Premier Tech |
+0:01:05 |
37 |
Rick Ottema (Ned) EEW-VDK Cyclingteam |
+0:01:06 |
38 |
Bram Dissel (Ned) BEAT CC p/b Saxo |
+0:01:09 |
39 |
Hugo Paats (Ned) EEW-VDK Cyclingteam |
+0:01:10 |
40 |
DaniJel Agricola (Ned) Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel |
+0:01:11 |
41 |
Milan De Ceuster (Bel) Team Picnic PostNL |
+0:01:12 |
42 |
Jonas Rutsch (Ger) Lotto Intermarché |
+0:01:14 |
43 |
MariJn Maas (Ned) BEAT CC p/b Saxo |
+0:01:15 |
44 |
Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step |
+0:01:15 |
45 |
SteIJn Oosterveld (Ned) Azerion / Villa Valkenburg |
+0:01:15 |
46 |
Florian Dauphin (Fra) TotalEnergies |
+0:01:15 |
47 |
Siebe Roesems (Bel) Alpecin - Premier Tech |
+0:01:17 |
48 |
Siebe Deweirdt (Bel) Team Flanders - Baloise |
+0:01:18 |
49 |
Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step |
+0:01:19 |
50 |
Leander Van Hautegem (Bel) Team Flanders - Baloise |
+0:01:21 |
51 |
Roy Hoogendoorn (Ned) Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel |
+0:01:21 |
52 |
Nolan Huysmans (Bel) Team Flanders - Baloise |
+0:01:21 |
53 |
Bert Bolle (Bel) VolkerWessels Cycling Team |
+0:01:22 |
54 |
Mick Van Dijke (Ned) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe |
+0:01:22 |
55 |
Gerben Thijssen (Bel) Alpecin - Premier Tech |
+0:01:25 |
56 |
Jesse Kramer (Ned) BEAT CC p/b Saxo |
+0:01:25 |
57 |
Elmar Reinders (Ned) Unibet Rose Rockets |
+0:01:25 |
58 |
Gijs Schoonvelde (Ned) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe |
+0:01:26 |
59 |
Roan Konings (Ned) Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel |
+0:01:26 |
60 |
Tars Poelvoorde (Bel) Lotto Intermarché |
+0:01:26 |
61 |
Thor Verleysen (Bel) VolkerWessels Cycling Team |
+0:01:26 |
62 |
Benedikt Benz (Ger) Lidl-Trek |
+0:01:27 |
63 |
Finn Crockett (Irl) VolkerWessels Cycling Team |
+0:01:28 |
64 |
Tim Naberman (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL |
+0:01:28 |
65 |
Frank Van Den Broek (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL |
+0:01:28 |
66 |
Mathis Avondts (Bel) Azerion / Villa Valkenburg |
+0:01:31 |
67 |
Max Kroonen (Ned) BEAT CC p/b Saxo |
+0:01:31 |
68 |
Nicola Marcerou (Fra) TotalEnergies |
+0:01:33 |
69 |
Florian Sénéchal (Fra) Alpecin - Premier Tech |
+0:01:34 |
70 |
Luke Verburg (Ned) Azerion / Villa Valkenburg |
+0:01:36 |
71 |
Jochem Kerckhaert (Ned) BEAT CC p/b Saxo |
+0:01:37 |
72 |
Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Unibet Rose Rockets |
+0:01:38 |
73 |
Mike Bronswijk (Ned) EEW-VDK Cyclingteam |
+0:01:39 |
74 |
Alan Jousseaume (Fra) TotalEnergies |
+0:01:39 |
75 |
Pietro Mattio (Ita) Team Visma | Lease a Bike |
+0:01:40 |
76 |
Chiel Schulten (Ned) EEW-VDK Cyclingteam |
+0:01:41 |
77 |
Robbe Claeys (Bel) VolkerWessels Cycling Team |
+0:01:43 |
78 |
David Dekker (Ned) BEAT CC p/b Saxo |
+0:01:44 |
79 |
Mattanja Woets (Ned) VolkerWessels Cycling Team |
+0:01:45 |
80 |
Johan Dorussen (Ned) Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel |
+0:01:51 |
81 |
Taco Van Der Hoorn (Ned) Lotto Intermarché |
+0:01:52 |
82 |
Nils Eekhoff (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL |
+0:01:58 |
83 |
Otto Van Zanden (Ned) Azerion / Villa Valkenburg |
+0:02:03 |
84 |
Sebastian Putz (Aut) Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe |
+0:02:10 |
85 |
Julian Vergouw (Ned) Metec - SOLARWATT p/b Mantel |
+0:02:16 |
86 |
Stef Koning (Ned) Azerion / Villa Valkenburg |
+0:02:21 |
87 |
Niek Voogt (Ned) Azerion / Villa Valkenburg |
+0:02:24 |
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James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.
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