Attack, chase and victory: Van der Poel comes out firing in Luxembourg

Mathieu van der Poel did not need any adaptation period to win again on the road. In his first race in this discipline since the Tour de France, the Dutchman attacked 11 kilometers from the finish, forcing the peloton to work hard to neutralize him, and once caught, he still had the strength to prevail at the finish of the first stage of the Tour de Luxembourg 2026.

Van der Poel attacks, gets caught, and ends up winning

The first stage of the Tour de Luxembourg featured 157.7 kilometers with a start and finish in the capital and a finish particularly favorable for explosive riders. A breakaway formed by Fabio Costa, Malte Hellerup, Cole Kessler, Ruud Junior Nagengast, Jonathan Malte Rottmann, and Noe Ury was the highlight of much of the day, but the peloton always kept the situation under control.

Hellerup was the last survivor and ended up being neutralized about 12 kilometers from the finish. Just a kilometer later, the real movement from Van der Poel began.

On the attack!

First race back, Mathieu van der Poel attacks off the front at the Tour de Luxembourg! pic.twitter.com/6xqQtK1Ant

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) September 16, 2026

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The Dutchman attacked on the Côte de Stafelter, and Pepijn Reinderink initially tried to follow him. A new acceleration from Van der Poel left only Eike Behrens on his wheel. The young German managed to keep up with him, and both had about 12 seconds of advantage.

Behind, Visma, EF Education-EasyPost, and Soudal Quick-Step took up the chase. Behrens began to struggle to keep pace with Van der Poel, and finally, the move was neutralized about four kilometers from the finish. It seemed that all the effort could take its toll on the Dutchman, but the opposite happened.

With the group back together, attacks resumed on the final climb in Luxembourg. Van der Poel responded to the moves and launched his final acceleration about 500 meters from the finish. This time, no one managed to surpass him.

The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider crossed the line first after 3:45:42 of racing, with Pierre Gautherat second and Marijn van den Berg third, both with the same time. Per Strand Hagenes finished fourth, two seconds behind, and Jasper Stuyven completed the Top 5.

The victory also has a special meaning for Van der Poel. It was his first road competition since his triumph on the Champs-Élysées during the last stage of the Tour de France and comes after a mountain bike block that did not go as he expected, finishing in 30th place at the XCO World Championships in Val di Sole.

The Dutchman had explained before starting the Tour de Luxembourg that he was looking to regain race rhythm before the World Championships in Montreal. On his first day back on the road, he not only found it but also achieved victory and became the first leader of the general classification.

Top 5 Stage 1 Tour de Luxembourg 2026

1. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) – 3:45:42
2. Pierre Gautherat (Decathlon CMA CGM) – +00
3. Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost) – +00
4. Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike) – +0:02
5. Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step) – +0:02