“We’ve had a really enjoyable week, and it was great to finish the race like this. I’ve never won a general classification before, so it’s a real honour to have the team ride for me like this,” a delighted Campenaerts said after the finish. This overall victory marks a special milestone for the Belgian. He has won a stage race for the first time in his professional career. After a week in which he demonstrated his attacking spirit and strong form, he can now call himself the overall winner of the 2026 Eneco Tour.

The final stage took the peloton over 149.2 kilometers, starting and finishing in Arnhem. The route consisted of several laps, including a rolling 8.1-kilometer local circuit that had to be completed five times. For Campenaerts and his teammates, the priority was to secure the leader’s jersey. “I was confident that we wouldn’t get into trouble today. The whole team rode incredibly strongly, and everyone was fully committed to achieving our goal. Edoardo started pulling from kilometer zero, and Christophe did everything he could to defend the GC. It was very special to see how they did everything they could to help me,” Campenaerts said.

Early in the race, a breakaway of three riders formed. The trio was given room to build an advantage, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike, together with other teams, kept the gap under control. As the finish approached, the breakaway’s advantage gradually decreased. The pace increased further in the closing kilometres as the sprint teams organised themselves for the final straight. Tim Merlier proved to be the fastest, claiming his second stage victory of this year’s Eneco Tour.

Campenaerts started the final stage with a 15-second lead over Wessel Mouris. After his strong performance in the third stage, in which he finished second following an attacking race and took the leader’s jersey, the Belgian had also held his own on the challenging finish atop the Col du VAM. “I have to say that I’m extremely proud. When I joined the team, my goal was to be 100% domestique. Of course, I still am, but I never expected to be part of one of the biggest teams in the world and for the team to commit 100% to me. It’s an enormous honour to be part of such a great group of experienced riders. It gives me a lot of confidence,” the Belgian concluded.