Renewi Tour 2026: Route

The Renewi Tour is entirely played out in Belgium this year. The route features three more or less flat stages and two hilly races. Stage 3, finishing on the Vesten halfway up the Muur van Geraardsbergen, is the toughest of the five on paper.

Last updated: 19 August 2026 – final route

Race dates: Wednesday 19 August – Sunday 23 August
Race type: Belgium's only multi-day UCI WorldTour race
Favourites: Florian Vermeersch, Tiesj Benoot, Jasper Philipsen, Arnaud De Lie, Olav Kooij
Key stages: 3, 5
Defending champion: Arnaud De Lie
Record holder: Tim Wellens (4 overall wins)

Stage-by-stage breakdown: Renewi Tour 2026

Stage 1 – 191.3 kilometres, 1,090 metres of elevation gain
The Renewi Tour gets under way with a stage from Diest to Diest. After a loop north of the historic city and a larger loop to the south, the race finishes with three laps on the northern side of town. The route features nine climbs in total, the final one coming 10.5 kilometres from the finish. That is the Grasbos, also known as the ‘Poggio of Diest’, a 1-kilometre climb averaging 4.5%.

Stage 2 – 173.9 kilometres, 470 metres of elevation gain
On the second day, it is time for an old favourite. The riders travel from Blankenberge to Ardooie, a fixture on the Renewi Tour route for years. In the West Flanders village, the sprinters are virtually certain to shine. Last year, Kooij took the honours; two years ago, it was Milan.

Stage 3 – 182.0 kilometres, 1,920 metres of elevation gain
Talking of old favourites, a Renewi Tour stage has been finishing on the Vesten, halfway up the Muur van Geraardsbergen, practically since the invention of Belgium's only multi-day UCI WorldTour race. The riders set off from Celles and tackle a whole host of climbs, including the Taaienberg, Bosberg and Muur van Geraardsbergen, before finishing on the Vesten. The final 500 metres run on cobble at a 6% gradient. Van der Poel won here last year.

Stage 4 – 187.3 kilometres, 1,450 metres of elevation gain
Stage 4 is also familiar. In a slightly different guise, admittedly, but last year there was also a circuit race starting in Diest and finishing in Bilzen-Hoeselt. Merlier sprinted to victory on that occasion. This time, however, there is a new climb in the finale: the Letenberg, 400 metres at 7.6%. From there, it is another 7.5 kilometres to the finish.

Stage 5 – 183.7 kilometres, 1,821 metres of elevation gain
The final stage is a rerun of the GP Jef Scherens, which disappeared from the cycling calendar last year. The Leuven-to-Leuven race also brought the Renewi Tour to a close back then, making this edition, aside from the opening stage, a complete trip down memory lane. The final stage features no fewer than 27 short climbs. The race brought a thrilling spectacle last year, with De Lie getting the better of Van der Poel. Thanks to the time bonuses, he also snatched the overall victory from the Dutchman.