Photo via Cyclingnews

Eneco Tour: Jakob Söderqvist doubles up with dominant stage 2 time trial victory, extends race lead

Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek) cemented his dominance at the Eneco Tour with a commanding victory in Thursday’s 13.6km individual time trial in Tilburg, adding a second stage win to his prologue triumph. The Swedish rider outpaced Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) by 11 seconds—despite nearly crashing late in the stage—while also surpassing the 54kph average, securing his eighth career win and sixth in a professional time trial.

His margin now extends his overall lead to 14 seconds over Ethan Hayter and 15 over Fisher-Black, setting the stage for a title defense in the remaining three stages, including punchy climbs like Vam Berg where rivals like Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike) could pose a threat. Söderqvist, who called the fast conditions a pleasant surprise, will need to maintain his form to hold off challenges from a deep field eager to disrupt his momentum.

Early in the stage, Milan Lanhove (Team Flanders-Baloise) set a benchmark time of 15:46, but Victor Campenaerts (Visma-Lease a Bike) later dropped him by 11 seconds, signaling the competitive pace. The race’s top time trialists, already positioned near the front after the prologue, pushed each other hard, with Söderqvist ultimately proving the fastest of the day.

His ability to navigate the technical corners while maintaining speed underscored his tactical brilliance, leaving little room for error in what proved to be a decisive performance.

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