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Eneco Tour: Jakob Söderqvist secures leader's jersey as fastest rider in nighttime prologue at The Hague

The Eneco Tour kicked off with a dramatic nighttime prologue in The Hague, where Sweden’s time trial specialist Jakob Söderqvist claimed the first leader’s jersey with a commanding performance. Racing under artificial lighting after sunset, Söderqvist—riding for Lidl-Trek—covered the 3.1-kilometer course in 3 minutes, 32 seconds, securing victory despite starting third-to-last in the field.

His margin was razor-thin, with Dutch rider Wessel Mouris (Unibet Rose Rockets) finishing just 0.7 seconds behind in second place. Last year’s overall winner, Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike), rounded out the podium with a time 1.4 seconds slower, while his compatriot Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) edged out Michiel Mouris for fourth after a late surge in the final wave of riders.

The prologue featured an innovative staggered start format, alternating between waves of men and women riders, with the first 28 women and 28 men taking turns on the same circuit. Early leaders like Nils Eekhoff and Thomáš Kopecký set quick times before Söderqvist’s decisive run, while the late stages saw fierce competition among the final four riders, reshuffling the top positions just before the line.

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