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Eneco Tour Women: Lieke Nooijen dominates prologue for first race leader's jersey

The Eneco Tour Women kicked off with a dramatic prologue in The Hague, where Lieke Nooijen claimed the first leader’s jersey after dominating the 3.1-kilometer time trial. Starting in the third wave of riders, Nooijen outpaced Charlotte Kool—who had led the early stages with the fastest time of 3:59—by eight seconds, finishing in 3:51.

Lonneke Uneken also challenged Kool’s benchmark, securing third place just behind Nooijen. The event introduced a unique format, alternating waves of women and men on the same course, with 88 riders competing in total.

Kool initially set the pace in the opening wave, but Nooijen’s late surge secured her the overall lead heading into Wednesday’s first road stage in Ede. The prologue’s fast average speeds, nearing 17 km/h, highlighted the intensity of the opening day.

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