For many years, the race consisted of seven or even eight stages. This year - as in 2020, 2023 and 2024 - the Renewi Tour only has five stages. The race is part of the UCI World Tour, the premier league of international cycling, but like the Deutschland Tour with its packed calendar in August and the associated overlap with the Vuelta a Espana to fight.
In the history of the Renewi Tour, two Germans have won the overall title: Stefan Schumacher triumphed in 2006, while Tony Martin took first place in 2010. However, the record holder is the Belgian Tim Wellens, who won the Tour in 2014, 2015, 2023 and 2024.
The favourites of the Renewi Tour
Wellens is once again to be mentioned this year when it comes to potential overall winners. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG pro will face competition from Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in particular. The Dutch superstar is competing in his first race since withdrawing from the Tour de France due to pneumonia and will use the Renewi Tour to test his form. As strong as he has been recently, he is likely to be the clear favourite for overall victory.
The sprinters, who are well equipped for the mountains, could also have a say in the battle for overall victory. Arnaud de Lie (Lotto), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché - Wanty) and Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), to name but a few. But a recently strong Mathias Vacek (Lidl - Trek) or the classics specialists Thibau Nys (Lidl - Trek) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain - Victorious) could also show off their skills.
This is the route of the Renewi Tour 2025 - all stages at a glance
The riders have to cover 920.3 kilometres and 6046 metres in altitude over the five stages. With the exception of the opening stage of the tour, where the peloton will ride through the Netherlands, the race will take place on Belgian soil. The stages at a glance.
Stage 1 | Wednesday, 20 August | Terneuzen - Breskens | 182.6 kilometres
Stage 1 takes the peloton through the Netherlands between Terneuzen and Breskens. It is the only stage that is not ridden on Belgian soil. There are no climbs worth mentioning and with only 243 metres of climbing, a bunch sprint is likely here.
Stage 2 | Thursday, 21 August | Blankenberge - Ardooie | 172.7 kilometres
The second day should also be one for the sprinters. From Blankenberge on the North Sea, the peloton will head south until they reach the finish line in Ardooie, where they will have to complete a four-lap circuit. There are very small climbs on the circuit, but these should not pose a problem.
Stage 3 | Friday, 22 August | Aalter - Geraardsbergen | 181.8 kilometres
The third day starts in Aalter. First in a southerly direction, where it is still almost flat, and later in a westerly direction, where it becomes challenging for the first time. The field is likely to be torn apart here on short but sometimes very steep ramps. The 10% gradient mark is clearly exceeded several times here. The first time gaps in the overall classification are definitely possible here.
Stage 4 | Saturday, 23 August | Riemst - Bilzen-Hoeselt | 198.5 kilometres
Stage 4 is a constant up and down from Riemst to Bilzen-Hoeselt. This is a circular route with a short detour to the Dutch side. With almost 200 kilometres and many steep ramps, the classics specialists are in demand here.
Stage 5 | Sunday, 24 September | Leuven - Leuven | 184.7 kilometres
The fifth and final stage of the Renewi Tour 2025 is also perfect for the classics riders. Starting and finishing in Leuven, the peloton sets off on a circuit that is ridden twice. Then there is a smaller circuit with five laps to tackle. The really steep climbs are no longer waiting here, but there could still be time gaps.
Renewi Tour 2025: TV broadcast and live stream
The Renewi Tour 2025 cannot be seen on German television. However, cycling fans can watch the race digitally on Discovery Plus (subject to a charge) track. The first two stages run from 3:30 pm to 5:45 pm, the third stage of 3:15 pm to 5:45 pm, the fourth stage of 13:35 until 16:00 and the last stage of 14:00 to 16:30 in the live stream.
Starting list of the Renewi Tour 2025
- 1 Tim Wellens
- 2 Florian Vermeersch
- 3 Igor Arrieta
- 4 Julius Johansen
- 5 António Morgado
- 6 Juan Sebastián Molano
- 7 Rui Oliveira
- 11 Mathieu van der Poel
- 12 Tibor Del Grosso
- 13 Simon Dehairs
- 14 Silvan Dillier
- 15 Jensen Plowright
- 16 Johan Price-Pejtersen
- 17 Gianni Vermeersch
- 21 Tim Merlier
- 22 Ayco Bastiaens
- 23 Yves Lampaert
- 24 Paul Magnier
- 25 Dries Van Gestel
- 26 Bert Van Lerberghe
- 27 Warre Vangheluwe
- 31 Olav Kooij
- 32 Edoardo Affini
- 33 Christophe Laporte
- 34 Daniel McLay
- 35 Attila Valter
- 36 Menno Huising
- 37 Julien Vermote
- 41 Biniam Girmay
- 42 Vito Braet
- 43 Gijs Van Hoecke
- 44 Gerben Kuypers
- 45 Laurenz Rex
- 46 Taco Van der Hoorn
- 47 Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk
- 51 Thibau Nys
- 52 Otto Vergaerde
- 53 Alex Kirsch
- 54 Toms Skujins
- 55 Jasper Stuyven
- 56 Tim Declercq
- 57 Mathias Vacek
- 61 Matej Mohoric
- 62 Matevž Govekar
- 63 Kamil Gradek
- 64 Fran Miholjević
- 65 Daniel Skerl
- 66 Robert Stannard
- 67 Fred Wright
- 71 Oliver Naesen
- 72 Dries De Bondt
- 73 Stan Dewulf
- 74 Pierre Gautherat
- 75 Bastien Tronchon
- 76 Tord Gudmestad
- 77 Gianluca Pollefliet
- 81 Vincenzo Albanese
- 82 Kasper Asgreen
- 83 Owain Doull
- 84 Jack Rootkin-Gray
- 85 Colby Simmons
- 86 Marijn Van den Berg
- 87 Max Walker
- 91 Maxim Van Gils
- 92 Roger Adrià
- 93 Filip Maciejuk
- 94 Ryan Mullen
- 95 Anton Palzer
- 96 Mick Van Dijke
- 97 Sam Welsford
- 101 Tobias Foss
- 102 Axel Laurance
- 103 Salvatore Puccio
- 104 Michael Leonard
- 105 Ben Swift
- 106 Connor Swift
- 107 Ben Turner
- 111 Pavel Bittner
- 112 Nils Eekhoff
- 113 Sean Flynn
- 114 Tim Naberman
- 115 Fabio Jakobsen
- 116 Frank Van den Broek
- 117 Alex Edmondson
- 121 Laurens Huys
- 122 Donavan Grondin
- 123 Amaury Capiot
- 124 Giosuè Epis
- 125 Michel Ries
- 126 Miles Scotson
- 127 Florian Sénéchal
- 131 Lewis Askey
- 132 Sven Erik Byström
- 133 Kevin Geniets
- 134 Johan Jacobs
- 135 Valentin Madouas
- 136 Paul Penhoët
- 137 Clément Russo
- 141 Davide Cimolai
- 142 Fernando Gaviria
- 143 Lorenzo Milesi
- 144 Manlio Moro
- 145 Mathias Norsgaard
- 146 Natnael Tesfatsion
- 147 Albert Torres
- 151 Dylan Groenewegen
- 152 Robert Donaldson
- 153 Jelte Krijnsen
- 154 Campbell Stewart
- 155 Luka Mezgec
- 156 Max Walscheid
- 157 Elmar Reinders
- 161 Davide Ballerini
- 162 Alberto Bettiol
- 163 Cees Bol
- 164 Yevgeniy Fedorov
- 165 Aaron Gate
- 166 Anton Kuzmin
- 167 Mike Teunissen
- 171 Nolann Mahoudo
- 172 Aimé De Gendt
- 173 Milan Fretin
- 174 Jan Maas
- 175 Ludovic Robeet
- 176 Alexis Renard
- 177 Damien Touzé
- 181 Arnaud De Lie
- 182 Jenno Berckmoes
- 183 Cedric Beullens
- 184 Toon Aerts
- 185 Jarrad Drizners
- 186 Lionel Taminiaux
- 187 Brent Van Moer
- 191 Sieves Deweirdt
- 192 Jonas Geens
- 193 Jules Hester
- 194 Milan Lanhove
- 195 Vincent Van Hemelen
- 196 Dylan Vandenstorme
- 197 Ward Vanhoof
- 201 Ceriel Desal
- 202 Michiel Lambrecht
- 203 Tom Portsmouth
- 204 Leander Van Hautegem
- 205 Kenneth Van Rooy
- 206 Pierre Barbier
- 207 Axandre Van Petegem
- 211 Miká Heming
- 212 Arvid De Kleijn
- 213 Robin Froidevaux
- 214 Petr Kelemen
- 215 Sebastian Kolze Changizi
- 216 Aivaras Mikutis
- 217 Rick Pluimers
- 221 Lukáš Kubiš
- 222 Axel Huens
- 223 Tomáš Kopecký
- 224 Davide Bomboi
- 225 Andreas Stokbro
- 226 Abram Stockman
- 227 Adam Ťoupalík
Leon Weidner
Working student
