Home > News

2016 Eneco Tour Stage 7: Boasson Hagen first on the Muur, Terpstra takes the title

Race leader Dennis crashes out

September 25, 2016
Share on SMS

Chaos reigned on the final stage of the 2016 Eneco Tour, and Dutch rider Niki Terpstra (Etixx-QuickStep) emerged from the pandemonium of wet cobbles to add the 12th Eneco Tour to his 2014 Paris-Roubaix triumph and two Tour of Qatar titles. Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen took the stage win, with Terpstra right on his tail, Peter Sagan 47-seconds back and overnight race leader Rohan Dennis a DNF.
https://twitter.com/CyclingHubTV/status/780051118214746112
The riders faced cobbles and climbs, and the fiercest combinations came on the 25-km finishing circuit that they would roll four times: the Bosberg, Denderoordberg and the Muur. On the final lap the finish line was 600-metres up the Muur.

Plenty of climbing on Stage 7.
Plenty of climbing on Stage 7.

After 60-km there was still no breakaway, and then a nontet containing reigning champion Tim Wellens (Belgium/Lotto-Soudal) broke free. The escapees weren’t allowed to fly too far, what with Sky interested in keeping the gap down even though it had a man in the break.


Only 1:30 remained of the gap as the riders entered the circuit, with Tinkoff now pulling at the front of the peloton. Rain started to fall, making the cobbles treacherous. The fugitive group split under the pressure of the climbs. With 50-km remaining, Rohan Dennis crashed and two BMC teammates tried to bring him back to the front.


Soon after the first break was absorbed, another dashed away with Dennis still trying to catch up. Terpstra was the most dangerous man in the new formation. An even more dangerous chase eventually containing Tom Dumoulin developed.

Heading into the final lap, a lead group of Terpstra, Oliver Naesen (Belgium/IAM), Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) and Jasha Sütterlin (Germany/Movistar) held a gap of 45-seconds over the Peter Sagan and Tom Dumoulin-led chase.


With Terpstra tied with Sagan on time overnight and Sütterlin a further 12-seconds back, it seemed that the real title-tussle on the Muur might be between the Dutchman and the German, Naesen having an outside chance, but Boasson Hagen too far down on the GC.

With 10-km remaining it was announced that Dennis had abandoned the race.

Sütterlin fell away on the Denderoordberg with 6-km remaining. Naesen was 24-seconds back of Terpstra on GC and would have to make a separation early. The chase could make no inroads into the trio’s lead.

On the Muur the Norwegian had the legs to grind out his ninth victory of the season. But the real spoils were Terpstra’s.

With his wins at the Eneco Tour, Sagan takes back his WorldTour lead from Nairo Quintana, and with the top three in individual rankings–Sagan, Quintana and Chris Froome–missing the final race of the season, the 110th Il Lombardia, the title is Sagan’s.

2016 Eneco Tour Stage 7
1) Edvald Boasson Hagen (Norway/Dimension Data) 4:03:27
2) Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Etixx-QuickStep) +0:02
3) Oliver Naesen (Belgium/IAM Cycling) s.t.

2016 Eneco Tour Final GC
1) Niki Terpstra (The Netherlands/Etixx-QuickStep) 22:43:26
2) Oliver Naesen (Belgium/IAM Cycling) +0:31
3) Peter Sagan (Slovakia/Tinkoff) +1:00