Lennert Van Eetvelt takes on the Giro-Tour double for the first time this year
For Lennert Van Eetvelt, 2026 is in a way a year of discovery. The 24-year-old GC contender from Lotto-Intermarché will compete in two Grand Tours in a single season for the first time in his career. After making his debut in the Giro d'Italia, Van Eetvelt is also expected to line up at the start of the Tour de France.
But before that, there are still several other (WorldTour) races. Van Eetvelt will begin his season in a week’s time, as the climber will debut this year in the Santos Tour Down Under (January 20-25). Afterward, he will travel to the Middle East to participate in the UAE Tour.
Following these two stage races, his first one-day race will be Strade Bianche, the renowned classic over the unpaved roads of Tuscany. After Strade Bianche, Van Eetvelt will remain on Italian soil for his third stage race of 2026: Tirreno-Adriatico.
In the 'Race of the Two Seas,' Van Eetvelt will undoubtedly aim for a strong overall classification, but he will also have the opportunity to fine-tune his form ahead of his final spring races: the Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Challenging double
After the Walloon classics, there is usually time for a rider to recover, but not for Van Eetvelt. The Lotto-Intermarché rider will make his Giro d'Italia debut in 2026 (May 8-31). And as if that weren’t enough, he also targets the Tour de France (July 4-26) after the Giro. Van Eetvelt has never ridden two Grand Tours in one season before.
