4.33 pm Spanish atmosphere at the Utrecht Science Park: ‘Super fun little festival here’
‘Better watch the Vuelta in real life than at home on the couch’
4.25 pm Glass, gravel and sand on the road
Just before Soesterberg Air Base, the road was just cleaned by spectators. There was gravel, sand and glass in the bend to the Van Weerden Poelmanweg. Not wiped?
4.13 pm Tuut, tuuuuuttttt!!!
4.05 pm Meanwhile at Soesterberg Air Base
The peloton will pass here around 4.50 pm and there will be an intermediate sprint for the points jersey!
3.55 pm Amerongse Berg: Dutchman Julius van den Berg first on top
The EF Education-EasyPost rider was the fastest of the leading group of five, which was added later, which also consisted of Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH), Xabier Mikel Azparren (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Thibault Guernalec ( Arkea-Samsic).
3.50 pm Enjoy
3:44 pm Rows thick
3.25 pm Passing through Rhenen!
Vuelta peloton enters the province of Utrecht in Rhenen
3.20 pm More and more audience at the finish in Utrecht
3.12 pm Not everyone in Rhenen likes cycling
‘Had to go with my wife’
3.06 pm Crowded at intersection near Austerlitz/Woudenberg
2:57 pm Two Dutchmen in the leading group
A leading group of riders is heading towards our province. They are Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH), Julius van den Berg (EF), Xabier Azparren (Euskaltel), Pau Miquel (Kern Pharma), Thibault Guernalec (Arkéa).
2.31 pm Public in Rhenen and at Utrecht Science Park
13.50 pm There was already a lot of racing at the finish in Utrecht this morning
Fat Tires Race at Utrecht Science Park
13:20 Children race through the streets of Rhenen
1.15 pm Stage 2 has started!
13.09 Protesting farmers in Woudenberg
Several hundred farmers are gathered in Woudenberg for a demonstration of Agractie during the second stage of the Vuelta. The cyclists will ride through the village today around 4 pm. Tractors, agricultural vehicles and trucks line the route in a long line and there are many inverted flags.
The farmers’ action group said on Friday it expected thousands of people and hundreds of tractors on the action area next to the route in Woudenberg. But with the turnout so far, Agractie leader Bart Kemp says he is “satisfied”. The action is intended to protest against the nitrogen measures that the cabinet wants to take.
Because the Tour of Spain is also broadcast in other countries, you can read slogans in English, such as ‘Save the farmer’ and ‘SOS Dutch Farmers’. The latter text has also been laid out in hay bales, so that it is visible from the air.
12.45 pm The first spectators at the top of the Amerongse Berg
11:24 a.m. Let’s reminisce…
This is how the team time trial of the Vuelta in Utrecht went
11.16 a.m. Thick Tire Race at the finish at Utrecht Science Park
11.06 am This is the finish line on the Leuvenlaan in Utrecht
Will stage 2 end in a bunch sprint at Utrecht Science Park today?
10.56 am This is how Robert Gesink addressed the team after the victory in Utrecht
10.40 am The son of Vuelta rider Jetse Bol last night…
10.30 pm It was a party in Utrecht until late in the evening
08:47 a.m. Vuelta attracted more than a quarter of a million visitors in Utrecht
The start of the Tour of Spain in Utrecht has attracted about 260,000 visitors, estimates the organization of La Vuelta Holanda. The time trial raced through all districts of Utrecht and started at the Jaarbeurs.
“It was a very special and atmospheric day”, said Mayor Sharon Dijksma about the start of the Spanish cycling round. “260,000 Utrecht residents and visitors enjoyed the spectacle with a Dutch winner as the icing on the cake. This day once again confirms that Utrecht and cycling belong together.”
08.30 am Stage 2, a beautiful ride through the region
The start of the second stage is in the center of Den Bosch. The first part of the ride is ridden in the setting of the Zuiderwaterlinie, the Dutch military defense line of the 16th and 17th centuries. After crossing the major rivers, the peloton heads at full speed towards the province of Utrecht. At 3.21 pm the riders are expected in Rhenen. Via Rhenen the riders go to the Amerongse Berg, where the first mountain points can be earned. That will be around 4 pm.
08.15 am Protests on the way
According to the AD, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion want to protest on the Amerongse Berg against the pollution that they believe the Vuelta causes. Farmers have prepared a public-friendly action in Woudenberg to protest against the cabinet’s nitrogen plans. 2000 to 4000 activists are expected and hundreds of tractors. There will be no blockages, assures chairman Bart Kemp of organizer Agractie.
In the morning, the activists arrive at the location on the Rumelaarseweg in Woudenberg. Kemp expects hundreds of tractors. They have to be in around 12 noon, because then many roads around the course will be closed. There are several speakers and there is music. At 4 pm the cyclists pass the location and the farmers hope that they will get a good picture. “We discussed a text with the Vuelta that they will read aloud in five languages. This explains why we are campaigning for farmers,” says Kemp.
08:07 Clutter
It was a nice party in Utrecht. But in many places the mess still needs to be cleaned up. Like here on Biltstraat. That is especially important here, because the riders will ride here again today.
08.05 a.m. Accessibility
08:00 Where should you go and see? 5 tips
The farmers have planned playful actions over a length of about 10 kilometers between Scherpenzeel and Woudenberg. There are flags, there are tractors with banners and with straw bales they have written ‘sos Dutch farmers’. Everything to “make a statement en masse”.
1. Rhenen, Lijnweg. Here the peloton enters the province of Utrecht around 3.20 pm. From the bridge you not only have a good view of the course, you also have a nice view over the Lower Rhine.
2. Woudenberg, Zeisterweg. At the intersection with Doornseweg, the riders pass twice. The first time around 4 pm, then again around 4.30 pm. This is a straight, wide road and there is probably more than enough space to stand along the route. A public-friendly campaign by farmers is planned in Woudenberg and Scherpenzeel.
3. The Amerongse Berg. A good place for racing enthusiasts, where the first points can be earned for the mountain jersey. At the foot you will find cycling café De Proloog, where there is plenty to do.
4. Soesterberg Air Base is one of the highlights in the route of the second stage. It will be a special sight to see the riders driving down the runway. You can also earn points here, because there is an intermediate sprint at the airbase.
5. Utrecht Science Park. The finish line of the second stage is on the Leuvenlaan. Who-o-who will run off with the flowers in Utrecht? A pure sprinter or a fast stage hijacker?