Stage 3

Wednesday September 01 2021 - Essen to Hoogerheide - 166 km
 

Wednesday 1 September - At 168.3 kilometres, the route of the 3rd stage leads from Essen to Hoogerheide. Flat roads again. A bunch sprint is next to certain.

Essen is a regular host of stage starts at the Benelux Tour and its predecessors, but a stage finish would be something new.

It’s not for this edition though. The riders clip into their pedals on Heuvelplein – or Hill Square -, which is misleading as there will be no climbs today. They head for Hoogerheide before the route concludes with three 29.4 kilometres laps.

Starting 5.2 kilometres before the finish, the Golden Kilometre serves three opportunities to win time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds within 1,000 metres. The first three riders on the line take 10, 6 and 4 seconds.

The 3rd stage of the Benelux Tour starts at 10.30 and the race is expected to finish around 15.00 – both are local times.