Human Powered Health Cycling heads to Belgium and the Netherlands from September 2 through 7 for the final European WorldTour race of the year, the Simac Ladies Tour.
The 2025 edition is a rouleur’s delight with opportunities for fierce bunch kicks and opportunistic moves every day, bar a crucial individual time trial.
A hilly start in Belgium is followed by five stages in the Netherlands. Famous for its high sea winds, strong teams could split the race into pieces every day before the penultimate day’s time-trial. Then it’s a gravel amuse-bouche to end the race, with seven gravel sectors to contend with on the final day before a circuit finish in Lichtenvoorde.
Human Powered Health brings its full sprinting, Classics and time trialling might to the six-stage race. Pan American ITT champion Ruth Edwards will be resplendent in that jersey on stage 5. She is joined by wind experts Lily Williams and Romy Kasper as well as the sprint team of Kathrin Schweinberger, Silvia Zanardi and Wiktoria Pikulilk.
How to watch
USA
Max with via the B/R Sports Add-On
Stages 1 and 4 from 7:30 am ET / 6:30 am CT / 5:30 am MT / 4:30 am MT
Stages 2, 3 and 6 from 8:30 am ET / 7:30 am CT / 6:30 am MT / 5:30 am MT
Stage 5 from 7:00 am ET / 6:00 am CT / 5:00 am MT / 4:00 am MT
UK
TNT Sports/Discovery+
Stages 1 and 4 from 12:30 BST
Stages 2, 3 and 6 from 13:30 BST
Stage 5 from 12:00 BST
Europe
Eurosport/Discovery+
Stages 1 and 4 from 13:30 CET
Stages 2, 3 and 6 from 14:30 CET
Stage 5 from 13:00 CET
Austrian national champion Kathrin Schweinberger heads into Simac off the back of an impressive ride at the Tour de Pologne that saw her capture third on GC.
“I am really looking forward to the next week of racing,” says the 28-year-old. “I am always happy to race with the team, and a stage race always has special vibes.”
This will be Schweinberger’s second time at the race, and she is well-versed in battling across such terrain. With wind, hills, and gravel, Simac this year has packed in everything northern Europe has to offer.
”I know it will be some hard stages,” she says. “Especially with the wind. There are for sure opportunities for active riders because of this.”
The eclectic style of racing will suit the many skills the squad brings.
“We have a really cool squad at Simac and I think we are lined up for some exciting races as we have sprinters, TT riders and rouleurs,” Schweinberger explains. “The season is already long, but I have the feeling the team is always 100% motivated to give our all.”
Simac Ladies Tour Stage by Stage*
*Elevation profiles are greatly exaggerated
9/2 Stage 1 | Leuven – Leuven (81.3 km) Rolling
The Simac Ladies Tour kicks off in Belgium with 12 laps of a 7.5 km circuit route in Leuven. A twisty loop with a few kickers, it will be an intense start to the race. It will likely come down to a bunch sprint, but how large that group is depends on how relentlessly the attritional course is raced.
9/3 Stage 2 | Gennep – Gennep (124.5 km) Rolling
It’s laps on stage 2 as well, but this time a much larger loop around Gennep in the Netherlands. A gradual climb in steps is an opportunity for breakaway candidates or a bid for victory. Any group that does survive will need strong cohesion, though, as there is a stretch of 16 flat kilometers back to the finish.
9/4 Stage 3 | Zeewolde – Zeewolde (160.1 km) Flat
It wouldn’t be the Netherlands without a couple of totally flat race days, and the first comes on stage 3. The test here will be a vicious south-westerly wind that whips across the course and a technical finish with no less than seven 90-degree corners in the finale. Positioning and a strong lead-out are key.
9/5 Stage 4 | Alkmaar – Alkmaar (125.8 km) Flat
Stage 4 will run with a similar script. With parts of the parcours actually below sea level and stronger winds to contend with, teams may be keen to blow the race apart before tomorrow’s crucial individual time trial. Survival of the fittest and fastest sprint teams.
9/6 Stage 5 | Doetinchem – Westendorp (10.2 km) ITT
Stage 5 is crucial for the overall. Even those TT specialists who have been hiding over the past couple of stages will have a great chance for a GC bid. A flat course with some big 90-degree turns sprinkled in, the route suits aero masters and powerful specialists. Don’t be surprised if a sprinter does, in fact, win this stage too.
9/7 Stage 6 | Lichtenvoorde – Lichtenvoorde (156.3 km) Flat
A twisting route on the Dutch-German border brings the final European WorldTour race of 2025 to a close. After a sapping 115 km lead-in with seven gravel sectors, the peloton makes it to a three-lap finishing circuit with the big sprinting guns all vying for victory in Lichtenvoorde.
