A return to Southern Hungary, chaotic weather conditions, two Hungarians in distinctive jerseys, and a Swedish talent’s first overall victory—the 2026 Tour of Hungary delivered incredible stories.
The organizers had already announced in December 2025 that the city of Gyula would host the race’s Grand Start. On May 12, huge crowds gathered at the foot of Gyula Castle to welcome the 19 teams taking the stage, including 7 WorldTeams and 15 Hungarian riders. The loudest cheers went to an old acquaintance—the only current Hungarian WorldTour rider, the most recent Hungarian winner of the Tour de Hongrie, Attila Valter (Team Bahrain Victorious), who returned to the peloton after a six-year hiatus. Following the team presentation, Valter took part in a panel discussion on stage alongside reigning Hungarian champion Márton Dina (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort) and another former white jersey winner, János Pelikán (Team United Shipping). In addition, cultural programs, exhibitors, a professional conference, and cycling activities welcomed visitors at the venue.
On the first stage on May 13, the Hungarian Tour returned to Békés County after a 20-year hiatus. At the finish line in Békéscsaba, the peloton’s best sprinter lived up to expectations: three-time Tour de France stage winner Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) triumphed decisively over Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) and Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious). One of the biggest GC favourites, Jakob Omrzel crashed in the final kilometer – thankfully, he was able to continue.
Merlier was unstoppable all week: on the third stage, from Kaposvár to Szekszárd, he overtook Fernando Gaviria just before the finish line, and then he was the first to cross the line on the final stage from Balatonalmádi to Veszprém, which was marked by crosswinds. His victory in the points classification was never in doubt, and he claimed the green jersey for Skoda and Europcar.
The second stage of the overall race brought the first major shake-up. At the end of the 206-kilometer stage between Szarvas and Paks, Cofidis and UAE Team Emirates tore the peloton apart in the crosswinds, and attacks followed one after another. On the final climb in Paks, the race’s top favorite, Frenchman Benoit Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates), picked up the pace, dropped his rivals, and went on to win the stage. Since Cosnefroy had also collected bonus seconds in the intermediate sprints, he arrived at the queen stage with a commanding lead; however, on the Mohács–Pécs stage, the weather intervened in his triumphant run.
With the peloton already completely soaked by the time they reached the finish line in Szekszárd, the rain continued to batter the riders throughout the weekend. The organizers first shortened the originally 188-kilometer queen stage by 40 kilometers, and then, following crashes by Kelland O’Brien and Yves Lampaert, they canceled the final mountain loop in Pécs as well. The biggest winner of the decision was Sweden’s Jakob Söderqvist (Lidl-Trek), who broke away from his breakaway companions and was the first to cross the finish line at the top of Bárány Road, as the general classification contenders were unable to close the gap on the shortened course. The jury deliberated at length on whether the special stage should count toward the general classification—ultimately deciding to leave the new general classification standings as is.
Given the events leading up to it, the final stage was met with particularly high expectations, and Ágnes Forsthoffer, the newly elected Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, even made an appearance at the starting line in Balatonalmádi. Before the finish in Veszprém, five categorized climbs awaited the riders, but the attacks began afterward, in the crosswinds. UAE Team Emirates did everything they could to drop Söderqvist, who held his ground. However, 20 kilometers from the finish, the yellow jersey’s wheel collided with those of his competitors, and he crashed! Söderqvist could only rejoin the main peloton, while at the front, Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla), currently third in the race, 2019 Tour de Hongrie winner Krists Neilands (NSN Cycling Team), and Slovakian Martin Svrcek (Soudal Quick-Step) set the pace. Söderqvist finally took control into his own hands: within the final five kilometers, he moved to the front of the peloton and led the group back to the breakaway, claiming the race’s yellow jersey ahead of Cosnefroy and Plapp! Söderqvist became the first Swedish winner in the history of the Tour de Hongrie. His victory continued an amazing streak: since 2005, every Tour de Hongrie has been won by a rider of a different nationality!
The Hungarian riders really gave it their all: two of the four special jerseys went to the Hungarians! Last year, Team United Shipping secured the white jersey thanks to Bálint Feldhoffer, but this year they switched colors. Erik Fetter attempted a breakaway in three stages, and in the final stage, he won every mountain sprint, confidently securing the Cofidis red jersey. He became the first Hungarian winner of the mountains classification since Attila Valter’s victory in 2020. Speaking of Valter: the returning star ultimately finished 9th overall, earning him the white jersey awarded to the best Hungarian rider. Márton Dina finished just 16 seconds behind him.
The race was accompanied by more media hype than ever before. Footage of the event reached nearly one million Hungarian TV viewers thanks to M4 Sport—the final stage drew an average audience of 83,000! Footage from the Tour de Hongrie also went viral on social media: a total of 7 million users encountered Tour de Hongrie content on Meta platforms. Meanwhile, thanks to the support of our international media distribution partner, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), footage of the Tour de Hongrie was broadcast on 73 channels in 190 countries.
47th Tour de Hongrie (13-17 May 2026, 772 km)
Stage winners:
Stage 1 (Gyula - Békéscsaba, 143 km): Tim Merlier (BEL, Soudal Quick-Step) – in yellow: Merlier
Stage 2 (Szarvas - Paks, 206 km): Benoit Cosnefroy (FRA, UAE Team Emirates) – in yellow: Cosnefroy
Stage 3 (Kaposvár - Szekszárd, 152 km): Tim Merlier (BEL, Soudal Quick-Step) – in yellow: Merlier
Stage 4 (Mohács - Pécs, 124 km): Jakob Söderqvist (svéd, Lidl-Trek) – in yellow: Söderqvist
Stage 5 (Balatonalmádi - Veszprém, 147 km): Tim Merlier (BEL, Soudal Quick-Step) – in yellow: Söderqvist
General classification:
Points classification:
1. (in green jersey) Tim Merlier (BEL, Soudal Quick-Step)
Mountain classification:
1. (in red jersey) Erik Fetter (HUN, Team United Shipping)
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