Put on your retro cycling jersey on Sunday, September 6, and get your steel steed out of the stable, because Tour de Retro 2026 is kicking off! Get ready for a fantastic day full of Brabant hospitality and pure cycling romance. This year, in addition to the familiar classics, we also have a few great new additions on the program.
The Routes: 45 km and 75 km
Just like in previous years, there are two beautiful touring rides of 45 and 75 kilometers. The beating heart of the event is once again our own home base: Cycling Café DE CYKLIST at the NRE Grounds in Eindhoven. You are most welcome from 09:15 onwards. Upon checking in, you will immediately receive your drink voucher and a voucher for a free retro item. Who will be there to give you a warm welcome? None other than cycling jersey collector and tour guide Ton Merckx!
Ton Merckx has once again provided perfectly signposted routes. You cycle through the stunning scenery of the De Groote Heide border nature park, along winding country roads, past peaceful forests, vast heathlands, and through charming villages such as Maarheeze. Because everyone was so enthusiastic last year, we are stopping at the cozy [place name] again this year for the break. Drinks café/Cycling café KIKKEROP. The perfect place to catch your breath in style!
The Retro Event at De Cyklist
This year we are going all out at our start and finish location! In the brand-new space ‘The Permanence’ at De Cyklist, the bizarre collection of cycling jerseys gets Ton Merckx (by now more than 3,000 unique copies!) The presentation it deserves. Behind every shirt lies a beautiful story.
In 'De Permanence' you will also find the Retro Cycling Jersey Outlet, packed with remnants and samples for next to nothing. And even better: with the voucher you get at the start, you can pick out a copy here completely free!
Two Special Exhibitions
Cycling in the 60s and 70s: A beautiful photo exhibition about local cycling of yesteryear. Thanks to Piet Gijsbers (author of De Wielerspiegel), we brilliantly portray the rich cycling history of these decades. Read more in our blog about the Photo exhibition – cycling of the sixties & seventies .
‘THE ROUND MISS'’: An exhibition about the phenomenon of the 'round miss'. Although this is rightly a subject of debate today due to changing societal views on equality, we look back at it in this exhibition with a subtle historical wink. Read more about this on our blog. The Ronde Miss under the microscope: from palm branch to kiss gallery .
All the highlights of Tour de Retro 2026 at a glance:
In addition to all of the above, you naturally shouldn't miss this either:
Beautiful MARKED ROUTES through the Brabant countryside (including GPS track in your email a week in advance).
A voucher for a FREE RETRO CYCLING JERSEY to pick out in the Outlet!
DISCOUNT CODE of €7.50 bee tonmerckxwielershirts.nl (replicas are available as examples).
Delicious BITES & BYTES at Het Wielercafé De Cyklist & Wielercafé Kikkerop.
Browsing in the RETRO CYCLING SHIRTS OUTLET – historical shirts for a low price.
Atmospheric TOUR OF THEN Music.
Exhibition with original historical shirts from the collection of Ton Merckx.
Photo exhibitions: 1960s & 1970s and ‘THE ROUND MISS'’.
Nice prices for the MOST BEAUTIFUL BIKE and the MOST BEAUTIFUL RETRO OUTFIT.
Free access to the Bert Oosterbosch Cycling Museum.
Make sure you're there and celebrate cycling history with us. See you then!
Cycling jersey collector and cycling tour mainstay – Ton Merckx
