Gouden Pijl

Gouden Pijl is Emmen's cycling festival, an annual criterium in the Dutch city since 1976. The day is built around racing in the streets of central Emmen, with the elite men's race starting and finishing in the city and running about 100 km. It is not just a pro race dropped into town for a few hours: the program also includes entertainment, festivities, and side events through the center, including a Gouden Pijl Run that lets runners use the official cycling course. The course keeps the action close to spectators because riders race on a city-center circuit rather than disappearing onto long rural roads. The start lists mix Dutch names with WorldTour riders; recent fields have included Tim Merlier, Danny van Poppel, Edoardo Affini, Elmar Reinders, Pascal Eenkhoorn, and Tibor Del Grosso. Past winners include Bauke Mollema, Fabio Jakobsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Giulio Ciccone, Andy Schleck, Fränk Schleck, Samuel Sánchez, and André Greipel. A local touch is the Rabo Dikke Banden Race, a free set of children's races for ages 2 to 12, where kids ride in age groups on their own fat-tire bikes.