The Tour de Suisse Women just became more open since professional cycling's most dominant rider, Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ), opted to forego the race after having to dig deep to win the Giro d'Italia Women last week.

FDJ United-SUEZ confirmed to Cyclingnews that Vollering will skip the Tour de Suisse to rest before she ramps up toward the Tour de France Femmes, which starts on August 1.

"We've jointly decided to introduce a recovery block, [is] in order to prepare her as well as possible for her upcoming goals," the team stated, according to IDLProcycling. "We'd like to thank the organisers for their understanding."

Vollering, who won the Volta de la Comunitat Valenciana in February before a successful Spring Classics campaign – that included victories in Omloop Nieuwsblad, the Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège – only had a short break before winning the Giro d'Italia.

Other riders opting out of the Tour de Suisse include Vollering's teammate Elise Chabbey, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Canyon-SRAM) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-ProTime) but several other favourites have emerged ahead of the five-stage Women's WorldTour race.

With a flat 23.7-kilometre individual time trial and a final day with over 3,000 metres of climbing culminating on the summit at Villars-sur-Ollon, the Tour de Suisse Women contenders will have to exhibit top-notch power across both flat terrain and soaring mountains.

Final start lists weren't out yet at the time of writing, but from among those expected to be on the line Cyclingnews has picked a few obvious candidates and also some riders with the capacity to surprise.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM)

The Polish rider has had an agonising time since fending off Vollering on Alpe d'Huez to win the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, with no fewer than five second-place finishes, and more podiums or near-podium finishes, but just a single victory on the road – Poland's 2025 National Championships road race.

If it wasn't Vollering (European Championships and Omloop), it was the Dutch rider's teammate Elise Chabbey (Strade Bianche), or Movistar's Marlen Reusser (Tour de Suisse), relegating Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney to second place.

In the Tour de Suisse, Niewiadoma-Phinney will need to focus on whatever she can gain on stronger time trialists early in the race and the final stage, since there is only one pure climber's day.

There are two opportunities for the 31-year-old to eke out a few seconds here and there with a couple of her signature attacks. On stage 1, the Bordighi climb across the border in Italy pitches up to almost 12% and is 1.1km long, coming just six kilometres from the finish.

Stage 2 has two climbs in the last 15km, the Fanghi ascent (3.5km at 7%) and Orselina (1.4km at 8.8%), but has a longer, flat run-in to Locarno after the final descent.

Since flat-line power isn't Niewiadoma's forté, she will have to limit her losses in the stage 4 time trial that comes after a flat sprinter's stage, and then go for broke on the final day, a circuit starting and ending in Villars-sur-Ollon – midway up the Col de la Croix – that covers the entire ascent twice.

Niewiadoma-Phinney wasn't at her best in the Vuelta Femenina, finishing eighth overall, more than three minutes adrift of winner Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ), but has had a solid month to ramp up for the Tour de Suisse and remains a top contender.

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

The Italian champion had a rough spring, falling ill after winning the UAE Tour and Trofeo Oro in Euro and missing out on races such as Milan-San Remo and the Spanish stage races in May, but throughout the Giro d'Italia she improved.

Setting her sights realistically on a top-five overall, Longo Borghini met her goal with an aggressive final stage in which she went on the attack to win ahead of Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM) and Vollering.

Longo Borgnini is equally aggressive as Niewiadoma-Phinney on shorter, punchy climbs and will be tough to shake. She also might have a better chance than Niewiadoma in the stage 4 time trial. While she hasn't competed in a time trial over 20km since the 2023 Tour de Suisse, and finished well off the pace in the 12.7km test in the Giro, Longo Borghini is an accomplished time trialist who lost only 16 seconds to Marlen Reusser during a similar test in the 2023 Tour de Suisse.

Seeming to be inching back to her best in the mountains during the Giro d'Italia, but not quite there on the longer climb of the Finestre, the final stage could go either way for Longo Borghini, depending on her health. But the 34-year-old always gives her best and can't be counted out in the Tour de Suisse.

Marlen Reusser (Movistar Team)

The winner of the Tour de Suisse in 2023 and 2025, Marlen Reusser, is the home country's best chance at the overall victory again this year, especially considering the return of the individual time trial.

But Reusser has had a tough year, too. She had to pull out of the UAE Tour after a crash on stage 2 left her with stitches to her knee and hand. She then fractured several vertebrae in a crash during the Tour of Flanders, which kept her out of competition until the Giro.

She showed a remarkable recovery, taking second to Van der Breggen in the time trial, but was unable to remain in contention for the final Giro d'Italia podium in the mountains, and finished 13th overall.

The stage 4 Tour de Suisse time trial is Reusser's to lose, as the starter with the most prolific record in the discipline. The only question is if she can gain enough time to act as a buffer if she struggles on the Col de la Croix.

With a few more weeks to bounce back fully and a somewhat less demanding parcours, Reusser is definitely a contender for the final podium.

Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-SUEZ)

Don't rule FDJ United-Suez out of the running at the Tour de Suisse just because Vollering isn't going to be on the start line. Among the riders that are often found supporting her in the climbs at key events are also a number of strong contenders in their own right. Juliette Berthet (née Labous) is one of the prime examples.

The rider who came second overall at the Giro d'Italia in 2023 and fourth at the Tour de France Femmes in 2022 delivered a reminder of just how ably she could manage on the testing climbing stages when she was working for her own results at the Vuelta Femenina this year. Berthet finished third atop L'Angliru and took fifth overall, despite having to work into the race given she had a cold beforehand.

The stage that stands out as one where the French rider can really get the advantage is, of course, the final climb-heavy day, but also working in her favour is that she isn't too shabby in a time trial either.

The 27-year-old was seventh and sixth at the World and European Championships individual time trials last year and took fourth in the discipline at the Olympic Games in Paris. It's not an area where she is expected to be able to compete with Reusser, but there is plenty of reason to think she can snare an advantage on some of her other climbing specialist rivals. In fact, her fourth place in the time trial at the Tour de Suisse in 2024 was what helped her into the top five overall.

Femke de Vries (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Visma-Lease a Bike's Femke de Vries may not exactly have a record at the Tour de Suisse Women that would immediately make her an obvious addition to the top contenders list, having come 16th last year and 13th the year before. Still, it's hard to go past a rider who was third behind Longo Borghini in the UAE Tour this year and finished sixth overall in the Giro d'Italia. That's especially the case when De Vries was the best of the rest behind Vollering on the Finestre in the Giro, finishing fifth on the stage behind the pink jersey group, and then she matched Van der Breggen in her pursuit of Vollering's group on the final stage.

The 32-year-old has yet to chalk up a pro victory, but has a long list of top-five results in stage races and really appears to have stepped up a level this season on the climbs. What's more, she has a solid time trial, so with a little luck thrown in as well, she could be up there in the Tour de Suisse.

Outsiders

Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Premier Tech)

Winner of the Vuelta a Burgos and runner-up in the Itzulia Women, Kastelijn has made strides in the Women's WorldTour in recent years.

The Dutch rider's biggest win to date was stage 4 of the Tour de France Femmes in 2023, when she soloed into Rodez after being the only rider left of a 151-kilometre breakaway to hold off the group of GC riders.

Last month, Kastelijn put in a stunning performance on the brutal climb of Lagunas de Neila in the Vuelta a Burgos, winning by 16 seconds over Évita Muzic (FDJ United-SUEZ).

The time trial will be a thorn in the 28-year-old's side, however. Although as a cyclo-cross racer, she's capable of putting out strong flat-line power, it's not a discipline where she has put much focus. But, as a rider like Niewiadoma-Phinney and Longo Borghini who likes to attack on tough climbing stages, she could use that terrain to make up for any time trial issues and remain an overall contender.

Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal)

The Tour de Suisse is a race where the Slovenian has a strong record, finishing inside the top ten in 2023 and 2024 before ramping it up and moving into the top five last year. Urška Žigart is an all-rounder who has proven that she can be up there in the punchy stages and not drop the ball in the time trial, delivering consistent performances that have quietly shifted her up the ranks.

That has been a pattern repeated this year in the opening two Grand Tours, though what seems to have been amped up in recent seasons is her performance on the climbs. The Tour de Romandie last year, where she delivered second overall, was clear evidence of that, as was her seventh at L'Angliru at the Vuelta Femenina in 2026, where she came sixth overall. If she can slot that extra piece of the puzzle into place on the final stage of the Tour de Suisse, Žigart could be looking beyond the top five and toward the podium.

Jasmin Liechti (Switzerland)

While the last two entries are names that may be circling the upper edge of the outsider category, the next two are names that are certainly not as prominent, not yet at least. Firstly, there is the 23-year-old racing for the Swiss National Team, Jasmin Liechti.

Normally racing for the small Continental team Nexetis, Liechti hasn't competed in many WorldTour races but has done the Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie in the past.

She landed on our radar after winning the overall Bretagne Ladies Tour thanks to an impressive individual time trial victory, averaging over 42kph. With wins in the Gracia stage race and three one-day race wins this year, it will be interesting to see how she fares compared to previous years, when she was well outside of the top 40.

Talia Appleton (Liv AlUla Jayco)

The Australian was actually meant to be racing with the Continental development squad this year, but the young rider was quick to prove that she was capable of performing at the top level and last month got bumped up to the WorldTour Team.

Talia Appleton had proven her stripes at home before launching into Europe, jumping to prominence with a victory on top of Tawonga Gap at the Tour of Bright in 2024, then consistently being a top performer in the ProVelo Super League in 2025 before getting a chance in Europe and taking third overall at the Tour de l'Avenir.

Now, in 2026, she is entering the Tour de Suisse fresh from her promotion to the WorldTour team and also with a first professional win in the books, after earlier this month clinching the Alpes Gresivaudan Classic. The Tour de Suisse is not Appleton's first WorldTour-level race in Europe, that was Itzulia Women, but it is her first with a summit finish. It will be intriguing to see how she fares against the top-level field in terrain that plays to her climbing strength.

One Tour de France warm-up race has already been and gone as the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes concluded in the high mountains over the weekend. Another is still to come as the Tour de Suisse gets underway on Wednesday.

Of course, these races are much more than just warm-ups for the big one in July. The Tour de Suisse is in its 89th edition this year and stands as one of the most prestigious stage races outside of the three Grand Tours.

This year, the race has been reduced from eight days to five, running June 17-21 from Sondrio to Villars-sur-Ollon. Once stretching to even 10 or 11 days, the race's new length is, in the words of its organisers, an attempt to ensure it can remain "financially sustainable and future-proof."

Despite the Tour de Suisse's reduced route, which features a 23.8km time trial and a four-mountain finale on the Col de la Croix, it has still attracted a stellar field of riders. World champion Tadej Pogačar heads up the start list and lines up as the overwhelming favourite to add the overall title to his palmarès.

But there are plenty of other GC hopefuls also heading to Switzerland this week, even if overhauling the Slovenian looks a near-impossible task. Here's a look at our top contenders for the 2026 Tour de Suisse.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Tadej Pogačar has eight wins to his name in just 11 race days so far in 2026, and the Slovenian is favourite to add to his palmarès here on his Tour de Suisse debut.

The world champion is one of the few Tour de France contenders using the five-day race as his main tuneup for the Tour de France, and he'll be joined by several key Tour lieutenants, including Nils Politt, Mikkel Bjerg, and Brandon McNulty.

At the Tour de Romandie, he won four of the five stages and the overall, and he could do similar here. The opening stages in Sondrio and Locarno finish in the hills, while stage 4 is a time trial, and the closing stage passes through the high mountains.

Anything less than another dominant performance in Switzerland would surely raise some questions over Pogačar's form ahead of the biggest race of the season, but frankly, there's little to suggest he won't come away with a healthy margin of victory.

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)

Olympic champion Richard Carapaz has been forced to recalibrate his season goals after missing the Giro d'Italia last month. The Ecuadorian couldn't recover from perineal cyst surgery in time for the May race, and so he'll lead EF Education-EasyPost at the Tour de France instead.

Carapaz has won this race before, of course, triumphing in 2021, but he'll find it hard to repeat the feat this time around. He hadn't shown top form earlier this spring, with a 10th place at the Volta a Catalunya his best GC result to date, but he did add a third place at GP Gippingen to the results tally on Sunday as he pinned on a number for the first time since March.

He'll lead EF both at Tour de Suisse and at the Tour de France, with the US team's squad in July set to do battle on several fronts with Kasper Asgreen, Alex Baudin, and Ben Healy also set to race. Here, he'll be accompanied by a younger squad, including Luke Lamperti and Colby Simmons. A strong showing on the final mountain stage and a podium spot would be a great outcome.

Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)

Italian GC hope Antonio Tiberi is forgoing his home Grand Tour this year and making his debut at the Tour de France, with a third career start in Switzerland his main preparation for the race.

He'll be joined by French climber Lenny Martinez at both races, but should be Bahrain Victorious' GC leader at both. Tiberi will hope to show some form this week, having been quiet in his recent races.

After a successful start to the season with a string of top-five places – second to Isaac del Toro at the UAE Tour the highlight – he has struggled to make an impact in the past two months.

A seventh place on stage 1 of the Tour de Romandie stands out as his best recent result, with not much else to shout about across Tirreno-Adriatico, Itzulia Basque Country, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and the Tour de Romandie. He, Martinez, and Giro d'Italia heroes Afonso Eulálio and Alec Segaert will be hoping for more here.

Enric Mas (Movistar)

At this time of year, Enric Mas is usually preparing for his main goal of the season, the Tour de France. This time around, though, following three abandons in four years in July, he switched his target to the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España.

His debut at the Giro was a disappointing one, however, with the Spaniard racing to 32nd place overall, with a second place in Chiavari his top result along the way. The Tour de Suisse, then, will stand as something of a second chance for Mas.

He'll be accompanied in the Movistar lineup by Nairo Quintana, who retires at the end of the season. The Colombian has already taken a farewell victory, triumphing at the Vuelta Asturias in April, but he'd love to take one last win at WorldTour level.

Both he and Mas will be looking to start their second half of the season with a focus on La Vuelta here.

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Primož Roglič's summer plans remain up in the air. The Slovenian veteran is set to target a fifth Vuelta a España title to secure the all-time win record. Will he race the Tour de France before then? It doesn't seem likely, but it's not impossible that he'll form part of a Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe superteam next month.

Earlier this season, he said, "We'll see what the summer brings to us" when questioned about his plans before La Vuelta. It seems most likely that a bid at the win in Switzerland – the last major WorldTour week-long stage race missing from his palmarès – is his big goal of the summer, however.

Roglič has won them all, including Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, Catalunya, Itzulia, Romandie, and the Dauphiné. At 36, will this be the year he adds the Tour de Suisse to that list? It seems a big ask against Pogačar, even with another strong GC rider in Aleksandr Vlasov on his side. Frankly, it seems unlikely, with his best result to date in 2026 being fifth at Tirreno.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

Tom Pidcock returns to road racing following a brief mountain bike sojourn. Last month, he made his MTB season debut at the second round of the UCI World Cup in Nové Město, taking second place at the short-track cross-country race and winning the Olympic cross-country event.

The races continued his successful early-season on the road, too, with a trio of wins at Milano-Torino and stages of the Vuelta a Andalucía and Tour of the Alps. Suisse is his major preparation race for the Tour de France, and his first road outing since taking second place at Eschborn-Frankfurt at the start of May.

26-year-old Pidcock's most recent Grand Tour appearance came at last year's Vuelta a España, where he raced to third overall. Will the Tour see him in GC mode, looking to improve on a career-best 13th place on his July debut for Pinarello-Q36.5? Or will he be in stage hunting mode? Or will it be both? This race may give us a hint.

Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep)

This season marks the first time since 2018 that Soudal-QuickStep don't have Remco Evenepoel on their books, and the first in three years he's not their focus for the Tour de France.

Instead, the Belgian team will look to several other riders for success in July as part of a multi-pronged approach. Tim Merlier is the sprinter of choice, while several others – including Ilan Van Wilder, Valentin Paret-Peintre, and Mikel Landa – will be free to chase stage wins and the GC.

26-year-old Van Wilder will head up the team's selection in Switzerland, even if Landa will likely be the focus in France. A 12th place at the 2023 Giro hinted at what he's capable of, while he finished eighth here last year. The 11th at Tirreno-Adriatico a few months ago stands as his best result so far in 2026, and he'd be happy to surpass that in his next week of racing.

Others to watch

Max Poole (Picnic-PostNL) has been out of action since February's Volta ao Algarve with a virus and so there is a question mark over whether he is likely to compete in Switzerland. His team recently admitted that the Tour de France "is going to be very difficult or impossible", but still, he'll be one to keep an eye on as he continues his recovery.

Fellow youngster, 20-year-old Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché), has impressed mightily in the under-23 ranks, winning the Giro d'Italia Next Gen and Giro della Valle d'Aosta. He takes on his first-ever WorldTour race at the Tour de Suisse, and the second stage race of his debut pro season after the Volta ao Algarve.

Paul Double (Jayco-AlUla) has shown he can perform at lower-level stage races, having won the Tour of Guangxi and Tour of Slovakia last year. This season, his best result is fifth overall at the Tour of Oman. Can he step it up at WorldTour level this week?

Jan Hirt (NSN) heads to Switzerland off the back of a solid performance at the Giro d'Italia, where he took 12th overall in Rome. The Czech veteran has history at this race, having come fifth on his most recent finish in 2019. He should be there or thereabouts on the final stage.

The second editions of the Copenhagen Sprint Women and Copenhagen Sprint Men take place this weekend, June 13 and 14, bringing a brief return to WorldTour one-day racing between the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France.

Starting in Roskilde and finishing on circuits in the Danish capital, both Copenhagen Sprint races are highly sprinter-friendly, won last year by Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) and Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), who will both start as favourites to win again this year.

The finishing lap is just over 10km long through city-centre roads, with several 90-degree turns and sharp corners, which should make it technical, but the pan-flat parcours and shelter from wind should also make the race incredibly fast. This race is truly suited to the purest of sprinters.

On the women's side, the race is WorldTour, but this year teams have been given dispensation to miss one WorldTour race of their choosing, and four teams have opted for Copenhagen to be their skip, so only 10 Women's WorldTour teams will be in action. FDJ United-Suez, UAE Team ADQ, Movistar and AG Insurance-Soudal will all be absent.

The men's race features all 18 WorldTour teams, and a really stacked field of sprinters, comprising both those coming off the back of the Giro d'Italia and those seeking some final practice and warm-up before the Tour de France.

With many of the top sprinters set to do battle on the roads in Copenhagen this Saturday and Sunday, here is our rundown of the contenders for the men's and women's Copenhagen Sprint.

Copenhagen Sprint Women 2026 contenders

In the women's race, there is really just one overwhelming favourite, not only because she is by far the best sprinter in the women's peloton, but because she heads to Copenhagen with a point to prove. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) has not raced since she was controversially disqualified from the Giro d'Italia Women for an underweight bike, but will make her return at the Copenhagen Sprint, where she'll be hoping to make it a triumphant one.

The defending champion and virtually unbeatable in sprints, she would have been the top favourite anyway, and the added fire in her belly only adds to her status as the most likely winner on Saturday.

In Wiebes' absence, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) won four stages of the Giro and will probably be the rider who can push her the closest in Copenhagen, but in recent years, she's scarcely been able to actually beat the Dutch rider.

On a similar level is Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech), who has beaten her former teammate Wiebes before, but again hasn't really come close recently as the SD Worx rider has cemented her status as the peloton's unbeatable fastwomen. Balsamo and Kool should be fighting for the podium, though.

Canyon-SRAM have a couple of options in Chiara Consonni and Zoe Bäckstedt, but Consonni will probably be their number one pick and again will be aiming at fighting for the podium. Nienke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike) has really stepped up her sprinting this year and can also be considered among the top contenders this weekend.

Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) has impressed in sprints so far this year and should be up there mixing with the top five. Donning Danish colours, keep an eye out for former world champion Amalie Dideriksen (Denmark national team), who will surely get an added boost racing at home.

Other riders to keep an eye on include Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco), Alexandra Volstad (EF Education-Oatly) and Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility).

Copenhagen Sprint Men 2026 contenders

Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) returns to the men's race as defending champion, and though he has four wins under his belt in 2026 so far, he will face some seriously strong opposition on Sunday and certainly isn't the out-and-out favourite.

He knows the finish, and he's clearly on good form, but the sprint field is stronger than it was last year.

Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) had a disrupted start to the year but has been strong since he came back, and will be chasing his first WorldTour victory of 2026 this weekend, which would be a very welcome victory before he heads to the Tour de France. It's a similar situation for Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), who had a great Classics season but hasn't quite been there in the pure road sprints, so will be trying to reassert his dominance before heading to Barcelona for the Grand Départ.

Though the Copenhagen Sprint will be a pre-Tour tune-up for some, it will also offer up a rematch for a lot of the sprinters who are coming off the back of the Giro d'Italia. Of them, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) ended that race strongest, winning in Rome, and will be motivated to prove he is still at that top level.

Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) had some bad luck in Italy, but often excels in these fast and slightly more technical sprints. And Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) was fairly disappointing in Italy after his fantastic start to 2026, but will surely have an extra spring in his step as he gets to race at home this weekend.

Not many sprinters are squeezing in Copenhagen between starts at both the Giro and Tour – many are opting for just one of those Grand Tours this year – but that's what Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché) is doing after illness forced him out of the Giro early. The Belgian sprinter seems to have permanent bad luck and health woes, and is desperately cramming in race days to try to get into race pace for the Tour, so it will be interesting to see what kind of level he is at this weekend.

The second tier of contenders includes riders like Sam Welsford (Netcompany Ineos) and his teammate or plan B Ben Turner, EF Education-Easypost's Estonian Madis Mikhels, who was good in the Giro, Pascal Ackermann (Jayco AlUla), Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Giro stage winner Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana), and Soren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility).

These riders will be up there battling for the top 10, but aren't obvious picks for the win – though that doesn't mean they can't spring a surprise

The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes starts this weekend, and if you’re wondering why we’re devoting a lengthy feature to a race you’ve never heard of, well, that’s because this is the new name for the Critérium du Dauphiné.

We’re still adjusting to the situation ourselves, but what’s not being taken away are the eight great stages of racing that provide a platform towards the Tour de France next month.

The start list risked being a little light this year, with Tadej Pogačar opting for the Tour de Suisse, Jonas Vingegaard resting between the Giro and Tour, and Remco Evenepoel resting for the sake of resting.

However, Paul Seixas’ turbo-rise and recent decision to make his Tour de France debut at 19 have placed the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes at the centre of one of the biggest cycling stories of the season.

Factor in names like Isaac Del Toro, Juan Ayuso, Wout van Aert, and a big-name-only Netcompany Ineos squad, and we have the makings of a brilliant race and a brilliant precursor to the Tour.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)

In the absence of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), Paul Seixas very much feels like the gravitational centre of this race. The 19-year-old Frenchman is generating excitement levels barely seen before as he continues his precocious rise towards the top of the sport, with the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes being a key staging post on the path to his debut Tour de France.

Seixas was eighth overall here last year, which was an extraordinary result for an 18-year-old neo-pro. 12 months on, he returns as the pre-race favourite, which is even more extraordinary. This year, Seixas has turbocharged his huge promise to a point where, in the space of just a few months, he has become one of the top few cyclists in the world, across Classics and stage racing.

The Itzulia Basque Country in April was the first stage race victory of his career, and he made it look easy, dispatching a WorldTour field and relegating last year’s revelation Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) to second place at two and a half minutes.

This represents a step up in the quality and depth of the field, so this will be a big test of Seixas and also of his Decathlon CMA CGM team, not least because we have a team time trial, as we do at the Tour. And really, this is all about the Tour. The Dauphiné has always been the leading Tour de France build-up race, and with Seixas, the next week or so will allow us to fill in more of the gaps surrounding that tantalising question of just how much we can expect of him at the Tour.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

If Pogačar wasn’t his team leader at the Tour, there’d likely be a good deal more excitement surrounding Isaac del Toro at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône Alpes. Seixas is making everyone look slow, but Del Toro had previously held the role of ‘most exciting youngster’ and is still getting better and better.

The 22-year-old Mexican really should have won the Giro last year, but he has looked far more assured this year with consummate WorldTour stage race wins at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico.

And yet, there are doubts after his last outing at Itzulia. Del Toro crashed out on stage 3, but he’d already been whacked to the tune of nearly three minutes by Seixas’ assaults on the opening two days.

He doesn’t have the same momentum or perhaps ceiling as Seixas, but if he’s back to his best, we could have a brilliant battle on our hands this week. And it will tell us more about what Del Toro might be able to do in his debut Tour de France, where he’ll be a key support rider for Pogačar’s and possibly a GC plan B.

Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)

If Seixas has taken over the ‘most exciting youngster’ mantle from Del Toro, then Del Toro perhaps inherited it from Juan Ayuso, who himself was dubbed a new Pogačar when he burst onto the scene in 2021.

It feels like Ayuso has been around for ages, but he’s still only 23 and still finding his feet at new team Lidl-Trek, having left Pogačar, Del Toro, and the crowded house that was UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Ayuso had a strong start to the season, but momentum has been disrupted. He beat Seixas to the crown at the Volta ao Algarve, but crashed out of Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque Country, with a training crash in between.

Lidl-Trek also have Mattias Skjelmose in the ranks, who can post strong results in week-long races, but Ayuso has the greater talent and, if he can get back into that early groove he was carving at Lidl-Trek, could be aiming pretty high at the Tour de France by the end of this week.

João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

The UAE team have something of a wildcard in João Almeida, who was supposed to lead the line at the Giro d'Italia but had to scrap those plans after struggling with illness and fatigue in the early part of the season.

Once the Giro was off the table, thoughts naturally turned towards the Tour de France, and whether the Portuguese rider could sign up alongside Del Toro as a luxury member of Tadej Pogačar's support cast.

Almeida is a proven Grand Tour podium finisher and one of the top week-long stage racers in the world, though his struggles earlier in the season do leave doubts about his chances at this Dauphiné and indeed his possible participation in the Tour. But a good week here and we may well see UAE heading to Barcelona for the start of the Tour with three genuine podium contenders.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Matteo Jorgenson was a surprise inclusion on the start list, having made a specific goal of the Tour de Suisse when setting out his stall earlier in the season. The US pro broke his collarbone at Amstel Gold Race and missed the remaining Ardennes Classics, having sacrificed the cobbled Classics this year. His team have simply stated that they felt the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was a better way to get back into racing, perhaps given it's three days longer than Suisse.

Jorgenson will still get his shot at team leadership, as Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard is not racing between the Giro and Tour. With previous wins at Paris-Nice, a runner-up finish at Tirreno-Adriatico earlier in the year, and indeed a runner-up finish at this race in 2024, Jorgenson has the ability to make the podium, but the field is crowded.

Jorgenson doesn’t have the explosive climbing ability of Seixas or Del Toro, but his Visma team are arguably the favourite for the team time trial, with Wout van Aert and Bruno Armirail in the squad. That could form the basis of a push for the podium.

Oscar Onley, Carlos Rodríguez, Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany Ineos)

We’re treating this as a trio because Oscar Onley, Carlos Rodríguez, and Kévin Vauquelin have gone everywhere together this year, and are set to form an open leadership trio at the Tour de France. In some ways, this race could be an important step in finally sorting out some sense of hierarchy.

Rodríguez looked like a key part of Ineos’ GC ambitions when he placed fifth in the Tour, nearly left for Movistar, and was clawed back, but he hasn’t quite kicked on in the way that was envisaged. Results tailed off last year and have dried up this year, with a podium at Tour de la Provence followed by 23rd at Paris-Nice, 26th at Catalunya, and 12th at Romandie. The Spaniard really needs to reassert himself with a strong performance this week.

Onley is riding his first season at Netcompany-Ineos and, despite a bright start, hasn’t had the best of times, saying it’s “hard not to feel like I've let a lot of people down” after abandoning Romandie through illness. Onley also had to pull out of Paris-Nice through illness and was outside the top 10 at Catalunya. The 23-year-old was fourth at the Tour last year and just needs to find some consistency this week.

Finally, Vauquelin, another new signing, has arguably been the standout performer this year, with 4th at Paris-Nice and a top-10 in the Basque Country. As more of a puncheur than pure climber, there are doubts over his GC credentials in a mountainous Grand Tour, but he was a solid seventh at the Tour last year and is still seen as a rider with untapped potential.

Ineos won the team time trial at Paris-Nice, and with Josh Tarling once again in attendance, they should be the favourites for the TTT on stage 3. After that, it will be interesting to see how the trio dovetail their efforts, especially after some question marks at Paris-Nice, where Vauquelin was left behind and left to fend for himself in the crosswinds before storming back to be their best finisher on that crazy day.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Away from the GC picture for a short while, and Wout van Aert returns for the first time since he was hoisting a cobblestone trophy above his head inside a famous velodrome. Quite how much that Paris-Roubaix victory may have liberated him remains to be seen, notably as he builds towards the World Championships later in the season. But the Belgian has never had a problem at the Dauphiné, where he has won five stages in three appearances.

This is his first since 2022, but the race’s penchant for reduced bunch sprints on moderately hilly parcours has not diminished, and so he should find a happy hunting ground once again. What’s more, there’s a lack of top-level sprinters here, so Van Aert should be among the very fastest even on the days when it’s not super-selective.

Van Aert has had a long white away from racing and has a busy time ahead, with the Tour and also the Vuelta ahead of Worlds, but you wouldn’t bet against him raising his arms at this Dauphiné.

Dorion Godon (Netcompany Ineos)

If we’re talking about sprints on rugged stages without many pure sprinters, then Van Aert’s biggest headache this week might just be Dorion Godon. The French champion, yet another new signing for Netcompany-Ineos, has arguably been the team’s star performer this year, with five wins to his name across WorldTour events in Paris-Nice, Catalunya, and Romandie.

Godon is a beast on uphill sprints and can survive the selections on the reduced group sprint days, with some even talking up his chances of winning the green jersey at the Tour de France.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility)

Former Tour de l’Avenir winner Tobias Halland Johannessen has not taken the world by storm in his early years as a pro, but he’s steadily improving each year. 2026 has seen another uptick in results with fourth at Tirreno-Adriatico and a podium at Itzulia Basque Country.

He’s a quality rider who was fifth here last year ahead of sixth at the Tour, and he should be eyeing improvements on those numbers at both events this time around.

Dani Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Colombian racer Dani Martínez wasn’t in the mix at all at Romandie, where his teammate Florian Lipowitz took charge, but he was the best of the rest behind Vingegaard at Paris-Nice in March.

Martínez had a poor 2025, but it’s only been two years since he was the runner-up behind Pogačar at the Giro d’Italia. He has the quality to do well this week, which could raise his status ahead of the Tour, where he’s set to line up alongside Lipowitz and Evenepoel.

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar)

This feels like a big race for the 23-year-old Belgian Cian Uijtdebroeks, who is set to lead the line for his new team Movistar at the Tour de France. Uijtdebroeks set the world alight as a junior, but he hasn’t had the same effect in the pro ranks, where his time has been marked by disruptions, controversies, and inconsistencies.

His move to Movistar was an odd fit, and it hasn’t got off to the best of starts, with eighth at Catalunya and 12th at Itzulia Basque Country. Movistar boss Eusebio Unzué just publicly lamented the fact that his other GC leader, Enric Mas, fell out of the fight at the Giro, so Uijtdebroeks will need to start showing some proper form here to give the team some hope for July.

The gravel race that can make a career, or crown one, is here with riders flocking to Emporia for the 20th anniversary edition of the race through the Flint Hills of Kansas that has set the bar for the discipline, Unbound Gravel.

There will be racing across multiple days, starting with the longest event, the 350-mile XL on Friday May 29, and then on Saturday May 30 there are a range of distances but the one that captures the most attention is without question Unbound 200.

It's a race that represents the pinnacle of gravel, with the distance, tough terrain across the route, intensity of competition and notoriously fickle nature building it into an event with an almost mythical status.

Last year it was Cameron Jones and Karolina Migoń who stepped up as the winners, a victory that secured a future in gravel for the rider from New Zealand and saw Migoń clinch the revered double of a win at The Traka 360 and Unbound 200 in the same season.

Both will be on the start line with what looks like some serious form to defend their titles but there are also plenty who have been putting in the time and miles to try and find a way to snatch the crown. With Saturday's race soon to get underway, Cyclingnews has scrolled through the start lists to pick out some of the riders with the potential to be crossing the finish line in Emporia with their arms aloft in celebration.

Men's Unbound 200

Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA - RCC)

Last year as Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA - RCC) lined up at Unbound, few would have been expecting him to come out on the top step, but 2026 is an entirely different matter. The rider from New Zealand quickly made clear that his Unbound win was no fluke when through the rest of the season he kept accumulating podiums and managed to turn his wildcard entry to the Life Time Grand Prix series into overall victory. Still, if being an Unbound and Life Time series winner wasn't enough, Jones this year is also lining up on the gravel in the jersey of an Oceania champion, clinching the title at RADL GRVL in Australia at the very start of the season.

Still, The Traka 360 may not have been quite the lead-in long distance gravel race he was looking for with 21st. However he was happily surprised that he managed that with the fuelling issues he suffered so the overall form clearly wasn't an issue. Given what he delivered last year, it is clear that Jones has a propensity to rise to the big targets so there will be no questioning his potential to deliver a repeat, though it is perhaps not likely to come from an early break again as slipping off the front will be no easy task as defending champion. "I'm obviously going in it to win, I just know that the way in which I'll do it won't be the same as last year," he told Cyclingnews in an interview ahead of the race. (SG)

Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-Road)

The 2023 winner didn't have the best of runs at Unbound last year, between a crash at 130 miles into the race, puncture, failed tyre plug and a wheel swap with a team mate. Still, he managed to come seventh which is a testament to his strength at this event. This year it has been far from an ideal lead-in to the season for Swenson, having to skip Cape Epic after a run in with a car door left the three-time Life Time Grand Prix series winner with a hip fracture.

However, it was a strong return to the US series, with a second place at Sea Otter Classic. The Specialized Off-Road rider didn't head to The Traka, which means it's hard to get a clear picture of exactly where Swenson's form stacks up against his main rivals. Though given the decision was made to make sure he didn't overdo things ahead of Unbound, it could well be a move that makes all the difference. Also on his side is that the race is first heading south this year, so his familiarity with the course could give him a leg up on some of his newer rivals and the last time the race headed that way was a winning year for him. (SG)

Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-Road)

There is nothing like winning The Traka 360 to put a target on your back at Unbound, but as Mads Würtz Schmidt rightly pointed out to Cyclingnews after the event, it was probably already there anyway. He was, after all, fourth last year and in 2025 also swept up the European gravel champion's jersey as well as a generous list of UCI Gravel World Series event wins. To top that off the Danish road professional turned gravel specialist has rarely lined up with out subsequently taking a trip to the top step of the podium so far this season. He has already won Santa Vall, 114 Gravel, Gravel Desert by The Traka and, of course, The Traka 360 earlier this month.

What's more, Würtz Schmidt is part of the Specialized Off-Road squad, and as you can see from the other names from the team on this contenders list, it is unquestionably a force to be reckoned with as it includes three of the top favourites, Swenson, Beers and Würtz Schmidt. That gives them an enormous advantage as not only can they work together when things are running smoothly but can sacrifice for each other when things aren't. (SG)

Matt Beers (Specialized Off-Road)

As Specialized Off-Road teammate Würtz Schmidt was standing on the top step of The Traka 360, Matt Beers was alongside him in third, despite burying himself to set up the winning move for his teammate. That's evidence enough of his recent form over the distance, plus even with a late change of partner, given Swenson's injury, Beers also took out a fourth Cape Epic title in March.

Beers has now accumulated a solid load of experience at Unbound and what's more he is also another rider that has experience of the southern terrain as well as that of the north. Plus, if conditions do go south and the mud emerges the well-honed mountain bike skills are bound to come in handy, just as the teammates could too. Though with a former Unbound winner and The Traka champion on his squad the team game could also be his undoing as there is every chance he may need to use his energy, or perhaps even a wheel, in aid of a Specialized Off-Road team victory rather than his own. (SG)

Brendan Johnston (Giant)

Unbound has been a considerable target for Brendan Johnston right since he started out racing the Life Time Grand Prix in 2023, as his combination of road and mountain bike experience along with affinity for the long distances seemed the perfect mix. Still it wasn't exactly a dream debut – not with the race destroying peanut butter mud of 2023– and then in 2024 after he made it into the lead group a trio of punctures set him back, leaving the Australian in 15th at the end of the day. However, in 2025, things went a little more smoothly for the Giant rider and fifth was the result, proving he really does have what it takes to challenge at the top.

What's more, he is coming straight from a UCI Gravel World Series win at SEVEN in Nannup, and that combined with the confidence of a strong performance last year should be good for morale. With a bit of luck thrown in his shot might just hit its mark this year. (SG)

Also in the mix

It will be a difficult task to make a dent in the trio of favourites from Specialized Off-Road, but Unbound 200 could be a rematch for Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation), who finished second in the Specialized podium sandwich at The Traka 360. The French gravel national champion was also runner-up to the big Dane at Gravel Desert this year and European gravel championships last year. He traveled early to the US for acclimation at Rule of Three in Arkansas before his second Unbound 200.

The winner from Rule of Three was another Frenchman, Romain Bardet (Factor Racing-RCC). Just last year at this time he was racing at the Giro d'Italia for a WorldTour team taking second on the mountain stage to Bormio. This year he has four gravel victories and was fifth at The Traka 360. Then there is Swiss rider Simon Pellaud (Cervélo-Assos-Maxxis) who finished second at his first Unbound 200 and now that he's in the Grand Prix will be fighting as a privateer for the top step. However, Pellaud hasn't had an easy run in to the race, with injury after a hit to his knee on a car door holding him back during his build toward the event.

A trio of US riders who are in the top five of the Life Time Grand Prix after Sea Otter are also looking dangerous - Sea Otter winner Bradyn Lange (Canyon x DT Swiss ATR), third-placed Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE) and 24-year-old Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless). Lange is just 26 and will wear the red-white-and-blue as US gravel champion at his second Unbound. Momentum is on his side as winter of The Hills and Sea Otter and he came second at The Traka 200.

Vermeulen is a veteran of four Unbounds, his best finish being fifth in 2022. He's had four top 10s this season in limited racing, so perhaps the fresh legs will be the ticket to a top finish. Freeburn went head-to-head with reigning Unbound 200 champion Jones in March at The Mid South and pulled off the victory in the 106.4-mile distance. An error near a feed zone landed him 32nd at The Traka 200, but he still brings confidence and form to his Unbound 200 debut. (JT)

Women's Unbound 200

Sofia Gómez Villafañe (Specialized Off-Road)

The 2022 winner has had a flying start to the season and, while that's not anything new for the seemingly always firing Sofia Gómez Villafañe, even by her exalted standards it has been an impressive run. It started with a clean sweep of the stages and podium at Santa Vall, moved onto a Castellon Gravel Race win, victory at The Mid South and the Sea Otter Classic Gravel before she got to celebrate on the line in Girona as she took out The Traka 200 again. It's a winning run she is not going to want to break when she arrives in Emporia, though of course the Flint Hills of Kansas have a history of throwing up challenges that even a serial victor can't combat.

Since that 2022 win on debut at the event Villafañe has taken a second place, fifteenth and third so despite the trials and tribulations that are inevitable at the long-range event she has managed to finish with consistently high placings. Given that, and her evident form, there would be little surprise if she managed to become a two-time winner in 2026, after all now that she has stood on every step of the podium it may be time to make a return visit to the one the Specialized Off-Road rider started with. (SG)

Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing)

Karolina Migoń has time and time again proven just what a formidable foe she is over the long-distance gravel races. First it was The Traka 360 – the nearest equivalent to Unbound 200 in Europe – where she won two editions in a row before she proving her prowess on the US stage as well. The mechanicals may have hindered her on the first attempt at Unbound in 2024, when she finished 21st, but after heading off solo at 50 miles to go in 2025 the Polish rider is now lining up as defending champion in 2026.

Migoń, may not have had the best of runs in The Traka 360 this year – with a crash, a snapped valve and a broken bike frame ending her run – but then she lined up at the 200 the next day, finishing fourth despite her challenging lead in and arduous four hours on the bike the day before. But "fourth place at Traka [200] is not really an achievement for me, because my legs were ready for work," Migoń told Cyclingnews. The Traka and that drive for a top result is surely evidence of her determination to overcome obstacles and use them as motivation for the next challenge instead, so perhaps her less than ideal Traka experience could spur her on for the Unbound adventure ahead. There is also even more at stake this year, in the form of points, with the PAS Racing cyclist having committed to the Life Time Grand Prix series for 2026, but there is no sense she'll be just keeping an eye on her competitors in the series. "I want to get the best spot possible. I want to beat everyone", she said. (SG)

Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-Road)

It was a brutal lead-in to Unbound last year for Geerike Schreurs, with the Dutch rider having tried to persist on at The Traka 360 after a crash, but deciding 135km later that it was time to pull the pin. Medical examinations would later confirm that she had fractured her elbow, meaning time in a cast. That certainly wasn't the way she had hoped to be heading toward Emporia but somehow she was still at the start line. In a testament to the strength of the rider, and also further evidence of just how much this race suits her, Schreurs still managed to snare seventh place.

Plus she already managed to snare a second place on debut in 2024 and she's accumulated considerable gravel experience since then, which should help her cause. So should her new Specialized Off-Road team, which has plenty of know how at the event, plus it means she'll be lining up on a squad with serious firepower given she calls Villafañe her teammate. Add in a far kinder run in this year – which has included a runner up spot at The Mid South, first at Gravel Desert by The Traka, third at The Traka 360 and the win at The Gralloch – and there is no doubt Schreurs is one of the key riders to watch. (SG)

Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM-MAAP)

When Rosa Klöser stepped up to take victory at Unbound 200 in 2024 it wasn't totally out of left field, not with the UCI Gravel World Series podiums she had been accumulating beforehand or The Traka 200 third place, but it certainly wasn't an expected outcome either. Move on two years and on top of being a former winner the Canyon-SRAM racer now has more experience and will be heading to Emporia once again with a target on her back.

Still, that didn't hold her back when she lined up last year as defending champion, given Klöser snared a strong fourth in 2025. The German gravel champion also went on to clinch a considerable run of wins in the latter part of that season, from The Rift to Gravel One Fifty and Ranxo Gravel. While Klöser may have turned more attention to the road in the early parts of this season, working for her teammates at tough events like Milan-San Remo and Paris Roubaix certainly doesn't seem to have done her gravel form any harm. She, after all, is heading to Unbound fresh from claiming victory at The Traka 360. (SG)

Nicole Frain (Factor Racing Team)

In gravel, the one-time Australian road racing champion Nicole Frain seems to have found her ideal fit. While there were already some solid gravel results flowing before 2025, that was the year she fully committed to the discipline and it showed. First the runner up spots started to flow and then near the end of the season that turned into wins at the UCI Gravel World Series races of Houffa Gravel and Sea Otter Europe Girona. Still the best was to come in a new season with the Factor Racing Team. Frain started off by claiming RADL GRVL and the first ever jersey of an Oceania gravel champion and then there was a run of three UCI Gravel World Series race victories in a row – Turnhout Gravel, 114 Gravel and Wörthersee Gravel.

Unfortunately for her The Traka 360 turned pear shaped, beginning with an uncharged navigation unit, lead to a wrong turn and then ended with under fuelling. On the flip side, that's more lessons learned that won't be repeated at Unbound for the rider who looked to be in a promising position early on in the race on debut in 2025. Then she had made the crucial front group, but was taken out by another rider crashing so a bit better luck and a little more experience could make all the difference in 2026. (SG)

Also in the mix

The elite women's field has been deep for years, and nothing changes in 2026. One of the formal teams that should disrupt the usual suspects of podium finishers comes from Canyon x DT Swiss All Terrain Racing, with a one-two punch from Larissa Hartog and Nele Laing who could distract for a move from former Unbound 200 champion Carolin Schiff.

Both Hartog and Laing finished on the podium at The Traka 200, Hartog riding most of the day in the breakaway with eventual winner Villafañe. The Dutch rider, who won The Hills in March, was also second at Marly Grav a week later, this time exhibiting a solid sprint behind gravel world champion Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime). And in all those races, Laing was consistently in the top five, and added a third place at Sea Otter Classic Gravel as the top rider outside the Life Time Grand Prix field. The returning Schiff has also improved at each race this year, going from top 20s at Castellon Gravel and Sea Otter to top 10s at The Traka and Marly Grav.

There has not been a repeat women's winner at Unbound 200 since Rebecca Rusch, winning consecutively from 2012-2014 and again in 2016. One of the most consistent riders has been Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis), going first and second in 2021 and 2022, then being part of the bunch sprints in 2024 and 2025 for top 10s. She's had a haul of top 10s this year and could surprise for a second win at a long-distance race that suits her style.

Also look for Lauren Stephens (Aegis x LOE) as another US rider with strong attacking abilities. She came the closest to disrupting Villafañe's winning streak when she finished second in a sprint at Sea Otter Classic Gravel. There is new incentive for the three-time gravel national champion this year, as she is back in the hunt for Life Time Grand Prix points, sitting second on the leaderboard.

Other Grand Prix riders to watch are Axelle Dubau-Prévot (EF Education-Oatly) and Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing), who showed great form with second and fourth, respectively, at The Traka 360. Grand Prix wild card hunters Jen Tavé, from California, and Michaela Thompson, from Colorado, have the abilities to surprise in the 200-mile distance. (JT)

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The Spanish stage racing block has only just wrapped up, but the Women's WorldTour quickly resumes with the second biggest stage race of the year, the Giro d'Italia Women, which starts Saturday, May 30 and continues through to Sunday, June 7.

This year, the nine-stage Giro has moved from July to June, finally put an end to its unfortunate clash with the men's Tour de France, and instead tacking onto the end of the men's Giro to make a four-week festival of Italian Grand Tour racing.

As well as making for better timing for viewers and hopefully allowing for more attention on the women's Giro, the move has opened up the Corsa Rosa to more riders. Previously, the short gap between the Giro and the Tour de France Femmes discouraged most riders from targeting both, but this year, it's perfectly possible for riders to peak for both.

It's for this reason that we're going to see women's cycling's biggest star, Demi Vollering, back in action at the Giro for the first time in half a decade, and hoping to complete her Grand Tour set by winning the famous maglia rosa. But with three-time champion Elisa Longo Borghini in action, as well as a supremely strong field of GC contenders including Marion Bunel, Marlen Reusser and Anna van der Breggen, this won't be an easy victory for Vollering – in fact, the race looks primed for one of its biggest GC battles in recent history.

This year's Giro d'Italia Women route is also set to be one of the toughest yet, headlined by a huge, iconic climb: the Colle delle Finestre. Coming on stage 8, the race will complete the same finale as the 2025 men's Giro, riding over the Colle delle Finestre, including its gravel peak, and then finishing at Sestriere. Never raced in the women's Giro before, this will be a big moment for the race, and the decisive day of the GC battle.

There are of course also other key stages, such as the uphill time trial, which could be make or break in the battle for the maglia rosa, so after running our eye over the gamut here are our picks for this year's Giro GC contenders.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez)

Demi Vollering has not ridden the Giro d'Italia since 2021, and only twice in her career, but despite her five-year absence from this race, Vollering will return to Italy as a huge favourite for the pink jersey this year. Usually skipping the Giro due to its proximity with the Tour, the peloton's pre-eminent GC rider has won practically every other stage race on the calendar, including the Tour and two Vueltas, and has a chance to add the pink jersey to her trophy cabinet this year. She made it clear that this would be a big goal in 2026, and if her results so far are anything to go off – seven wins from 11 race days – she's coming to this race in very good form and with very high motivation.

The last time Vollering rode the Giro in 2021 she finished third overall, behind winning teammate at the time Anna van der Breggen, and there's little reason to think that she won't be the best climber in this year's race, training at altitude specifically for this block. Without her big yellow jersey rival Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in Italy, Vollering will be seeing this as an opportunity to take a big Grand Tour win, and show her strength before the Tour, too.

Her support team isn't quite as stacked as it will be in August, with superdomestiques Juliette Berthet and Évita Muzic sitting the Giro out after racing for their own results over the Spanish block, but she can still count on really strong FDJ riders like Elise Chabbey, Amber Kraak and Lauren Dickson. The French team has been fantastic already this year, and could take a massive overall win at the Giro.

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

Elisa Longo Borghini has come to dominate the Giro d'Italia Women in recent years, almost in the vein of Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen, and she returns this year chasing her fourth overall title. She's had a slightly disrupted 2026 so far, with a lingering flu ruling her out of Milan-San Remo and affecting her Classics performances. She skipped the Ardennes and the Spanish block, meaning she hasn't race since Flanders, so she will start the Giro as slightly an unknown quantity.

However, the lack of racing is hardly the concern it used to be, with GC riders tending much more towards training and altitude camps ahead of big goals, and that's what Longo Borghini has been doing, training on Teide. Though she will undoubtedly arrive as a big favourite, this year's course might be the hardest Longo Borghini has faced, given the size of the climbing challenge on the Colle delle Finestre. What's more, the Italian has often taken time in a time trial, and this year's Giro TT is mainly uphill, so it is not quite as prime for her to make gains.

And of course, she will be up against a huge challenger in Vollering. But with three pink jerseys in her trophy cabinet, and this her main goal of the season – whilst Vollering also thinks about the Tour – Longo Borghini will be hoping her Giro expertise and experience gives her an upper hand this June.

Marlen Reusser (Movistar)

Marlen Reusser finished second overall at the Giro last year – nearly winning it – so obviously has to be on this list, but it's very difficult to estimate what kind of shape she's bringing to Italy. The Swiss rider hasn't race since the Tour of Flanders where she crashed and suffered a fractured vertebra, thus missing what was due to be her biggest goal of the spring, the Vuelta Femenina. However, she's been back training recently and is on Movistar's provisional start list for the Giro, so we're expecting to see her back.

With so little racing under her belt recently – we're not sure what her training has looked like either – Reusser has probably had to adjust her expectations for the Giro, and coming straight back to the podium is almost certainly too big of an ask, but will she be just getting back to a good level, or challenging for the top 10? Will she even make it through the week? How is her back? These questions are all difficult to answer right now, and perhaps she doesn't even have answers herself, so the truth is we'll have to see. It does seem unlikely that she'll be part of the big Longo Borghini vs Vollering battle that we're expecting, but Reusser is super strong, so if she's feeling good, she could still take a good solid overall result.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)

Anna van der Breggen won the Giro d'Italia four times when she was at her peak, and though she hasn't quite returned to that level since coming back from a brief retirement, she is still one of the best climbers in the bunch, especially when it comes to the really high mountains. She proved that at La Vuelta, winning atop Las Praeres and coming fifth on the Angliru to claim second overall. It feels like she's coming into this Giro with her best GC form since her return to racing.

It will be a really big challenge for her to match Vollering and Longo Borghini, and the general level of the peloton definitely has gone up since she was dominating the Giro, but her previous success in this race will count for a lot. She won't be intimdated by the challenges that lie ahead, nor the high mountain of the Finestre. The overall win might be a big ask, but Van der Breggen should certainly be hoping to win a stage and aim at the final podium, although a top five is the target her team outlined in its pre-Giro release.

Van der Breggen will have Mikayla Harvey and Valentina Cavallar on the squad to help her in the mountains, and while her rivals may have been clear about where there objectives lie Van der Breggen doesn't appear to feel the need to choose. "I hope to ride a good Giro. Whether it serves as preparation for the Tour de France? One does not rule out the other," said Van der Breggen.

Marion Bunel and Viktória Chladoňová (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Visma-Lease a Bike are sending an insanely strong team to the Giro, even without Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, and they have at least three riders who could aim for the top 10. Marion Bunel, third overall at the Vuelta, will probably be their designated leader, and the Frenchwoman is coming into the GC shape she's been promising for a long time. She also has a really big weapon in her arsenal in that she won the stage and the overall of the Tour de l'Avenir when it finished atop the Colle delle Finestre, so we know the race's decisive climb suits her, and she knows what it's like to race it. After her Vuelta podium, she'll be dreaming of matching that here.

But she's not Visma's only option. Viktória Chladoňová has had a quiet start to this year after a very impressive 2025, but is really growing as an elite rider and climber. At only 18, she finished 16th overall at the Giro already last year, and can certainly aim for similar this year, if freedom allows. And thirdly, Visma can look to Femke de Vries, the 32-year-old who has been extremely strong on the climbs this year, and could be a back-up GC leader or luxury domestique. Whichever role each rider plays, Visma have a lot of cards for this Giro and should hope to finish on the final podium.

Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney won't be lining up for this year's Giro, with her sights set firmly on the Tour de France Femmes, and June will be about training for that race.

Instead, Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto will be led by former stage winner Antonia Niedermaier, who finished sixth overall in 2024 and fifth overall last year. Still only 23, Niedermaier is a massively talented GC rider who obviously thrives at this race, so though Niewiadoma-Phinney's name might make the headlines at first, the German is possibly the better contender for a top-five finish, and her recent results suggest she's in really good form.

Keep an eye on Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig too. She hasn't won a race since 2024, but looked good at the Vuelta.

Niamh Fisher-Black and Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek)

Niamh Fisher-Black skipped the Spanish block so hasn't been in action since the Ardennes, but will return with a bang at the Giro, a race that's often treated her well. The Kiwi rider won on a mountaintop finish in 2024, and has regularly shone here, even when riding as a support rider. She should get the chance to lead Lidl-Trek this year, and will be hoping to put together a strong week for a good overall finish. As a pure climber, the climbing-heavy course will surely suit her.

However, Lidl-Trek have another rising star in their team for Italy in Isabella Holmgren, last year's Tour de l'Avenir winner, and the rider who finished second behind Bunel on the Finestre stage of the 2024 race. So like her French peer, this is another rider who has rare in-race experience of the Giro's most pivotal mountain, and indeed success there, so she could be a real threat on that stage. The Canadian talent has had a light but very strong racing campaign so far this year, with two top 10s in the Ardennes, and it's likely that the Giro is one of her biggest goals for the season, so don't be surprised to see her doing well.

Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal)

AG Insurance-Soudal are another team that were expected to head to the Giro with multiple options, however it has been revealed that one that was anticipated to be among the strongest, Sarah Gigante, isn't yet ready to return after she broke her femur in training.

AG Insurance, however, can look to Urška Žigart as another very worthy GC option, and her pure climbing abilities should come to the fore particularly on the Colle delle Finestre. She was sixth overall at the Vuelta after looking really good on the Angliru, so should be aiming at another top 10 here. She has a strong support squad too, with Justine Ghekiere and Lore De Schepper both excellent climbing domestiques. Then there is also Mireia Benito who has just proven her form coming into the event with a fourth at Vuelta a Burgos.

Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco)

Monica Trinca Colonel is somehow still quite underrated as a GC rider, but the Liv AlUla Jayco rider has proven herself on multiple occasions now, highlighted by winning the demanding Tour de l'Ardèche last year. After shining in the Giro in 2024 – probably earning herself a transfer from an Italian Continental team to the WorldTour in the process – Trinca Colonel had an unfortunate DNF last year, but will return to lead the Aussie team at her home race. She's coming off the back of sevent overall at the Vuelta, so is clearly in good form, and should be even more motivated on home roads, so will be a contender for the top 10 if not top five.

Honorable mentions

World champion Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) isn't really a GC rider as such, but is in really good form at the moment and could definitely be challenging for pink early on.

It was slightly overshadowed by her teammate's victory atop the Angliru, but Barbara Malcotti (Human Powered Health) had a super strong Vuelta Femenina, finishing ninth overall and will lead the team's GC ambitions in her home Grand Tour.

Sigrid Ytterhus Haugset (Uno-X Mobility) is an underrated but talented climber who will be aiming for a top 20 on GC.

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The Women's WorldTour Spanish block concludes this week with the longest-running race of them all, the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas. First raced in 2019, Burgos was the race that this stretch of racing built out from, and laid the foundations for races like La Vuelta Femenina.

Four stages long once again for 2026, the race is returning to a familiar climb this year for the showpiece GC finale, finishing atop the Lagunas de Neila ascent. This climb is an icon of the Burgos region, included in the women's race four times before and 39 times in the men's race.

Six kilometres long with an average gradient of 10%, the ascent takes the riders up to nearly 2,000m altitude, and features some seriously steep sections for a really tough challenge. The run in is pretty hilly too, so the difficulty begins before the climb officially starts.

Lagunas de Neila on stage 4 will be the GC decider as it traditionally always is, but the first three stages, whilst flatter, certainly won't be devoid of overall action. Stage 2 is the only real flat day, with stages 1 and 3 both packing in climbing, which should lend itself to either breakaway or puncheur wins.

If someone can rack up some time over the first three stages, they could certainly defend their lead on Lagunas de Neila, even if they're not a pure climber. With that in mind, there's plenty of different riders to watch over the next four days, both clear GC contenders and interesting opportunists.

Defending champion Marlen Reusser (Movistar) won't be in action, still recovering from her crash at the Classics, nor will two-time winner Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), so we'll likely see a new winner in northern Spain.

Here's our rundown of the main protagonists for the final Spanish stage race of this month.

Editor's note: team line-ups were incomplete at the time of writing, we will update and add contenders as the start list is confirmed.

Évita Muzic (FDJ United-Suez)

By their standards, FDJ United-Suez have had a somewhat low-key Spanish block, with the absence of Demi Vollering leaving them without a win in the races so far. In theory, these kinds of races are exactly where riders like Juliette Berthet and Évita Muzic are meant to get their own chances at leadership, which they have, but they haven't quite delivered on a win yet. FDJ were arguably the strongest team at Itzulia Women, but missed out on a victory more down to tactical choices, and then Muzic was second at Durango-Durango, confirming her form but just not able to match Blasi.

Given the way she's been riding, Muzic should be the leader in Burgos, and she has a real opportunity to take a win. Despite being a lightweight climber, she's been dealing really well with punchier stages this May, even delivering some pretty powerful sprints, so the first stages shouldn't be a problem for her. She also has a good history on Lagunas de Neila and in this race in general, finishing second overall twice in 2022 and 2024. In a year that has seen loads of FDJ riders win, Muzic is still waiting for her own first win of 2026, so she'll be hunting one down here.

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)

Lidl-Trek will look to Shirin van Anrooij as their leader, with Riejanne Markus skipping Burgos after a busy May campaign. Van Anrooij, on the other hand, missed the Vuelta after the Ardennes and only came back for Itzulia, where she finished 25th overall with third on one stage.

Last season, Van Anrooij's year was slightly set back by iliac artery surgery over the winter, but an uninterrupted off-season this time around has seen her return to a really good level in 2026 so far, and the slightly depleted field at Burgos and leadership chance could offer her a good opportunity to show off her climbing and GC abilities. She's got a good team around her and a good day on Lagunas de Neila could come with big rewards.

Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health)

Human Powered Health's diminutive climber Petra Stiasny took an enormous result when she won atop the Angliru in the Vuelta, and it's going to be exciting to see what she can do next, with some hopefully boosted confidence. Her performance in the Vuelta underlined what a fantastic, pure climber she is, so the first three stages here might not quite suit her, but Lagunas de Neila is primed for another strong attack from her. The only difference is all eyes will be on her now, so no one will want to let her go.

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig has not really made many headlines since her move to Canyon SRAM for 2025, but she's been gradually improving in 2026 so far, and a good ride at the Vuelta saw her finish ahead of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and a lot of good riders on the GC. With no Niewiadoma-Phinney at Burgos, Uttrup Ludwig should get a low-pressure chance to be a leader and show some of her previous climbing level. She's won stages here before, too.

Canyon-SRAM aren't sending a super climby team to this race, with the line-up looking more sprint-focused, so also keep an eye on Chiara Consonni and Zoe Bäckstedt, who could both win a stage in the first part of the race.

Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi)

Apart from Paula Blasi, former Spanish national champion Usoa Ostolaza has arguably been the rider of this May, showing off her strong but often underrated climbing and GC abilities. The 28-year-old finished fourth overall at the Vuelta, dealing really well with both the flatter stages and the monster climbs, and then took seventh overall at Itzulia Women. As the Vuelta showed, Ostolaza can excel on lots of different terrains, which will lend itself well to Burgos, where time gains – or losses – in the first three stages could be as important as the Queen stage. Ostolaza has been strong on big climbs for a long time, but not quite grabbed that top result at the WorldTour level. It would be no surprise for that to finally come in Burgos.

Dominika Włodarczyk & Maëva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ)

UAE Team ADQ have smashed the Spanish block so far, obviously winning the Vuelta with Blasi but also taking two stages at Itzulia with the super strong Dominika Włodarczyk. With the job done at the Vuelta, plus a win at Durango-Durango on Tuesday, Blasi isn't lining up at Burgos, but UAE can look to both Włodarczyk and double Tour de France stage winner Maëva Squiban as leaders.

Włodarczyk could win really any of the stages, even multiple, as she did at Itzulia, which could translate into a solid GC result too. Squiban is the purer climber and will be eyeing Lagunas de Neila as her chance to shine, but in this backloaded race, a win on the final stage could also deliver a win or podium overall. UAE should be riding the high of their May so far and will be hoping to add even more success this week, before attention turns to the Giro d'Italia Women with defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini.

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The top-level Spanish block of racing continues this week at Itzulia Women, the fifth edition of the hilly Basque stage race, which runs from May 15-17.

The race starts in Zarautz and concludes in Donostia 390km later. Along the way, the Itzulia Women route poses challenges, including 6,800 metres of elevation and 14 major climbs spread across its three stages.

Itzulia Women follows on from La Vuelta Femenina, the first Grand Tour of the season, which saw home favourite Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) soar to a famous victory atop the Alto de L'Angliru.

The Catalan racer won't be racing Itzulia Women this week, but there's a host of other major names heading to the Basque Country in her stead.

Here's a look at 10 of the top contenders for success in the Itzulia hills this week.

Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-SUEZ)

Three-time Itzulia winner Demi Vollering won't be back to contend for a fourth title for FDJ United-SUEZ this year, but the French squad have put together a strong lineup in her absence.

Juliette Berthet is at the head of affairs, fresh off a fifth-place finish at La Vuelta Femenina. She got better as the race went on last week, though perhaps that's unsurprising given the backloaded route.

A third place on the Angliru was the highlight, with Berthet finishing best of the rest behind the flyweight climber Petra Stiasny and GC winner Blasi. She's done well here in the past, too, having picked up a fifth place in 2022 and a third place in 2024.

Fellow Frenchwomen Marie Le Net and Évita Muzic head up her support squad, with Muzic having finished 10th at La Vuelta.

Valentina Cavallar and Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime)

Austrian racer Valentina Cavallar is a new face at SD Worx-Protime this year, along with Nienke Vinke, and the pair form part of the Dutch team's next generation of riders.

Only Cavallar will line up in Zarautz, however, heading up the SD Worx selection shortly after her career-best Grand Tour outing with 12th place at La Vuelta. There, a sixth place on the Angliru was her top result, having raced into better form as the week progressed.

Cavallar will be joined in the team by fellow 25-year-old Mischa Bredewold. The Dutch rider is one for the hills, a former Amstel Gold Race champion who won stage 4 at La Vuelta.

Bredewold has form here, too, having finished second at each of the past two editions. Both she and Cavallar are ones to watch, while Blanka Vas is also on the start list.

Liane Lippert (Movistar)

Movistar are headed by Liane Lippert once again at Itzulia, with the German rider tackling the race as she searches for her first win since February's Vuelta CV Femina.

She put together a string of solid results at La Vuelta recently, with a trio of top 10s – including a fourth place – in the hilly mid-section of the Grand Tour.

Itzulia, full of hills, may be better suited to her strengths than the high mountains that capped off that race, however. Her biggest wins – stages at the Tour de France Femmes and the Giro d'Italia Women – have all come on parcours similar to the stages on the menu here.

Petra Stiasny (Human Powered Health)

Swiss rider Petra Stiasny heads to Itzulia fresh off the biggest win of her career, that famous triumph atop the Angliru as the women's peloton tackled the toughest climb in professional cycling for the first time.

The triumph is only the second of her career, but it signals a major breakthrough and figures to be a major confidence booster going forward, to boot.

Stiasny didn't post too many standout results earlier this season, but she's clearly in a fine vein of form at the moment. While there may not be a climb as tough as the Angliru at Itzulia, there are some short, sharp tests here.

Her teammate Thalita De Jong, fifth here a year ago and seventh in 2024, is another to watch. The Dutch rider was in the top 10 at the Setmana Valenciana and Tour of Flanders earlier this spring.

Usoa Ostolaza (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi)

Home favourite Usoa Ostolaza is another rider heading to Itzulia in form and full of confidence following her display at La Vuelta Femenina, where she finished fourth overall.

The 28-year-old Basque racer is leading the Basque squad Laboral Kutxa this week and carries the home region's hopes of a result.

Her Vuelta showing was forged in a strong closing weekend, with 11th place at Les Praeres and eighth on the Angliru, and she'll aim to continue her form on climbs such as the Jaizkibel and Aretxabalgane this week.

Ostolaza has already won on home roads this year, soloing to success at the GP Eibar last month. A win here, which would be a career-first in the Women's WorldTour, would be a breakthrough.

Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Antonia Niedermaier leads Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto at Itzulia, returning to the race where she finished eighth and won the young rider's jersey last spring.

Since then, the German has won the same jersey at the Giro d'Italia as she raced to fifth overall, finished sixth at the Rwanda Worlds, and took fourth place at her opening race this season, the Setmana Valenciana.

That's her top result of 2026 so far, and she didn't take part in the recent La Vuelta Femenina. The 23-year-old should be aiming for a similar outcome in Itzulia, and perhaps even a first pro win – German TT title aside – since her Giro stage triumph in the hills of Piedmont in 2023.

Dominika Wļodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ)

Polish racer Dominika Wļodarczyk finished fourth at last year's Tour de France Femmes and started her 2026 season with a string of promising results, but her progress has been derailed by a virus she suffered last month.

Fourth place at the Tour Down Under was followed by fifth at the Great Ocean Road Race, a podium at the Trofeo Oro in Euro, and fifth at Milan-San Remo. However, she was forced to miss the Ardennes Classics after falling ill.

A DNF at Brabantse Pijl put a frustrating end to her Classics campaign, but she's back in action here following a training camp in Sierra Nevada. The 26-year-old is making her debut in Itzulia, but if she hits the ground running, she'll find a parcours suited to her strengths.

Magdeleine Vallieres-Mill (EF Education-Oatly)

World champion Magdeleine Vallieres Mill returns to action following the conclusion of her Spring Classics campaign in the Ardennes.

The Canadian is still waiting for her first win in the rainbow jersey, but she can look back on some good results this spring, including sixth at the Setmana Valenciana, fifth at Strade Bianche, sixth at La Flèche Wallonne, and eighth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

She skipped La Vuelta but now heads to Spain to kick off a stage racing block including both the Giro and Tour. As a specialist in the hills, there's plenty for her to go at over the three days of Itzulia.

Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Belgian champion Justine Ghekiere raced to her best Women's WorldTour stage race result here last year, taking fourth place in Donostia, just two seconds off the podium.

The 30-year-old's sights may not be as high this time around, with the race marking her return to the peloton following a crash at Milan-San Remo almost two months ago. If she hits the ground running, then she'll certainly be on the list of riders to watch in the Basque Country.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio joins her in the AG Insurance-Soudal lineup. The South African veteran has only raced here once before, finishing 17th back in 2022.

She likes the hills and the mountains, and she still has the ability to grab a result here and there – see her fourth place at De Brabantse Pijl earlier this spring, for example. The tenacious Letizia Borghesi is also racing.

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)

Shirin van Anrooij has raced a relatively quiet spring campaign to open 2026, with ninth place at Strade Bianche her top result so far.

Itzulia will be her first stage race of the year, with the Dutch racer returning for a fourth start in the Basque Country. Her previous best came two years ago with 13th overall, but she's capable of more.

Van Anrooij can excel in attritional races, and there are plenty of hills packing the days here, so watch out for her and teammate Riejanne Markus, a former podium finisher at La Vuelta whose top result so far this year is eighth at Amstel Gold Race.

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The first men's Grand Tour of the 2026 season is quickly approaching at the Giro d'Italia, with the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria set to kick start three weeks of thrilling racing all the way to Rome between some of the best riders in the world.

Last year's race was won in stunning fashion by Simon Yates, who came full circle with an emotional triumph in Sestriere, via the Colle delle Finestre, burying his demons from seven years prior. But after his shock retirement in January, the Brit won't be back to defend his title. And neither of the other podium finishers will be either, with Isaac del Toro set to ride his first Tour de France, and Richard Carapaz still recovering from surgery to remove a perineal cyst.

However, in their absence will be a very strong start list competing for the maglia rosa, as always at La Corsa Rosa, but with a clear standout: Visma-Lease a Bike's Jonas Vingegaard, who will be looking to become only the eighth male rider in history to win all three Grand Tours.

As his long-time rival Tadej Pogačar did in 2024, Vingegaard will be attempting the Giro-Tour de France double, but it will only be in France where he'll face the Slovenian, whose UAE team will be led by Adam Yates and Jay Vine in Bulgaria and Italy, after João Almeida was also forced to cancel his Giro participation because of a viral infection.

The route is filled with difficult, iconic climbs, and there will be the ever-present unpredictable weather of Italy in May to contend with, as snow, rain, heat and brutal cold are all possible on the run for home in Rome.

It's also an important route as the final one overseen by long-standing race director Mauro Vegni, who retired in February after contributing his life to 31 editions of the great Italian race in his home nation.

Specific to this, the 109th edition of the Italian Grand Tour, is the presence of only one individual time trial, on stage 10 from Viareggio to Massa, which should be better for the purer climbers – though it is still ultra-testing in length at 42km, so could be vital in the GC battle.

For everyone starting in Nessebar, Bulgaria, on May 8, what's certain is that three-time Grand Tour winner Vingegaard will be the benchmark to chase, but what better time is there to land a career-best performance than at the Giro d'Italia?

Who will emerge as the Danes' closest rival? Who, like Del Toro a year ago, will burst onto the scene as a new GC contender? They are among the key questions set to be answered over 21 stages and 3,468km of racing, but the most pressing is who will wear the pink jersey in Rome come May 31.

With that in mind, here are Cyclingnews' favourites to win the pink jersey at the 2026 Giro d'Italia.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Jonas Vingegaard and the Giro d'Italia is a combination as yet untested, with the Dane's previous eight Grand Tour appearances all coming at the Tour or Vuelta so far, but he will be taking the start of his debut as the heavy favourite to take victory.

A two-time Tour winner, reigning Vuelta champion, and having finished first or second in every GT appearance apart from his debut in 2020, Vingegaard is a proven expert over three weeks, where his consistency and climbing repeatability have set him apart from everyone except Tadej Pogačar this decade.

With the Slovenian not taking the start, the Dane is quite comfortably in a league of his own, and anything except for domination of the hardest climbing days, to Blockhaus on stage 7, Alleghe on stage 19, and Piancavallo on stage 20, would be a huge surprise.

His form has been excellent in 2026 so far, even with a lack of race days and focus on detailed preparation for the Giro, winning both Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya – two prestigious one-week stage races – on his path to the Grande Partenza.

With no massive crash as he suffered in 2024, or a pre-Tour concussion in 2025, Vingegaard appears to be firing on all cylinders once again, which is a dangerous prospect for any of his challengers for the maglia rosa.

Visma will put an experienced team up to support, with Sepp Kuss and Victor Campenaerts set to play key roles in delivering him to victory. It's fair to say that the 2026 Giro is Vingegaard's to lose, even before the first stage is raced, and he looks likely to become the eighth man to win all three Grand Tours by the time they reach Rome.

Perhaps his biggest obstacle could be the weather, with Vingegaard's diminutive frame not the most capable in freeing conditions, but he fared well in Paris-Nice thanks to some interesting fashion choices. The risk of crashing is also heightened as always at the Giro, but Vingegaard can afford some more risk-averse racing choices thanks to his likely massive climbing superiority.

Giulio Pellizzari and Jai Hindley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Look back just two years ago, and Giulio Pellizzari was 20 years old and making his debut at the Giro d'Italia, his home race, for Bardiani CSF Faizanè. His highlight of the race was surely being caught and passed to finish second behind Pogačar to Santa Cristina Valgardena, with the pink jersey gifting the young Italian his glasses and sharing an embrace.

But in 2026, Pellizzari is a real contender for the podium, some ways away from finishing 49th in 2024, and with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, has only come on leaps and bounds since he was rubbing shoulders with his icon.

He's finished sixth overall at the two Grand Tours he's started since then, once in Italy and once in Spain, but he'll be aiming higher on this occasion, and why shouldn't he after the season he's had?

Pellizzari will arrive at the start in Bulgaria fresh off the back of winning the Tour of the Alps overall, and two stages, a key form indicator for the Giro, and with the confidence that he could well finish in the top three overall in Rome.

And what better rider to help him try to achieve that goal, the first Italian podium finish for five years, 10 years on from the last home win at the Giro, from Vincenzo Nibali, than former winner Jai Hindley?

Pressure will be on Red Bull to deliver, and in the face of Vingegaard, that will be tough, but the pair formed a great partnership at the Vuelta, and as two of the weaker ITT riders, they will look to be aggressive on the pure climbing days. Getting two riders in the top five and one on the podium is a real possibility.

Adam Yates and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Given their incredible wealth of talent, UAE Team Emirates-XRG would normally start any Grand Tour among the main favourites, but that isn't strictly true of their 2026 bid at the Giro, with planned leader João Almeida being forced to confirm he was off the start list last week.

With no Almeida, who had challenged Vingegaard well at last year's Vuelta, and no return for 2025 runner-up Del Toro or 2024 winner Pogačar, UAE are left to head to Bulgaria with either Adam Yates or Jay Vine looking like the chosen focus.

Neither have really taken up that role in recent Grand Tours, with Yates finding some of his career-best results riding as a super domestique for Pogačar and Vine typically hunting stages while supporting the likes of Almeida.

But they are easily among the top climbers in the sport, Yates, an expert of the hardest gradients and former podium finisher at the Tour, and Vine, a winner of four Vuelta mountain stages in his career.

Yates is in great form, fresh off the back of winning O Gran Camiño in April, where he was in a league of his own on the hardest climbing days, and while he hasn’t been a GT leader at UAE, he has been a master at one-week stage races. It’s unlikely that he will follow what his twin brother, Simon, did 12 months ago, but Yates is more than capable of challenging Vingegaard on his best day - don’t be surprised to see the 33-year-old on the podium.

Vine is a more complex case, as an obviously very talented climber – both his results and estimated power data show that – but he's never finished higher than 30th on GC at a Grand Tour. Crashes and DNFs have put him out of the running on several occasions, so staying safe on the treacherous roads of the Giro will be vital to him getting a result.

He's also only raced once since fracturing his wrist at the Tour Down Under, and that ended in another DNF in Catalunya, but Vine did win the former, taking a second WorldTour stage race victory, so he was clearly starting 2026 in top form. UAE will just have to hope the Australian has recovered in time, but it's certainly a route that could play into his powers on paper, especially with a big advantage over many of the smaller climbers in the time trial. Perhaps this Giro will bring the breakthrough Grand Tour GC performance that Vine has long looked capable of doing.

Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman (Netcompany Ineos)

Netcompany Ineos will be starting the Giro d’Italia with a new name and new look on May 8, but their GC challengers will be familiar: Egan Bernal and Thymen Arensman.

Bernal, a former winner from 2021, will be starting off the back of an already successful 2026 season, in which – even in spite of a knee issue midway through spring – he’s retained his Colombian national road title, finished second at the Tour of the Alps, and finished fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

He was also seventh at the Giro 12 months ago, and on his third appearance, appears to be heading in with his best form for a Grand Tour in some time. Bernal has the experience of being a two-time GT winner that many of his rivals can’t call upon.

But he also has Thymen Arensman as Ineos’ second option and a more than capable GC rider in his own right.

Arensman is taking on his fifth Giro in 2026, with a previous best result of sixth overall, which he managed twice, in 2023 and 2024, but alongside the Colombian, it’s the podium they should be chasing.

He, too, is in strong form in the Alps, finishing third there behind Pellizzari and Bernal, but it’s consistency that the Dutchman will be in search of over the three weeks.

On his day, he’s among the best climbers in the world – just look at his two stage wins from last season's Tour de France – and he’s more than capable of making big gains in the time trial over anyone except perhaps Vingegaard. Netcompany Ineos will start a new chapter for the British team at the Giro, and they should be well in the race with their two-pronged attack.

Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Felix Gall represents one of the top pure climbers starting this year's Giro d'Italia, with a great record on the hardest mountain stages – which stage 19 and 20 will be among on the 2026 cycling calendar – and he's another rider best suited to the length of a Grand Tour.

The Austrian has his limitations when it comes to time trialling, descending, and positioning at times, too, but when the road goes uphill, he's one of the very best in the world, and his fifth-place GC finish from last year's Tour de France shows that.

This will only be his second time at the Giro, having made his Grand Tour debut at the 2022 edition, but he's a much stronger rider now, and it's the days to Blockhaus and Piancavallo that he will surely be eyeing up as chances to strike and try to follow Vingegaard.

Gall hasn't set the world alight with his form as of yet in 2026, finishing fifth at the UAE Tour and sixth at the Volta a Catalunya, but again, his repeatability after three weeks, and constant days of brutal climbing, has been where he's come good in the past.

With all the attention Decathlon CMA CGM have garnered through Paul Seixas, who looks likely to be their leader at the Tour de France, perhaps Gall can fly under the radar with less pressure on his shoulders and deliver a top GC performance at the Giro.

Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek)

If Derek Gee-West had had a normal approach to this Giro d'Italia after finishing fourth in 2025, then he almost certainly would have been higher up this list, but after his messy split from Israel-Premier Tech in the off-season, it's been far from a regular build-up.

He's got back on track since being announced as a new signing for the German team back in January, but his winter and off-season were heavily disrupted by his departure from the former Israeli team, with Gee-West going months without a coach and without the usual drive due to his uncertain future.

Gee-West only returned to racing fully at the UAE Tour in February, having essentially ended his 2025 season at the conclusion of the Giro in May – aside from competing at the Canadian National Championships – and that saw him finish an encouraging seventh overall.

He's not lit up the racing since then, abandoning partway through the Volta a Catalunya, before finishing an unimpressive 12th at the Tour of the Alps, but Gee-West thrives in the three-week environment, where his durability can set him apart from the opposition.

It's likely he'll build into the GC race, but with Blockhaus bringing the first climbing test on stage 7 and the time trial following soon after that on stage 10, Gee-West has time to really find his legs and perform on the stages that suit him best.

Again, under normal circumstances, the Canadian would be a big hope for the podium, but there's a performance that he knows he has in the legs still to be found before that looks like a genuine possibility. Gee-West made his breakthrough as a road racer at the 2023 race and will be looking to vindicate Lidl-Trek's decision to sign him at the 2026 edition.

Michael Storer (Tudor)

Michael Storer will be taking on his 11th Grand Tour as Tudor Pro Cycling's spearhead at the upcoming Giro d'Italia, and he, too, will be chasing a potential podium as a realistic goal, given the strength of the field.

The Australian has finished 10th overall at the past two editions, but has struggled to show the consistency required to go any higher. He is arriving at the start in solid form, though, having finished fourth at a stacked Tour of the Alps, but with his GT experience, he'll know more is required to break into even the top five.

Stage 10 will put Storer on the back foot, as his time trialling is nowhere near the level of some of those mentioned above, but with this out of the way and the hardest stages to come in the third week, he will have clear sight of what is required to bring it back over his favoured terrain.

Last year he did win the Tour of the Alps in the run-in, so perhaps he's not in quite as strong form, but that could just mean he is timing his peak to perfection.

Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla)

Jayco AlUla's Ben O'Connor is a curious contender at this year's Giro, as a rider with great history at the Italian Grand Tour, but without the form in 2026 to expect his absolute best in the GC race.

It's been six years since he took his first GT stage win on the road to Madonna di Campiglio at the 2020 Giro, and two years on from when he finished fourth overall behind the likes of Pogačar and Geraint Thomas.

O'Connor is 30 now, but has failed to impress in his 29 race days leading up to the Giro this year, with results of eighth at the Tour of the Alps, 13th at Catalunya and 10th Down Under.

It's not quite what you'd expect from a rider who has finished second at the Vuelta and fourth at both the Tour and Giro in his career, but O'Connor will arrive without as much expectation to chase the podium as he has in previous years.

He's another who should benefit from there being only one time trial, and we've seen how he can use breakaways in the opening two weeks to launch himself up the standings before holding on until the finish. In the absence of his best legs, that might be the best course of action for challenging the top five in May.

Enric Mas (Movistar)

Enric Mas has a better Grand Tour palmarès than almost everyone listed above him here as a contender for the Giro, aside from Vingegaard, but he sits here as he approaches a debut at the Italian race and after recovering from a serious case of thrombophlebitis – varicose veins.

Of course, the time trial to Massa won't help his chances, but Mas has proved on several occasions that he can build into the three weeks of a GT, and he'll surely be eyeing up the high mountains on stages 19 and 20 as the place to bring his best.

It's his 15th Grand Tour, with eight of those appearances ending in top 10s and four of them – all at the Vuelta – ending in Mas finishing on the podium, so he has a wealth of experience to rely on when he may be struggling for form.

Racing in 2026 hasn't been extensive for the 31-year-old Spaniard, taking on just 10 race days in the approach to the Giro, his last of which was at the Volta a Catalunya, where he finished outside the top 20 overall and outside the top 10 on every stage. In reality, Mas is a massive unknown quantity heading into the Grande Partenza, but a top 10 finish would surely feel like a big success given his recent long stint out of the racing.

Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)

Santiago Buitrago hasn't raced at the Giro d'Italia since the 2023 edition, when he took his maiden Grand Tour stage win and finished 13th overall, and he'll be looking to go much better than that as he leads Bahrain Victorious' hopes.

A talented Colombian climber, Buitrago hasn't quite lived up to the same standards set by Nairo Quintana, Rigoberto Uran, and Egan Bernal as a GC racer, but he's still only 26.

Buitrago is a savvy bike racer, more than capable of winning stages, and with how close the race looks for the podium and the top five, gaining bonus seconds could be his advantage over the rivals that sit above him on this list.

He's yet to finish higher than 10th in his nine Grand Tour appearances so far, but he will have the experience of Damiano Caruso to utilise in his pursuit of a career-best result. The 38-year-old Italian finished fifth as recently as last year's Giro, also finishing fourth in 2023 and second behind Bernal in 2021, so he could well emerge as Bahrain's leader again. Either way, they have options with both youth and experience to try and challenge for the podium spots once again.

Honourable mentions

Alessandro Pinarello (NSN) is perhaps the most exciting of the honourable mentions, arriving at his second Grand Tour off the back of a third-place finish in O Gran Camiño, where he also took a maiden pro victory.

Johannes Kulset will be Uno-X Mobility's GC leader for the upcoming Giro, the Norwegian team's first appearance at the pink race, and the 22-year-old will be looking for his breakthrough as a talented young climber.

While much of the noise surrounding Tudor is rightly on Michael Storer, he has a 22-year-old French teammate who has impressed already in 2026, and could be set to overshadow his Australian team leader at the Giro: Mathys Rondel.

Maybe the most unpredictable rider in the peloton, Jan Christen, has a real chance of a Grand Tour breakthrough for UAE during this race, with a lack of a clear leader surely allowing him the freedom to attack as he often does, on debut at a three-week race – expect nothing less from fireworks from the Swiss.

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With the Spring Classics in the rear view mirror the attention is now turning to the stage races, with the spotlight first shifting to La Vuelta Femenina as it delivers its toughest course ever as it winds its way from Marin to a finale atop the Alto de l'Angliru.

The winner of the past two editions, Demi Vollering, will not be on the start line but that doesn't mean there will be any shortage of fierce rivals on the road from May 3 to May 9, some are building form toward the Tour de France Femmes but for others it will be the goal itself.

We have some hints of form from the early season WorldTour level multi-day races, such as the Tour Down Under and the UAE Tour, though given this if the first top-tier women's stage race of this European seasons there is plenty of room for the unexpected.

Of course, it's also about more than the individual contenders as while some teams are lining up with one clear leader, others have a number that could reach for the top spots leaving them with alternate plans if things go wrong or options if they don't.

Cyclingnews has gone through the start list to pull together a list of some of the key riders who could be vying for the top overall spots as they battle their way up the final brutal climb of the Alto de L'Angliru.

Juliette Berthet and Évita Muzic (FDJ United-SUEZ)

Just because Demi Vollering is turning her attention to the Giro d'Italia this year, that doesn't mean FDJ United-SUEZ isn't still going to be a formidable force in Spain. Instead the fortunes of the team will be resting on the shoulders of Juliette Berthet (née Labous) and Évita Muzic. Both finished inside the top 10 in 2025 even though they were working for race winner Vollering, which shows they have more than earned their opportunity. Additionally the French squad has clearly show in recent months that they are not lost without their key leader, carving out a path to victory with a number of riders other than Vollering.

Berthet has finished inside the top five overall in Spain for the past two years and top 10 through the last four, delivering a consistency that can leave no doubt that she has what it takes to perform at the event. On top of that her strong showing at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, with ninth behind her winning team leader Vollering, is an indication of strong building form. Still, she warned that given she had a cold afterwards "I may not be at my best in the first days but we have time to grow into the week."

That strength also should be amplified with Muzic by her side. The 26-year-old is a consistent performer overall at the event, but also a proven powerhouse on the climbs, and this is an edition riders who enjoy the longer and tougher ascents will be looking forward to. One of Muzic's biggest career wins so far, in fact, came atop the La Laguna Negra, when Vollering was a rival rather than a teammate and she managed to pip her at the top of the tough stage 6 climb at the 2024 La Vuelta Femenina. It shows that she can deliver on a climb when the opportunity arrives, and with this year's tough route she just may be in a position to find that chance again.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

As the winner of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes there is no doubt that Pauline Ferrand-Prévot will draw lots of attention as a key rider to watch, even though it was far from a smooth run at the event last year which ended with a DNS on stage 5. Then, however, the French rider with an astounding list of achievements across disciplines was still in the early stages of her return to road racing. A year on, there is reason to expect it could be a different story. Ferrand-Prévot opened her season with Strade Bianche in March but really built up in April, delivering podium performances at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, so clearly there is some early season form on display. However, the Vuelta overall isn't the key target for the rider who is once again building towards the Tour de France Femmes and is looking to the Spanish race as a stepping stone that will help her progress as a stage racer..

Rather the team is focussed on stage wins, with Marianne Vos in particular during the early stages of the event. Still, even a building Ferrand-Prévot can't be dismissed as a serious overall threat.

Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco)

In previous years Mavi García might have been a rider that was an obvious pick for a Liv AlUla Jayco contender at her home Grand Tour, but her departure to UAE Team ADQ certainly hasn't left the team without a strong option. In fact, with Italian rider Monica Trinca Colonel they are stepping into the race with plenty of reason to rate their chances of delivering a strong result. Trinca Colonel last year finished seventh overall last year so not surprisingly the squad has decided to throw its support behind her in 2026, with the overall being the key goal for the team. Add to last year's result her performance at the this year's UAE Tour, where she stepped up to second place overall, and there is reason to think that a high spot on the general classification is within reach.

Along with a well-rounded solid support across the varied terrain, New Zealander Ella Wyllie should be a valuable support asset in the crucial climbing stages.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)

Even in the early stages of her return to road racing in 2025, Anna van der Breggen was firing at the Vuelta Femenina, heading straight to the podium with third overall. There is no doubt that she has the experience and know how to excel through a stage race and there are also signs of the required form as well. Last year Van der Breggen was on the back foot because of illness during the Ardennes and a cold, too, has proven a dampener this year but with a far less dramatic impact. In fact she got through the trio of races without once falling outside the top ten and even as the cold hit at Liège-Bastogne-Liège she was just off the podium in fourth. That building form through the events left her rueing the fact that it was over after Sunday's finale but the good news is she now take advantage of that form in Spain. The target SD Worx-Protime has outlined for Van der Breggen is to find the podium again, matching the third of last year.

Also, the team will have Lotte Kopecky on board and while the rider may not have the same focus on Grand Tour ambitions that she once did, having her as a strong wildcard option with a focus on stage victories certainly won't hurt.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

For Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney the Vuelta Femenina has always been a race where she has performed well, finishing in eleventh overall at worst and sixth at best across the five times she has completed the event in its various guises. This year, however, it's been a particularly strong path to this point of the season from fifth overall at the UAE Tour to the second places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche to a second, fourth and third place across the Ardennes trio. They are results that are both an indicator of strong form but also a potential spur to for something more as despite consistently been near the front of the race, the rider from Poland is still waiting on that first victory celebration of the season.

“My goal for La Vuelta is to finish on the podium," says Niewiadoma. "It’s also not a secret that I’ve been chasing victories for my whole career, so I definitely want to find the opportunity to raise the hands on one of the stages. I also want to stay smart, attentive and race well with the team, to get the best out of it.”

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Look no further than Girona as the epicentre of off-road racing in Europe, with The Traka having quickly become a distinguished benchmark in the professional ranks. With multiple distances and challenging terrain, The Traka has a well-earned reputation, rising to fame alongside Unbound Gravel in Kansas.

The two signature events mirror each other now in distances (Traka numbers in kilometres and Unbound numbers in miles), and prominence in series competitions, the Gravel Earth Series and the Life Time Grand Prix, as well as global marketing attention, with live broadcasts to product launches. The fields are deeper than ever, as the prizes and prestige rise as well, with the Traka also serving as a litmus test for Unbound 200.

Founded by Klassmark, The Traka 200 was launched in 2019 as a two-day stage race, similar in format to February's Santa Vall. The next year organisers held one-day races for three distances, the longest at 200 kilometres, and in 2021 the 360 event was added to the schedule.

In 2025 the 'Traka Adventure' route was added, a total route of 560km (360 plus 200), with Victor Bosoni (Cycles Méral) and Svenja Betz (Castelli SOG x Rose) earning inaugural titles. Betz was the winner of 2024 Unbound XL, the long-distance 350-mile overnight competition that is most similar to Traka Adventure.

The focus at The Traka mainly rests on the two events with Gravel Earth Series points on the line – Traka 200, covering 202km (125 miles) and 2,650 metres (8,694 feet) of elevation gain, and Traka 360, the provisional route coming in at 325km (201 miles) and 4,150 metres (13,615 feet) of elevation gain.

Mattia De Marchi (The Grip) has the most wins at The Traka 360 with three while Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) has a pair of wins in that event. The only rider with two victories in The Traka 200 is Carolin Schiff, now leading Canyon x DT Swiss All Terrain Racing.

Can Migoń win the 360 for a third consecutive time and her PAS Racing teammate Tobias Kongstad a second time? Will Specialized Off-road dominate the Traka 200 women's race with Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Annika Langvad? Who will make a mark in this year's wide open men's 200 race?

Cyclingnews takes a look at the notable riders in these two signature races, Traka 360 taking place on Friday, May 1, and Traka 200 getting underway on Saturday, May 2. You can follow the racing live each day on Gravel Earth Series TV and there will be news and full race reports on Cyclingnews.

Traka 200 Contenders

Pro women

The defending champion Sofia Gomez Villafañe is going to be hard to beat – the Specialized Off-road rider has proven that time and time again this year claiming victory every time she has taken to the start line in 2026. As a rider whose dominance had been clear on the US stage, with three Life Time Grand Prix series wins among her impressive results, Villafañe was always going to line up at her first The Traka in 2025 as a rider to watch, but now that she has a win under her belt at the 200 and an unbeaten record this year, it's hard to imagine anyone else on the top step. Still, anything can happen in gravel racing and there are a long list of competitors lining up that hope that they will be the ones to break the winning streak.

Prominent among those in with a chance of doing just that is Nicole Frain (Factor Racing), a rider that has been on fire in Europe this season, scooping up a trio of UCI Gravel World Series victories as well as a runner-up spot. What's more, even before that, she started the season in Australia with a win at RADL GRVL which also earned her the title of Oceania champion.

Then there is Carolin Schiff (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing) who won The Traka 200 in both 2023 and 2024 so certainly has the record at the race. One thing working against the 2023 Unbound winner, though, is that the German rider is returning after a tough 2025 season which saw her take an extended period off the bike to recover from injury and health issues. However, with her history and signs of the rebuild evident with a top ten at UCI race the Gravel One Fifty on the weekend she is a rider that is hard to count out.

Then there is Annika Langvad, who was third last year, and if anything happens to her Specialized Off-road teammate Villafañe the six-time mountain bike world champion is one heck of a plan B. Also among the top finishers from last year is Cecily Decker (PAS Racing), who came fourth in 2025. PAS Racing teammate and former road professional Romy Kasper is also coming into the race off a win at Gravel One Fifty while Wendy Oosterwoud is another strong card for the squad.

Another name that has recently shown she deserves to be added to the list of contenders is Nele Laing (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing), who launched into Sea Otter Gravel Classic to take third on debut and before that took a strong fifth at The Hills. Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers), who came second at the European Gravel Championships in 2025, is also heading into the event with strong form, having just taken out a victory at the UCI Gravel World Series race, Monaco Gravel.

Pro men

The top two riders of last year's field, Mads Würtz Schmidt and Matthew Beers, are moving to the 360 this year as are the 2024 and 2023 winners Petr Vakoč and Paul Voß so this means it's a wide open competition.

One of the standout new contenders stepping to the plate is US gravel champion Bradyn Lange (Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing). Last season the win at the national championships was a real standout for the versatile rider but this season the top step is becoming more familiar. First it was an impressive victory at The Hills, beating Vakoč after launching solo. It is not, however, just an impressive European result Lange has managed to snare so far this season as he out-sprinted Keegan Swenson at Sea Otter Classic Gravel to take the win at the first Life Time Grand Prix round and therefore take the series lead.

Magnus Bak Klaris (PAS Racing) had a solid list of victories on the list last season – including The Rift, Wörthersee Gravel Race and Santa Vall – plus he was the overall Gravel Earth Series winner in 2025. It has been a slower start to 2026 but his recent fourth at Sea Otter is a sign that his form is building, perhaps just at the right time to better his eighth of last year. Among the other group of riders to look out for who finished within the first eight last year are Wout Alleman (Buff BH), Jordy Bouts (The Grip) and Daan Soete (Ridley Racing).

Then there is Simon Pellaud, who last year came eighth in The Traka 360 but this year is taking on the shorter distance, having dealt with knee problems this season. The privateer who last year came second at Unbound 200 was on the improve by Valley of Tears, snaring fifth on little training and then was ninth at the Sea Otter Classic even after having a flat tyre in the final lap.

Jordan Habets (Rose Racing Circle) has shown his form heading into the event with a win at Wörthersee Gravel Race while Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless) made a mark with his Mid South Gravel win. Another rider who will certainly draw eyes is Nino Schurter, with the retired mountain bike rider having taken on The Hills in March and claimed fifth.

Traka 360 Contenders

Pro women

Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) is two-for-two at The Traka 360, and returns as the darling of the 'double' - winning 2025 Unbound Gravel 200 after striking a second time at the Gravel Earth Series race. Unlike the last two years where she had a steady build of European races, this year's selection to the Life Time Grand Prix field saw her add the long travel to northern California for Sea Otter Classic Gravel. She finished a solid fourth to start her Grand Prix effort, and now transitions back in Spain. She'll have a full squad to support her in Girona, so it will be interesting to see how her legs fire with the additional travel and racing.

Look for Morgan Aguirre in the lead group with her PAS Racing teammate Migoń. The 360 is a new event for the US rider, who twice finished third overall in the Gravel Earth Series, though at the Traka 200 she was 17th. She was ninth at Unbound Gravel 200 last year so distance isn't an issue. This season she has podiums from Spanish contests at Santa Vall and Castellon Gravel Race.

Last year's runner-up was French gravel champion Axelle Dubau-Prévot, who returns with a new road-gravel programme racing for EF Education-Oatly. After a solid 2025 season which ended with the overall title at Nedbank Gravel Burn, she has had a trio of gravel top 10s, including second at Gravel Desert, and she's fresh off 10th place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.

Another Women's WorldTour rider who was almost unstoppable on gravel last year is Rosa Klöser (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), winning the Gravel Earth Series overall, including four races in the series. She's been on the podium twice at Traka 200, so the former Unbound Gravel 200 champion will be eager to stamp her authority on the longer distance in Spain.

Traka 360 veterans Danni Shrosbree (Rapha-Argon 18) and Geerike Schreurs (Specialized Off-Road) will be in the hunt as well. Shrosbree is most familiar with the rugged terrain, going fourth in 2024 and fifth last year. Her best finish so far this year is sixth at RADL GRVL, as she finished outside the top 20 at Sea Otter Classic Gravel. Schreurs, who was second at Traka 360 two seasons ago, returns in top early form with a victory at the 268km Gravel Desert and second at The Mid South.

One of the debutants to watch at The Traka 360 is another past winner of Unbound 200, Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis). She comes to Spain with a lot of racing, going 17th at Sea Otter Classic Gravel and sixth at The Growler road race but is always a threat.

Pro men

After finishing in the top five twice, Tobias Mørch Kongstad (PAS Racing) claimed an emphatic victory last year at Traka 360, riding the final 150km solo with more than five minutes to chasers at the end. He returns with PAS Racing teammate Simen Nordahl Svendsen, who was third last year, so the squad has cards to play to return to the podium.

This year the men's field has expanded with former 200km riders taking on the longer distance, including last year's Traka 200 winner Mads Würtz Schmidt and runner-up Matt Beers, both now riding for Specialized Off-Road. The Schmidt-Beers duo will be a strong offensive – the European Gravel Champion going back-to-back with recent wins at 114 Gravel and Gravel Desert and Beers adding a fourth Cape Epic title then going fifth at Sea Otter Classic Gravel.

Also moving to the 360 are Petr Vakoč (Factor Racing Team), Greg Van Avermaet (Basso Bikes), and Paul Voß (Autsaid x Rose Bikes), who last competed here in 2023 and won The Traka 200. Vakoč presents the biggest threat in this group as he was fourth at Traka 200 last year and went on for seven podiums in gravel races, with a victory at The Gralloch. This year he has shown early form with seconds at Sahara Gravel stage race and the Hills.

Riders on form who could surprise on a first-time entry at The Traka include BWR Arizona winner Russell Finsterwald (LOOK), Sea Otter Classic Fuego XL winner Andrew L'Esperance (3T Bike-Maxxis-Pearl Izumi), Unbound Gravel 200 winner Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA-RCC), as well as former WorldTour riders Thomas De Gendt (PowerPlus Gravel Team) and Romain Bardet (Factor Racing Team), the Frenchman having three wins in four races so far this season.

The Traka 360 is the European gravel debut for Jones. He comes in with a pair of runner-up finishes to start the year at RADL GRVL and the Mid South. The defending Life Time Grand Prix overall winner placed 20th at Sea Otter Classic Gravel, but said "I went faster and got a similar ranking as last year" so was happy with the start of the series for 2026.

The veterans in the field who could press the new guard and surprise at the end include three-time 360 winner Mattia de Marchi (The Grip), 2024 winner Peter Stetina (Canyon) and 2024 Unbound 200 winner Lachlan Morton (EF Education-EasyPost), a Traka first-timer.

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We may only be a day out of the Spring Classics, but the cycling calendar moves on quickly, and it's back to WorldTour stage racing on Tuesday with the start of the six-day Tour de Romandie, headlined by Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

Coming so close to the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de Romandie in Switzerland is usually a race for the riders on track for the Tour de France and often marks the early start of the Tour build-up. It follows Itzulia Basque Country and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, so it often sees two different types of Tour riders converge for the first time: those who have committed their spring to stage racing, and those who were off doing the Classics.

This year, the Tour de Romandie route kicks off with a 3.2km pan flat time trial, and then very little flat for the rest of the week, with the following five road stages featuring between 2,100 and 3,500m of climbing.

Several of the stages can be counted as medium mountain or hilly stages, with only one summit finish, which leaves them open to a lot of different outcomes, and opportunities abound for breakaway specialists and non-GC climbers – even those not going for the overall win can be hopeful of a stage victory here.

The GC will be decided on the final two stages, which each pack in three and a half thousand metres of elevation and category-1 climbs. The race's only summit finish comes at the end of the very last day, where the peloton will climb 14.3km up to the 1,300m altitude at Leysin.

One look at the start list will very quickly reveal to you one clear favourite in Pogačar, who is riding Romandie for the first time this year in a slight change to his usual Tour build-up, but the lack of longer climbs and abundance of punchier, opportunistic stages could play into the hands of his rivals. They have plenty of chances to try to get the jump on him, instead of just praying they survive in the mountains.

Challenging the Slovenian will be the likes of established GC riders Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers) and Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), plus some younger and newer riders who have been impressing so far this spring and look primed for a big step up.

With just 24 hours until the prologue gets underway in Villars-sur-Glâne, here are Cyclingnews' picks for the GC contenders at the Tour de Romandie.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Tadej Pogačar has only raced five one-day races so far in 2026, and indeed hasn't done a stage race since the Tour de France, but he's Tadej Pogačar, so he's still the out-and-out favourite for Romandie this week as he starts to try and tick off the one-week races he hasn't won before. In fact, he has never even started Romandie, but again, that just doesn't matter. He's Tadej Pogačar.

He'll start the prologue on Tuesday fresh off his fourth Liège victory, and with four wins from his five race days so far, the only miss being his defeat at Paris-Roubaix. With his standard approach of a racing-light programme heading into the summer, we're yet to see him in a stage race in 2026, so we haven't seen him take on any longer climbs or mountains this year. There's nothing to suggest he isn't already in great form, but it will be a test and a switch of pace from the Classics.

Pogačar lines up as the favourite, and the most likely scenario is probably that he will win, but other teams are coming here with strong options and will see this as a very, very rare opportunity to try and steal a win back from Pogačar, so expect a big battle this week, nonetheless.

Florian Lipowitz and Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe head to Romandie with probably the team most likely to be able to challenge Tadej Pogačar. Florian Lipowitz will be their leader, and he has been proving this year that his Tour de France podium finish last summer was far from a fluke.

He's done three stage races so far this year and finished eighth, third and second overall, with back-to-back podiums in Catalunya and Itzulia in the last month, so his form is clearly high. He will come into Romandie confident and aiming to try to beat Pogačar, with second overall probably his minimum ambition.

Aside from Lipowitz, Red Bull are also fielding Primož Roglič this week, and it will be interesting to see what he's capable of. Theoretically, the Slovenian has been nudged down the pecking order at Red Bull. However, in reality, he's not showing any signs of slowing, fifth at Tirreno-Adriatico already this year with some strong results elsewhere too. Romandie should be about Lipowitz, but you can never write Roglič off, and if he sees an opportunity to help his teammate or himself, he will take it.

Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers)

Oscar Onley had a good start to life at Ineos with his fourth overall at the Volta ao Algarve, but his spring has been lowkey since then with a DNF at Paris-Nice and 12th in Catalunya. With hopes of a repeat top five at the Tour later this summer, he has headroom to make up to prove he can challenge the best, so a lot of eyes will be on him at Romandie. The mix of medium and hard stages should suit his abilities, and he seems to go well on this terrain, 16th at Romandie last year and then third at the Tour de Suisse.

The young Scot has struggled a little bit with poor fortune this season, whether it's illness or crashes, so the main thing this week will be to get through without issue so that he can actually show his true level as we get into the serious build-up for the Tour.

Outside of the GC, keep an eye on Onley's teammate Dorian Godon, who has been excelling in the in-between stages so far this year – his climbing ability and fast finish could well net him a stage win here.

Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)

Antonio Tiberi has had an up-and-down season so far, starting well at the UAE Tour and Volta Comunitat Valenciana but then really taking a dip with a poor Tirreno-Adriatico and a DNF at Itzulia Basque Country. He was back in action on Sunday at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and now heads straight to Romandie to continue his preparation for the Tour, skipping his home Giro this year.

The Italian is a rider who usually comes good on the longer, steadier climbs, so the slightly shorter efforts in Romandie might not suit him perfectly, but should give him an opportunity to get back into the rhythm and test himself against some big names. He's repeatedly shown his stage racing ability; he just needs it all to come together for a good result.

If it's not a week for Tiberi, Bahrain can also look to Lenny Martinez to hunt stages.

Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla)

Home hopes this year will probably lie on the shoulders of Jayco AlUla's Mauro Schmid, who is on a searing run of form so far in 2026. The Swiss rider has been a key protagonist in every race he's started this year, finishing second at the Tour Down Under, fourth in Oman and then winning the Settimana Coppi e Bartali. He then backed up these 'smaller' results with a fantastic week in the Ardennes – sixth in Amstel, second in Flèche Wallonne, 11th in Liège – to prove that he can do it on the biggest stage, too.

The GC at Romandie is clearly a level above, and he might be realistically looking at the top 10 rather than the top five or podium, but his level is definitely high right now.

Luke Plapp is also back in action for the first time since the UAE Tour, where he came third. The Australian is still yet to really prove himself as a GC contender on the European circuit, but the signs get better every year, and he can aim for a good result here, whether that's on a stage or overall.

Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Visma-Lease a Bike head to Romandie with an uncharacteristically weak team, by their standards, with no Vingegaard vs Pogačar warm-up on the cards. Of their line-up, four are under 24, and will all see this race as an opportunity to test themselves.

Their best GC option, however, will probably be Jørgen Nordhagen, the young Norwegian who's finished eighth at the UAE Tour and second at O Gran Camiño so far this season. Those are obviously different – arguably lower-level – races compared to Romandie, but they show his potential, and have also given him experience of being a GC leader. He and the team will be interested to see how he deals with the step up in Switzerland this week.

Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-QuickStep)

QuickStep's 2026 so far has mainly been about their Classics rebuild, but we can't forget that they do still have some solid GC riders in their ranks. Valentin Paret-Peintre just finished fourth overall at the Volta a Catalunya, and seems to be coming good earlier in the season than he has previously, where his results have been mainly in the Grand Tours.

He's aiming at another good summer, so he will be hoping for a good result here, and his results so far place him among the list of solid stage race contenders.

Georg Steinhauser (EF Education-EasyPost)

Georg Steinhauser is usually seen as more of a stage hunter than a GC rider, but his overall podium finish at Paris-Nice last month has definitely boosted his GC stocks. He did not finish the Volta a Catalunya, so Romandie will be a bit of a test to see if that Paris-Nice result was a stroke of luck or a sign of things to come, but he has a solid EF team around him and will take confidence from standing on the podium in France a few weeks ago.

Particularly if he's able to grab some time in a breakaway, he could reap the benefits all the way to the end of the week.

Classics season is almost at an end, with the biggest race of the Ardennes triple, Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes, drawing the spring to a close on Sunday.

The race is the oldest of the men's Monuments but runs just its 10th women's race this weekend. Nonetheless, Liège is among the toughest Classics of the Women's WorldTour calendar, with 11 major climbs and over 2,500 metres of ascent packed into the 156km race route.

Challenges along the way include the Côte de Stockeu, Col du Rosier, Côte de la Redoute, and the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons ahead of a flat finish in Liège city centre, which has hosted the finish since its move from nearby Ans in 2019.

2025 champion Kim Le Court-Pienaar won't be defending her title after fracturing her wrist at Milan-San Remo last month. Two past winners of the race – Demi Vollering and Anna van der Breggen – will be among the 126 riders setting out from Bastogne on Sunday morning, however, with the pair both seeking their third title.

Here's a look at our list of the top contenders for the 2026 Liège-Bastogne-Liège Femmes.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ)

With a series of big wins under her belt already this spring, Demi Vollering is the main favourite to add another to the list in Liège on Sunday.

The Dutchwoman has won the race twice in the past, triumphing from a four-woman sprint in 2021 and beating Elisa Longo Borghini in a two-up sprint three years ago. In fact, an 11th place in 2020 was her only non-podium finish, with four third-place finishes also on her palmarès.

Before hitting the Ardennes, Vollering already had wins at the Setmana Valenciana, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, and the Tour of Flanders to her name. She was third in her home Classic, Amstel Gold Race, but rode a dominant Mur de Huy to win La Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday.

The European Champion is the form pick, and she knows how to win here. She'll also enjoy the backing of one of the strongest teams around, with Elise Chabbey, Evita Muzic, and Juliette Berthet among her support squad.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney's Ardennes campaign looked in jeopardy when she crashed hard on the descent of the Cipressa at Milan-San Remo a month ago. However, the Polish Champion has continued where she left off, immediately contending for glory at Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne.

She beat Vollering for second place at the former as Paula Blasi soloed to a surprise victory, while at the latter, she finished fourth after racing up the Mur de Huy while being stuck in the big ring.

With wins at Amstel in 2019 and Flèche in 2024, she's won both races before, with that Flèche triumph her sole Classics win of the past five years. Liège, where she finished on the podium on her debut in 2017, remains on her to-do list.

Having scored five other top-10 placings, she's always there or thereabouts, and figures among the favourites once again this year.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

At 23, Puck Pieterse is one of the youngest riders on our list of Liège contenders, and she's firmly among the top favourites after her performances in the Ardennes this season and last.

A year ago, she finished on the podium at all three races, also storming to her first Classics victory at Flèche. A few days later, she came close to adding Liège to her palmarès too, narrowly missing out to Kim Le Court-Pienaar in the final sprint.

This week, she finished second on the Mur de Huy, almost launching a late comeback as Vollering sailed across the line. That second place followed from sixth at Strade Bianche, fifth at Trofeo Oro in Euro, fourth at Milan-San Remo, and third at Tour of Flanders. Will she complete the pattern with a first place on Sunday?

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Last season, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won France's two biggest races in Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France. In the immediate aftermath of the second triumph, she stated that her goals for 2026 would be focussed on the biggest races in neighbouring Belgium.

She finished second best on the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders, 42 seconds down on Vollering as the Dutchwoman soloed to victory. Now, a bid for Liège is on her hitlist.

Ferrand-Prévot finished 12th at the race last year in her last appearance at La Doyenne since 2018, where she finished seventh. Recent form is good, with a seventh place at Flèche. That was a relatively distant 28 seconds down on Vollering, however, and she'll have to do better on the hills between Bastogne and Liège this weekend.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

Lotte Kopecky has won plenty during her career to date, including just about every major Spring Classic. However, victory in the Ardennes has so far eluded her.

Of course, she has raced on the cobbles far more, and only has seven appearances across the three Ardennes Classics on her palmarès. That's not to say she's unsuited to them, of course. Kopecky was second in Amstel three years ago and finished fifth in Liège last spring.

A year ago, she was dropped 11km from the finish and ended 24 seconds off the lead group, which contested victory, but she has the strength to be in the mix for victory this time around. She didn't take part in Amstel or Flèche, with a 25th place at Brabantse Pijl her most recent result.

Kopecky has turned it up for the biggest races this spring, including a win at Milan-San Remo and fourth places at Flanders and Roubaix.

Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ)

It's fair to say that Spanish racer Paula Blasi wouldn't have featured on favourites lists for the Ardennes Classics before this week.

The 23-year-old was still racing for UAE's development squad this time last year, only moving to the Women's WorldTour team at the end of May. She started her 2026 well with a third place at the Tour Down Under, and fifth at the Clásica de Almería, while last week's Brabantse Pijl – where she finished ninth – was her first pro race in Belgium.

Since then, things have only got better for Blasi as she raced to a 23km solo victory at Amstel Gold Race, by far the biggest win of her short career to date. Midweek, she was on the podium again after passing Niewiadoma-Phinney for third at Flèche. Sunday will pose a different challenge, and Blasi has placed her name firmly among the top competitors.

Magdeleine Vallieres Mill (EF Education-Oatly)

World champion Magdeleine Vallieres Mill was something of a surprise winner in Rwanda last autumn, and the Canadian is still looking for her win in the rainbow stripes with 18 race days under her belt since that famous triumph.

So far this spring, her best result has been fifth place at Strade Bianche, just six seconds down on winner Elise Chabbey. Her next-best result came just a few days ago on the steep inclines of the Mur de Huy. Vallieres was sixth at Flèche, 14 seconds behind Vollering after an impressive ascent which also saw her finish 14 seconds up on seventh place and the rest.

The 24-year-old clearly has some good climbing shape heading into Liège. Her best result in four appearances at La Doyenne is 34th in 2024, but she should better that this weekend.

Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek)

New Zealander Niamh Fisher-Black leads Lidl-Trek at the Ardennes Classics for the second time this year, with her performances last spring forming the base of what turned out to be her breakthrough season as a top rider in the Women's WorldTour.

Last year, she took two top-10 finishes at Flèche and Liège before going on to put in a series of great rides the rest of the year, including fifth at the Tour and second at the Worlds.

She hasn't yet hit those heights this spring, with seventh at the UAE Tour and fifth at the Giro dell'Appennino her top results to date. After finishing 21st at Amstel Gold Race, she looks to be on the up in time for Liège with an eighth place at Flèche.

Her three most recent outings at Liège have seen her finish 10th, 10th, and seventh, so look for Fisher-Black to be well in the mix once again.

Elise Chabbey (FDJ United-SUEZ)

Elise Chabbey lines up among the support squad for Vollering, the FDJ lineup likely the strongest in the race, but the Swiss rider is a favourite in her own right.

Of course, Chabbey won't race against her team leader in the Walloon hills, but she is a powerful second option as she proved in the hills of Tuscany last month. After Vollering suffered a mechanical before her group took a wrong turn during Strade Bianche, Chabbey rose to the occasion and proved she could do it without her leader, winning in Siena as teammate Franziska Koch finished third.

She has slotted back into her support role this week, finishing 20th and 16th at Amstel and Flèche as Vollering grabbed third place and the win. Chabbey could prove an important foil once again on Sunday.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)

Like Vollering as a two-time champion in Liège, Anna van der Breggen needs little introduction. The Dutch veteran returned to racing last season after a three-year retirement and immediately put herself in contention for some of the biggest races up and down the calendar.

Van der Breggen isn't the rider she once was at her dominant best, but she remains among the favourites list at many of the races she starts. She hasn't won yet in 2026, but highlights include second place at the Trofeo Binda, ninth at Amstel Gold Race, and fifth at Flèche.

The 36-year-old is in good form heading into the Ardennes Classics finale, then, and she'll form a powerful one-two punch with Kopecky. Van der Breggen is maybe not the absolute favourite she once might've been, but she can't be counted out.

Others to watch

Liane Lippert heads the Movistar charge in Liège. The German's best results this season came in Spain back in January and February, but she's a three-time top-10 finisher here.

Twenty-year-old Isabella Holmgren could be a solid second option for Lidl-Trek. The Canadian has only raced three days in 2026, but her most recent outing was a top 10 at Flèche.

Beyond Vallieres, EF Education-Oatly can look to several other options for success. Noemi Rüegg, fifth at Amstel, and Cédrine Kerbaol, fourth here last year, top the list.

Blasi's breakthrough isn't the only show in town at UAE Team ADQ. Trofeo Binda champion Karlijn Swinkels is on form with recent sixth-place finishes at Flanders and Amstel.

SD Worx-Protime are already spoiled for leaders, but Nienke Vinke and Mischa Bredewold are strong backup options. Vinke finished 10th at Flèche, while Bredewold was runner-up at Brabantse Pijl and won Amstel last year.

Italian rider Monica Trinca Colonel lines up as an interesting outsider for Liv-Jayco-AlUla, having recently finished eighth at Strade Bianche and 11th at Flèche.

Elsewhere, Canadian racer Sarah Van Dam, who finished seventh at Amstel, will be a secondary option at Visma-Lease a Bike.

Finally, veteran South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio leads AG Insurance-Soudal at the race, having finished fourth at Brabantse Pijl and 11th at Amstel.

Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Find out more.

Since Paul Seixas' victory in La Flèche Wallonne, the hype around the 19-year-old French phenom is growing to a fever pitch. However, in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday, Seixas will face off against World Champion and one of the greatest pro cyclists of all time, Tadej Pogačar, along with other top contenders.

As the oldest and most prestigious Monument Classic, Liège-Bastogne-Liège has brought together one of the most scintillating lineups of the season. At 259.5km, it is one of the longer one-day races on the calendar, and is much tougher than Milan-San Remo in terms of elevation gain.

Starting and ending in Liège, the race has hardly a kilometre of flat riding, with numerous unnamed ascents preceding the first steep climb, the Côte de Saint-Roch – a kilometre-long early climb that averages 10.2%.

The length and severity of the ascents, combined with the distance, wear down the peloton, and just as the legs are starting to burn, the worst of the climbs begin to come in rapid succession, with nine coming in the final 90km.

Who are the top riders to watch in this year's Liège-Bastogne-Liège? Cyclingnews takes a look through an impressively deep start list for the 2026 edition.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

In just four days of racing so far in 2026, Tadej Pogačar has three wins - Strade Bianche with a signature 81km attack, an incredible victory in Milan-San Remo, and another equally impressive win in the Tour of Flanders. He appeared to be on track toward winning all five Monuments in the same season when he made the winning move in Paris-Roubaix, but lost in a two-man sprint to Wout van Aert.

In that race, Pogačar suffered three different punctures and three bike changes, including taking a neutral service bike after a flat on the Quérénaing à Maing sector and a furious chase to get back on before the Arenberg forest.

"I still had a hope in the sprint, but when I started the sprint, my legs were like spaghetti," Pogačar said after the race, noting that the setbacks had sapped his strength.

Fortunately for him, Liège-Bastogne-Liège has none of the cobbled chaos of Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders.

Pogačar has won the last two editions of La Doyenne – both times attacking on the Côte de la Redoute with around 34km to go and winning solo by a minute. In 2021, he won from a six-rider escape that formed on the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons, much closer to the line.

With such a strong group of contenders assembled, it is hard to imagine that Pogačar will be able to escape solo again.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Twice a winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Remco Evenepoel hasn't been a contender since his last victory in 2023 due to injuries. In 2024, he crashed in Itzulia Basque Country and didn't race again until June, and last year, he was coming back from a terrible off-season accident that left him with a broken scapula and nerve problems in his shoulder. When Liège came around, he had only raced three days and didn't have the form to be in contention.

2026 has definitely been a different scenario for the Belgian, who had a fine winter and won three of three starts in the Mallorca Challenge, two stages and the overall in the Volta a Valenciana, the time trial stage in the UAE Tour and the Amstel Gold Race. Evenepoel also finished third in his Tour of Flanders debut.

Evenepoel has 20 more days of racing in his legs than Pogačar, and is heading into Liège with the confidence and momentum of a victory last weekend, while his Slovenian rival is fighting off that stinging defeat in Paris-Roubaix.

It's really tough to choose between the two when it comes to predicting the winner – both are climbing extremely well. Although Pogačar is usually the punchier of the two, Evenepoel pulled off an amazing sprint last Sunday and mixed it up in bunch sprints in the Volta a Catalunya in a very Pogačar-like fashion.

If both riders can avoid the kind of mid-race mayhem that crashed Pogačar out in 2023, it will be a battle for the ages in the finale of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM)

It's hard to believe that Paul Seixas is just 19. In his first full WorldTour season, he's already at the top of the win column with seven victories – a stage of the Volta ao Algarve where he outfoxed experienced riders like João Almeida and Juan Ayuso, the Faun-Ardèche Classic, three stages and the general classification of the Itzulia Basque Country. He was also second behind Pogačar in Strade Bianche.

The superlatives about Seixas so far this season include "insane", "mind-boggling" and "incredible", but the young Frenchman is keeping his feet firmly on the ground, denying that he is the world champion's top rival for Liège.

"We are talking about perhaps the best rider of all time here," he said. "I currently do not have the level to beat Pogačar. But I do train to become the best. And you have to work for that and then prove yourself in races."

Realistically, the difficulty and distance of La Doyenne should favour more experienced riders. Most neo-pros struggle just to finish the race in their first attempt, and the race will be almost 90 minutes longer than Flèche Wallonne.

Seixas already has the attention of Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme and even French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron, who, French media reported earlier this month, has been personally involved in ensuring he remains with the French team. That's a lot of hype and pressure, but if he can win Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it will be game-changing.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

Second place in Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2023 was Tom Pidcock's best performance so far in the race, but he's finished in the top 10 the last two years running.

Pidcock suffered a serious crash during the Volta a Catalunya in March and missed the Amstel Gold Race, but a stage win in the Tour of the Alps showed that he's getting back to his best form.

Earlier this year, Pidcock won Milano-Torino before narrowly missing out on the win in Milan-San Remo at the hands of Pogačar. Before that, the Briton won a stage in the Ruta del Sol and finished on the overall podium.

Because of his crash last month, Pidcock has longer odds than our other favourites to win in Liège, but the two-time Olympic MTB champion is capable of amazing things when the stars align, so he can't be counted out.

Others to watch

With the above four dominating the contenders list, even seasoned one-day racers and past Liège-Bastogne-Liège podium finishers are left on the outsiders list.

Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek), second to Evenepoel in the Amstel Gold Race and last year's winner there, hasn't had as much luck in Liège, but is in great form after finishing 5th in La Flèche Wallonne.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) held onto Evenepoel and Skjelmose for as long as he could in Amstel, and narrowly missed the podium.

Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike) is leading the charge for the 'killer bees' and is coming off third place in Flèche.

There's also Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious), winner of a stage in Paris-Nice, and Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla), second in Flèche, to keep an eye on.

Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Find out more.

With the cobbled Classics season behind us, the men's and women's pelotons have decamped to the hills of the Ardennes to take on the Ardennes triple – the recent Amstel Gold Race in the Dutch province of Limburg, and the Walloon double of La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Each race has a different character, and very different parcours, though all feature a host of hills suited to the climbers and puncheurs of the peloton.

La Flèche Wallonne, based around the town of Huy, features one of the most fearsome hills on the calendar in the form of the Mur de Huy. The ascent, included three times in the men's race and twice in the women's, measures in at a scary 1.3km at 9.6%, including a maximum gradient of 18%.

A host of big names will be taking on the famous climb on Wednesday afternoon, and here we take a look at the favourites for the men's La Flèche Wallonne and La Flèche Wallonne Femmes.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM)

French youngster Paul Seixas is the new hot young thing in the men's peloton, the 19-year-old ascending to levels of hype unseen by a teenager in this sport.

Seixas has enjoyed a stunning start to 2026, winning a stage en route to finishing second at the Volta ao Algarve, soloing for 42km to win the Faun-Ardèche Classic, and briefly matching Tadej Pogačar before finishing second at Strade Bianche.

And that was all before his dominant ride at Itzulia Basque Country, where Seixas won three stages and all four jerseys as he won the overall title by the largest margin since Aitor Osa in 2002 – four years before he was even born.

Seixas comes into La Flèche Wallonne looking in unstoppable form. He'll face off against Pogačar once again in Liège, the race he won as a junior two years ago, but in the meantime, he'll line up as one of the top favourites on the Mur de Huy.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ)

Demi Vollering has been the rider of the spring so far, racking up five wins, including the Tour of Flanders and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, both first-time victories for the Dutchwoman.

The European champion started her season with two stages and the overall at the Volta Femenina de la Comunitat Valenciana in a dominant overall victory. She then switched her attention to the Classics, beating Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney in a two-woman sprint at Omloop.

A wrong turn at Strade Bianche left her and several other favourites out of contention for victory, while at Dwars door Vlaanderen, she was second in the sprint behind Marlen Reusser.

Vollering recently soloed home from the Oude Kwaremont to score the biggest win of her year to date at De Ronde. She was third at Amstel Gold Race at the weekend, too. A third win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège is her main goal this week, but before then, she lines up among the top favourites at La Flèche Wallonne, where she's won before.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

Dutch youngster Puck Pieterse returns to defend her title on Wednesday, the 23-year-old leading Fenix-Premier Tech as she looks to finish the quickest atop the Mur de Huy for the second year in a row.

Last spring, she scored a huge win by beating a host of more experienced and decorated names, including Vollering, Elisa Longo Borghini, and Niewiadoma-Phinney, to the line. She looks in good form to be up there once again this week.

Pieterse has raced six days so far in 2026, all one-day outings. She hasn't taken a win yet, but highlights include a podium at the Tour of Flanders, fourth at Milan-San Remo, and sixth at Strade Bianche. Last year, she enjoyed a similar run of strong results heading into Ardennes week, so be sure to look out for Pieterse once again.

Kévin Vauquelin (Ineos Grenadiers)

Ineos Grenadiers newcomer Kévin Vauquelin is another rising star from France on our list. The 24-year-old has twice finished second at La Flèche Wallonne, so he's logically a favourite to score a similar result once again.

Vauquelin was – like everyone else – handily beaten by Tadej Pogačar last year, and narrowly missed out to Stephen Williams in 2024. This Wednesday, there'll be no Pogačar, thankfully for him, though Seixas's participation will provide some cause for alarm.

Vauquelin heads into the race with a good start to the season behind him, though his most recent outings include being comprehensively beaten by Seixas at Itzulia Basque Country and crashing out of the lead group at Amstel Gold Race. Highlights of Vauquelin's stage race-heavy spring to date include fifth at the Volta ao Algarve and fourth at Paris-Nice.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto)

Polish road champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney heads into the Ardennes Classics as a rider aiming to finish off the Ardennes triple, becoming only the third woman to do so after Vollering and Anna van der Breggen.

She already has a win at La Flèche Wallonne to her name, of course, having beaten Vollering to the top of the Mur de Huy two years ago. Instead, this week, she'll be prioritising Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a first win at La Doyenne.

Before Sunday, she figures to be in the mix for Flèche once again, though. At Amstel Gold Race, she returned to racing following a horrible race-ending crash at Milan-San Remo – she led the chase home for second behind winner Paula Blasi. Before that outing, she showed her class with second places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche, but she'll be hoping to take her first win of 2026 in Huy.

Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)

A year ago, Danish rider Mattias Skjelmose scored his biggest one-day victory to date, becoming one of the very few riders to get the better of Tadej Pogačar in recent seasons, beating him and Remco Evenepoel to the line at Amstel Gold Race.

Now, he returns to the Ardennes as a top favourite, having also finished second at La Flèche Wallonne back in 2023. Back then, he lost out to Pogačar, though the Slovenian won't stand in his way this Wednesday.

Skjelmose hadn't had the best season start before last Sunday, with seventh at the Volta a Catalunya his standout result to date. He put in some promising results at the recent Itzulia Basque Country, taking second on stage 2, albeit 1:25 down on stage winner Seixas, and taking the combativity award on the final day, and followed that up with his best performance so far in 2026, taking second at Amstel Gold Race behind Evenepoel in a two-up sprint.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Following her triumphs at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France Femmes last season, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot said that she'd be prioritising the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège this spring.

The Frenchwoman has raced three days so far in 2026, taking second in Flanders behind Vollering and third in Paris-Roubaix Femmes. Now, the Ardennes are in her sights, and she returns to La Flèche Wallonne as one of several former winners of the race.

Ferrand-Prévot hasn't raced Flèche since 2018, but she won the race four years earlier, beating Lizzie Deignan to the top of the Mur de Huy. Liège, where she finished seventh in 2018, will be her main goal, but she's certainly among the top favourites to win here.

Benoît Cosnefroy (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Benoit Cosnefroy replaces Remco Evenepoel on our list after the Belgian confirmed he wouldn't be taking part as he instead turns his focus to Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The Frenchman has both history and form on his side in Huy. Back in 2020, he finished second, while two years ago he took fourth place, showing he knows how to tackle the fearsome closing ascent.

Recent results have included a pair of podium finishes at Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race. At the former, he sprinted to third as part of the large front group, while at the latter, he led home the chase behind Evenepoel and Mattias Skjelmose. He's another French rider to keep an eye on on Wednesday.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)

In any conversation about La Flèche Wallonne, it's impossible to ignore Anna van der Breggen. Once upon a time, the Dutchwoman was unbeatable on the Mur de Huy, racking up seven wins in a row between 2015 and 2021.

Her most recent triumph, though, did come five years ago now, with a three-year retirement lying between that win and her return to racing last year. There's been plenty to celebrate since she came back, including podiums at Strade Bianche, the Vuelta España Femenina, and the Worlds time trial.

Van der Breggen isn't quite back to her dominant best, however, and at the age of 35, it's unlikely she'll ever return to those commanding displays of 2015-2021. A second place at the Trofeo Binda stands out as her top result in 2026, and, if she's up there among the favourites on the Mur, she'll be a watched woman.

Others to watch

Maëva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) is firmly a climber to watch this year following last summer. Her standout result in 2026 is a second place at the Volta Valenciana.

Second at the Volta a Catalunya, Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious) is well-suited to this race, finishing fourth on his debut last spring.

Juliette Berthet (FDJ United-Suez) will likely start as a luxury domestique for Vollering on Wednesday, but he previous best results of two seventh-place finishes and a sixth place make her a top contender.

Liane Lippert (Movistar) was fifth last year after a podium at the Tour of Flanders, though she hasn't quite hit those heights during this year's spring Classics.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) is yet another French rider on our list. He was fourth at the recent Amstel Gold Race.

Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) was in the mix during last year's Ardennes Classics, and the 23-year-old heads up her team selection in Wallonia.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility), sixth here two years ago, is in good form after finishing third at the recent Itzulia Basque Country.

Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Find out more.

The Ardennes Classics kick off this Sunday at the Amstel Gold Race, with both the men's and women's pelotons taking on the first in the epic trio of races from Maastricht to Valkenburg in Dutch Limburg

Defending champions Mattias Skjelmose and Mischa Bredewold are both back for another tilt at the respective 257km and 157km courses, with plenty of punchy climbs such as the Bemelerberg and Cauberg set to separate the best from the rest.

But neither are likely to start as the overall favourite, with that status going to Remco Evenepoel and Demi Vollering. It's a race that always attracts plenty of top talent, and coming just a week after Paris-Roubaix, it moves the spotlight away from the cobbled specialists over to the puncheurs and climbers.

Last year's men's race was among the very best of the season, with a thrilling chase ending in a three-up sprint where Skjelmose beat Evenepoel and Tadej Pogačar, who isn't racing in the Netherlands this year.

Bredewold's solo victory came after a big breakaway of top riders emerged at the frot of the race, but a repeat is looking unlikely with the growing dominance of Vollering's FDJ United Suez squad in the Classics, who will be expected to control things.

Heading into the 60th men's edition and 12th edition of the biggest Dutch race on the calendar, there is still plenty of room for rivals to challenge the established favourites, shown best in that men's surprise of 12 months ago. With than in mind, here are Cyclingnews' top contenders for the 2026 Amstel Gold Race.

Elite Men

Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek)

There is no question that Mattias Skjelmose wasn't the rider expected to ride to victory last year, with Thibau Nys starting as Lidl-Trek's chosen leader, and even when the Dane was hanging onto Remco Evenepoel's wheel as he chased down Tadej Pogačar, his first priority was not getting dropped, with third looking like his best possible outcome in the face of two of cycling's superstars. Though this year, having emerged victorious from that memorable three-man sprint 12 months ago, there is no better proof of his capabilities than lining up with the number one on his back.

Now having extended with Lidl-Trek through to 2028, Skjelmose has earned a position as a team leader in the Ardennes, a key goal for the season. His early-season form has been patchy in 2026, and some of the results may not have been all he hoped for with seventh overall at Volta a Catalunya and 14th at Itzulia Basque Country – where he came fifth last year – but he did finish second behind only Paul Seixas on stage 2 at Itzulia, his last race before heading for the Ardennes trio.

Still, with a question mark over leadership removed by the absence of Juan Ayuso due to illness, there will be plenty of reasons for Skjelmose to make the most of the opportunity and plenty of good memories to inspire confidence as he charges to the line.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Mattias Skjelmose may have race number 1 on his back after beating Remco Evenepoel at the race last year, but there is no doubt that the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will line up as the top favourite on Sunday.

Several key rivals who were on the start line last year, such as Tadej Pogačar and Wout van Aert, are not taking on the 60th edition, leaving Evenepoel in a league of his own.

Last year was his debut at the Amstel Gold Race, so after taking third in 2025, he enters this edition with a little more familiarity. He was also arguably the strongest on the road that day, pulling back Pogačar's solo tilt almost entirely on his own, before just running out of steam in the sprint.

The 26-year-old started the season with his new team with three successive wins in Spain before claiming two stages and the overall at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and then claiming a time trial win at the UAE Tour at the start of February. While his stage racing hasn't impressed as he and the team would have liked it to have, Evenepoel is in top one-day form.

His last race was his late-announced debut at the Tour of Flanders, where he was third best only to Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel, but without any cobbles in Dutch Limburg, Evenepoel is on favoured terrain once again this Sunday. Expect him to be firing on all cylinders, and it's a solo victory he'll want.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Visma-Lease a Bike may not have ended up with as many leadership options at the race as originally anticipated, but they still have a strong contender in Matteo Jorgensen. He may only have one participation at the event, back in 2024, but has reshaped his goals this season with the Ardennes as the clear target and not the cobbled Classics.

He has already carved out a solid start to the year, taking fourth at Faun Ardèche, second at Faun Drome Classic, eighth at Strade Bianche and second overall at Tirreno Adriatico. If that is what he can deliver while still building toward his key goals, there is plenty of hope for what may unfold now that they are here.

Visma have the inspiration of Wout van Aert winning Paris-Roubaix to use to their advantage, even without the Belgian racing on Sunday, but Jorgenson is backed by the likes of Per Strand Hagenes and Ben Tulett as other attackers. It may end up that Christophe Laporte is the better option to actually challenge for victory, fresh off of finishing ninth in Flanders and fifth in Roubaix, but he will have to survive the hills first for that to materialise.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United)

At 23, Romain Grégoire has already proved that Amstel Gold Race is an event where he can do well, having stepped up to take seventh last year from 12th the season before. And after his flying start to the season, there is reason to hope that he may be able to raise the level even higher in 2026.

A win at the Faun Drome Classic earlier in the season started things on a high, which he followed up with second place at Trofeo Laigueglia, but it was his fourth place at Strade Bianche among a field packed with big-name riders that really spoke to his potential to take it up a notch.

It was his best result so far in a major Classic, and should add confidence as he now heads into a block of one-day races that play to his strengths. A first one-day WorldTour victory seems to be right around the corner for the top French talent Grégoire.

Brady Gilmore (NSN Pro Cycling)

This may seem like an entry that is out of left field, given that Brady Gilmore is a neo-pro taking on not only his very first edition of the Amstel Gold Race, but also his first one-day WorldTour race in Europe. Though his form in races with similar characteristics – those finishing with a punchy circuit – since the 25-year-old joined the top tier has sparked his inclusion as a potential outside chance.

After all, no one was expecting him to fall just shy of the podium for the final two stages of the Tour Down Under – his first ever WorldTour race – or come third at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with its Classics-inspired course. Then there was also the final stage at the Volta a Catalunya, where he beat Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers) and Evenepoel on the punchy Montjuïc circuit. A result anywhere near the podium would be a phenomenal outcome for the Australian, but given his propensity to surprise so far this year as he launches into the unknown, it may just be one of those seemingly impossible possibilities.

Elite women

Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-Protime)

Lining up with the number 1 on her back after last year clinching victory solo, Mischa Bredewold has proven she is a rider that shouldn't be looked past despite being surrounded by big names. Once she got into the break of 23 that formed on the third last lap, the SD Worx-Protime rider played her hand to perfection, finally dropping her last rival, Ellen van Dijk, on the final charge up the Cauberg.

This year, there is every sign that she is heading into the race with the form and preparation in place to once again clinch the opportunities that could swing her way. A top ten at the Tour of Flanders is a clear indicator of that.

Particularly after her Amstel Gold Race win, there is no doubt that Bredewold is now looked to as one of the key leaders for her team as the hillier Classics unfold, and the team itself has made clear that Spring one-day races are a significant target. What's more, there will be multiple strong players from the squad, allowing the Dutch rider the freedom to take a chance, which is exactly what she did in 2025.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)

But for celebrating too early, Lorena Wiebes would be returning as a former winner to Amstel Gold. In 2024, the SD Worx-Protime rider was throwing her hands in the air after a powerful performance in the bunch sprint, but in the meantime, Marianne Vos snuck through on the left. The rider, who in recent seasons has increasingly shown that she is a sprinter who can also manage when it's not pancake flat, missed out on her maiden Amstel Gold Race win that day. She missed out on the opportunity to take another shot in 2025, as while she snared a spot in the crucial break of 23, it was down to teammate Bredewold to finish it off that time as the group split. She did, however, win the sprint from the second chase group to take sixth.

This year could provide another opportunity for Wiebes, who will be part of a strong team with Bredewold and another former winner, Anna van der Breggen, on hand to take care of the scenario of an edition that is won by a solo rider or from a small group.

However, if it comes down to a group with Wiebes in it as the head of the race charges toward the finish line, it would be hard to bet against the Dutch champion, although she certainly won't be celebrating early this time. Her form is elite as always, most recently bouncing back from a crash and DNF at the Tour of Flanders to take sixth at Paris-Roubaix.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ)

The perennial favourite, with good reason, is Demi Vollering. When the FDJ United-SUEZ lines up, she generally does it as the undisputed leader and with a winning objective. In fact, out of the seven days of racing this season, four have ended with victory, and another was a close second.

Even though Amstel Gold Race has been one of her least successful of the Ardennes Classics in recent seasons, coming 20th in 2025 and 22nd in 2024, Vollering has a victory and two second places to her name, with the win coming in 2023 when she swept up all three in the same season.

What's more, the 29-year-old is fresh off the high of taking her first Tour of Flanders victory with a searing attack on the Oude Kwaremont and then an 18km solo ride to victory. The European champion's effort to hold off nearest chasers, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech) by 42 seconds, delivered a clear indication of the type of form she is carrying through spring, so this could be the year she once again makes it back to the top of the Amstel Gold Race podium.

Her team are in incredible form as a collective, with Franzi Koch winning Paris-Roubaix and Elise Chabbey winning Strade Bianche too. All three are expected to start on Sunday, so expect only the absolute best from FDJ-United Suez as they look to set up their main leader, Vollering.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Another former winner on the start line, Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney also has three other podium finishes at this race and will be one of the riders expected to make it if the race comes down to a solo or small group finish. The Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto rider won in 2019 after attacking on the final ascent of the Cauberg and then holding off the pursuing Annemiek van Vleuten with a determined and focussed effort. With the Cauberg shifted a little closer to the finish this year, just like it was in 2019, this edition could provide an ideal opportunity once again.

Niewiadoma-Phinney will have a strong team by her side to help her conserve energy and provide alternative options to cover attacks or perhaps chase victory, with Neve Bradbury, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig and Soraya Paladin – who has three top-five finishes at the race – all on the provisional startlist for the team.

On top of that, the Polish star has had a powerful start to the season, second in both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche. A hard-to-watch crash at Milan San Remo then curtailed her run and saw he skip the Flemish cobbled Classics, but with a solo training camp to reset and refresh, Niewiadoma is ready to chase the next step up once again.

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

It hasn't been an easy season for Marianne Vos off the bike, which has meant that we haven't seen her race too often, but the depth of experience combined with the seemingly impossible to dampen winning drive means she is a rider that you can never rule out. Vos is, in fact, the only rider to have won the women's Amstel Gold Race twice, once in 2021 and then again in 2024, when her unrelenting spirit yielded a huge dividend as she pipped Wiebes on the line.

Even though Amstel Gold Race will be just the fourth time Vos has lined up this season its clear that her always strong form isn't lacking, particularly after her runner-up spot at Paris-Roubaix, as you clearly don't end up at the front of a race like that without it. What's more, the emotion that came with the near miss in the velodrome was clear – she wanted that victory and had worked hard along with her teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot to try and grasp it. Though it wasn't to be that time, it may perhaps add even that extra bit of depth to the drive to not let any opportunity that may come along slip, and that will next be in play during Sunday's race.

Get unlimited access to our unrivalled 2026 Spring Classics coverage with a Cyclingnews subscription. We'll bring you breaking news, reports, and analysis from some of the biggest races on the calendar, including Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Find out more.

The biggest day of Classics racing of the season is upon us as the men's and women's pelotons head to northern France to tackle Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

The men's race earlier in the afternoon is headlined by a two-man battle as Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar top the favourites list, though the sixth edition of the women's race looks to be a more open affair.

A total of 21 teams and 126 riders are set to do battle over 20 cobbled sectors, including the Carrefour de l'Arbre and the Mons-en-Pévèle, on Sunday afternoon, with the sectors totalling 33.7km of the challenging Paris-Roubaix Femmes route.

Injuries mean that Marlen Reusser and Kim Le Court-Pienaar won't be taking part, while former winner Elisa Longo Borghini and Tour of Flanders champion Demi Vollering are also missing the Hell of the North.

Still, there are plenty of top names in the running. Three of the race's five former winners, including Milan-San Remo winner Lotte Kopecky, are set to line up in Denain for the start of the 143km race, while five previous podium finishers are also racing.

Anticipation is building ahead of the Queen of the Classics, so read on for our comprehensive rundown of the contenders for the 2026 Paris-Roubaix Femmes.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

Three-time Tour of Flanders winner Lotte Kopecky couldn't add to her record haul on Sunday, instead racing to fourth behind Demi Vollering, but she still looks to be the outstanding favourite for victory in Roubaix.

The Belgian star heads up an SD Worx-Protime line-up which also features another top favourite – more on her later – and she knows what it takes to win on the cobbles of Northern France.

Kopecky won the race in the rainbow stripes of world champion two years ago, triumphing in the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux in a sprint of six riders. Her other results include second in 2022, seventh in 2023, and two other top-15 rides.

This season she has two wins to her name, Nokere Koerse and, of course, Milan-San Remo. In form and able to win races alone and in a sprint, Kopecky could well be in line for win number two this weekend.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot broke a pair of decades-old ducks for France last year, with her wins at Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France Femmes going down in history. With her mission accomplished on the cobbles, she wasn't originally set to return to the race this Sunday.

However, the defending champion will in fact be back despite saying in January that she'd head to altitude this week between her main goals of the spring – the Tour of Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Visma will line up with both her and Marianne Vos, with the Frenchwoman coming off a strong ride in Flanders, whilst Vos may need a bit of extra support after missing some races due to the death of her father.

Home fans can dream once again, with Ferrand-Prévot once again looking in strong form heading into the race. For the second year in a row, she finished second at Flanders, though last Sunday's winner, Demi Vollering, won't stand in her way this weekend.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)

Following wins at the World Championships, Gent-Wevelgem, and the Trofeo Alfredo Binda (three times), sprinter Elisa Balsamo is one of the most accomplished racers still searching for her first Monument victory. Paris-Roubaix is where she's come closest to date, having finished second at the 2024 race.

Two years ago, she lost out to Kopecky in the velodrome sprint, having matched every move at vital points late in the race. Last year, she rounded out another stellar spring – her Classics campaign featuring two big wins and three, with a ninth place, 1:21 off the win.

Balsamo hasn't won yet in 2026, though podiums at the recent Ronde van Brugge and Scheldeprijs suggest she's in solid form once more. The experience of the now-retired Lizzie Deignan and Ellen van Dijk will be missed at Lidl-Trek on Sunday, though they will put up a strong team regardless.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)

As if having Lotte Kopecky wasn't enough, SD Worx-Protime can also rely on the fastest sprinter in the world on Sunday, with Lorena Wiebes providing a more than ample second option for the Dutch squad.

The pair's one-two punch is matched in strength perhaps only by Visma-Lease a Bike's equally versatile pairing of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos, who raced to first and fourth last year. That race also marked Wiebes' best performance yet at Roubaix as she beat Vos in the sprint for third place.

With her Classics campaign almost at an end, Wiebes has five wins and lies third in the UCI world ranking, and yet her spring hasn't quite matched up to last year's, barring her In Flanders Fields victory. There's been nothing to suggest that she can't match, or even better, her 2025 Roubaix result this weekend, though.

Alison Jackson (St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93)

Alison Jackson completes the lineup of former winners at this year's Paris-Roubaix, with the Canadian champion having won the most memorable edition of the race to date with her victory from the breakaway three years ago.

Back then, she dispatched with five other survivors from the early 18-woman break in a thrilling sprint finish in the Roubaix velodrome. Her post-race dance moves in celebration also hit the headlines, and her underdog triumph was immediately etched in the short history of the race.

Fifth place last year is her best result since then, while this Sunday she'll line up on a whole new team, trading EF for the lesser-known French squad St Michel during the off-season. At 37, Jackson is entering the final years of her career, but, as we've seen time and again in the men's race, experience and know-how count for a lot at Paris-Roubaix.

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Marianne Vos returns to racing this weekend following the death of her father last week. The Dutchwoman missed Flanders as a result, but she'll form a formidable partnership with Pauline Ferrand-Prévot on Sunday.

Vos has a stellar record at this race, even if she hasn't won yet. COVID-caused DNS in 2022 aside, her Roubaix palmarès reads: second, 10th, fourth, fourth.

For a woman with 258 wins to her name encompassing almost every race in the sport, Paris-Roubaix is one of the few gaps remaining in her palmarès. At 38, time is running out to win the race, but she still lines up as an automatic favourite.

Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Daughter of 2004 men's race winner Magnus, Zoe Bäckstedt is firmly among the top contenders for success this Sunday, having enjoyed a very strong week on the cobbles of Flanders.

The 21-year-old is one of the form riders in the peloton, having finished fourth at Dwars door Vlaanderen and fifth at the Tour of Flanders, with Bäckstedt saying she had "a few goosebumps" as she raced up the Koppenberg among the leaders on Sunday.

This Sunday, she'll be tackling far flatter stretches of cobbles and will once again be hoping to race over the famous sectors with the top contenders. In three participations to date, she's finished 46th, 16th, and 15th. Hopes will be far higher this time around.

Elise Chabbey (FDJ United-SUEZ)

FDJ United-Suez leader and Tour of Flanders champion Demi Vollering has never raced Paris-Roubaix, and she won't be starting this year, so leadership of the French team is handed over to top lieutenant Elise Chabbey instead.

The Swiss racer, among our tips to break through with a big Classics result this spring, stepped up when Vollering was among several riders who got caught out by a wrong turn at Strade Bianche. She raced on to glory in Siena, scoring the biggest win of her career to date and the second of three major Classics FDJ have won this spring.

Chabbey has form at Roubaix, having finished fourth in 2022 and seventh last year. She's in form, too, having followed up her Tuscan triumph with fourth at In Flanders Fields. On Sunday, she helped Vollering to victory in Flanders, and now she'll have a chance to go for it herself once more.

Letizia Borghesi (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Letizia Borghesi raced to a podium finish at last year's race. The 27-year-old was racing for EF Education-EasyPost then, but the US team will have to look elsewhere this Sunday with Borghesi having switched to AG Insurance-Soudal during the winter.

Last spring, Borghesi was in flying form, finishing sixth at the Tour of Flanders before finishing the best of the rest behind Pauline Ferrand-Prévot with a late solo attack.

She hasn't shown that same form on the cobbles in the past six weeks, with a DNF at the Tour of Flanders her lead-in result to Roubaix. 11th at Dwars door Vlaanderen has been her strongest outing, while she finished fifth at the hilly Trofeo Alfredo Binda in March.

Borghesi isn't a top favourite for Sunday, but her outing last time out makes her impossible to ignore.

Cat Ferguson (Movistar)

19-year-old Cat Ferguson races Paris-Roubaix Femmes for the second time this Sunday, her debut last year ending with a crash caused by a spectator stepping onto the course.

Her first taste of the cobbles of Northern France ended unceremoniously, then, but she's been in good form so far this spring. There have been two wins, both in Spain, coming at the Trofeo Llucmajor and Setmana Volta Valenciana.

On the cobbles, her highlights have been fourth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and sixth at Dwars door Vlaanderen, both in a chase group behind the race-winning groups.

Roubaix and Amstel Gold Race in a week look to mark the end of the first part of Ferguson's season, so she'll hope for better than her most recent result, a "brutal, brutal" outing at the Tour of Flanders, where she finished 6:53 behind race winner Vollering.

Honourable mentions

UAE Team ADQ will be without former winner Elisa Longo Borghini, who is still sick, but they can look to Irish sprinter Lara Gillespie as a possible contender. She's enjoying another great spring campaign, with a win at Le Samyn the highlight.

Danish racer Emma Norsgaard lines up as Elisa Balsamo's lieutenant at Lidl-Trek. She should be there or thereabouts, having raced to sixth and 11th in the past.

Her teammate, 20-year-old Fleur Moors is another name to watch after finishing second at In Flanders Fields.

With a third place at Dwars door Vlaanderen and an 11th at the Tour of Flanders under her belt, Lieke Nooijen is enjoying a breakout spring and could be a secret weapon for Visma-Lease a Bike.

German champion Franziska Koch figures to be FDJ United-SUEZ's plan A2 on Sunday. This year, she's raced her best spring to date, including a podium at Strade Bianche, fifth at Omloop, and 10th at the Tour of Flanders.

Pfeiffer Georgi heads up Picnic-PostNL's selection on Sunday. She has three top 10s to her name at Roubaix, including a third place in 2024.

Sprinter Chiara Consonni (two top 10s in Roubaix) and time trialist Chloé Dygert (eighth last year) join Zoe Bäckstedt as part of a powerful Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto selection.

Fenix-Premier Tech haven't confirmed their lineup yet, but Scheldeprijs winner Charlotte Kool, who has a string of other top 10s to her name this spring, is set to race alongside Marhe Truyen, who finished third in 2023.

Barring the retired Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini, all former podium finishers at the race will be starting. 2022 third-place finisher Lucinda Brand will line up for Lidl-Trek, while 2023 runner-up Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health) is also racing.

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As we build up to Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, the conversation revolves around the battle between Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel. The pair, after all, have shared the past 10 Monument titles between them, and just fought out the Tour of Flanders in a duel.

Whereas Pogačar has remarkably turned Flanders into something of formality in recent years, Roubaix remains the domain of Van der Poel, winner of the past three editions in a row and bidding to become the joint record holder with four.

The pair's status as the leading lights of the 2025 edition is only underlined by their battle last year, when they rode away from all the rest. Pogačar came unstuck that day, but his second place on debut, in an event most Grand Tour winners wouldn't even consider racing, was just the latest extraordinary step in his ongoing quest to conquer anything and everything this sport has to offer.

So the narrative is set, but Paris-Roubaix is far more than a two-horse race, with a deep field of credible winners and a wide array of possibilities waiting to play out on the cobblestones of northern France.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

With three victories in a row, Mathieu van der Poel has Paris-Roubaix in the palm of his hand, and he’s the favourite to secure a fourth title that would take him level with Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck as the most successful rider in the great history of the Hell of the North.

Van der Poel is a thoroughbred Classics rider who has all the ingredients to further enshrine his status as a legendary figure of the race. He has the engine for the attritional grind, he has the accelerations and the ability to stack them up, he has all the bike handling skills as an eight-time cyclocross world champion, he has a foil in the form of Jasper Philipsen, and he has a fearsome sprint finish.

Not that he’s needed the latter – in each of the past three editions, he has soloed his way into the Roubaix velodrome. However, the emergence of Tadej Pogačar as not just a Flanders threat but a Roubaix threat might bring that last weapon into play. The pair rode away from the rest 12 months ago and it was only a handling error through a cobbled corner that saw Pogačar lose contact.

This is a crucial weapon for Van der Poel, who, if a similar situation arises, will surely look to push the limits on the more technical areas of the course. If Pogačar can stay with Van der Poel – and given Pogačar’s jaw-dropping performances of late, it may be more a case of the other way around – then Van der Poel wins a sprint nine times out of ten.

You sense that Pogačar may have more of a say this time around, and there are plenty of other potential winners in waiting, but Van der Poel remains the leading favourite for this Paris-Roubaix.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Another year older, another year wiser, Tadej Pogačar arrives in Compiègne on the cusp of history, seeking a title that would complete the set of cycling’s five Monuments. Pogačar could join a three-man club that features Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, and Rick Van Looy – all active in the 1960s or 70s – and he could extend his Monuments total to 13, six shy of Merckx’s record.

It’s mind-boggling stuff from a rider who continues to astound. Earlier this spring he ticked Milan-San Remo off his list and so Paris-Roubaix remains a sort of holy grail. Like San Remo, it’s a forbidden fruit, a race a four-time Tour de France champion has no real right to win. This is meant to be an event for the Classics heavyweights over the Grand Tour climbers, but Pogačar is a rider apart.

There are no real doubts anymore about his belonging on the flat cobblestones of northern France after his extraordinary debut 12 months ago. He rode clear with the eventual winner Van der Poel and only came unstuck when he misjudged a corner.

Similar errors may await in a race lined with pitfalls, but there is a theme in Pogačar’s Monument quest of mistakes being made and then ironed out. We saw it at Flanders, which he has now won three times, we saw it in San Remo, which he finally conquered this year, and the narrative would suggest that, despite all preconceptions, we’ll see it at Roubaix before his historic career is done.

With no climbs on the route, there’s no obvious area for him to drop his rivals, as he’s made a habit of doing on the Oude Kwaremont in Flanders. Getting to the velodrome without company is going to be Pogačar’s biggest headache, given his lack of finishing speed compared to most of the other contenders on this list, but it’s sure going to be fun watching him try.

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)

Filippo Ganna fell flat at Milan-San Remo last month after his three-up break with Van der Poel and Pogačar over the Cipressa in the previous edition, but the Italian is far from out of form for the Classic that suits him best.

Ganna was extraordinary at Dwars door Vlaanderen last week, coming back from two bikes changes in the finale to chase down Wout Van Aert and snatch victory from him just 150 metres from the line. He resisted the temptation to ride Flanders, which Pogačar is turning into a climber's race, instead focusing on the flatlands of Roubaix, to which his heavier frame and time trialling engine are perfectly suited.

Ganna has yet to make the podium in Roubaix. His breakthrough result came in 2023 when he made the leading selection in the finale, from which Van der Poel went on to win, and ended up sixth. He skipped the race in 2024 but his return last year was hampered by bad luck as a mechanical forced him onto the back foot far from the finish, though he still managed 13th place.

If Ganna is on song on Sunday, his raw power is more than a match for anyone on this list.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Wout Van Aert remains without a cobbled Monument and time is running out to achieve an accolade that you feel belongs on his palmarès. It's hard to know how to grade the Belgian's chances on Sunday. On the one hand, he finally has some momentum. After a tough few years, and a disrupted winter, he has steadily worked his way back into the conversation of the top Classics riders.

Third at Milan-San Remo, second at Dwars door Vlaanderen, and fourth at the Tour of Flanders prove that he is right up there. But he is not quite back where he used to be. Or rather, the competition has moved on, and Flanders showed that he is still operating at a level below Van der Poel and Pogačar.

Van Aert's aptitude for Paris-Roubaix is unquestionable. He has been fourth, third, and second in his past three appearances. The 2nd place in 2022 saw him lead the bunch home behind long-range solo winner Dylan van Baarle, while the third place from 2023 hurt the most, as he punctured on the Carrefour de l'Arbre while away with Van der Poel in the finale. That sort of ill fate has come to define Van Aert in recent years. Can he change the narrative on Sunday?

He will need a perfect day, but there's no doubt he can make it deep into the finale, and there's no doubt he could sprint it out – he has beaten Van der Poel in a sprint on several occasions. The strength of his team could be key. The in-form Christophe Laporte and the up-and-coming Matthew Brennan – who shone on debut at Roubaix last year before the lights suddnely went out – could provide a tactical headache for the others.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Mads Pedersen has been playing catch-up all Spring after his wrist fracture earlier in the season. It's a miracle he's even here at all, let alone competing for podiums over the past few weeks. But this was the season Pedersen was expected to truly challenge for Monument victories, and fate has seemingly left him cruelly short of that level of form.

At Milan-San Remo he took a remarkable 4th place, followed by top 10s at E3 and In Flanders Fields, ahead of 5th at the Tour of Flanders. With the top 5 all riding alone in the finale, Flanders was an honest race, and Pedersen is definitely behind the likes of Pogačar, Van der Poel, and Van Aert.

However, Roubaix is a very different race, and one that is even better suited to Pedersen, particularly a Pedersen on the comeback trail. The lack of explosiveness compared to the sharp climbs of Flanders should play into his favour, and he's one of the very fastest finishers among the main contenders.

It's a tall order, but Pedersen has very much given himself a chance – and that itself is extraordinary.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Jasper Philipsen has twice finished runner-up at Paris-Roubaix behind his teammate Van der Poel, in 2023 and 2024, so is a clear candidate for victory and a clear weapon in Alpecin-Premier Tech's arsenal.

The Belgian has been the top sprinter at the Tour de France in recent years but his exploits at Roubaix, along with his Milan-San Remo win in 2024, have underlined the breadth of his talents. He had a slow start to the season but has burst to life at the Classics, winning Nokere Koerse and In Flanders Fields, as well as placing eighth at Dwars door Vlaanderen.

In Flanders Fields once again underlined the double-edged strategy that Alpecin can employ, with Van der Poel glass-cranking in his two-up escapade with Van Aert before Philipsen claimed the win from the bunch. Philipsen has mopped up behind Van der Poel in two editions of Roubaix, but it's not unthinkable that he could be the one that sneaks away in a more tactical finale.

His form can be something of a mixed bag but if he can hit the heights he's shown her before then he's right in the equation.

Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

While we're on the subject of Plan-B riders for the big favourites, Belgian racer Florian Vermeersch is a highly-credible deputy for Pogačar.

The Belgian was third at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 3rd at E3 Saxo Classic, and when he switched to a support role for Pogačar at the Tour of Flanders he still managed seventh. He has been active and influential throughout the Spring.

What's more, Paris-Roubaix was where he first burst onto the scene as a 22-year-old mixing it with Van der Poel in a memorably mud-caked edition. He even beat Van der Poel that day but was denied the victory by a flying Sonny Colbrelli in that three-up finish. He was in the sprint for the podium last year, placing fifth behind Pedersen and Van Aert.

Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

And while we're on the subject of Vermeersch's, spare a thought for Gianni Vermeersch over at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. The Belgian, unrelated, has a cyclocross background and a gravel world title to his name, and he's never more at home than when the course leaves the tarmac.

He only switched to Red Bull this season. Before that, he was one of Van der Poel's key henchmen and played an important role at Roubaix in recent years, even placing sixth in the 2024 edition won by the Dutchman.

This season he has spearheaded Red Bull’s Classics squad with top 10s at Strade Bianche, E3 Saxo Classic, and the Tour of Flanders. The latter race saw Remco Evenepoel enter the fray and finish on the podium, but the Olympic champion has not been tempted by Roubaix, so it's over to Vermeersch to shoot for a podium in his favourite race.

Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-QuickStep)

Soudal-QuickStep have not yet been able to re-establish themselves as the Classics force of old, but Jasper Stuyven has had a quietly strong Spring, and could have a say on Sunday.

QuickStep have a former Roubaix winner among their number in Dylan van Baarle but the Dutchman has been off the pace this Spring, meaning Stuyven is their best hope.

The Belgian has been top 10 in Milan-San Remo, In Flanders Fields, and the Tour of Flanders on Sunday. Sixth place in the latter was a great sign ahead of Roubaix, though it's a stretch to see him winning on Sunday. Fourth place from 2017 remains his best finish in the velodrome.

Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious)

We're more into wildcard territory now, but Alec Segaert has been one of the stand-out surprise packages of the Spring. He almost won Nokere Koerse with a late attack, he then made that happen at the GP Denain, and he has continued to throw the cat among the pigeons with rolls of the dice, notably in the finale of In Flanders Fields.

15th place at the Tour of Flanders was a solid result for a rider who is much better suited to the flat terrain of Paris-Roubaix. He’s a strong time triallist with an aero position and a penchant for solo attacks – don’t be surprised to see him in the thick of it.

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Less than two weeks after the 2026 Volta a Catalunya, cycling's latest top-level reminder that there is much more to bike racing than the Classics each spring arrives in the shape of Itzulia Basque Country. Neither of the top two stage racers of the current peloton, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) nor 2023 Itzulia winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease Bike) will be present this year.

But for anybody seeking to remind the world that there is life beyond the Slovenian and Dane, the 2026 Itzulia Basque Country is an excellent place to start. For one thing, if there's always been one golden rule of the Itzulia Basque Country in its previous 64 editions, it's been that it has always been anything but flat.

However, in this year's edition, the trend for a relentless series of climbs the length and breadth of Euskadi has been taken to a new extreme.

There are no bunch sprint stages at all - something almost unprecedented in previous editions of Itzulia Basque Country. For another, there are five uphill finishes out of a possible six, and that includes the stage 1 individual time trial, which opens up the hostilities on Monday, April 6 in Bilbao.

The opening 13-kilometre time trial through the parks and hills of the coastal city is much harder than usual, compared to the 2025 fairly-flat run through the vineyards surrounding the Basque capital Vitoria, ending with an uphill 500-metre grind at 9.2% gradient. Then after that, on all bar the last stage into Bergara, every day's finale offers variations on the format of a tough major climb then a nasty little unclassified ascent to finish.

This could be the Cat.1 San Miquel de Aralar (9.4km at 7.4%, the hardest single climb of the entire race) on stage 2. Or maybe Itzulia's much favoured combination of a concluding first-category and third-category on the toughest mountains day - in this case stage 5 in the shape of the Cat. 1 Izua (3km at 10%) and Cat. 3 Urkaregi (5.3km at 4.3%).

But be it the 400 metres at 8.8% on stage 3 into the industrial town of Basauri or the short, sharp rise into Galdako on stage 4, the organisation have hit on what they believe is a winning formula in terms of the race profile, and this year they've decided to repeat it almost ad infinitum.

Can Juan Ayuso set the record straight?

There are plenty of top names present who've thrived on such terrain present in this year's lineup, from Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) to Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), both former winners. There are also double Itzulia champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) to breakaway specialist Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost). The Irishman was the protagonist of what is considered the longest successful breaks in Itzulia's race history - over 120 kilometres, 55 of them alone - last year on stage 5.

What all of these, and more, have in common is that they will have to stop Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). The Mexican's track record this spring of week-long World Tour stage race victories, at UAE and then Tirreno, places him in pole position to claim a third, and arguably the hardest, in Itzulia Basque Country. If Del Toro does so, he'll be well on track to taking over from last year's Itzulia winner and teammate, João Almeida, as the new standout name in the week-long stage race speciality.

The other big conditioning factor to Itzulia in 2026 will be, as ever, the weather and arguably the most notoriously gnarly, technical stage racing route of the entire season. Most recent editions have been run off in the dry. But as soon as there's even a drop of rain in Itzulia Basque Country, on more occasions the roads - narrow, wooded, twisting and severely technical - become much harder to negotiate.

With or without the poor weather, Izulia's already high potential for ambushes and surprises in a race supported by one of the noisiest, most passionate cycling fanbases in the world outside Belgium, can quickly and unpredictably morph into a tense, claustrophobic cauldron of non-stop drama. If Del Toro can handle all that and win, then it'd be a huge step for the Mexican in his non-stop rise to greatness.

The contenders

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

On paper, you could say Itzulia Basque Country is made for Isaac del Toro. There are lots of explosive finales for him to show off his devastating uphill accelerations, only one short-tish time trial - his main weakness to date in 2026 - and plenty of opportunities for him to launch a surprise attack and disappear up the road while his rivals hesitate about who should chase.

After two major overall wins at Tirreno-Adriatico and the UAE Tour this spring, Del Toro has major momentum with him in these kinds of stage races. What's more, he has a team that is drilled and used to controlling races of this calibre ad infinitum, whether it was with Almeida last year and Pogačar in the seasons before that.

On the downside, Del Toro has shown himself vulnerable in the past when it comes to making tactical decisions on the hoof, and there are plenty of those needed in a race as volatile as Itzulia, and which is rarely won on pure strength alone. The young Mexican star comes in as the top favourite, but if he loses too much time in the opening race against the clock, an equally major statement will be needed to redress the balance - and Itzulia isn't always the easiest race to do that.

Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)

After losing Paris-Nice when he hit the rain-soaked ground at speed on a perilous descent on stage 4, just when he was leading and looking more than set to give Jonas Vingegaard a run for his money, Juan Ayuso returns to the fray in Itzulia. He's doing so on home soil and in a race he's already won, back in 2024, too.

But if his victory two years ago was overshadowed by the terrible mass crash in Itzulia a few days earlier, this time Ayuso will be determined to set the record straight without any such incidents overshadowing his success. Getting his first opportunity this season to take on his former teammate Del Toro, the rider who eclipsed him completely in the Giro d'Italia last year, too, may well compound any lingering sense of unfinished business.

Ayuso's trump card could well be on day one in the 13-kilometre time trial in Bilbao, where - on paper - he'll be one of the big favourites. Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and, possibly, Roglič, Itzulia's time trial champion par excellence, will likely give him a run for his money. But if Ayuso gets a good enough head start, there's every chance he could lead the race from beginning to end, no matter what Del Toro throws at him.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CGA CMM)

For the last 12 months or so, the main question about Paul Seixas has always been - what is his upper limit? And with a hugely promising eighth place in the Critérium du Dauphiné (as the Tour Auvergne-Rhône Alpes was then called) last summer, as well as his overall victory in the 2025 Tour de l'Avenir, Seixas now faces his first WorldTour stage race of 2026.

Second in the Volta ao Algarve in February, including a stage win on the Alto do Fóia, is already another big step up, particularly given that victory was taken against the likes of Ayuso and Almeida. But on the other hand, Itzulia is an exceptionally unforgiving, intricate kind of race, much more complex to handle than Algarve. So Seixas' youth and inexperience on the roads of the Basque Country could form a real counter-argument to those predicting France's first success in Itzulia since Laurent Jalabert in 1999.

Still, Seixas has the habit of punching above his weight time and again, and his explosive uphill finishes are just what's needed to succeed in Itzulia. And at 20 years of age, and with nothing to lose, even a crack at a stage win would be a major triumph and bode well for his chances in two more races where he'll be making his debut this spring: La Flèche Wallonne and Liége-Bastogne-Liège.

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

One of the more obscure records of recent cycling history is that Primož Roglič has never lost a time trial in the Itzulia Basque Country. Ever since 2017, he's won no less than five, the most recent the opening stage in 2024. Could it be six times lucky?

All good things come to an end and it's not looking great for the Slovenian, to be honest, despite having some solid recent results like fifth in Tirreno-Adriatico to boost his confidence. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe leader has the second half of the season, in particular the Vuelta a España, as his overriding goal of 2026, and whilst never one just to go through the motions, on paper a lot more riders will be in a lot better form than him right now.

And yet. Quite apart from Roglič's track record in the setpiece battles in the time trials, his victory in the 2021 Itzulia Basque Country, tearing apart Pogačar's UAE team and leaving the Slovenian reeling himself with a long-distance break on the final day, was one for the ages. What's more, Roglič's ability to suddenly turn the tables remained intact all the way through to the Volta a Catalunya last year, too, when he destroyed Ayuso's lead at the last moment possible.

So if Roglič is on anything near his top form, that TT record in Itzulia might just hold for yet another year. And who knows what could happen after that?

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Five years ago, when Brandon McNulty briefly held the race lead of the Itzulia Basque Country and teammate Pogačar declared himself to work as a domestique de luxe, it had all the feel of a breakthrough moment. The lead itself went up in smoke, though, after Roglič went on the rampage on the final day. Not even Pogačar himself could stop McNulty plummeting from the top spot on GC to 17th overall by the finish.

Fast forward five years and McNulty's now notched up a seventh and a fifth place overall at Itzulia, as well as helping teammate João Almeida take the outright win last year. But it'd be only human if he still had something of a sense of unfinished business about the race, and on top of that he's clearly in great form.

A chance of a second podium finish at Paris-Nice unravelled for him in the big crash on stage 4 and he'd already had a crash in the Volta ao Algarve on its key mountain stage to the Foia, too, just at the wrong moment. But he was up there giving Pogačar key support at San Remo on the Cipressa in his debut participation and was again in the thick of it on the last day of Catalunya en route to Montjuic. After the success of San Remo for Pogačar, Itzulia, then, could be where it finally goes right for him on a personal level in 2026, too.

Ben Healy (EF Education-Easy Post)

After last year's devastating breakaway stage victories in the Basque Country and again in the Tour de France, nobody would be in the slightest bit surprised if Ben Healy opted to make a long-range move or three in this year's edition of Itzulia. But could this be where the Irishman steps up in the GC game as well?

With 10 wins to date in his palmares, Healy has yet to take a stage race, although leading the Tour de France last year en route to ninth overall - his first top 10 in a Grand Tour - and then getting eighth in Tirreno-Adriatico this spring hints he's got plenty of potential in that area.

While he's said over the winter he's looking more at one-day racing this year, it'd be interesting to see if he gets his chance to raise his game in the GC battles at Itzulia, a race with exactly the kinds of punchy finishes and short climbs that seem to suit him the best. And if he gets the chance to have a crack at another stage win en route, then so much the better

Ion Izagirre (Cofidis)

In his last year as a racer, it's far more likely that Ion Izagirre doesn't manage to win the Itzulia Basque Country than actually succeeds in repeating his 2019 overall victory. But in a sense, it doesn't matter.

With no less than seven podium finishes in his palmares in his home event - four third places, the most recent in 2024, two seconds and a win, as well as two stage victories - there can be no doubt that Izagirre's participation in Itzulia Basque Country for one last time has a very special feel to it.

There'll almost certainly be homages in start or finishing podiums along the way. But as one of the peloton's sharpest racers and a rider with no less than 12 participations in the race - the first with Euskaltel-Euskadi back in the former ProTour team's glory days in 2013 - Izagirre won't miss out on any chances to shine for one last time on his home roads. It'll certainly be worth keeping your eyes open for those, because Izagirre will be determined to make them count.

Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)

It's been a good year for Antonio Tiberi so far - or some important parts of it, anyway. A breakthrough summit finish victory in one of the two toughest stages of the UAE Tour at Jebel Mobrah culminated with a second overall behind Del Toro, and was preceded by a fourth place in the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and followed by a third place in the Trofeo Laigueglia, too. Tirreno-Adriatico, though, was when the italian went off the boil in terms of stand-out performances - in an interview midrace he blamed poor recovery after UAE, although there may have been other reasons - and so how he performs in Itzulia, his next race, will be something of a voyage into the unknown.

Still, we'll know a lot more about his real state of form, after the opening 'race of truth' time trial, and it'll become clear if he's still on something of a recovery path, in which case a stage win is the most likely option, or aiming much higher. Either way, as we saw in the Tour de Pologne's similarly hilly terrain last year, where he took second overall, Itzulia is the kind of race that favours him well.

In Flanders Fields and Dwars door Vlaanderen are done, the recons are complete, the line-ups are decided – the women's Tour of Flanders and the start of Holy Week is very nearly here.

Flanders is always a clash of the titans, with its historic and challenging course always attracting the sport's best riders, but this year the starting field is almost unimaginably good. Almost every single top rider will be in attendance – Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney being perhaps the one main exception – and everyone seems primed for a big battle.

Lotte Kopecky comes to her home race as the defending champion and three-time champion, an undeniable expert on how to win in Oudenaarde. But Demi Vollering and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot have been at altitude to prepare for this race, and both have the added drive of never having won before.

And then there's the star-studded cast of Movistar, who are on a winning streak, former winner Elisa Longo Borghini, prodigious talent Puck Pieterse, and numerous teammates who could be leaders and winners themselves.

Flanders always delivers, but two days out from the race, this year's edition looks set to be one for the ages.

The women's Flanders route has been slightly tweaked for 2026, taking out some climbing and elevation gain, but it remains characteristically challenging, taking in 164km, nine climbs and six sectors of cobbles. The finale features the iconic, punishing Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg combination, which will surely be decisive in the race, but history tells us things will open up and split apart much, much earlier.

With a mixture of the some of the peloton's best one-day racers and Grand Tour-winning climbers, this race is going to come down to killer efforts on the climbs, and then an all-out battle to the line – hopefully, between some very big hitters.

It seems harder than ever to predict who might lift the trophy in Oudenaarde on Sunday evening, but with all the pre-race talk and action digested, here are Cyclingnews' picks for the women's Tour of Flanders.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

Though the strength of the field probably doesn't quite earn her the title of overwhelming favourite, the rider obviously at the top of this list is three-time Flanders champion Lotte Kopecky. After winning Flanders for a third time last spring, the Belgian star had a bit of a tricky rest of 2025, dealing with some injuries, and there was some pressure on her shoulders at the start of the spring. However, she fairly quickly dispelled that pressure by winning Milan-San Remo in spectacular fashion, adding another Monument to her palmarès.

Kopecky clearly knows how to win this race, and in several different ways, but the field she'll face this Sunday is perhaps her fiercest challenge yet in Flanders. She'll face Vollering as a non-teammate for the first time, plus Ferrand-Prévot, Reusser and more, so she can expect to be pushed to the limits on the climbs. The plus will be that she's back to focusing solely on the Classics this year, so she should be near enough her top level. If she's as strong as she was in Milan-San Remo, she certainly won't be easy to beat.

All signs point to Kopecky leading Flanders, but SD Worx also have the wildcard option of Lorena Wiebes, who showed monster climbing and attacking skills at In Flanders Fields. Something would probably have to go wrong for Kopecky for Wiebes to be launched into a leadership position, but that's not unthinkable, and the Dutchwoman is certainly capable of a really good finish in her own right.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez)

Demi Vollering hasn't raced Flanders for two years, nor since she joined FDJ United-Suez. The last time she was here in 2024 came just days after her SD Worx-Protime unceremoniously let slip that she would be leaving the team, sparking drama whilst Vollering was mid-race at Dwars door Vlaanderen, which understandably threw off her week. So we haven't seen her at her very best in Flanders for some time, and it's clearly one of the biggest races she still wants to win.

Her preparation for this race has mainly been done at altitude, so she's absolutely made a big goal of Sunday and will be pursuing a hard, selective race on the climbs. She was strong at Dwars door Vlaanderen, only beaten in the sprint by Marlen Reusser, which is a good sign for her general race rhythm. Don't forget she already won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad too, so she's on good Classics form. With the mightily strong and united FDJ team behind her, Vollering will be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot said already at the end of last year that one of the next things she wanted to win was Flanders, and when she wants to win, she often does, so beware the Frenchwoman. We're yet to really see where Ferrand-Prévot is form-wise in 2026, after an injury saw her take an extended time off the bike over the winter. She came back for Strade Bianche but didn't really figure in the key moments, though not necessarily due to a lack of form.

Since then, she's been at altitude training specifically for this and the Ardennes, and history points to her coming off altitude absolutely flying. She's not a rider who needs to get much rhythm in her legs in order to win – just look at her Roubaix win, when she wasn't even meant to start – so there's nothing really to read into the fact she hasn't raced much so far. Ferrand-Prévot will want to make the race hard, and she has the form to do that, plus her second place last year proved that she absolutely can win this race. She is probably Lotte Kopecky's biggest rival, and a huge contender to take the win – perhaps even the favourite.

Marlen Reusser & Liane Lippert (Movistar)

Forget any notion that Movistar aren't a Classics team, they absolutely are and in fact they may be one of the strongest squads on the start line on Sunday. They can choose between Marlen Reusser and Liane Lippert as leaders, and can even play Cat Ferguson as a bit of a wildcard, too. Reusser comes into Flanders on fine form, having just won Dwars door Vlaanderen in masterful fashion, even after several weeks sidelined by an injury. Her team say she's mainly building towards the Vuelta, but she's clearly flying right now, and won't hold back on Sunday.

Liane Lippert is also a fantastic second option for Movistar, and she has made Flanders and the Ardennes two of her key goals this year, so she will be raring to go on Sunday. She was also very strong on Wednesday, ultimately riding defensively in the chase group with Reusser up the road but still clearly on the level of all the top riders. She will take a lot of confidence from her third place in Flanders last year, and could stand to profit if the big names mark each other or mess around.

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

2024 winner Elisa Longo Borghini is still struggling with sickness and will probably not be at her top level on Sunday after suffering from flu earlier in the season. As a former winner, she can never be counted out, and isn't a rider who always needs to have the perfect run-in in order to win, but from her coughing and general health on Wednesday, it seems like it will be a challenge for her to be with the very best climbers on Sunday.

The positive for the Italian, though, is that her UAE team has consistently proved themselves as one of the best strongest teams in the peloton this spring with riders like Karlijn Swinkels, Eleonora Gasparrini and Silvia Persico. They might not be ready to win this race themselves, but they'll certainly be very good support for Longo Borghini whenever she needs it, and could absolutely still fight for the top five if she does struggle.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Kim Le Court-Pienaar made history last year when she became the first African rider to win a Monument with her victory at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and she's hunting more success this spring. So far, her results have been fairly middling, caught in the wrong group at Strade Bianche and then crashing on that scary descent at Milan-San Remo, but she was fifth in Flanders last year, so she'll definitely have an eye on this as her chance to grab a better result.

She will be supported by a quietly really strong AG Insurance-Soudal team, with Justine Ghekiere a serious asset on the climbs, plus the strength of Letizia Borghesi, Ilse Pluimers and Shari Bossuyt. Le Court-Pienaar has proven time and time again that if there's an elite selection, she's probably going to be in it, and we don't expect anything less on Sunday.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

Puck Pieterse has firmly moved on from rising star status and into the ranks of the favourites, but she is still waiting for a big victory on the cobbles – she was the winner of La Flèche Wallonne in 2025, of course. Five race days into 2026 and she's yet to finish outside the top 17, with sixth at Strade Bianche and fourth at Milan-San Remo her highlights. She's been really attacking and strong, but maybe just outpowered by stronger riders at the finish which has prevented her from recording a podium finish so far in 2026.

She's done Flanders twice already now, finishing ninth and sixth, so she'll be hoping to be in the top five as a minimum this weekend. A talented climber, especially when they're punchy, she should be able to compete with the best at the pointy end of the race but could struggle to match the endurance of riders like Vollering and Ferrand-Prévot. She has also suffered sometimes with a lack of teammates, but will look to Flora Perkins and Millie Couzens, who have shone recently, for support.

Other riders to watch

Lidl-Trek haven't confirmed their line-up yet but look set to leave out star of the spring Fleur Moors, and will look to Shirin van Anrooij and Elisa Balsamo as their leaders. If we're expecting a more attacking, climber-led race, Van Anrooij is probably their best bet. She finished third here in 2024.

EF Education-Oatly's Noemi Rüegg is transitioning from dark horse to serious contender in the Classics, but her Flanders record is only modest – 15th is her best result.

Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health) is a super underrated rider who is so experienced in these races and always there, as she was yet again at Dwars door Vlaanderen. A crash forced her to miss the cobbled Classics last year but she can aim for a top 10.

Picnic PostNL are struggling for results and leaders, and will probably rely on Pfeiffer Georgi to be their last rider standing on Sunday. A top 10 would become their best Classics result of the season.

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The second Monument of the 2026 season arrives this Sunday at the Tour of Flanders, with the stars of the sport aligning for an all-out battle over 278km from Antwerp to Oudenaarde, where the iconic bergs of the Flemish Ardennes come into focus.

Brutal cobbles and typical dreary Belgian spring weather are certain, and the racing will surely match it when it comes to difficulty. With all of the vital warm-up races completed at E3, In Flanders Fields and Dwars door Vlaanderen, the build-up of anticipation for the 110th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is nearing its crescendo.

The opening 100km of racing will serve as the preamble to the absolute chaos, with six flat cobbled sectors and 16 cobbled climbs, 'hellingen', set to separate the best from the chasers. The Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont and viciously steep Koppenberg will take the headlines as the most essential climbs. However, there are several opportunities to make your rivals feel the pain across Sunday's iconic route.

There will be a mix of former winners on the start line on Easter Sunday morning, but also willing challengers, with defending champion Tadej Pogačar the favourite to add a third Flanders title to his Milan-San Remo crown from earlier this year.

Practically all of the top Classics specialists are here to try and defeat him, from Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, to Mads Pedersen and the wildcard surprise entry of Remco Evenepoel, who is making his debut at the race.

With that in mind, here are Cyclingnews' top contenders to conquer the roads of De Ronde and be named the 2026 men's Tour of Flanders champion in Oudenaarde.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Where else to start but Tadej Pogačar? The defending champion and a two-time winner, Pogačar has completely dominated the Tour of Flanders on his past two appearances, scorching away from everyone on the final of three ascents up the Oude Kwaremont, after blowing up the race completely on the second time up the longest cobbled climb on the route.

Tour de France winners aren't always suited to the short, sharp climbs that decide this iconic race, but Pogačar's punch has turned the cobbled roads into his playground, where even the best Classics operators can't match his brutal accelerations.

He does have a target on his back, as is the case at every race he starts, and his main rivals know that working with him to arrive at the foot of the Kwaremont together is likely setting themselves up for failure.

But Pogačar can often nullify any tactical headaches with his incredible ability to attack alone from range, so don't be surprised if he goes even longer at Flanders to reduce the risks, even at just his third race of 2026.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG have also impressed in his absence these past Flemish races, especially Florian Vermeersch, who should play a vital role in positioning and potentially leading out Pogačar on one of the climbs.

A big contender for the top five himself, Pogačar is in good hands with Vermeersch, making a repeat victory and record-equalling third victory at Flanders seem even more likely. He's equal on Monument titles with the great Roger De Vlaeminck, but he should move ahead of him as the next best behind Eddy Merckx on Sunday if he arrives at the key climbs safely.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Mathieu van der Poel has proved the biggest challenge for Pogačar both at the Tour of Flanders and throughout the spring, but the Slovenian has proved too strong up the climbs even for the three-time winning Dutchman in 2023 and 2025.

Van der Poel outfoxed Pogačar on his debut at Flanders in 2022, just staying with him over the climbs before easily outsprinting him to the title in Oudenaarde. However, he hasn't had the climbing legs to match him up the repeated Kwaremont attempts at their past two Flanders face-offs.

Obviously wanting the outright record, Van der Poel will be expected to switch up his tactics to try and take a fourth victory, knowing that just trying to follow Pogačar when he makes his inevitable huge attack is often a stretch too far, even for him.

Alpecin-Premier Tech are the experts in these races, and while the Dutchman has lost some of that firepower in Gianni Vermeersch heading to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, he and the savvy Roodhooft brothers are surely hatching a plan.

Coming off the back of a close but successful E3 Saxo Classic solo win, and an impressive performance at In Flanders Fields, where teammate Jasper Philipsen took victory, this does appear to be the very best Van der Poel, and not the rider we saw get dropped on the Poggio at Milan-San Remo.

He also has the benefit of knowing that an early crash in the race and sickness in the build-up last year impacted his shape, but he's been able to relax in Spain ahead of Sunday's race, so he should arrive at 100% and be raring to go.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Wout van Aert and the Tour of Flanders, an eternal goal that he may never get to in the face of the likes of Van der Poel and Pogačar, but one that he and Visma-Lease a Bike will continue to pursue.

Despite showing great form in recent weeks, at Milan-San Remo and his two warm-up races on the Flemish cobbles, In Flanders Fields and Dwars door Vlaanderen, neither ended in a victory, and on both occasions, one in a duo with Van der Poel and one on his own, he ended up getting caught in the final kilometres.

The second at Dwars was more heartbreaking, as it was his third bad day there in a row – crashing brutally in 2024, losing an unlosable Visma three-against-one to Neilson Powless in 2025, and getting caught and passed by Filippo Ganna in the final kilometre in 2026.

"It's cursed here," he said at the finish.

But while another defeat could dampen his morale, don't forget that he attacked away with 40km to go and looked every bit the Van Aert of old, before his crash-ruined 2024, and seems to be peaking just in time for the big appointment at Flanders.

Of course, he's been no match for Pogčar and Van der Poel in recent seasons, getting dropped on the key climbs and fighting to finish fourth in the most recent edition. But this is the best he has looked in a while, and perhaps the tactical battle between the winners of the past four editions could benefit the Visma man.

He also has his former Classics right-hand man Christophe Laporte back in support, after illness kept him out of De Ronde last year, and Visma have impressed as a whole this spring. However, they would need to produce something really special on Sunday to do it.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Last year's runner-up, Mads Pedersen, remains one of the superstars able to compete with Pogačar and Van der Poel over the toughest cobbled terrains, but he has only just returned from two fractures at Milan-San Remo; his standing ahead of Flanders is slightly lower.

He's still been impressive since he came back, finishing fourth in San Remo, ninth at E3 and 10th at Dwars door Vlaanderen. He hasn't yet been the world-beating Pedersen we saw beat Van der Poel in a sprint at Gent-Wevelgem in 2024 and ride 70km solo to defend that title a year ago in the lead-up to Flanders.

It's his usual incredible sprint after a hard day, and some of that punchy accelerating power that he said he is missing after Dwars, but that isn't to say he won't still be in the mix when the big favourites start kicking things off fully on the climbs.

He's also anticipated before at Flanders, knowing that getting ahead of Pogačar and Van der Poel can sometimes be the best way to challenge them. Expect the Dane to still be well among the top five on Sunday, but he may be missing the few percentage points required to really go for victory – perhaps that will return to him fully at Paris-Roubaix a week later.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Remco Evenepoel is the surprise package for Sunday's Monument, as he is finally making his debut and taking on his home nation's most prestigious race. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe kept it secret for almost three months but told the world it was indeed no April Fool's joke that he would be participating, announcing the news on the morning of Dwars door Vlaanderen.

When it comes to actually competing, few riders can be considered a top favourite without having fully experienced the cobbles of Flanders first; even Pogačar had to get a lesson from Van der Poel in his first edition, finishing fourth almost impossibly from a two-up sprint.

Evenepoel adds a different element to how things should be raced on Sunday, as he, like Pogačar, is a much lighter climber than the Classics specialists of Van der Poel and Van Aert. He may be lacking in the positioning front, and of course, crashes are very possible on the hectic, dangerous Flanders course, but Red Bull have decided it's a risk worth taking.

He's long been a better one-day racer than stage race, too, shown in his Olympic and World road race titles, and he's got every bit of the punch and absolute power that should, in theory, make him a more than capable Flanders contender.

It's certainly going to be exciting seeing how Evenepoel changes the racing dynamic, if at all. But those riders listed above definitely won't want to let him get away up the road solo at any point, nor will they want him to be leading a chasing effort. It's going to be a debut to remember, for sure, good or bad.

The chasing pack

The difficulty of a course like Flanders makes it hard to imagine anyone but the absolute best riders can really contend for victory, but surprises aren't impossible, and we've seen several attacks either come unstuck or just survive in the warm-up races, so those behind will believe.

But Flanders is a different beast entirely, both in the unrelenting difficulty of its 280 kilometres and in the quality of the startlist. With both Pogačar and Van der Poel starting, it reduces the number of riders who can win significantly, so here are some dark horse contenders who could challenge the top five, or indeed the podium.

Alec Segaert has impressed massively since joining Bahrain Victorious and has proved to be a real threat as a late attacker, almost winning In Flanders Fields and managing to hold off those behind to take victory at the GP de Denain.

Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Inermarché) and Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) represent the unlikely potentials for a sprint final, and both have shown signs that they may one day be Flanders contenders. But bad legs and bad luck have followed the pair of them, so a top result on Sunday would be a shock.

Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) has been one of the most consistent riders in the spring and continues to improve, finishing fifth at E3 and ninth at In Flanders Fields. The climbs on Sunday may be a stretch too far for him, though.

In a similar vein, it would be a huge surprise not to see Matteo Trentin towards the front in the final, as the experienced Tudor leader has shown his expert knowledge and ever-present form is enough to compete just a step behind the top guys.

Returning to their status as a pure Classics team, Soudal-QuickStep also have the dual threat of Jasper Stuyven and Dylan van Baarle to try and follow or anticipate the top favourites' attacks, while Magnier waits in the wings, but the Belgian squad still look a distance from their previous glories of the 2000s and 2010s.

Finally, two other former winners are taking the start. Neither Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) nor Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) look like they will threaten for a second victory in Oudenaarde on Sunday, though.

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Dwars door Vlaanderen, like many of the races which were previously viewed as tune-up events for the Tour of Flanders, has become a target of its own as part of the WorldTour for both men and women.

The same names who will be favourites to win De Ronde on Sunday will also feature prominently in the mid-week race, which takes place on Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

Dwars door Vlaanderen finishes Waregem and features 12 climbs and seven cobbled sections in the Flemish Ardennes for men, and eight climbs and six cobbled sectors for the Dwars door Vlaanderen Women.

It's not the longest race at 185km for men and 128.9km for women, but wind and aggressive racing can make for a much tougher day in the saddle than what appears on the profile. The race concludes with a circuit with two ascents of the Nokereberg, the last coming with 9.2km to go.

The first trip over the Nokereberg is from the shorter, cobbled side – the previous finish of Nokere Koerse – while the final climb uses the longer paved side, the current finale of Nokere Koerse.

So it stands to reason that riders who excel in that earlier race will do well in Dwars door Vlaanderen, but that isn't always the case.

Neither Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-ProTime) nor Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), winners of Nokere Koerse this year, have won Dwars door Vlaanderen - yet. Both are still top contenders to win it this year.

The Dwars door Vlaanderen Women's race has been won by solo riders or small groups, with the occasional bunch sprint. Because the race is so short, the rough, back-to-back Doorn and Huispontweg cobble sectors have been where the difference has been made for the past three years.

Here, Cyclingnews looks at the top Dwars door Vlaanderen and Dwars door Vlaanderen Women contenders for 2026.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Jasper Philipsen, a winner of Nokere Koerse and In Flanders Fields this year and Milan-San Remo in 2024, has yet to crack the code of Dwars door Vlaanderen, netting his best finish in 2023 with fourth place.

In the 2026 Dwars door Vlaanderen route, the same Nokereberg climb where Philipsen won Nokere Koerse is the last ascent, so why hasn't Philipsen been able to win? The race often splits up well before the finish, and he hasn't managed to make the winning move.

When Philipsen came fourth in 2023, it was from a reduced peloton behind solo winner Christophe Laporte. That was the closest the race came to a bunch sprint since 2016.

In 2024, Lidl-Trek shattered the bunch in the crosswinds before Berg Ten Houte with over 70km to go. In 2025, an attack on the Knokteberg-Trieu with 56km to go stayed clear, with Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) outfoxing three Visma-Lease a Bike riders, including Wout van Aert, to take the win.

This season seems to have a different dynamic, with Van der Poel's attack during In Flanders Fields being nullified and his E3 Saxo Classic romp almost coming to heel in the final kilometre. It might be that the peloton has learned to control long-range attacks even from the top riders, improving the chances for a sprint.

After winning in Wevelgem on Sunday, Philipsen is one of the top favourites to win Dwars door Vlaanderen. With Mathieu van der Poel taking a pass, Philipsen will have the full support of his team, but it also means an aggressive race to try to get rid of him.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-ProTime)

With back-to-back victories in two very different races, Nokere Koerse and Milan-San Remo, Lotte Kopecky has had time to recover after skipping In Flanders Fields.

Kopecky fought for her chance to take the win in San Remo and earned the backing of her team while sprinter Lorena Wiebes won the bunch sprint for sixth behind the break of five.

SD Worx appear to be leaving Wiebes on the bench for Wednesday, so the team will be fully behind the Belgian phenom on Wednesday, with Dwars door Vlaanderen a rare blank on her palmares.

Kopecky's best finish in the race came last year when she won the reduced sprint for second behind solo winner Elisa Longo Borghini.

With this race not yet on her palmares, expect to see Kopecky on the attack across the cobbles.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Wout van Aert will be itching for revenge after the botched team finish in 2025, where they had the numbers but not the correct tactics, losing to Powless in a three-versus-one scenario.

Powless is not racing this year due to a knee problem, but after finishing second to Van der Poel in Wevelgem at the end of In Flanders Fields on Sunday, Van Aert needs a win.

Dwars door Vlaanderen also happens to be the race where Van Aert suffered terrible injuries in a high-speed crash on a descent that has now been removed from the race, and a win would put those demons to bed as well.

Van Aert is joined by a strong team, with sprinter Matthew Brennan on hand if the race comes back together, and Christophe Laporte to make the race hard.

While the team has great options, Van Aert will want to be the one atop the podium to gain confidence and momentum ahead of the Tour of Flanders, where he wants to finally fill that blank row on his win list.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez)

The former winner of Dwars door Vlaanderen started her 2026 season strong with two stages and the overall at the Volta a Valenciana before winning Omloop het Nieuwsblad. Since February, Demi Vollering has only raced Strade Bianche, where her teammate Elise Chabbey took the win.

Dwars door Vlaanderen marks the start of Vollering's Classics campaign, which includes the Tour of Flanders and all three Ardennes Classics.

Vollering won Omloop with a successful breakaway with Kasia Niewiadoma, won the first stage in Valencia solo, and then won from a small breakaway on stage 3. It will be more complicated in Dwars door Vlaanderen to win solo, especially with an on-form Kopecky in the mix.

It's tough to say where Vollering's form is since she hasn't been racing since Strade Bianche, but she rarely toes the line without the intent to win. With sprinter Ally Wollaston also in the lineup, Vollering has options, too.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Lidl-Trek's spring campaign has been a washout so far, largely because Mads Pedersen was out with a wrist and collarbone fracture since February, returning for Milan-San Remo, and then fell ill and skipped In Flanders Fields.

Pedersen is still racing with tape on his wrist, and just eight weeks into his recovery, he still has to be feeling some pain on the cobbles. Pedersen is a true foreign Flandrien and hard as nails, but his record in Dwars door Vlaanderen isn't the best - he's been fifth three times (2018, 2023, 2025).

The team will also have sprinter Jonathan Milan and underrated Classics rider Mathias Vacek, covering their bases much like Visma-Lease a Bike.

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

The Italian champion, winner of the UAE Tour in February, had to sit out Milan-San Remo due to illness, but after a couple of weeks of recovery, Elisa Longo Borghini is expected to be another major contender for Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Longo Borghini is ramping up for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, her major spring targets, so she will be peaking this week.

Her display in last year's Dwars door Vlaanderen showed that Longo Borghini is probably the best female rider on cobblestones, and she will be closely followed in the key moments of Wednesday's race.

Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Florian Vermeersch was so close to chasing down Van der Poel in Friday's E3 Saxo Classic, but one hesitation while he looked to his breakaway companions for one last pull spoiled his chances.

Third in that race and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Vermeersch is looking like a real contender in the Classics this year after finding his feet again with UAE Team Emirates.

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The greatest cyclist of all time, Marianne Vos, is always going to be a favourite to win a Classic, and with a recent victory in Dwars door Vlaanderen still fresh, we expect her to be at the pointy end yet again.

Now 38, Vos might be a shade less prolific than in past years, but a sixth in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda and seventh in Strade Bianche show she can't be counted out yet.

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Cobbled Classics season is now in full swing, with one of the most prestigious races on the spring calendar, In Flanders Fields (a.k.k Gent-Wevelgem), holding its 88th edition (13th for the women's race) on Sunday.

The race, a circuitous adventure in West Flanders close to the French border, has a new identity this year. Gent hasn't actually hosted the race start since 2002, but now, following spells in Deinze and Ypres, the race start shifts to the North Sea town of Middelkerke.

Thus, the race is rebranded to the somewhat cumbersome In Flanders Fields - From Middelkerke to Wevelgem.

The route hasn't been altered much, however, with the same flat run in the opening half of the race giving way to a flurry of hills and cobbled bergs – including the Scherpenberg, Baneberg, and the famous Kemmelberg – before the largely flat 35km run to the line.

As such, the race should once again play host to the familiar battle between the cobbled specialists hoping to break clear on the Kemmelberg and the sprinters hoping to hang on to the finish, as well as those riders who can do a bit of both.

So, without further ado, here's a look at our list of top contenders for glory at the men's and women's In Flanders Fields.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

This race is the only major cobbled Classic missing from Mathieu van der Poel's palmarès, and he lines up as the top favourite this Sunday. The Dutchman is in top form, having won the E3 Saxo Classic for the third year in a row on Friday, attacking 60km from the finish, going solo for 42km, and just about holding off a disorganised four-man chase group in the final metres.

Van der Poel's triumph at E3 marked his 11th at a major cobbled Classic, and he now stands as the pre-eminent cobbled racer of his generation, also lying among the greatest of all time.

Previous outings at Gent-Wevelgem have seen him finish fourth, ninth, and second, with Mads Pedersen getting the better of him in a two-up sprint. Bigger goals lie ahead, of course, but this is a race Van der Poel will surely want to add to his collection.

Watch out, too, for Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian fastman was fourth here two years ago and is in top form, with recent results including a win at Nokere Koerse and a second at the Ronde van Brugge.

Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ)

Going by Lara Gillespie's past spring campaigns – which included an Antwerp Port Epic win in 2024 and several podium places last year – it was only a matter of time before the Irish racer established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the cobbles.

She's been in the form of her life this spring, winning Le Samyn, taking second at the Omloop van het Hageland, third at Nokere Koerse, and sixth at the Ronde van Brugge.

A Women's WorldTour-level victory surely awaits. Will it come this weekend in Wevelgem?

Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Belgian racer Jordi Meeus has never been talked about with the biggest spring Classics stars of his home nation, but maybe it's time to start. Over the years, the 27-year-old has grown stronger and stronger and is now surely in the conversation for a result at the spring's biggest cobbled Classics.

He took third place here two years ago and ninth last year, while so far this season he's logged his strongest start to a campaign yet.

Meeus won the Ename Samyn Classic, finished second at Nokere Koerse, and was in the top 10 for both races at Opening Weekend. He'll certainly be in the frame if the race heads for a sprint finish, while teammate Tim van Dijke, second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and strong at E3, is another to watch.

Elise Chabbey (FDJ United-Suez)

Like Gillespie, Elise Chabbey was among our tips to break through with a big win this spring. Much like the rest of the strong support squad behind Demi Vollering, it was clear the Swiss racer just needed a chance to lead the team to compete.

She did just that when Vollering fell victim to bad luck at Strade Bianche, going on to score the biggest win of her career to date.

Chabbey, who finished top 10 at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix last spring, heads up FDJ United-Suez at this race and so has another chance to battle for victory as a team leader.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Belgium's great hope for a big result this spring, Wout van Aert, is back on form. The 31-year-old's recent showing at Milan-San Remo, where he shot out of the peloton late on to capture third place, showed he's ready to compete for the big prizes in the coming weeks.

He skipped the E3 Saxo Classic, a race he's won twice before, on Friday, meaning appointments at In Flanders Fields and Dwars door Vlaanderen are all that stand between him and another bid for those elusive titles at the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Van Aert is a past winner here, of course, and finished second at his most recent appearance three years ago. He'd certainly be happy with a similar result on Sunday. Teammate Christophe Laporte is also on hand as part of a formidable Visma double threat.

Cat Ferguson (Movistar)

19-year-old Cat Ferguson is one of the brightest young stars of the peloton, already with seven pro wins to her name.

This year, she can count triumphs at the Challenge Mallorca and Volta Valenciana to her name, while fourth place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is another highlight.

Ferguson may lack the experience on the cobbles of some of her rivals, with just one spring Classics campaign under her belt to date, but she still has the strength to compete. Her teammate, fellow young Briton Carys Lloyd, will be flying high after her recent Ronde van Brugge victory.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)

Lorena Wiebes heads into Sunday's race as the main favourite to win, because of course she does. The Dutchwoman is the undisputed quickest woman in the world, and she's won the race in each of the past two years.

Last spring, her triumph was one of many, with wins at Le Samyn, Milan-San Remo and De Panne also on her palmarès.

This time around, three stage wins in four days at the UAE Tour stand out as her biggest achievement to date. Recent results, including third at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, sixth at Milan-San Remo, and ninth at the Ronde van Brugge, suggest she is far from unbeatable, however.

Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep)

Paul Magnier heads up a revamped Soudal-QuickStep Classics squad this spring, with new additions Jasper Stuyven (also racing here) and Dylan van Baarle joining Yves Lampaert as part of the four-headed cobbled lineup.

Last spring, Magnier burst onto the scene with second places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Ename Samyn Classic. This year, the 21-year-old has been quieter, with an 11th place at Omloop his best result at Opening Weekend.

He has Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders on his menu after Gent-Wevelgem, meaning this race is the most sprinter-friendly on his remaining spring calendar. Watch out for Magnier if he gets over the Kemmelberg.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)

Elisa Balsamo is a rider who almost always performs well at Gent-Wevelgem. The Italian finished second in the race as a junior and has since racked up a win (in 2022), two second places and a fourth at the elite level.

She's one of the strongest sprinters in the peloton and can deal with the cobbled hills well, but she's been bested by Wiebes in the two most recent editions of the race.

Balsamo is in fine form heading into Sunday's race, even if she hasn't yet won in 2026. Recent results include eighth place at Milan-San Remo and second in the chaotic, crash-marred sprint at a grim and wet Ronde van Brugge on Thursday.

Best of the rest

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) has proven his talent on the cobbles, but unless he breaks clear on the Kemmelberg and solos home, this race may be hard for him to win.

Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) was third here last year and will be in the frame if the race finishes with a sprint once again.

2022 winner Biniam Girmay (NSN) has enjoyed a strong start to the season, though he wasn't in the mix at Milan-San Remo.

US racer Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost) is in fine form, having scored a Paris-Nice stage win to go with top 10s at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, and Ronde van Brugge this spring.

Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) is clearly sharp, having sprinted to fourth place at Milan-San Remo last week, while Zoe Bäckstedt is another to watch.

Wins at the Tour Down Under, the Great Ocean Road Race, and Tirreno-Adriatico showed that Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) has stepped up a level in 2026.

Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic-PostNL) is among the strongest sprinters around, even if she hasn't yet scored a big result this season.

Flandrian favourite Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) isn't in flying form, but he can never be counted out on the cobbles.

Florian Vermeersch's (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) third places at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Classic showed he's in strong form this spring, while Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), fifth at E3, has a very fast finish.

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away from the universe containing Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), there was an era when whatever happened in the E3 Saxo Classic was seen as the most reliable optic for success for what played out nine days later in the Tour of Flanders.

While Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was considered too far away on the calendar and has never been won in the same year by the same rider who conquered De Ronde, the much closer Gent-Wevelgem (now In Flanders Fields) was always too much of a law unto its perpetually eccentric self and Dwars door Vlaanderen, now held on Wednesday, feels too straightforward (relatively speaking) and lowkey. E3 and Flanders have been won by the same rider in the same year no fewer than nine times since 1998.

The key to it losing that status is Pogačar. Just as almost every major one-day cobbled Classic (and a fair few others) has been re-shaped by Pogačar's propensity for long-range attacks, so there's been a knock-on effect on the events where he's not taking part, too, like E3 Saxo Classic - which Pogačar has only raced once, in 2023. As a result, it's become more of a general guide to Flanders form than a specific one, particularly this year, when the slightly weaker field is missing some of the key other players, like Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

That said, and to take last year, no fewer than five of the top 10 finishers in E3, also featured in the top ten of Flanders. And if 2025 Flanders winner Pogačar wasn't amongst the E3 participants last March, it's not as if we really needed reminding he was going to be a factor nine days further on. So even if E3 isn't quite as accurate a gauge of success as it used to be, it's still a good form guide for the bigger event 10 days later for those who take part.

E3's role as a final testbed for Flanders hasn't always been the case, though. E3 was first held in 1958, but only in its current form in the 1990s, when the mix of cobbled bergs and obscure Flemish rural backstreets made it so similar to Flanders. E3 is 60 kilometres shorter than the Ronde, too.

The parallels these days are much clearer. All but two of the 16 ascents (one less than last year) and one of the 10 cobbled sectors (one less than last year) are in the final 120 kilometres of the 206 that comprise the route. Few cobbled Classics have such an intense, draining and drawn-out finale and the double ascent of the Oude Kwaremont (from different approaches each time) and going up the new E3-Col in Ronse's Karnemelkbeekstraat, with stretches of 12%, will only add to the challenges. The usual final combination of the Varent cobbles and Tiegenberg climb, though, as well as a 20-kilometre run-in afterwards, remains a tried-and-tested last segment of the race.

Even if E3's status as a herald of Flanders is diminished, it remains an event in a class of its own.

The contenders

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Some doubts still hover around Mathieu van der Poel after his crash and finger injury in Milan-San Remo, and his fading in the final kilometres of La Primavera also sparked a few question marks. But should he turn up, there is only one stand-out favourite for this year's E3 Saxo Classic and that's the rider who's won the race for the last two years and who's never been off the podium in his four participations since 2021.

2024's victory and 2025 were taken in remarkably similar fashion, too, launching attacks 40 kilometres out, on the Paterberg in 2024 and the Aude Kwaremont in 2025. So no doubts that he's got this race dialled. There are multiple reasons for this, but one is maybe that his bike-handling skills - which he used to stunning effect in Omloop this spring, avoiding a crash on the Molenberg after Rick Pluimers fell heavily right in front of him - are more than in tune with the never-ending technical demands of Harelbeke's crunch final half.

With the honourable exception of Jasper Philipsen, who was not present at E3, another rarely mentioned factor about Van der Poel is his excellent team support. Riders like Paris-Roubaix podium finisher Sylvan Dillier, the Swiss veteran who was part of a 200-kilometre breakaway in San Remo, can be invaluable assistance to the Dutchman before his usual devastating solo efforts. But so too could the likes of Tibor de Grosso, more than ten years Dillier's junior and fast learning the ropes. Alpecin don't have not such a roll call of galacticos as UAE Team Emirates do at their disposal, perhaps, but there are always a host of strong supporters.

Van der Poel rarely needs to make a statement, such as been his predominance in the Classics in recent years, but after his San Remo setback, this might just be the time when he opts to prove to the world that he's not on a downwards trajectory form-wise after his injury. Or, looked at another way, you could say that if Van der Poel managed to keep Pogačar in check for so long at San Remo despite not being able to hold his handlebars properly post-crash, then Friday's ride across the cobbles may turn out to be a complete walk in the park for him, too.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Second in E3 last year, prior to a third win in Gent-Wevelgem (now In Flanders Fields), Mads Pedersen delivered a hugely impressive fourth place in Milan-San Remo last week on what was effectively his season debut. The record books will have his 2026 start date down as Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, of course. But after such a bad crash on stage 1 in Valencia, fracturing his collarbone and wrist, fourth place at San Remo six weeks later for the former World Champion represented something of a comeback for the ages.

His morale will likely be climbing high as a result, but if he obviously has the endurance to handle 200 kilometres at E3, the question is more - can Pedersen really handle the much tougher terrain (and, potentially, weather) in Belgium than the smooth roads of the Ligurian coastline in San Remo?

You'd be tempted to say yes, of course, given how well he handled the torrential rain in Harrogate in a certain World Championships victory eight years ago. But after his injuries and long spell away from racing, this is no ordinary spring for Pedersen, so even after San Remo, E3 represents another big voyage into the unknown for the Dane.

Should he be on form, there's every chance he could be the rider who runs Van der Poel the closest, as was the case, together with Pogačar, in Flanders and Roubaix last year. The forever ambitious Pedersen will be itching, in any case, to turn in a top performance on terrain that he knows even better than Van der Poel - he has raced E3 no fewer than eight times, twice as many times as the Dutchman.

Last but not least, if Pedersen does need to take a back seat, then Lidl-Trek's fast-rising Czech powerhouse Matthias Vacek is also out to make a name for himself after a quiet start to his Classics campaign - and Pedersen for sure would be happy to help the teammate who gave him so much support in last year's Giro d'Italia.

Jasper Stuyven (Soudal-QuickStep)

One of the most experienced E3 racers this year - he's one of just four on the startlist with 10 participations alongside teammate Dylan van Baarle, Matteo Trentin (Tudor) and Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AlUla) - Jasper Stuyven's second place in the 2024 edition of E3 represents his high-tide mark in the race to date. But in a sense his past participations barely matter, given his new role as the co-leader of a revamped, revitalised cobbled Classics team in Soudal-QuickStep, the home squad par excellence for these races. What's more, Soudal's star rider of yesteryear, Tom Boonen (present in the Soudal team car for E3 this March), remains the record holder for victories in E3, with five.

As such, the former Lidl-Trek racer and Omloop winner is seen as the spearhead (together with Van Baarle) for a revival of Soudal's Classics ambitions in the post-Remco Evenepoel era. It's true that plenty of cautious notes have been struck about how their plans will take a good while to come to full fruition. But Stuyven will surely be wanting to make some kind of statement of future ambition, even if it doesn't actually turn into full-blown success this year.

Watching how he and Van Baarle - who has much the same mission, but has never cracked the top five in E3 - work together to try to pull something off will be an interesting sub-plot at the very least in this year's E3. Or could it be something more?

Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost)

Five years feels like fifty years at times in cycling when it comes to success, and from some perspectives, Kasper Asgreen's Classics dominance of 2021, when he took both E3 and the Tour of Flanders in the same season, certainly looks to be fast fading in the sport's rearview mirror. But at the same time, it's only two since Asgreen was in a long break in E3 early on (and he did the same in Paris-Roubaix a few weeks later, too), and the Danish star still has the caché of being one of just two riders starting E3 this year who actually know what it feels like to win it.

The lack of top results in recent years removes him from the uppermost rung of pre-race favourites, but with no Neilson Powless currently racing because of injuries, Asgreen's moved up a few notches in the unwritten team hierarchy, so this is a good chance for him to grab if he can. As Asgreen showed with his Giro d'Italia stage win last year, he's still got an excellent nose for breakaways and in a team like EF with a long tradition for room for mavericks to shine, too, he's got both breathing space for his gift for improvisation that allows him regularly to punch above his weight, too.

Last but not least, how many riders can say they've beaten Van der Poel in a Monument in a two-up sprint? Not many, but Asgreen is one of them, way back in Flanders in 2021. Five years on, that's still got to count for something.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United)

Romain Grégoire's possibilities in the cobbled Classics are a total mystery, even to himself - yet despite that lack of experience, all of the indirect evidence available suggests that he could well make a real impact.

Making his debut in the northern one-day racing, despite his comparative youth, the 23-year-old has developed a real knack for being in the right place at the right time, even if he's yet to hit the big time. In the 2025 San Remo, for example, he was the last rider to be dropped by the leading trio of Van der Poel, Filippo Ganna and Pogačar, and he was the one who made the most of the confusion in a lead group sent off course in Faun Ardéche to win that race in 2025, too. Furthermore, he's got wins as varied in terrain as stages of the Tour de Suisse, Itzulia Basque Country and the Faun Drome this year, and then there was a fourth place in Strade Bianche and second in Trofeo Laigueglia this year as well.

This year, in keeping with that versatility, the 23-year-old's not simply switching the Ardennes Classics for his first full cobbled Classics campaign, rather he's combining both. Absolutely nothing directly suggests that Grégoire will be up there on Friday afternoon amongst the bergs and straats of central Flanders. But absolutely everything about him suggests it wouldn't be a surprise, either.

Christophe Laporte (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Christophe Laporte's E3 track record is deceptive. Second in 2022 suggests he was the first loser, but in fact, that day he and teammate Wout van Aert launched a joint long-range attack on the Taienberg that saw the Frenchman and Belgian reach the finish line together. Van Aert was allowed to roll home in first place, but Laporte could just as easily have been given that honour.

Away for the best part of a year because of illness in 2025, fourth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad speaks volumes about how his ability to ride the cobbled Classics has been undiminished by so long off the bike. The form was already there, in fact, in the Vuelta a Andalucia, where he won the opening day's chaotic bunch sprint, and it was in evidence, too, in his hard work at San Remo for Van Aert en route to the Belgian's podium finish.

Once again, Laporte's position in the Visma-Lease a Bike hierarchy for the Classics will hinge at least a little on Van Aert takes part in E3. For now, that's unlikely to happen, and the absence of Matteo Jorgenson - focusing on the Ardennes Classics - pushes the Frenchman a little further into the limelight. Already a winner at Ghent-Wevelgem (In Flanders Fields) a few years back, Laporte may have to play second fiddle there to Matthew Brennan, assuming the Briton has recovered from the illness that kept him out of Milan-San Remo. But at E3, if Van Aert does not make a last-minute appearance on the start list, it'd be a huge surprise if Laporte was not in the thick of the action on his own account.

Biniam Girmay (NSN)

It's been quite a few years now since Biniam Girmay made history with his 2022 victory in Gent-Wevelgem, and he preceded it with a fifth place in E3 Harelbeke just two days before. But even if he was completely out of the running in Milan-San Remo following his unfortunate crash, the Eritrean fastman has had something of a bounce back this year following a more uneven 2025, and after two wins in Spain, some near misses in Paris-Nice, Belgium might just be where he comes good.

His best option would be, obviously, a reduced bunch sprint, where the multiple Tour de France stage winner can put his hugely impressive final turn of speed to great effect. Even if Van der Poel does head up the road on one of his trademark solo moves, a podium position remains a possibility. And if that happens, then suddenly at Ghent-Wevelgem - which is a race that suits him down to the ground - anything could be possible.

Aimé De Gendt (Pinarello-Q36.5)

What do Aimé De Gendt and Christophe Laporte have in common apart from both being hugely experienced and talented Classics riders in their 30s? More than you'd think, perhaps: just as Laporte has a chance to shine on Friday with no Van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson to overshadow him a little, so De Gendt has the opportunity to make an impact in E3 Saxo Classic given the lack of Tom Pidcock in the squad's line-up.

You could immediately qualify that by saying that Pidcock was never down to take part in E3, whereas Van Aert is a former double winner. But the point remains that in both cases, in the absence of a charismatic team leader, races like E3 become opportunities for the lesser lights to step to the fore. And in the case of De Gendt, just like Laporte, there's plenty of evidence to suggest that at E3 they could seize that chance with both hands.

Fifth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the most similar race to E3 beyond Flanders itself, is one good reason to argue he'll be up there on Friday. So, too, is a seventh place in E3 last year and a host of minor results and near-misses around five or six seasons back. These latest results suggest that De Gendt is having something of a revival of top performances. And given this is Pinarello's collective opportunities to step into the limelight whilst Tom Pidcock pounds his way across the mountains of the Volta a Catalunya - and before coming back to lead the team in the Ardennes - it's certainly a good moment for De Gendt to be hitting the high notes.

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Formerly known as Brugge-De Panne, the main three-week period of cobbled Classics kicks off on Wednesday and Thursday with the men's and women's Ronde van Brugge, freshly renamed for 2026 and with new finishes in Bruges.

The new routes both start and finish in Bruges, moving the race away from the coast in De Panne, meaning they miss out the windy De Moeren sector, which could radically change the race. The windy exposed sections have previously shaped the event and made important selections, but the 2026 editions could be more straightforward, as they are still pan-flat and missing that key action point.

The routes have added a cobbled stretch, though: the Brieversweg, which appears twice in the women's race and three times in the men's, though it ends 30km from the finish line.

With these changes, the races have become perhaps even more sprint-friendly than before and with fewer places for the race to be ripped apart.

The good news is that the new finishes avoid what was becoming quite a dangerous run-in in De Panne, which attracted considerable criticism last year for the obstacles and turns in the finale. The finish in Bruges is much more straightforward.

Though they're WorldTour races, plenty of top-level fast riders have opted not to race Ronde van Brugge in favour of In Flanders Fields (a.k.a. Gent-Wevelgem) later in the week, but there are still some top names lining up on Wednesday and Thursday.

Here are some of our favourites for the wins in Bruges.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Jasper Philipsen won this race in 2024 and 2023, albeit on the old finish, and will return this year still looking to prove himself after a slow start to the year. The Belgian finally took a victory at Nokere Koerse last week, but looked significantly off the pace at the Volta ao Algarve and Tirreno-Adriatico. Put it all together and a win at WorldTour level would go a long way to just lifting his stock up again.

On paper, 10x Tour stage winner Philipsen should be the strongest sprinter on the start list on Wednesday, but his competitors will be smelling weakness, and there are a lot of motivated sprinters who will be jumping at the opportunity to take a big win before the harder cobbled Classics begin. If Philipsen wins, it will be a boost to his year and his standing in the sprint hierarchy, but if he's beaten again, no doubt he'll face some questions and scrutiny.

Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ)

After Lorena Wiebes, Lara Gillespie is the sprinter of the moment, and she's really well suited to these longer, hardier races with a mass dash at the end. After testing Wiebes all year in 2025, and waiting to finally take her own win in September, she's opened her account much earlier in 2026, sprinting to the triumph at Le Samyn. Indeed, she's finished in the top three of the last three Belgian Classics she's raced, so it seems likely that she can continue that streak on Thursday.

The key for Gillespie will be her team, as this is one of those races where you need to stay out of the wind as much as possible to save something for the final sprint, so you need teammates who will do the positioning and chasing in order to stay in front without using up too much energy. Elynor Backstedt has been great at this for Gillespie so far this year, so if they can pair up and take on the teams like SD Worx, this could be a chance for the Irish rider to nab her first WorldTour victory.

Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)

Dylan Groenewegen hasn't been considered part of the upper echelon of sprinters for quite a while, but he's rocketed (pun intended) back up the hierarchy at the start of this year, already having three wins to his name.

Most recently, he took back-to-back victories at the Bredene Koksijde Classic and GP Jean-Pierre Monseré, which admittedly are not the biggest races, but are similar in terms of their startlist to the Ronde van Brugge, and his deep familiarity with the Belgian roads will help a lot here as well.

The Dutchman isn't always the fastest sprinter, but he has a solid staying power at the end of hard races, and is clearly finding a good seam of form with the Unibet Rose Rockets. This race will be a step up, but they've shown they can get it right, so why not aim for a big win on Wednesday? Groenewegen captured this race way back in 2019, on a very different finish and route, and could add his name to the honour list again this week.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)

Elisa Balsamo and Lidl-Trek are on the hunt for a big one-day win this spring, and Ronde van Brugge could be a good opportunity for the Italian. She's won this race twice before, in 2022 and 2024, and Lidl should bring a strong line-up here so they could definitely work to make the race more selective and challenging.

Balsamo's own form seems to be on the up, having ridden to eighth at Milan-San Remo over the weekend and she'll be hoping that she's coming back towards the level that saw her finish in the top ten of everything between Binda and Paris-Roubaix last year.

Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché)

Arnaud De Lie is one of the sprinters still waiting for a victory this year, and he came close on one stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, finishing second, but otherwise hasn't quite shown the speed or ability of last season just yet. The 24-year-old is putting all his attention on the Belgian Classics this year, so Wednesday will be an important test of where his form is over the cobbles.

Last year, De Lie had a real string of bad luck in the cobbled Classics before taking a two-month break from racing with illness, so more than anything, he'll also just be hoping for some better fortune this spring.

Shari Bossuyt (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Shari Bossuyt has been knocking on the door of a win for a few weeks now, racing four times and finishing in the top seven every time, and she'll be hoping for a harder, more challenging race on Thursday. The Belgian loves racing at home, with her first win since returning from a suspension coming at the GP Wallonie last year, so the Ronde van Brugge seems like a prime place for her to score her first victory of 2026.

Whether she can beat riders like Gillespie or Elisa Balsamo in a straight sprint is not quite clear, so she and her AG Insurance-Soudal teammates might opt to try and make the race harder and more selective. However, that's going to be a lot trickier to do with no De Moeren in this year's route.

Milan Fretin (Cofidis)

A slightly leftfield choice perhaps, but one less obvious name to keep an eye on is Milan Fretin. The length and difficulty of this race mean we can see some surprise winners every now and then, with the sprint not always entirely as expected, and Fretin has been a threatening B-tier racer in that speciality both this year and before.

The Belgian was pushing the top riders at the AlUla Tour, and then grabbed a victory at the Vuelta a Andalucía. He took some victories at similar races last year, so if things get a bit messy or chaotic, he could be a good pick to take advantage and claim a top result.

Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic-PostNL)

Pfeiffer Georgi took a really memorable win in Brugge-De Panne in 2023, and though it was a different race back then, she'll still carry some confidence from the past into this race on Thursday. After Charlotte Kool's departure last summer, Georgi is taking more responsibility at Picnic-PostNL this spring, and this could be a good chance for her to sneak into a smaller selection of riders and nab a victory.

She hasn't raced a lot this year, with a fairly anonymous start at the UAE Tour, but she was on the offensive and looking very strong at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and then sealed 11th at Milan-San Remo, so the signs around her form are positive. After some really injury-affected seasons, a clear run at this spring will hopefully remind us of her strength and race-winning ability.

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Years come, years go, and the same is true for stars even as great as Tadej Pogačar or Jonas Vingegaard. But whoever is ruling the stage racing roost, the Volta a Catalunya's perennial role as the last major crossroads for those tackling the Giro d'Italia and those riders fully focussed on the Tour de France somehow endures.

Ever since its last date change in 2010, this March, the seven-day 104-year-old race always offers the first big incursion of the season into the high-altitude Pyrenees, or any other major European mountain range, for that matter. This March, no less than three successive summit finishes on stages of increasing difficulty feature deep in the mountains separating the Iberian peninsula from France, combining to provide a painfully realistic reference point on their major climbing form for the Grand Tour specialists.

Of the three, the 4,000 metres of vertical climbing on stage 6, centred on a key Catalan cycling hub of Berga, was once described by now-retired mountains specialist Mike Woods to Cyclingnews in 2024 – before a stage with an identical route – as "one of the hardest I've ever seen."

Certainly, nobody can be sure of victory before crossing the summit of the ultra-tough Coll del Pradell mid-stage next Saturday, on March 28, and maybe not even then.

With such a plethora of mountain climbing, coming fresh from his stand-out success at Paris-Nice, Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) will be using Catalunya as his last big test before the Giro d'Italia. Meanwhile, following his difficult time on the ascents of the UAE Tour back in February, Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) badly needs to reconfirm that he has made new progress on his climbing, as he builds for a repeat assault on the Tour de France.

After his first altitude training camp of the year, the ascents to Vallter and Pal in the Pyrenees will be a much more valid reference than what happened in the Middle East. for Evenepoel. Similarly, Vingegaard has confirmed that he's curious to see how he performs against the much longer ascents of Catalunya compared to those of Paris-Nice.

Yet if Vingegaard and Evenepoel's clash brings together two of the highest-profile names in the peloton for the first time this season, they are far from being the only well-known racers in the race next week, many of whom have unfinished business with the Volta.

Take João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), for example, with an excellent track record in week-long stage races, but who's never managed to crack Catalunya.

In fact, it's pretty much inevitable that in a race like Catalunya, which invariably draws a star cast, Almeida and co. are far from being the only stand-out names with an eventful personal history in the Volta. Not only that, the Volta points the way to the Giro and the Tour, then, with Mauro Gianetti, UAE CEO, saying recently to Cyclism' actu that "We'll already see there some things in the Volta that will be similar to what happens in May."

It's impossible to forget the Tour, either, and particularly this year. Stage 7 of the Volta, its usual curtain closer, ends on the same climbs through Montjuïc Park in central Barcelona that will see the Tour get underway on Saturday, July 4. So, a week next Sunday, as the green-and-white jersey of the Volta faces its final challenges, that time-honoured saying about 'the road to the Tour starts here' will ring truer than ever.

Here is Cyclingnews ' take on the wheels to follow out of Sant Feliu de Guixols next Monday lunchtime.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Strange but true: Jonas Vingegaard, one of the greatest stage racers of his generation, has never taken part in Catalunya before. The likelihood of the Dane not ever trying to take one of the few tough week-long races on the calendar that's missing from his palmares was always small, though, even if with no time trial this year, it'll all come down to Vingegaard's level of prowess in the mountains.

Vingegaard's recent victory in Paris-Nice is a clear indication of how he's firing on all cylinders, finishing the race with a stunning breakaway through the mountains overlooking Nice alongside stage victor Lenny Martínez (Bahrain Victorious). A second major success in three weeks would even further consolidate his status as stand-out favourite for the Giro, and even a narrow defeat to a rider focusing on the Ardennes Classics, say, and therefore in slightly more finely honed form, would not feel like too much of a setback.

Together with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Ineos, it's worth noting that Visma have one of the most impressive lineups to back their team leader in Catalunya. US climbing giant Sepp Kuss is the stand-out name, but Bruno Armirail would likely be expected to play a key support role on the hillier stages, while former Giro d'Italia podium finisher Wilco Kelderman could also be crucial on the climbs.

This is just as well, because given Vingegaard's standout status as pre-race favourite – Evenepoel's uneven climbing track record arguably precludes him from that position – ensure that his team will almost certainly be expected to keep the GC battle under control for the first three days. Then, come the long ascent to Vallter deep in the Pyrenees on stage 4, there will only be one rider that matters any more for Visma, and perhaps for the Volta too.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Three years ago, the usual small army of Flemish and Walloon journalists that track Remco Evenepoel's every move descended on Catalunya to follow his nailbitingly close battle against now Red Bull teammate Primož Roglič, which ended with six seconds between them at the finish in favour of the Slovenian. And now they are back again, for the same reason: Remco is back in Catalunya, and wherever Remco goes, it's frontpage news in Belgium: even during the Classics high season like now.

Pre-UAE Tour, interest in how Remco fares would already have been high, given the depth of the opposition, and how the toughness of the Volta's Pyrenean challenges make them merciless judges of current climbing form. But after his dramatic failure to impact in the UAE's grinding ascents of Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Mobrah following his faultless start in the preceding races, Catalunya is where Evenepoel does (or does not) get back on the right climbing track. Either way, everybody wants to watch.

Speculation has been rife that at some point, Evenepoel might get closer to Vingegaard in the Tour or even overtake him for the right and honour to stand the nearest to Pogačar, as absolute favourite, on the final podium. Catalunya is the first opportunity to prove he can do so, and given Vingegaard's Grand Tour preparation is in theory (but maybe not in practice) four weeks in advance of Evenepoel's, the duel will be an interesting one.

At the same time, it's worth watching how Evenepoel works for the first time ever with his high-flying teammates Florian Lipowitz – who followed Evenepoel in third place in the Tour last July – and recent Paris-Nice podium finisher Dani Martínez. Both the German and the Colombian have at least as much potential to shine in the Volta as their Belgian counterpart. The first Pyrenean summit finish of the Volta, to Vallter on Friday, will say a lot about their relative condition, the team's internal pecking order for the race, and perhaps beyond.

João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Until now in 2026, João Almeida has been the usual model of consistency in his results, with second in the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana predictably (but admirably) followed by third in the Volta ao Algarve. But the last-minute absence due to 'flu' at Paris-Nice both marked another chapter of his ongoing war of words with Jonas Vingegaard about missing out on races (and adds a fresh layer of potential intrigue to their clash in Catalunya), and it was a first setback in 2026, too.

The most successful week-long stage racer of 2025, even ahead of Pogačar, Almeida's palmares mean he is a rider who simply can't be ruled out of the overall battle in Catalunya. He's also the last rider to defeat Vingegaard in a summit finish, and in no ordinary summit finish either - the Angliru in the Vuelta a España last year. So finding out what kind of Almeida we've got on our hands in the Volta is likely to be one of the first big questions to be resolved on stage 4 to Vallter. Will it be the rider whose climbing reached new heights in 2025, or will it be the racer looking to hit top form in the Giro (and then in the Vuelta, so late on in the season) for whom the Volta's biggest climbs really come too a mite soon this year?

The rollercoaster history of Almeida in the Volta complicates matters a bit more, too. His unremarkable ninth place last March came after working tooth and nail to defend then-teammate Juan Ayuso's ambitions in his unsuccessful battle to keep Roglič at bay, so it can be discounted. However, his third place in the 2022 race was taken after a superb summit finish win in the Pyrenees, then falling foul in mysterious circumstances to a long-distance attack by Sergio Higuita (XDS-Astana) and Richie Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost).

Almeida's Volta history tells us literally anything could happen. But in his first face-off against Vingegaard since the Vuelta last year, Almeida surely won't want to lose an opportunity for sporting revenge against the man who beat him to what would have been his first Grand Tour, either.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

Talking of the Vuelta, Tom Pidcock's presence in the Volta means that for the first time on Monday, all three podium finishers from the Spanish Grand Tour will be on the same start line of a race. And like former Vuelta winner Evenepoel, Pidcock will be using the Volta as another big test of his stage racing condition prior to a return to the Tour de France next July.

Third in Madrid last September in the Vuelta represented a big step forward for the Briton, and his recent victory in Milan-Turin gave him some timely one-day success before beginning his Ardennes Classics campaign. The lack of a time trial won't do his chances of GC success any harm at all in the Volta, yet his track record in poor weather conditions – see Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this February – doesn't augur so well for a race where snow and freezing cold can very easily impact.

Furthermore, having raced to a career-best second place at San Remo just two days before, the very fiddly transfer across to the Volta's start at Sant Feliu de Guixols often takes its toll on riders should the race ignite early on.

Like Vingegaard, Pidcock is new to Catalunya as well, but if the big climbs favour the Dane, the final stage through Montjuïc already looks more than ideal for a rider with such an explosive talent on short ascents like the park's demanding final slopes. Quite what he'll be able to do in the Pyrenean climbs that precede it, though, is rather harder to predict: so far out from the Tour, there are a lot of factors in play. But given this is Pidcock we're talking about, the odds are that whatever he does, it'll always be interesting.

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)

Up until now this season, Richard Carapaz has been flying so far under the radar that he's barely given an interview, still less been seen on television. But with the passing of time, you get the impression that's exactly how the Ecuadorian likes it – because it means that when he does go on the attack, nobody's seen it coming.

The unpredictable but ultra-aggressive EF Education-Easy Post leader is yet another Giro d'Italia contender who's using the Volta as his launchpad for May, and so far this year, in three races, an anonymous 18th place overall in Tirreno-Adriatico is his best result to date.

Yet the thing about Carapaz is he knows exactly how to suddenly rise to the occasion and take the field by surprise – witness his spectacular long-distance move with Higuita in the Volta back in 2022, which upset the entire applecart in the race – and nobody is putting that possibility past him in Catalunya this year.

After all, who could forget when he won from a spectacular late flyer last May in the Giro at Castelnovo ne' Monti, then went on to challenge Isaac del Toro for overall victory in a hugely entertaining battle on the Colle delle Finestre?

Carapaz hasn't actually won a WorldTour week-long race since the Tour de Suisse in 2021. Yet he's got the rare gift of being able to win even when he's not the strongest rider present, and he can read races like almost no other rider. Put all of this together, not to mention Carapaz's long-established propensity for only going for the biggest races on the calendar, and you've got yourself another important 2026 Volta a Catalunya contender.

Ineos Grenadiers: Carlos Rodríguez, Oscar Onley

On paper, one of the three strongest teams of this year's Volta, local fans still recollect the 2021 edition of the race when Adam Yates, Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte made Ineos Grenadiers the first squad to claim all three top spots on Catalunya's podium in over 60 years. Times and riders and teams have moved on, but Ineos three top contenders all have reasons to hope to impact in Catalunya. Plus, when it comes to Ineos' 2026 campaign to prove they really can turn back the clock to their glory days of the 2010s, no amount of success is ever really enough.

So far, it has to be said, things have been mostly hit but with a few notable misses: after a promising start to the season following a serious injury last year, Rodríguez's very low-key participation in Paris-Nice was hampered by a crash in the first stage, after which he went into team helper mode.

Egan Bernal shone brightly in the Colombian Nationals, and his seventh place in Faun Ardèche also augured well. But again, he's been missing since then. He had been set to race Catalunya but still isn't fit enough to return to action.

Finally, there's Oscar Onley, part of the Ineos first major triumph of the season in the Paris-Nice TTT, only to fall ill and abandon.

Unlike Bernal and Rodríguez, who are both old hands at Catalunya, Onley has only participated in it once and to unremarkable effect, taking 39th place overall back in 2023. Essentially, the key question will be whether Onley has recovered from his Paris-Nice sickness to move directly into a team leader role, or if Rodríguez – assuming he's fully over his crash – and Bernal could then step into the same spot.

Realistically, a stage win and a podium spot seem like the best possible target for Ineos overall. But when it comes to teams with several very strong riders who aren't quite at top contender level, oftentimes it's how well they communicate and adapt to a single goal that really counts.

Given their strength in depth, it'd be a surprise to see Ineos leave the race without shaking the tree at least in one of the three stages. Meanwhile don't forget Bernal still has a score to settle with the last day's racing in Montjuïc – it was there on a very greasy downhill that he crashed and broke his collarbone in 2018 – and his one win so far this year, back in Colombia in the Nationals' was on a very similar course with multiple repeats of a single, very tough climb. Just saying.

Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM)

A bit of an outlier? Perhaps, but after winning the Tour de la Provence, then getting sixth in the Volta ao Algarve, the 24-year-old from Tucson is part of a fast-rising new generation of young all-rounders and his climbing abilities. This year alone, beating the (slightly) older and much more WorldTour-hardened racer Carlos Rodríguez on a snow-covered summit finish formed the biggest foundation of his victory in Provence.

And if Riccitello is good at performing in sub-zero temperatures in ice-enshrouded ski stations, there are always more than enough of those locations to choose from in the traditionally weather-blasted Volta.

He's also turned in one huge performance at the three-week level, too, in the 2025 Vuelta a España, where he claimed fifth. But having got his Grand Tours success in progress already, now it's time for him to step up a grade, if he can, in terms of consistency in bigger and harder World Tour week-long races.

The Volta has always served as an ideal platform for that kind of breakthrough for young riders. To name but a few in recent years, Egan Bernal, Nairo Quintana (before he signed for Movistar and when he won the King of the Mountains with a small Colombian team) and Hugh Carthy, once Best Young Rider in the Volta, all shone brightly, very early in their careers, over several days in the roads of Catalunya before going on to greater things. This March could now be Riccitello's moment to join their company.

Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek)

Lidl-Trek must be thanking their lucky stars they opted to sign Derek Gee-West at the last minute last year. It's not only because the Canadian National Champion finished seventh overall in the recent UAE Tour, which bodes well in terms of his early-season form and suggests he's integrating well in his new squad.

On top of that, given the miserable luck currently being suffered by several of the Lidl-Trek team leaders – Juan Ayuso, Jonathan Milan and Matthias Skjelmose are all in the sick bay right now, while Mads Pedersen made it back to race Milan-San Remo – Gee-West looks like one of their best options for stand-out success next week.

A debut participant in the Volta and aiming for the Giro d'Italia, the 28-year-old has an excellent track record of top-five finishes in week-long stage races since his breakthrough podium in the Critérium du Dauphiné back in 2024. A fourth place in Tirreno-Adriatico last year and a win overall in the tough, relatively new ultra-hilly Spanish stage race, O Gran Camiño, both bode well.

But above all, Gee-West will be looking to see how closely he's approaching the form he had when he got a surprising fourth overall in the Giro d'Italia last year. Just as for everybody, for Gee-West, there's more than a whiff of the Grand Tours about how he fares in the Volta a Catalunya this year.

Milan-San Remo was once a wide-open race, with a host of contenders from bulky sprinters to Grand Tour climbers.

The list of favourites for the 2026 edition is looking a little narrower after Tadej Pogačar's race-upending tactics from 12 months ago.

Whereas the race once boiled down to the question of who could make it over the Poggio, the ticket to the victory lottery on the Via Roma now lies on the rear wheel of Pogačar on the Cipressa.

Who can dream of following the Slovenian when the expected fireworks surely materialise? Who are the fastest finishers if the World Champion and the defending champion Mathieu van der Poel can't quite blow the race to pieces with their attacks? And who are the dark horses slipping under the radar?

Here, Cyclingnews dives into the contenders for Saturday's Milan-San Remo.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Where else to start than with the World Champion? Tadej Pogačar may be yet to crack Milan-San Remo but he has bent the shape of the race, so much so that the 2026 edition essentially revolves around him.

After a couple of years of trying to generally intensify the race, the 2025 edition was a landmark as Pogačar brought the Cipressa, so long dormant as a decisive point of the race, truly into play. Now it’s not a question of whether Pogačar will play his cards and light it up on the Cipressa, but whether he’ll have anyone on his wheel at the top. Two managed it 12 months ago, but Pogačar is another year wiser, and seemingly still getting stronger.

The Tour of Flanders offers something of a clue here. He dominated on his debut in 2022 but was undone at the last, then returned to conquer it the following year. He is clearly similarly hell-bent on winning Milan-San Remo, and there’s an even greater sense of momentum after finishing fifth, fourth, third, and third. We’ve almost become anaesthetised to Pogačar’s history-making, and it almost feels like a solo from the Cipressa to land a fourth of the five Monuments is the next logical step in this story.

There are many factors at play, though. For starters, Pogačar will need his team to be better than the disorganised lead-outs they’ve mustered on the Cipressa in the past two years, and the absence of Tim Wellens is a blow in that respect. He’ll need a decent tailwind, which is looking likely. And he’ll need Mathieu van der Poel to be slightly off his spectacular best, which is looking rather less likely after the Dutchman’s exploits at Tirreno-Adriatico this week.

Either way, Pogačar’s presence will light up the race. Milan-San Remo was already brilliant, but he’s made it even better.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Milan-San Remo may revolve around Pogačar but the man to beat is very much Mathieu van der Poel.

The Dutchman has won two of the past three editions of the race. The other one, his teammate won – a victory that was ultimately set up by Van der Poel on the Via Roma.

With eight Monuments already to his name, Van der Poel is the dominant Spring Classics rider of this generation and now, with Wout van Aert in the rear-view mirror, it’s Pogačar who is, remarkably, the biggest threat to that status. The Slovenian has nine Monuments in hand and, with two Tour of Flanders wins and an extraordinary runner-up finish at Paris-Roubaix last year, he is giving Van der Poel a hell of a lot to think about on his own turf.

But Van der Poel seems to hold all the answers. Unlike Filippo Ganna, who was hanging on for grim death in Pogačar’s Cipressa attack last year, Van der Poel had the measure of the World Champion on the longer climb, the explosiveness to give him a test on the Poggio, and the superior finishing speed to win it on the Via Roma.

That was 12 months ago, but if anything Van der Poel looks even better so far in 2026. He won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad at a canter on his season debut, then shone at last week’s Tirreno-Adriatico with two stage wins and a number of other show-stopping moments.

He is very much the most likely winner of the race on Saturday.

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)

It feels appropriate to lead with the three riders who went clear over the Cipressa last year. We’ve touched on the form of both Pogačar and Van der Poel and suggested they look even stronger than 12 months ago, and while Filippo Ganna hasn’t done anything quite as sensational as those two, he appears to be very much on track with his form.

At Tirreno-Adriatico, he won the opening time trial by some margin – 22 seconds over just 11.5km. Later in the race he survived the selections on stage 4, as the heaviest rider in the 13-man group that contested the finish, where Ganna looked to spring a surprise with a last-kilometre attack.

That might give us a clue as to his path to Milan-San Remo victory. Ganna does pack a strong sprint and has even contested bunch kicks, but it’s hard to see him arriving on the Via Roma in a group that doesn’t include a faster finisher, Van der Poel being the clear and obvious example. Likewise, Ganna’s heavier frame and relative lack of explosiveness mean he’ll be fighting against being dropped on the Cipressa and Poggio, rather than trying to do the dropping.

Ganna’s best hope perhaps lies towards the bottom of the Poggio descent and onto the flat. If there’s any hesitation behind, any gap he can open is a dangerous one given his time trialling prowess. Ganna knows he has a lot of work and suffering just to earn that long shot, but his passion for this shines bright and a victory would send the home crowds into delirium.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The winner of Milan-San Remo in 2020, Wout van Aert usually starts each and every Classic as a favourite, but his status is very much dimmed this time around. Remarkably, that 2020 San Remo remains the one and only Monument title to the name of the Belgian, who, at 31, is running out of time to turn his palmarès into something more reflective of his talents.

There has been no shortage of hiccups over the past few Springs, and this one sees Van Aert still working his way towards his top shape after a disrupted winter. Van Aert broke his ankle at the turn of the year, saw his altitude training camp derailed by foul weather, and had to pass on his season debut at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad due to illness. When he did get going, he punctured out of Le Samyn and admitted to a number of mistakes at Tirreno-Adriatico, including in his positioning, which remains an important question mark ahead of the hustle and bustle of the run-in to the Cipressa on Saturday.

In perhaps the lone example of what Van Aert felt was a fair and honest reflection of his form, he was 10th at Strade Bianche two weekends ago. He will have made a step forward through Tirreno but it still seems unlikely we’ll see the Wout van Aert of old on Saturday. He has an extra two and three weeks for Flanders and Roubaix, but Milan-San Remo might just come too soon.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

If we do get a bigger group sprint on the Via Roma, then Jasper Philipsen is arguably the favourite. The Belgian has established himself as arguably the world’s top sprinters in the past few years, and he’s much more than a flat-track finisher, twice placing runner-up at Paris-Roubaix and winning Milan-San Remo itself two years ago.

When it comes to Philipsen, the key is the double act he forms with Van der Poel, and in that respect, Alpecin-Premier Tech have the perfect combination for the race. Van der Poel will invariably go on the offensive, as he did to win alone in 2023, but when he can’t get away he can always bring Philipsen into play, as was the case in 2024.

After Pogačar’s groundbreaking Cipressa attack last year, though, it would appear that the race is weighted even more towards Van der Poel this time around. The world champion’s presence has simply made a bunch sprint – already becoming rarer – an even more remote possibility. But San Remo is never a foregone conclusion, and despite some question marks over his early-season sprinting form, his searing victory on the uphill finish at Nokere Koerse on Wednesday suggested he may have come good at the right time.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

An hour before Philipsen was launching that searing sprint, Tom Pidcock was making a statement of his own over in Italy, winning Milano-Torino with a display that suggests he’s in a very good place ahead of San Remo.

The British rider looked so at ease physically and mentally as the leading candidates made their way up Superego, and his finishing attack was that perfect mix of brains and brawn. Launching just ahead of the tight bend onto the final ramp, Piddock took all the momentum to create a gap, then ripped out of the saddle and kept ramping it up as his rivals faded into the distance.

Pidcock had a breakthrough season last year with his new Pinarello Q36.5 squad, making a first Grand Tour podium, and he has made a strong impression so far in 2026, with a stage win and third overall at Ruta del Sol, and podiums at Vuelta a Murcia and Clásica Jaén. He was seventh at Strade Bianche but dropped his chain twice just as Pogačar was making his race-winning moves.

Pidcock was 15th on his debut at San Remo in 2021 and nearly triumphed in the race in 2024 with a late attack 1.2km from the finish. So he’s well suited to it, even if it will be a tricky one for him to win. His descending skills are legendary and the descent of the Poggio is a clear opportunity for him, but the real question mark will be whether he can join the band of Pogačar’s followers on the Cipressa. If he can avoid his positioning mistake of 12 months ago, his quality means it’s not a stretch to imagine him in that esteemed company. After which, who knows what could happen?

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United)

Three riders went over the top of the Cipressa together last year but initially it was four that went clear. The forgotten man from that attack was Romain Grégoire, who couldn’t hack the pace all the way to the top, but still outdid the rest of the field in managing to follow for any time at all.

He went on to win six races in what was a breakthrough campaign and this year, having just turned 23, he looks to be moving through the gears. Fifth at Ruta del Sol was followed by victory at the Faun Drôme Classic and second spot at Trofeo Laigueglia, but it was his fourth place at a gruelling Strade Bianche that stood out.

Grégoire was always seen as a puncheur more suited to the Ardennes Classics but he’s developing into a more rounded Classics rider and will head to the cobbles of Flanders for the first time in a couple of weeks. Another year older and wiser, he’ll surely be looking to go with the Pogačar fireworks once again, and hang on a bit longer this time.

Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)

We're getting much deeper into outsider territory here, but Tobias Lund Andresen has been the surprise package of the season so far, so why can't he spring another one on Saturday?

The 23-year-old Dane is a sprinter who's best suited to finishing fast after a series of hills, and is enjoying a bit of a breakthrough in the colours of his new team Decathlon CMA CGM. He won a stage of the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia at the start of the year, and made a strong impression at the Classics' Opening Weekend, with top 10s at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

A sprint victory at Tirreno-Adriatico ahead of Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Jasper Philipsen, and Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) confirmed his step-up in level this year and marked him as an outside threat for Milan-San Remo.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

A bonus ball, and a rider highlighted by our resident columnist Sean Kelly (two-time San Remo winner) as the "danger man" that no one's looking at this Saturday.

Isaac del Toro has played down his own chances, insisting he'll be burning all his matches leading Pogačar out on the Cipressa, more than likely as the last man in the line before the world champ takes flight. If that all goes to plan, then the Mexican prodigy's part in the race will indeed be reduced to that of servant.

But not everything always goes to plan, and not all plans are stuck to. What if Pogačar has problems or crashes earlier in the race? Del Toro is more than good enough to step into the leadership role. And what if UAE decided to mix things up a little? A Del Toro attack could be a cunning way to put the pressure back onto Van der Poel.

It's hard to see UAE employing the dual leadership strategy but the point is that if they did, or if something happens to Pogačar, Del Toro can be a legitimate contender. His star is still on the rise, with wins at UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico so far this season, plus a podium at Strade Bianche behind Pogačar. He has very much cemented himself in the world class bracket and he has viciously explosive climbing skills well suited to Milan-San Remo.

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Last year's return of the women's version of Milan-San Remo, after a 20-year absence, was a rowdy rush of a dozen usual suspects for the 5.4-kilometre finale from the top of the Poggio to the line on Via Roma.

A surprise attack was made by Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ), but sprinters ruled the day with Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) punching past Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) in the final 10 metres for the win.

A first glance at this year's Monument reveals a replica of the 2025 course, the same 156.9 kilometres hugging the Mediterranean coast from Genoa to San Remo. The pair of climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio propel the action in the final 30km. Factoring in the start list full of puncheurs, sprinters and powerful one-day riders, there may be a different blueprint about to unfold in this year’s race.

Will podium spots be filled by sprinters Wiebes and Vos again? They both return as well as a cavalcade of challengers, while top finishers Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) will be absent. The final start lists were still to be released by teams at the time of this writing, so we look at the riders we expect to contend for the first women's Monument of the season.

Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek)

Former world champion Elisa Balsamo is looking for her first victory of the season, and she's motivated to make that happen on home soil. She was the top Lidl-Trek rider at Omloop Nieuwsblad to start the Classics season, however that was in 18th.

She changed up her programme this year by racing in Spain, skipping Trofeo Alfredo Binda where she won last year. Balsamo took second on a punchy stage 2 at Vuelta a Extremadura to show the legs were coming around.

At San Remo last year she finished in the bunch finish in seventh, so look for her show her love for one-day races and make a statement in Italy.

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)

The defending champion of the women's reinstated Milan-San Remo is always a contender with a flat finish, but she has stated a repeat for this Spring Classic is "not a must-have". What does that mean exactly? It means she may work for teammate Lotte Kopecky this time, as they look to share success in order to deposit more victories in the account for the team.

Wiebes has been by far the fastest rider in the peloton for several seasons, and this year already has three stage wins from UAE Tour Women, a victory at the 1.Pro-level Leeuw-Oetingen and third at Omloop Nieuwsblad.

She stated earlier this spring that Amstel Gold Race was a big goal as well as opening stages of the Giro d'Italia. Race day situations are unpredictable, but SD Worx goes in with formidable options with Wiebes and Kopecky.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

Lotte Kopecky returned to her winning ways at the Wednesday's Nokere Koerse, adding the Belgian race to her calendar between Italian races. She didn't factor into top results at Omloop Nieuwsblad or Strade Bianche, but found a spark to finish seventh at Trofeo Alfredo Binda.

Always aggressive and hungry to hit top form at Spring Classics, Kopecky made the trip to the mid-week one-day race to gain confidence headed into Milan-San Remo.

Last year the two-time World Champion ultimately positioned her teammate Wiebes for the win. With a victory notched in Belgium, her third at Nokere Koerse, she may be the SD Worx rider to go for glory this time on Via Roma.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

The Polish road champion enters the race motivated by two podiums in her first pair of Classic races this season, but she has stated "it's not victory". So far this season Niewiadoma-Phinney was runner-up twice, to Demi Vollering at Omloop Nieuwsblad and against Elise Chabbey at Strade Bianche. She's not just primed for her first win of the year, but her first win since taking the road Polish title nine months ago.

She's up for a repeat challenge across the Poggio, where she attacked last year. However, the 3.7km climb at just 3.7% was not tough enough for her to hold a gap and she trailed in 15th position behind a charge of sprinters.

Without teammate Chloé Dygert on the team's start list this time, the team's top performer last year in sixth, Niewiadoma-Phinney will get support from Italian Chiara Consonni.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

The multi-discipline Dutch rider is still just 23, but in two full seasons at the Women's WorldTour has firmly stamped a signature of consistency on the road, especially in one-day races. In 2024, she landed podiums at Ronde van Drenthe and Trofeo Alfredo Binda, and last year, she stormed to her first Classics title at La Flèche Wallonne and second place at Lièege-Bastogne-Liège, while taking top 10s at nine other spring races, including Milano-San Remo.

While she used her winter to focus on cyclo-cross, winning bronze in the elite women's race at the World Championships, Pieterse has had a solid start with three Italian races so far and looked strong with a sixth-place finish at Strade Bianche.

Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ)

The Dutch rider is off to a stellar start in 2026, with wins at Trofeo Binissalem-Andratx and Trofeo Alfredo Binda. In fact, in seven one-day races so far this spring, she's finished sixth or better in all but one of those races, with a sixth place at Omloop Nieuwsblad. It's a tough call to say she would grab the glory ahead of teammate Borghini on Saturday, but she's on form and gives the team options.

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Sunday's Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio is a race that holds a special place in the women's calendar, with an honour roll of winners so long that few other races can even come close to its history and prestige.

The race that has long loomed large in the women's calendar, first running in 1974 and only missing three years through the intervening period. Will it be a new name or one of the number of returning victors that claims the honour this year in Italy?

It has become the happiest of hunting grounds for Lidl-Trek, who with three different riders have won the last five editions. Elisa Balsamo has been the most successful of these but in the early releases from the race she isn't mentioned, it appearing that teammate and 2023 victor Shirin van Anrooij will be attempting to keep the streak running for the team instead this year.

There will, however, be plenty of competition from other former winners and aspiring ones alike at the race which concludes with a series of punchy, repeated climbs and then a mild uphill sprint in Cittiglio.

Final start lists have not yet been released at the time of writing but from among the riders expected to be on the line when the peloton sets out from Luino on the coast on Sunday, March 15, here are some of those that look well-placed to be in the running to add their name to one of the longest honour rolls in women's cycling.

Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)

It's not just Elisa Balsamo's three wins in the last four editions of the race – 2025, 2024 and 2022 – that make Binda such a success for the Lidl-Trek, and it looks like the squad will be leaning on another of its recent winners this year.

Shirin van Anrooij attacked on a descent at 25km out to claim the win in 2023 – her first Women's WorldTour victory – and while she has certainly had some strong results in the meantime she has also had some tough times, with iliac artery endofibrosis surgery in the intervening period. Her return last season though was promising, including third on a stage at the Giro d'Italia. On top of that she was in the top 10 at Strade Bianche last week, so returning to the scene of her first major victory may be just what she needs to take another.

The team strength and know-how at this event is unquestionable, and their hunger to win should be equally as indisputable. Lidl-Trek are yet to take a Women's WorldTour win this year. In fact, the only mark they have on the victory tally is the early Australian time trial title win scooped up by Felicity Wilson-Haffenden.

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

Elisa Longo Borghini is one of the riders that contributed to the Lidl-Trek winning streak, kicking it off in 2021 by taking her second victory at the race. Her first came with another team in 2013 and UAE Team ADQ will be hoping her third will be with them.

They have every reason to be optimistic, as not only does Longo Borghini have a history of rising to the challenge on home soil, being a two-time Giro d'Italia winner, she has also started out the year in very strong form. She claimed the crucial Queen stage at the UAE Tour to claim overall victory for a second year running, then it was a powerful performance at Strade Bianche with fourth before a mid-week win at Trofeo Oro in Euro on Monday.

The Italian rider will, of course, be hoping it's a selective finish and hoping to head to the finish line solo with a substantial gap just like she did in both 2021 and 2013.

Cat Ferguson (Movistar)

Cat Ferguson put her hand up as a contender at the race last year when she stepped up to the place in her debut at the race in her debut season. It was an impressive performance from the then 18-year-old and there is no telling what she can do with an extra year of experience and a solid run-in.

The British rider this year opened her road season with a victory at Trofeo Llucmajor in late January and then took a third place at Vuelta CV Feminas in February and the stage 2 win at Setmana Valenciana. What's more, with a fourth place at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad against a stacked field at the end of February, there is no question that she has what it takes to be at the pointy end of big Classics.

It is certainly not a stretch to think the chips could tumble her way and that by Sunday there is a solid chance that, at just 19, she could have not just a Women's WorldTour stage win to her name but also a one-day race victory at the top tier.

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

One rider that should never be looked past on terrain like this is Marianne Vos, and she has the race record to prove it – having won even more editions than Balsamo, with a tally of four. Those victories came back in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2019 but she made clear top performances at this event weren't just history in 2025 when she took fourth and what's more that was her very first road race of the season. In fact, out of her 10 times lining up at the race, she has been on the podium six times.

This time Trofeo Alfredo Binda is still an early outing for Vos, but she made clear on her return to the peloton for 2026 that she wasn't in the least bit rusty. She was in Teide in February to get set for the year and headed back into the fray with seventh at Strade Bianche. That's enough to indicate that if Vos gets a sniff of a potential fifth victory at the race on that final uphill sprint, she will be one tough rider to beat.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

It was a powerful showing for Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney last weekend at Strade Bianche and the week before at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but also a heartbreaking one as she had to settle for second at both races once again. Perhaps, though, victory at Trofeo Binda could be just the salve required to calm that wound.

Niewiadoma-Phinney hasn't raced at the event – which she won in 2018 – since 2023 and she is now returning not only with clear form but also a Canyon-SRAM team that looks primed for victory. Apart from having a former winner on the squad, there is Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, who has found the podium at the race three times and Soraya Paladin who has been in the top five through four of the last five editions.

Add in Neve Bradbury as some accomplished support on the climbs and there is no question the team is fronting up to the event with reason to think the top step is within reach. None of her rival will be surprised if Niewiadoma-Phinney takes flight on the final climbs, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will be able to do anything to stop it happening.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

Lotte Kopecky has only raced at Trofeo Alfredo Binda once before but then she came second. It's exactly the type of race that suits her hardiness on the short hills combined with a fast finish so with a couple of races now under her belt to get the road season going this could be her chance to start chasing the podium.

The Belgian rider will also have some adept teammates with a strong history at the event, from Elena Cecchini who has twice come fifth to Anna van der Breggen, who finished on the podium in 2015. She could be a handy card for attacks, both to throw them down so other teams have to chase or help reel them in for her fast finishing teammates.

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Spring Classics season is well underway, but the major stage races of the spring are here, too, with Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico hosting many of the peloton's GC specialists this week.

Joining those with ambitions of stage race glory are Classics riders ramping up for the cobbles over the next month, as well as sprinters looking for more stage wins to add to their palmarès while also looking ahead to Milan-San Remo.

The 61st edition of Tirreno-Adriatico kicks off on Monday, with 168 riders setting off from Lido di Camaiore to tackle the 1,165km of racing spread across seven days on the road to San Benedetto del Tronto.

Along the way, the Tirreno-Adriatico route features a time trial, two sprint days, and four challenging hilly stages, with 16 classified climbs spread across the week.

Reigning champion Juan Ayuso may not return to defend his crown, but who are the riders to watch at the 2026 Tirreno-Adriatico?

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

In the absence of Ayuso, who is heading to Paris-Nice with his new team, Lidl-Trek, the Spaniard's former UAE teammate Isaac del Toro lines up as the main favourite this time around.

The Mexican has already triumphed this season, coming from behind to defeat Antonio Tiberi at his team's home race, and he finished fourth here on his debut two years ago.

Now 22, Del Toro has more experience to draw on and, following 18 victories last season, is already one of the top riders in the world.

There won't be a summit finish on which to make a difference here, however. Instead, Del Toro and the other climbers will look to win the race on the walls of stage 5's Santuario Beato Sante (featuring 9% gradients up to a maximum of 19%) and stage 6's Camerino (featuring an 800m section at 13% and a 600m section at 19%), each of which features three times.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

Mathieu van der Poel has started his season in flying form, living up to the tag of overwhelming favourite at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad to win the Belgian season opener with seeming ease. His preparation for the main clutch of Classics continues in Italy at a race that frequently slots into his spring plans.

The Dutchman heads to Tirreno for the fifth time in his career, having taken three stage wins along the way. Last year, he notched a second and third place during the week before going on to win Milan-San Remo, the E3 Saxo Classic, and Paris-Roubaix.

Van der Poel would be happy to add another stage win to his tally this week, but you sense that getting a week of racing kilometres in the legs ahead of those bigger goals to come is the main aim of the week.

Kaden Groves comes along as Alpecin-Premier-Tech option for the sprint stages, while it's also worth keeping an eye on talented 22-year-old Tibor Del Grosso.

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Two-time race winner Primož Roglič is the only previous champion of Tirreno-Adriatico to line up at the start this year. The Slovenian won the race in 2019 and 2023, and will look to go clear of Moser, Rominger, Nibali, Pogačar et al as the second most successful rider in Tirreno history this week, even if Roger De Vlaeminck's six titles remain well out of reach.

With the addition of Remco Evenepoel to the Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe stable over the winter, Roglič has been somewhat out of the limelight and in the shade. He'll be leading Red Bull in Italy, however.

The Slovenian has won almost all there is to win of the prestigious WorldTour stage races at this point, with only the Tour de Suisse missing from his palmarès. He has 11 titles across Tirreno, Paris-Nice, Catalunya, Itzulia, Romandie, and the Dauphiné, and last spring scored a second win in Catalunya.

Roglič makes his 2026 season bow in Lido di Camaiore, so we don't have much to go on in terms of form, but he has a strong team around him, with former Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley among the support riders.

Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)

A nailed-on sprint stage on the final day and a tempting, if challenging, run to Magliano de' Marsi on stage 3 is all the sprinters have to make do with at this year's Tirreno-Adriatico – a reduction in the three flat finishes of last year's race.

However, Jonathan Milan, a double stage winner and points champion in each of the previous two editions, is back for the ride this week. With Jasper Philipsen elsewhere and Tim Merlier still awaiting his season start, the Italian lines up as the strongest sprinter on the start list and the favourite to add at least one further stage to his tally.

Milan already has five wins to his name this season, all taken in the Middle East. He'll face stronger sprint tests here, though, with the likes of Paul Magnier, Kaden Groves, and Arnaud De Lie also racing. Still, the 25-year-old starts the race as the outstanding sprint favourite for a reason.

Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious)

Italy has waited some time for a heir to their great GC riders of history, the most recent of which was Vincenzo Nibali. Could Antonio Tiberi fill that role?

The 24-year-old is making progress towards that goal, even if he may not reach the heights of Italian cycling's past heroes. A fifth at the 2024 Giro d'Italia and a third at last year's Tirreno-Adriatico are his standout results to date.

Tiberi started 2026 strongly, too, following up fourth at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana with second behind Del Toro in the UAE. He heads to Tirreno ready to do battle with the Mexican once more on the back of another podium at the Trofeo Laigueglia, and he's clearly a man in form.

Laigueglia saw Tiberi and teammate Santiago Buitrago work Romain Grégoire in the final, with the Colombian soloing home to victory. He and Buitrago will team up once more this week, forming a powerful duo at the head of the Bahrain Victorious selection.

Cristian Scaroni (XDS-Astana)

Italian puncheur Cristian Scaroni has already made our list of riders who could make a breakthrough this spring. The 28-year-old's performance in numerous hilly one-day races last season (four wins and 15 more top-10s) was vital in helping XDS-Astana secure their future in the WorldTour.

Will he make the step up at that WorldTour level races this season? We'll find out shortly, with Scaroni hitting Tirreno en route to Itzulia and the Ardennes Classics. Astana directeur sportif Dmitri Fofonov said after Scaroni's Tour of Oman triumph that he hopes his charge can carry his performances onto that higher level.

He's been one of the top performers to start 2026, in any case, with his Oman win accompanied by another at the Classics Camp de Morvedre, podiums at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana and Tour des Alpes-Maritimes, and four further top-10 finishes. With plenty of hills on the menu at Tirreno, he should find the terrain to his liking.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)

With Jonas Vingegaard leading Visma-Lease a Bike at Paris-Nice, two-time winner of that race Matteo Jorgenson is freed up to lead the Dutch squad at Tirreno, his first participation since 2020.

The American rider will be supporting Vingegaard at the Tour de France in July, but he's free to go for his own chances elsewhere, and he's in good form heading into the week. Last weekend, he made his season debut in France at the Faun-Ardèche and Faun Drôme Classics, finishing fourth at the former and second at the latter.

This spring, Jorgenson is skipping the cobbles and building up to a shot at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and so the hills of Central Italy figure to play a vital role in the lead-in to that main early-season goal.

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Irish racer Ben Healy is another who should thrive on the hilly stages this week. The 25-year-old has made his name in the hills of various races around Europe, including the Tour, Giro, Itzulia, and the Ardennes. A bronze medal at last year's Road Worlds in Rwanda is a further-flung highlight of his career to date.

He returns to Tirreno-Adriatico for the third season in a row, though he hasn't quite had the success here as he had elsewhere. To date, an eighth place on last year's penultimate stage summit finish remains his best at the race, though there are opportunities to improve on that this week.

Healy has had a somewhat quiet start to 2026, with 20th and 44th at Faun-Ardèche and Faun Drôme Classics. He did, however, recently extend his contract with EF through the end of the 2029 season. This year, Tirreno and Itzulia are major stops on the way to the Ardennes.

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

Newly-crowned Colombian champion Egan Bernal heads up the Ineos Grenadiers selection for the race after a positive start to his eighth season with the British team. After finishing fifth at the Colombian time trial Championships, he outduelled Iván Sosa for the road title before heading to Europe for a seventh place at the Faun-Ardèche Classic.

After taking several seasons to recover from a career-threatening crash suffered in 2022, Bernal's 2025 campaign marked his best year since 2021, with top 10s at the Giro d'Italia, Volta a Catalunya, Vuelta a Burgos, and Il Lombardia coming with a breakaway mountain stage victory at the Vuelta a España.

Back at Tirreno for the first time since his fourth place in 2021, Bernal will surely be aiming for a similar result in San Benedetto del Tronto, or perhaps even a podium spot.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Wout van Aert is our second selection from Visma-Lease a Bike, as everyone awaits to see whether the Belgian Classics star can get to the cobbles without suffering yet more bad luck.

Already this season, the 31-year-old has been forced to miss Omloop Het Nieuwsblad through illness, while a late puncture undid his season debut at the Ename Samyn Classic. Tirreno offers another reset, then, and a chance to get a good block of racing in before heading to Milan-San Remo and then the northern cobbles.

Van Aert has enjoyed plenty of success in Italy, with six of his career wins coming there – including San Remo, Strade Bianche, a Giro d'Italia stage, and two at the 2021 Tirreno-Adriatico. Back then, he triumphed in a flat sprint and short time trial, though this time around it's the lumpy stages 2 and 3 that best suit his skills.

Others to watch

While Healy is one to watch for a win over multiple days of the race, Richard Carapaz heads up EF Education-EasyPost's GC charge in Italy. The Ecuadorian is building towards the Giro d'Italia once again, where he'll go up against Jonas Vingegaard in hopes of improving on last year's third place. He hasn't enjoyed quick starts to his European campaigns in recent seasons, however, so it might be a quiet week for Carapaz.

Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) makes his ninth start at Tirreno-Adriatico, and all eyes will be on him for day one, where he'll look to add to his four previous Tirreno time trial victories. The double world time trial champion will be favourite to do just that, though a repeat of his second place overall seems less likely.

Should Primož Roglič flatter to deceive, then home favourite Giulio Pellizzari is the man most likely to step up for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe. The 22-year-old is the rising star of Italian cycling after finishing sixth at the Giro and Vuelta last season. He started 2026 with third at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana.

Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) is the man most likely to challenge Jonathan Milan in the bunch sprints this week. The 21-year-old started the season in fine form with two stage wins at the Volta ao Algarve. Teammate Ilan Van Wilder, 11th at the UAE Tour, is the Belgian team's GC hope.

The other big Belgian squad, Lotto-Intermarché, also come armed with a sprint-GC pairing. Arnaud De Lie will hope to improve on a season-high of fifth place so far in the sprints, while Lennert Van Eetvelt scored sixth in the UAE.

Michael Storer heads to Italy as Tudor's GC hopeful. This time last year, the Australian took a stage win en route to finishing fifth at Paris-Nice. He'll be thrilled if he can emulate that result in Italy.

While the Classics specialists ply their trade over in Belgium, the Grand Tour contenders are due to get their engines primed for the build-up to the Tour de France in Paris-Nice, racing 1,245 kilometres from Achères to Nice.

In his third straight year of early-season disruptions, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) is making a previously unplanned start in the Race to the Sun, having had to drop the UAE Tour from his calendar after a training crash and illness.

That makes the Danish rider the prime contender to win Paris-Nice – even if it is his first competition of the season.

While his Tour de France rival Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) prefers to race Strade Bianche and the likes of Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and Pogačar's teammate Isaac del Toro have opted for Tirreno-Adriatico, there is still a sizable list of riders lined up to challenge Vingegaard. Among these top contenders are several notable names.

The eight-day Paris-Nice route starts with an Ardennes Classics-style stage to Carrières-sous-Poissy outside of Paris, contains a 24-kilometre team time trial as a prelude to the TTT in the Tour de France in July, and three uphill finishes before an unconventional finish around Nice that completely avoids the Col d'Eze and Col des Quatre Chemins that featured in 2024 and 2025.

Still, there is enough climbing throughout the week to challenge the Paris-Nice contenders, but they might have to get a little clever about how they pick up time along the way.

On Friday, UAE Team Emirates-XRG announced that João Almeida would not be racing due to illness, Picnic-PostNL said the same about Max Poole, and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) is out with a wrist injury. Here are Cyclingnews' favourites for the 2026 Paris-Nice from the remaining start list.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Before Opening Weekend, Cyclingnews' news editor Patrick Fletcher suggested that Vingegaard's team have had a nightmare start to 2026, having not won until Matthew Brennan's victory in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. However, compared to the past two years, Visma-Lease a Bike's luck has been far better in 2026.

Consider that Vingegaard crashed in Itzulia in 2024 and suffered serious injuries that kept him out for three months before the Tour de France. In 2025, he crashed in Paris-Nice and suffered a bad concussion while in the lead of the race – an incident that again kept him out of competition for almost three months. He still finished second in the Tour both years.

Some road rash and a small bug might have forced a change of plans, but while skipping the UAE Tour is a setback, he's more than capable of winning Paris-Nice as a first outing – he won Volta ao Algarve in his opener last year – and he is likely still on track for his new goal, the Giro d'Italia, before the Tour de France.

One thing that might work against him is that Wout van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson are sticking to their schedule to race Tirreno-Adriatico, which will take away two major motors for the TTT.

However, he's set to have help from the likes of Victor Campenaerts and Edoardo Affini on that stage, even if the team figures to be lighter on climbing support than it might be at the Grand Tours.

Vingegaard hasn't won Paris-Nice before. He was second to Pogačar in 2023. If he can claim the title this year and avoid any further bad luck, he can then head to the Giro d'Italia and try to re-establish himself as Pogačar's better at the Tour just like his Slovenian nemesis did in 2024 (albeit with Catalunya, not Paris-Nice).

Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)

After a contentious departure from UAE Team Emirates, Juan Ayuso is quickly establishing himself at the top of Lidl-Trek's stage race hierarchy. With his victory in this year’s Volta ao Algarve, he will be the sole rider to head up the team’s efforts in Paris-Nice after Mattias Skjelmose was unable to start because of injury

Ayuso is coming in with the momentum of a stage win and overall victory in Portugal, and he'll have Mathias Vacek and Søren Kragh Andersen as anchors for the TTT and Lennard Kämna for climbing support.

The enforced absence of Skjelmose means Ayuso will be the full focus of Lidl-Trek's efforts, but as a former winner and runner-up of Tirreno-Adriatico, he'll have plenty of options on his own account despite the drop in firepower.

Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers)

Ineos Grenadiers are hedging their bets, giving two incoming riders a shot for Paris-Nice: Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley.

The two exciting young riders also had a strong start to 2026: Onley was fourth in Algarve, while Vauquelin was fifth.

Their strengths balance each other's weaknesses – Vauquelin is the better time trialist, while Onley is a stronger climber – and two is always better than one when it comes to trying to defeat a star like Vingegaard.

In this edition of Paris-Nice, the stage profiles may suit Onley, but the team time trial will be pivotal in shaping their overall standing. With Filippo Ganna participating in Tirreno-Adriatico, Ineos will be missing a key TTT rider who will most likely be powering their Tour de France team time trial in July.

Aleksandr Vlasov and Dani Martínez (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

With Remco Evenepoel taking a break before the Volta a Catalunya, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe also head into Paris-Nice without former winner Primož Roglič (racing Tirreno), leaving Dani Martínez and Aleksandr Vlasov to lead the charge.

Both riders have finished seventh overall in their first stage races of 2026 – Vlasov at the Ruta del Sol and Valenciana, Martínez at the Volta ao Algarve. Both riders, too, have past podiums and a single stage win in Paris-Nice on their palmarès – Martínez was third in 2022, Vlasov second in 2021.

While Martínez is punchier, Vlasov is more of a diesel, so they'll be targeting different stages. Having two equally matched leaders will be advantageous, tactically. Can either of them match the likes of Vingegaard? We'll find out in Nice.

Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious)

Frenchman Lenny Martinez has been hyper-aggressive in his first three outings this year, finishing on the podium in the Faun Drôme and Faun Ardèche Classics, and looks to be on fine form for Paris-Nice.

A stage winner in 2025, Martinez is back in the Race to the Sun for the second time, having become far more consistent in week-long stage races last year with fifth place in Catalunya and second at Tour de Romandie.

Still just 22, the early signs in 2026 are pointing toward a true breakthrough year for Martinez, and Paris-Nice might just be a confirmation.

Iván Romeo (Movistar)

22-year-old Romeo started to come into his own in 2025 after his first two neo-pro years. Last year, he landed just off the podium in the UAE Tour and scored a top-10 in the Volta a Valenciana.

In the first two months of this year, Romeo has finished fourth in the Clàsica Jaén and won Ruta del Sol after seizing the lead on stage 2 from the breakaway before smartly fending off the challenge from Uno-X Mobility's Andreas Leknessund.

He won't be given the same luxuries in Paris-Nice, but Romeo is a clever and dynamic racer worth watching. The same could be said for Leknessund, also lining up at this race.

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Strade Bianche Women is celebrating its 12th anniversary this year as one of the most popular one-day classics on the calendar.

The peloton will compete over 133km of undulating terrain that includes eleven sectors of distinct white gravel roads, leading to the punishingly steep city-centre Via Santa Caterina climb into Siena's Piazza del Campo.

If Omloop Het Nieuwsblad offered a glimpse of what to expect, there will be several on-form riders wanting to stake a claim on the second major one-day race of the Spring Classics, including Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto).

Given the demanding nature of the terrain, which includes not only gravel roads but also short and steep climbs, this race is a great opportunity for a decisive breakaway. In its twelve seasons, this event has seen long-range solo attacks and small lead groups enter the final climb together.

Cyclingnews highlights just a few of the riders from among the women's peloton to watch at Strade Bianche in 2026.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ)

FDJ United-SUEZ are off to a flying start, with Ally Wollaston on a winning run in Australia and New Zealand, then Demi Vollering claiming the overall title at Vuelta Ciclista Setmana and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in what was a commanding display of team cohesion on the roads to Ninove.

Vollering has come into the early season in top form, even though her sights are set on bigger targets at the Tour de France in August. However, she has reduced her racing programme this year to include a selection of spring one-day races, with an eye on the podium top step.

She has already reached her first target by winning Omloop, and she is understandably the outright favourite to win Strade. Having won the race twice, in 2023 and 2025, the European Champion will know exactly what it takes to claim victory a third time.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Second to Vollering at Omloop, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney was the only rider who could follow her attack over the steepest part of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, and that alone bodes well for her chances of success just one week later at Strade Bianche.

The racing dynamics between Vollering and Niewiadoma-Phinney over the last few seasons have made for thrilling competition during both the Spring Classics and the Tour de France, where Vollering won in 2023, and Niewiadoma-Phinney won in 2024.

The Polish Champion has yet to win the Italian classic despite standing on the podium four times and recording nine top-10s out of 11 starts. "It would mean a lot to me! It’s been an extremely long journey following this dream, and often I say, ‘once I win that race, I will almost be fully satisfied with my cycling career," she said.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had an outstanding return to road cycling last year, after retiring from a sparkling mountain bike career, winning Paris-Roubaix and the Tour de France on home soil.

She will once again focus on select races during the Spring Classics, with Strade Bianche being her first event of this road season. Last year, she finished third behind Vollering and Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime), showing her versatility and strength across a range of terrain.

This year, she lines up with a similar programme but will undoubtedly have gained insights from her experiences in the Spring Classics last year, especially about once again racing against some of the leading riders and teams on the Women's WorldTour.

She is no stranger to the road scene, having raced for nearly a decade for top teams Rabobank and Canyon-SRAM from 2012-2020, and she is a 15-time world champion across road, cyclocross, mountain bike and gravel racing.

Though, Visma-Lease a Bike will also have a second card to play in Marianne Vos, who is also a 14-time world champion across road, cyclocross, track and gravel, and is not slowing down as she starts her 20th year in elite pro cycling.

Vos won stages at the Vuelta and Tour last year, and finished second at Milan-San Remo. She will likely prioritise the Spring Classics this year, where she and Ferrand-Prévot have fine-tuned their racing dynamics after a successful spring block last year.

Anna van der Breggen and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

Anna van der Breggen also returned to road racing last year after a three-year hiatus, but she too did so with a bang, placing second to Vollering in Siena.

Her performance showed her talent on the most challenging terrain. The four-time Giro winner, seven-time Flèche Wallonne winner and two-time road world champion wasn't able to replicate her success from previous seasons, but she noted how much the peloton's strength had grown in her absence.

With one full year of road racing under her belt, Van der Breggen will co-lead SD Worx-Protime at Strade Bianche in a bid to win a second title, having won a rain-soaked 2018 edition, she was also third in 2021 and second in 2025.

She only has two of the major early-season one-day races on her programme; Strade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda, before focusing on the Ardennes Classics, so she will want to make these count.

She lines up with former two-time winner Lotte Kopecky, who has a stated aim of being a 'wildcard' option during the Spring Classics. She was delayed at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad due to mechanical issues after being caught behind a late-race crash, so she will undoubtedly want to make up for that setback in Siena.

Kopecky won Strade Bianche in 2022 and 2024 and is certainly capable of following long-range attacks or being part of a selection coming into the finale. She and Van der Breggen will give the team two major cards to play and can even play off of one another in the final, so watch for them to have a big impact on the outcome of the race into the Piazza del Campo.

Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

Italian Champion Elisa Longo Borghini has not won Strade Bianche since 2017, but she has been on the podium four times. She lines up in great form, having won the UAE Tour for a second year in a row, and she brings that back to home soil for the start of her Spring Classics season in Siena.

Longo Borghini has had some ups and downs over the last few seasons, but her accomplishments certainly outweigh the rest with back-to-back Paris-Roubaix victories in 2022, a second Tour of Flanders win in 2024, and overall wins at the Giro d'Italia in 2024 and 2025.

She will undoubtedly want to have a strong start to her one-day racing campaign at Strade Bianche before moving on to Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Milan-San Remo.

Although she will lead UAE Team ADQ, they have a powerful squad with Silvia Persico. The team in general, showed its strength at Opening Weekend and will aim to carry that into the upcoming Italian races.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

There is no rest for the weary as Puck Pieterse carries her cyclo-cross racing form straight into the Spring Classics.

She has had two strong early road seasons in the past two years, with a fifth at Strade Bianche in her 2024 debut and top-10 performances in seven one-day races last spring.

This year, she starts with a very strong Fenix-Premier Tech team that saw Millie Couzens finish 8th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Charlotte Kool take the victory last weekend at Omloop van het Hageland.

Pieterse is certainly capable of winning in Siena, with proven strength after winning a stage of the Tour de France in 2024 and Flèche Wallonne atop the Mur de Huy in 2025. Watch for her to pull off a similar feat in Siena.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Racing in her brand new and bold Mauritian national champion jersey, Kim Le Court-Pienaar will lead the AG Insurance-Soudal squad at Strade Bianche.

She also arrives in top form, having finished fourth overall at the UAE Tour, putting her climbing skills to the test on Jebel Hafeet. There are no guarantees that will translate onto the gravel roads of Tuscany, but she has pulled off impressive performances at the biggest races over the last few seasons.

Last year, she secured top-10s in five one-day races in the spring and the victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège before going on to win a stage at the Tour de France and wear the yellow jersey.

It's hard to surpass a season like that, but Le Court-Pienaar is now positioned as one of the leading riders of the peloton, and all eyes will be on her for a win in Siena.

Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly)

Magdeleine Vallieres will line up in her new World Champion jersey after winning the elite women's road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali last September.

She already started her season at the Tour Down Under before travelling back to Europe, where she was sixth overall at the Setmana Valenciana.

Now she will lead the team in her first one-day Spring Classics of the season in Siena, where fans will be hoping to see a repeat of the brave breakaway performance that won her the world title six months ago.

Watch for her to join a decisive breakaway, maybe with the likes of Mavi Garcia (UAE Team ADQ) and Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), again, although neither are confirmed to start Strade Bianche, yet.

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With the Classics season now underway, Strade Bianche is the next big appointment for the stars of the men's WorldTour, with the white gravel roads of Tuscany and a stunning finale into Siena set to decide one of the calendar's most thrilling races on Saturday.

It brings with it the 2026 debut of a certain Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), a three-time winner, defending champion, and World Champion, who will look to open his account with another dominant performance.

While he has won three of the last four editions with long solo moves – only missing out in 2023 as he opted to prepare for Paris-Nice instead of racing at Strade – Pogačar hasn't gone unchallenged, and that will again be the case this season.

Saturday's race features a stacked start list, with three other former winners taking the start and a whole host of the peloton's top climbers there to challenge his spot at the top.

The route has been slightly softened with 14km and two gravel sectors taken out, but the hardest parts remain unchanged, and the San Martino in Grania, Monte Sante Marie, Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe sectors will again be decisive.

What's guaranteed is around five hours of total chaos, punctures, crashes and high octane attacks on some of the most breathtaking roads in the sport, with the steep climb up the Via Santa Caterina and Siena's Piazza del Campo certain to welcome another worthy winner.

With that in mind, we've taken a look through the top contenders and picked the most likely riders to challenge Pogačar's dominance, from established stars to young guns looking to impress on debut. Here are Cyclingnews' favourites for the men's 2026 Strade Bianche.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Tadej Pogačar retains his status as the favourite again this season, even in his first race of the season. A fourth win would see him stand alone as the rider with the most Strade Bianche wins ahead of Fabian Cancellara, which looks a likely conclusion from Saturday's race.

Putting up ridiculous numbers across his three wins, Pogačar has ridden the last 19km, 81km and 50km alone during those triumphs, often lighting up the racing on the five-star Monte Sante Marie sector and rarely being matched.

Pogačar does know the risks of this race, however, crashing before his victory in 2022 and then hitting the deck at high speed in last year's race, which he had to chase back from before dropping Tom Pidcock to take victory.

Aside from his own strength, the Slovenian will have the help of some very powerful teammates, even in the absence of last year's third-place finisher, Tim Wellens, with rising Mexican star Isaac del Toro the obvious standout after winning the recent UAE Tour.

Del Toro won the third-most races of any male rider in 2025, many of those at one-day races, and what he lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in power. If anything were to befall UAE's main leader, the Mexican would be expected to step up as the second favourite for victory.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

No one has come as close to Pogačar during his three wins as Tom Pidcock did last season, with the multi-discipline star lasting until the final lap up Pinzuto, excelling on the gravel sectors, uphill and downhill, and proving exactly why he, too, is a former winner.

Pidcock has an impressive record in his four appearances, never finishing outside the top five, and he'll be looking to maintain that record on Saturday and potentially challenge the World Champion again.

The Brit has impressed already in his first races this season, winning a stage in Andalucia, taking second on the gravel roads at Clásica Jaén, but he did struggle in the cold at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last Saturday, so he'll be happy to see a milder forecast for Tuscany.

Following a full-strength Pogačar attack still looks unlikely for the Brit, and anyone for that matter, but if he can get ahead of him on one of the downhill sectors with his technical advantage, there could be a route to a second victory for Pidcock – but it will take his absolute best.

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Perhaps the most anticipated starter at this year's Strade Bianche is another former winner, Wout van Aert, who will be racing the Italian Classic for the first time since 2021 and looking to add to his 2019 victory.

Van Aert has been back to Siena with success since winning a thrilling gravel stage of the Giro d'Italia last season, ahead of Del Toro and his skills as one of the top technical and versatile riders will immediately place him among the favourites.

Though luck has not been on his side in recent months, with suffering a fractured ankle during a January cyclo-cross race and a stomach bug forcing him to push his road start back to Tuesday's Ename Samyn Classic. Even then, it wasn't the comeback return he'd wanted, with a late puncture and double puncture continuing this period of poor fortune.

What is on his side, however, is that he was the only rider to drop Pogačar uphill at any point last season, surging away from him on Montmartre to win the last stage of the Tour de France. So if anyone can live with Pogačar, perhaps it's the star rider who hasn't appeared in any of his victories here.

He'll have Matteo Jorgenson by his side, who is another contender for a top 10 finish, and Visma will be praying that he gets a clean run at the key climbs, so they can really tell where Van Aert is at.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)

No one in cycling is having more pressure piled on their shoulders than Paul Seixas at the moment, with the 19-year-old French super talent going from strength to strength in his first few races this season, and the expectation rising.

After Seixas beat Juan Ayuso and João Almeida on the queen stage at the Volta ao Algarve, everyone was watching, but when he decimated a stacked field at the Faun Ardèche Classic in Pogačar-esque fashion, he sent all of France into a frenzy.

Long-standing French team boss Marc Madiot labelled him as "the chosen one" and the "Messiah" after his performance, but the man he will be trying to beat as he looks to reach his full potential will be the man he emulated with his long solo effort last weekend.

Pogačar comes face to face with Seixas at Strade Bianche, and there is rising hope that he can follow the violent bursts of the World Champion. History says even the best talents don't perform overly well over Strade Bianche's sterrati – Pogačar finished 30th and 13th in his two appearances – but if Seixas is the talent he's promised, perhaps he can challenge the podium at the first attempt.

He's got all the talent and skills required to do so, along with a background in cyclo-cross, but don't be too surprised if the inexperience shows on Saturday, as Strade Bianche is a whole different beast to Faun Ardèche and the like.

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Ben Healy has established himself as one of the top riders in the peloton these past two years, as both a breakaway hunter and a man for any hilly Classic, including Strade Bianche.

Fourth last year, Healy's punchy skills and time trialling ability make him a worthy candidate to get away on an uphill section of gravel and stay away, so expect similar from him on Saturday.

The 25-year-old raced in France last weekend without any results to shout home about, but he would've been targeting the likes of Strade as the place to peak.

Anticipation is almost always the name of the game for Healy, so expect an early move from him over the white roads, and good luck to anyone trying to chase him down.

Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers)

Returning to the Tuscan race for the first time since his memorable podium in 2021, Egan Bernal is not a rider to discount when it comes to the top contenders for Strade Bianche.

An expert over the gravel, the former Tour de France and Giro d'Italia winner has long been underrated as a one-day racer, and he looks set to feature as one of Saturday's top riders, even against the likes of Pogačar and Pidcock.

Bernal has started the season in red-hot form, retaining his Colombian national road race title, then finishing seventh at Faun Ardèche. He will be looking to repeat what he managed in that thrilling edition four years ago, where the top 10 was littered with stars: Van der Poel, Alaphilippe, Van Aert, Pidcock, and Pogačar.

Pello Bilbao (Bahrain-Victorious)

Pello Bilbao is another consistent performer at Strade Bianche, perhaps not one to be looked at as a potential winner, but he's always a podium threat. Tentth, fifth, seventh and fifth read his four finishes in Siena, so he certainly knows how to race it.

Bahrain Victorious' whole team is actually filled with top talent for this race, with Matej Mohorič – twice a top six finisher and former Gravel World Champion – also lining up, and one of their new signings for 2026, Attila Valter, who has finished in the top five on two occasions.

Between the three riders, they could have the largest number in a leading group or chase group that forms once the racing inevitably breaks apart, and this could be the best path to scoring a podium. So watch out for their blue jerseys, but Bilbao in particular.

Honourable mentions

When it comes to the riders sitting just beneath the top favourites, Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché) looks a great option for his third top 10 finish at Strade after showing signs of his previous best form at the recent UAE Tour

Former Gravel World Champion Gianni Vermeersch looks like Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's best option, and in the absence of Mathieu van der Poel, perhaps Tibor Del Grosso can bring Alpecin-Premier Tech a top result on his debut.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) is among the several puncheurs hoping to survive the toughest sectors in the middle, as will Pogačar's young teammate Jan Christen and top Norwegian racer, Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).

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Saturday's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicks off the Opening Weekend of racing and, with it, the Belgian racing season.

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad route has been toughened up for 2026 following a mass sprint finish last season, with 10km added to the distance and two bergs added in the final.

The road from Gent to Ninove will be filled by 207km, eight cobbled sectors and 12 hills – including the Muur van Geraardsbergen. However, there'll be plenty more for the hopefuls to contend with in the form of the strongest start list of the season to date.

175 hopefuls will line up outside the 't Kuipke velodrome on Saturday morning, including one high-profile race debutant and three former champions. Here's a look at our selection of riders to watch at the 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech)

It's no surprise that Mathieu van der Poel slots in as the top favourite for glory on his Omloop Het Nieuwsblad debut, despite him not having raced yet this road season.

The Dutchman had been the subject of a 'will he, won't he' round of speculation in the Belgian press over his participation before it was duly confirmed in the Alpecin-Premier Tech lineup by the team on Wednesday.

With his track record – six wins across the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as well as four other major cobbled Classics victories – he lines up as the number one favourite to add a new race to his palmarès.

Teammate Jasper Philipsen will be on hand should the race evolve towards one of the few ways in which Van der Poel may not be in contention. A repeat of last year's mass sprint finish should see Philipsen right up there at the line.

Christophe Laporte & Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Van der Poel's eternal rival, Wout van Aert, unfortunately won't be racing this weekend. The Belgian had been due to kick off his season at Omloop, but has fallen ill and so will miss the race he won in 2022.

Visma-Lease a Bike, will still be fielding a powerful selection on Saturday, though, with two potential challengers for glory in the shape of a resurgent Christophe Laporte and rising star Matthew Brennan.

Laporte is back to full fitness following a largely lost season due to mononucleosis last year. The Frenchman has proven Classics pedigree with wins at Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen to his name. Laporte is in form, too – his results at the Vuelta a Andalucía read: 1st, 21st, 3rd, and 5th.

20-year-old Briton Brennan is also racing, kicking off his first full Classics campaign on the back of an endlessly impressive neo-pro season. Last year, he showed his talent on the cobbles with a GP de Denain win and a strong showing at Paris-Roubaix. This season, he already has a Tour Down Under win to his name.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

Tom Pidcock returns to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, leading Pinarello-Q36.5 after skipping the cyclo-cross campaign over the winter.

In theory, the move will leave him fresher to compete for the spring Classics, and he's had a positive start to the year, finishing third at the Vuelta a Murcia, second at the Clásica Jaén, and third at the Vuelta a Andalucía (with a stage win on the final day).

He's in good form, then, and will be aiming at adding a cobbled Classic to his palmarès to go with previous Classics wins at Strade Bianche, Brabantse Pijl, and Amstel Gold Race.

Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep)

2025 runner-up Paul Magnier heads up a restrengthened Soudal-QuickStep spring Classics selection in the wake of Remco Evenepoel's departure.

The Frenchman finished second on his debut last year in the bunch sprint finish, and should figure again if a large group goes to the line. He's in form on the back of two stage wins at the Volta ao Algarve.

2020 winner Jasper Stuyven and 2023 winner Dylan van Baarle are new faces on the team, though Stuyven has been ruled out with illness. Van Baarle pair built up to Opening Weekend in Algarve, and he brings a wealth of experience on the cobbles, as does Yves Lampaert. Don't count the new-look QuickStep out.

Biniam Girmay (NSN Pro Cycling)

Biniam Girmay has enjoyed a positive start to life at NSN Pro Cycling following his departure from Intermarché-Wanty, scoring wins at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Clásica de Almería to start his season.

Things are already looking up after a down year in 2025, when he didn't win at all and endured a fairly anonymous Classics campaign.

A good result at Omloop would kickstart his 2026 spring season, while he'll also hope to use Opening Weekend to mesh with his new Classics squad, which includes Guillaume Boivin, Lewis Askey, Ryan Mullen, and Tom Van Asbroeck.

Others to watch

As ever in the spring Classics, there are a host of riders to watch, contenders, and outside tips. Plenty of teams have a rider in with a shout of a result, so here's a look at the best of the rest, in no particular order.

Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) may have been a surprise winner last season, but his 2025 victory means he can't be counted out this weekend.

Davide Ballerini (XDS-Astana) is another former winner on the start list. The 2021 champion has been quiet to start 2026, but again, if you've won it once, you could do it again.

Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) burst onto the scene in 2023 with a second place at Omloop, but he hasn't quite kicked on to the next level as a Classics contender since then. The 23-year-old will still be a watched man, however.

Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) was impressive on his top-tier Classics debut in 2024, but endured a challenging 2025 campaign following his move to Red Bull. He and Jordi Meeus lead the squad this time around.

Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) has never lined up as a major contender for the cobbled Classics, although he does have a handful of strong performances over the years, including a podium at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and a fourth place at the E3 Saxo Classic.

Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets) was sixth on his debut last season and has enjoyed a good start to the year, with fourth at Etoile de Bessèges and a top 10 at the Clásica Jaén. A first crack at a full spring Classics campaign will be widely anticipated.

Oliver Naesen (Decathlon CMA CGM) wasn't the Classics force he once was last spring. He's twice finished fourth at Omloop in the past – can he show that the decline isn't terminal?

Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) will be another to watch, with his Lidl-Trek team missing Classics leader Mads Pedersen. The Dane's absence opens up a chance for Vacek, as well as several young and talented teammates, to compete.

Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling) is in new surroundings on a new team this season. The Swiss rider has so often been a Classics nearly man, and his best result at Omloop is ninth place.

Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) has the Tour of Flanders, the E3 Saxo Classic, and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on his palmarès, but an illness ruined his 2025 Classics campaign. He'll hope for better luck leading EF this season.

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Opening Weekend is very nearly upon us, and with it the first European race of the Women's WorldTour, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Traditionally the opening Classic of the Belgian racing season, Omloop is always a hugely important and competitive event, and this year will be no different, with almost all of peloton's strongest rider's lining up on Saturday.

Last year, the favourites were denied a chance to go for victory after an extraordinary underdog win for Lotte Claes, who was riding for Arkéa-B&B Hotels at the time, so it follows that there might be an extra level of commitment to making sure it's a battle of the top riders this year.

That's what Omloop usually is, with recent editions coming down to contests between Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime), plus Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering (FDJ-United-Suez).

Vos won't be there this year and of course Van Vleuten is retired but Kopecky, Vollering, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) will all be in action, as well as defending champion Claes after a decision to not select her was reversed.

We have already analysed how Omloop Het Nieuwsblad can be won, so now it's time to think about who will win it. Here are Cyclingnews' top picks for the women's race.

Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)

Truth be told, you could count almost all of SD Worx-Protime's line-up as contenders for Saturday, given the Classics strength they have in their roster. However, logic tells us that leadership will be between Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes, who will both be among the very top favourites to win.

Kopecky is a former winner of Het Nieuwsblad, winning the 2023 edition with a demolishing show of strength on the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg. She also finished second in 2024, making it to the line in the leading duo but being beaten by Marianne Vos in the sprint. It's perhaps surprising that she hasn't won it more times, given it's a big home event for her and relentless climbs suit her strengths, but perhaps other goals have stopped her from going all-in so early in the spring campaign. This year, however, the 30-year-old is focused on the Classics and looking for redemption after a tough 2025, so will surely be hunting a win to start her season.

The main thing standing in her way is perhaps her own team dynamics, as Lorena Wiebes is very capable of winning here, too. Every year her climbing seems to get better and she becomes harder to drop, and if she's in the group that makes it to the line, it's pretty much impossible to beat her in the sprint, so Kopecky will have to drop her own teammate to go for the win uncontested. Wiebes said "we make agreements with each other, and that is fine" when asked about how the pair share ambitions during the Classics, but short of knowing what that agreement is, it's hard to predict how they'll play it on Saturday, and either could win.

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez)

A rider who fled the leader-packed stable at SD Worx-Protime just over a year ago, Demi Vollering is returning to Omloop after finishing third last year, winning a lacklustre sprint from the bunch after the early breakaway denied them victory. She quickly turned that around to win Strade Bianche the following week, after two podiums she now must be sure that this is a race she can add to her palmarès, one of the few Spring Classics she's yet to win.

For Vollering, winning would probably come in the form of a big climbing attack, and she's strong enough to go it alone – maybe even doing so early, on the Muur perhaps. It's just a question of whether the Grand Tour winner can make enough of a difference on what are relatively short climbs in Belgium. All eyes will be on her and no one will let her get away easily, but with the strength she has around her, it might be hard to stop that.

Any of her teammates could be considered contenders, too, but particularly Juliette Berthet (née Labous) and Elise Chabbey. That's definitely plan B, though, if something goes wrong with Vollering as she's the leader there and if she's fit enough to win, their focus will be her as we know that squad is very good at singing from the same hymn sheet.

Liane Lippert (Movistar)

Movistar used to rely on the all-conquering Annemiek van Vleuten in the Classics, and it was always going to be hard to fill her shoes when she retired, but the team they've built since then is surprisingly strong and not to be underestimated.

Liane Lippert, already a winner of the Vuelta CV Feminas this year, has started the season in really strong form and looks to be knocking on the door of a strong Belgian Classics result – she always seems to be in the action but is yet to take a big win. For Lippert to win, she'd have to get away solo or in the right small group, but with her eye for a good move that doesn't seem impossible, plus the short, punchy climbs will suit her.

If attacking with Lippert doesn't work, Movistar also have a fantastic option in Cat Ferguson who excels in reduced sprint finishes at the end of a hard day. She's only racing her second Classics season – and first Omloop – after a baptism of fire in a handful of Belgian races last year, but she's a prodigious talent who can never be overlooked.

Elisa Balsamo and Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek)

Lidl-Trek are, on paper, a super strong Classics team, but they ended up a little light on wins in the spring last year after Elisa Longo Borghini's departure and they'll be looking to fix that in 2026. In Omloop, they have six riders and probably six options – Belgians Margot Vanpachtenbeke and Fleur Moors could do well on home soil, Anna Henderson has started the year well, and Loes Adegeest has an engine that isn't to be underestimated.

That said, we'd look at Elisa Balsamo and Shirin van Anrooij as their key chances for victory. Balsamo is already a multiple-time Classics winner and she has a real sticking power in difficult races, plus a good sprint. The only issue is imagining a scenario in which she both makes it to the end in the lead and gets there without a rider like Wiebes. Can it happen? Yes, but she'll have to be proactive in her racing and trying to get in a small move rather than waiting for any kind of mass sprint.

Their more climb-focused option will be Shirin van Anrooij, who is making her season debut on Saturday – the last time we saw her racing was that memorable day at the Gravel World Championships in October where she looked incredibly strong only to be caught be her own Dutch teammates. She had a slightly quiet 2025 on her return from iliac artery endofibrosis surgery, but let's not forget that she's a winner of Trofeo Alfredo Binda and had podiums at Flanders, Amstel and Dwars door Vlaanderen. She also finished fourth at Omloop in 2024. We don't know quite how she's firing so far in 2026 yet but if she's on a good day the podium or more could be hers.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto)

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is a rider who tends to ride into form and peaks around a few specific goals per year so there isn't a big expectation for her to be going for the win on Saturday but, as a Classics and Tour de France champion, she will always be a contender. If Kopecky and co make it hard in the climbs, Niewiadoma-Phinney is one of the select riders who should be able to follow and whilst her sprint can let her down in finishes she could still be looking at a good result.

It seems likely, though, that Canyon-SRAM might be one of the teams interested in keeping things together for a bigger, more sprint-friendly finish. Zoe Bäckstedt, who looked ultra strong in the UAE Tour, could definitely force her way to a good result in a finish like this as could Chiara Consonni, though her record here is not the best with 16th being her best result in six participations.

Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ)

UAE Team ADQ are without Elisa Longo Borghini for Opening Weekend but have a whole host of other options and look sure to animate the race. Their most consistent attacking option is probably Karlijn Swinkels, who is something of a breakaway expert, and has already won the Trofeo Binissalem-Andratx in January. She's finished in the top 15 three times in Omloop and without Longo Borghini she should fit into a more leadership role on Sunday.

However, UAE could also implement a more open approach, letting the road and the race decide who their leader is when it gets to the decisive moments. Almost any of their line-up could score a good finish here: Lara Gillespie is a fast-rising sprinter who shone in the Classics last year, Eleonora Gasparrini finished sixth here last year and Megan Jastrab is a solid all-rounder who is aiming for more with her new team this year. UAE Team ADQ are slowly becoming one of the real top teams in the peloton and a big win in Belgium could really help cement that.

Thalita de Jong (Human Powered Health)

Very few riders on the start list have as much experience as Thalita de Jong: she first raced Nieuwsblad all the way back in 2012 and has astonishingly consistent results since then, more often than not finishing in the top 20 and with her best result fifth in 2024. Somehow, the Dutchwoman is still only 32 and is yet to show any signs of slowing down, taking four top 10s already this season.

To be able to turn her longevity and consistency into a top result in a major Classic is surely a dream for De Jong and last year's surprise win for Lotte Claes will surely give riders like her hope that it is possible. With a strong team that includes Maggie Coles-Lyster, Kathrin Schweinberger and Lily Williams, could this be the year that De Jong pulls out a big result at Omloop?

Shari Bossuyt and Ilse Pluimers (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Similarly to UAE Team ADQ, AG Insurance-Soudal are a team that, on paper, don't have one major Classics star in their roster for Saturday, but do have a real depth of options. Their best chance at victory may be home rider Shari Bossuyt, who only returned to racing from a doping ban eight months ago, but has already made an impact and shown that none of her strength went away whilst she wasn't racing. Sprints at the end of attritional races are what suit Bossuyt and AG could make that happen on Saturday.

Keep an eye too on 23-year-old Ilse Pluimers who has been quietly racking up consistent results in the Belgian one-day races including a possibly forgotten ninth in Omloop last year. She's basically a perfect Classics rider in ability, powerful but also very handy in the climbs, and is knocking on the door of a stand-out result so take note of the name.

Cédrine Kerbaol (EF Education-Oatly)

Cédrine Kerbaol is a hugely exciting and attacking rider with a good one-day pedigree, but she's slightly sidestepped the Belgian cobbled Classics in recent seasons, so it will be really interesting to see how she takes on Omloop. Something of a daredevil descender with good climbing skills and a bold racing strategy, she could be primed for a late opportunistic move.

Honourable mentions

• As defending champion, it would be remiss of us to not mention Lotte Claes (Fenix-Premier Tech) and she'll certainly be fired up, although repeat victory seems unlikely
• Susanne Andersen (Uno-X Mobility) is a hardy rouleur-sprinter who has some great results in Belgian Classics
• Nienke Veenhoven and Daniek Hengeveld are both good options for Visma-Lease a Bike, who start on Saturday without their main stars
• Marjolein van 't Geloof (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) is probably one of the best hopes among the ProTeams, and already has two wins to her name in 2026
• Alexis Magner is making her European debut for EF Education-Oatly this weekend – she finished second here in 2018 as one of only two Americans to ever podium in the women's race

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The 52nd edition of the Volta ao Algarve runs for five stages from February 18 to February 22, taking in a time trial, two summit finishes, and two sprint stages. The race is an important early-season test for a host of riders, including many who are making their 2026 season debuts.

Previous winners Jonas Vingegaard and Remco Evenepoel won't be returning to take part in this year's race, but there are plenty of interesting names to keep an eye on between Vila Real de Santo António and Malhão this week.

Several top sprinters are heading to the Algarve, including Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep), and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), who will hope to perform on the stages to Tavira and Lagos, while time trial specialists including Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) and Stefan Küng (Tudor) will aim the 19.5km TT in Vilamoura.

We've picked out five of the top GC contenders racing at this year's Volta ao Algarve; however, a group of riders who will look to perform in the time trial and at the two major uphill challenges at the race at Fóia and Malhão.

João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Home favourite João Almeida was the runner-up last year and will wear the number one dossard this time around. He finished ninth and sixth in two previous participations before taking second behind Vingegaard last February.

Almeida has a swathe of major stage races on his palmarès, including wins last year at Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Suisse, and Tour de Pologne. Earlier this month, he opened his 2026 account with a second place at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, and he'll be hoping to return to winning ways on home ground and add this title to his collection.

The 27-year-old is continuing his journey to lead UAE at the Giro d'Italia in May, where he'll do battle with Vingegaard for the maglia rosa. Stops at Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya are next on the list.

Almeida leads the team at this year's race, and he'll be backed up by several compatriots – António Morgado and Ivo and Rui Oliveira. Brandon McNulty should also be a great help in a super-domestique role.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM)

French youngster Paul Seixas is getting his 2026 campaign underway in Portugal, marking a change from last year, when he made his pro debut at the GP La Marseillaise and UAE Tour.

In 2025, Seixas won the Tour de l'Avenir in addition to taking eighth overall at the Critérium du Dauphine, third in the European Championships road race, and seventh at Il Lombardia. The 19-year-old is the rising star of French cycling and looks to be the country's next great Tour de France hope.

This spring, Algarve kicks off his road to the Ardennes Classics, with Strade Bianche and Itzulia Basque Country also featuring as stops en route to a Liège-Bastogne-Liège debut.

Seixas will be backed up by several members of the Decathlon-CMA CGM Classics team in Oliver Naesen, Sander De Pestel and Stan Dewulf. 23-year-old Matthew Riccitello, a new signing for 2026, is one to watch, too. The American rider triumphed on his season debut at the Tour de la Provence earlier this week.

Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers)

23-year-old Oscar Onley heads up an Ineos Grenadiers selection which is sure to be closely watched this week, containing as it does another Ineos newcomer in French racer Kévin Vauquelin.

The pair finished fourth and seventh at last year's Tour de France for Picnic-PostNL and the now-defunct Arkéa-B&B Hotels, respectively, and they're the major additions to Ineos Grenadiers for the 2026 season.

Neither man has yet raced in 2026, with Vauquelin suffering a leg fracture shortly after the Tour, which rules him out for the remainder of 2025. Onley went on to finish fourth at the Tour of Britain and make his elite Road World Championships debut, however.

The pair will team up with another GC hopeful in Thymen Arensman to head up a powerful Ineos selection this week, with all three reasonably in line for a strong challenge at the top of the standings, depending on form. Elsewhere, the squad can look to Filippo Ganna in the time trial and Ben Turner in the sprints.

Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)

Spanish racer Juan Ayuso is another rider on our list making his debut with a new squad at this year's Volta ao Algarve. The 23-year-old will lead Lidl-Trek for the first time following an acrimonious split with UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

Ayuso's 2025 was an up-and-down affair, which saw him win Tirreno-Adriatico and three stages across the Giro and Vuelta despite failing to finish the former and ending up 68th at the latter. He'll be hoping for more consistency and more harmonious relationships in 2026 at his new team.

Algarve is the first in a trio of stage races on Ayuso's schedule this spring, with Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque Country also on the way before the Ardennes Classics and, in the summer, a shot at the Tour de France.

He'll be backed up by fellow Spaniards Héctor Alvarez and Carlos Verona this week, while Toms Skujinš and Lennard Kämna are other notable names in the Lidl-Trek selection.

Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

With Remco Evenepoel off at the UAE Tour, aiming to continue his flying start to 2026, the Belgian's Tour de France co-leader, Florian Lipowitz, will make his 2026 stage race debut here.

The pair already teamed up as part of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's winning TTT effort at the Trofeo Ses Salines at the end of January, though this is Lipowitz's first race since then. He'll lead a Red Bull selecti on which includes 2023 race winner Dani Martínez, though he's the undisputed GC leader this week.

Lipowitz will line up in Portugal as one of the big favourites for the GC, having grown into one of the top stage racers in the world during his three years at Red Bull. Last year saw podiums at Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné lead into another at the Tour, where he took third place and the white jersey as best young rider.

If his consistent progress so far in his career is anything to go by, he should be a rider to be feared in 2026.

WorldTour racing resumes in next week at the seven-stage UAE Tour, with some of the top riders in the peloton set to face off for the red jersey, but it's Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hanshrohe) that the focus will be on as the favourite.

The Belgian returns to the UAE three years after claiming overall victory in 2023 ahead of Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who will also be back in 2026, but it's the Brit's young Mexican teammate, Isaac del Toro, who is expected to provide the biggest challenge.

There's no title defence from Tadej Pogačar, and Jonas Vingegaard's planned participation was cancelled due to a recent crash and illness, but there are still several riders who will be looking to upset Evenepoel and Del Toro in the desert.

The race typically serves as a chance for the best sprinters in the world to go head-to-head in an early dress rehearsal for the Tour de France, but with neither Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) nor Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) taking the start, it leaves Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) as the obvious favourite to mop up the four flat stages.

Across the seven stages, where crosswinds can always affect the general classification, especially on the flat, exposed days – as they did in 2023 when Evenepoel took victory – the battle for red is expected to come down to the stage 2 time trial and two key climbing days.

This is the format the race has followed for several years now in the 2020s, but there is a twist for this, the eighth edition, with race organisers identifying a new climb and swapping out the typically long and drawn-out Jebel Jais ascent in favour of Jebel Morah.

At 15km in length and with the final 6km averaging a gradient of 12%, it's expected to cause bigger gaps than are usually in play after the time trial and before the Jebel Hafeet GC decider. Arriving on day three of the race, it's a welcome new addition to the course.

With all of that in mind, we've looked through the start list and picked out our favourites to take the red jersey in Abu Dhabi.

Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Remco Evenepoel has hit the ground running with his new team for 2026, and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe will be hoping he keeps the momentum flowing into his first WorldTour event of the season, with that GC triumph at the 2023 edition being his last at cycling's top level.

Of course, he has podiumed the Tour de France and won more time trial world titles since then, so it doesn't paint the full picture, but as Evenepoel looks to close the gap to Pogačar in 2026, he needs to be winning at the same frequency.

Still building his relationships within the new team, Evenepoel gelled well with Giulio Pellizzarri at his last race in Valenciana, with the full complement of Red Bull riders contributing to defend his lead on the last day.

The steep, hockey-stick stage-profile finishes at the UAE give less room to hide when it comes to climbing shape, which the Belgian appeared to have in abundance in Spain, so he'll be expected to scorch away on the two key climbing days. But Del Toro does present a dangerous threat.

Expect Evenepoel to also put on an exhibition during the time trial, after missing the chance to do a proper one in Valenciana (despite still winning the TT day on his road bike and without GC consequences), which should give him a lead to defend ahead of the two mountain days.

Isaac del Toro & Adam Yates (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

UAE may not have their star rider, Pogačar, but Isaac del Toro is a worthy contender in his absence, with the Mexican bursting onto the scene at warp speed last season, as shown in his runner-up finish at the Giro d'Italia, and his incredible frequency of wins in the second half of the season.

One of the absolute top prospects in world cycling, 22-year-old Del Toro has all the tools to become an elite Grand Tour contender on a consistent basis, and challenging figures like Evenepoel on a seven-day course is the perfect way to pursue that.

Dynamic in his attacks and a ruthless finisher with the line in sight, Del Toro will be looking to back up the victory of Pogačar in 2025, but this is his season debut, and though his climbing form will be tested to the max by Evenepoel up to Jebel Morah and Jebel Hafeet, it's the time trial could be his undoing.

He won't be alone in his efforts either, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG of course fielding a stacked team for their home race, with Adam Yates, Nils Politt and Florian Vermeersch backing him up.

Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Austrian GC rider Felix Gall is one of the riders helped by the change in course, with the typical climbers' sprint finish atop Jebel Jais not suiting him at all, and the change to the viciously steep Jebel Morah offering him a second chance to flex his pure climbing ability.

Last season, he started here with Paul Seixas as a GC tandem for Decathlon CMA CGM, but Gall will lead the French team on his own this time around, supported by new signing for 2026, Gregor Mühlberger.

He's not a typical early-season flyer, able to peak well for the biggest events – shown in his fifth-place finish at last year's Tour de France, but he's undeniably one of the top climbers in the world, so could impress on the two steep challenges.

Antonio Tiberi & Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain-Victorious)

Bahrain Victorious are lining up for the UAE Tour with three options to take on the GC fight, with Antonio Tiberi looking the most likely to challenge the bigger names, but Afonso Eulálio and Damiano Caruso also offering a wealth of experience to their ambitions.

Tiberi most recently finished fourth overall at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, where Evenepoel took victory, but his shape was solid, and he could be building ahead of the UAE Tour. Caruso finished 12th while supporting his Italian compatriot.

Eulálio presents a less predictable GC threat, who is willing to launch bold attacks and could benefit all of the team by forcing others to chase him down. He finished fifth on GC at the AlUla Tour but looked very punchy on the main climbing days, so expect him to be on the attack once again.

Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling)

Michael Storer gets his 2026 campaign underway in the UAE after closing out last season with a bang by finishing third at Il Lombardia behind only Pogačar and Evenepoel, and he'll be hoping to storm into top form from the get-go on Monday.

He raced here last season but failed to really impress, only hitting top form for Paris-Nice and the Tour of the Alps in the months that followed, so he may be following a similar plan and still be building up to his peak.

Storer is another rider who may benefit from another steep climb being added to the route, as he is likely to lose heavy time to the likes of Evenepoel and Del Toro in the time trial.

Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché)

One of three former winners alongside Evenepoel and Yates, Lennert Van Eetvelt won't be expected to repeat what he managed in 2024, when several of the biggest stars were absent, but he will be confident on the route nonetheless.

Going against Van Eetvelt is his recent form, however, with his season opener Down Under ending in a DNF due to crashing on the second stage. This also came after he'd started the season trying to put a back injury from last year behind him, having failed to net a win or rediscover his best legs.

Ilan Van Wilder (Soudal-QuickStep)

One rider who will be eyeing a top performance to upstage his previous teammate, Evenepoel, will be Ilan Van Wilder, as he leads Soudal-QuickStep in his first race of 2026.

A talented climber, Van Wilder lived in the shadow of his superstar teammate during his first five years at the Belgian squad, often operating as one of many domestiques in Evenepoel's climbing train, but with him now gone, there's a chance to step into the spotlight.

Van Wilder made big improvements in 2025, finishing in the top overall of the Volta ao Algarve, Paris-Nice, Itzulia Basque Country, the Tour de Suisse and Tour of Britain. With a strong TT in his arsenal, Van Wilder will be one to watch on the climbs.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility)

After the best season of his career, sixth-place Tour de France finisher Tobias Halland Johanessen also arrives at the UAE for his first race in 2026, and he'll be hoping to pick up right where he left off.

Long recognised as a potential GC star – as any Tour de l'Avenir winner should be, just ask Tadej Pogačar or Egan Bernal – Johannessen at 26 looks a more complete rider than ever, with his Tour result coming off the back of a fifth-place overall finish at a stacked Dauphiné, where only Pogačar, Vingegaard, Lipowitz and Evenepoel were better than him.

History would say he doesn't tend to start the season firing on all cylinders, with a more steady build-up for his big objectives, so that's why he's lower down than would perhaps be expected. But with Uno-X Mobility finally operating as a WorldTour team, they'll be looking for a strong placing.

Who do you think will win the UAE Tour?

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The 2026 Women's WorldTour continues this week with the UAE Tour Women boasting a strong line-up of contenders, mixing those just starting their seasons with others heading for the UAE after racing the Tour Down Under.

As is customary in the early-season desert race, sprints and flat stages dominate the route, with the first three stages primed for bunch finishes, unless a strong breakaway gets very lucky. Echelons and sandstorms are always a possibility in the desert, but history tells us that the sprint teams will work hard to deliver their riders to the line in this race.

Even if the first three stages go to the sprinters, though, the GC will be decided on the final day, with the now-traditional Jebel Hafeet finale. The 10.7km climb winds up the desert mountain with an average gradient of 6.9%, and often sets the scene for an exciting battle – not only often delivering the overall winner, but regularly highlighting a new, talented climber too. Whoever wins here will almost certainly take the red jersey and overall victory.

Last year, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won all three sprints, whilst Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) soloed to a lead on Jebel Hafeet that all but guaranteed her the overall victory 24 hours later. With both riders returning this year to start their seasons in the UAE, will we see a carbon copy of the results? It's very possible – here's our rundown of the top sprinters, GC contenders, and riders to watch this week.

The sprinters

As she is in every race she starts, Lorena Wiebes is undeniably the top sprinter on the start list for the UAE Tour, and it is not wild to suggest that she may win all three sprints. In fact, it might even be a disappointment if she won anything less, given she did exactly that last year. The Dutch rider is actively trying to become a better all-rounder and improve in the Classics, and it never seems to dull her finishing speed, so this week will offer us the first chance to discover how her form is in 2026.

Competing against Wiebes – or competing for second, to put it harshly – will be riders like Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ), who has come very close to beating Wiebes before, Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto), and Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health), winner of the one-day race at the Tour Down Under. One of Wiebes' most tenacious rivals, Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech), is also going to be in action, and it will be exciting to see how they're matching up this season.

Other sprinters to keep an eye on will be Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco), Linda Zanetti (Uno-X Mobility) and Alison Jackson, making her debut for St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93.

The GC battle

When it comes to the GC-deciding Jebel Hafeet stage, all eyes will be on Elisa Longo Borghini, who is not only the defending champion (and winner in 2023), but also the star rider of the home team, UAE Team ADQ. This might not be the most important race on the calendar, but it is a big race for them. The not excessively long climb clearly suits Longo Borghini's strengths, and she knows how to win here, so she will certainly be in contention for a repeat victory.

All that said, the Italian possibly faces one of the strongest fields in recent seasons at this particular edition of the UAE Tour Women. Marlen Reusser (Movistar) is set to continue her opening races of 2026 here after a runner-up spot on her debut in Mallorca, and she has a strong team to support her. Former Tour de France Femmes winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto) is also making her debut at the event, and whilst she's usually a rider who builds into the season rather than starts with a bang, you can't overlook her when climbs are on the cards.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar will lead AG Insurance-Soudal, but they have options in Justine Ghekiere and Alex Manly too and will be hoping for a top result here. Lidl-Trek will probably look to Niamh Fisher-Black as leader, though she had a fairly quiet race at Down Under. Juliette Berthet (née Labous) is set to lead FDJ United-SUEZ, and should take the opportunity to race for herself before sharing the mantle with Demi Vollering and Évita Muzic as the season progresses.

SD Worx-Protime will be all about the sprints, but Anna van der Breggen is there to race for the GC, and is the kind of climber who can succeed on Jebel Hafeet. Keep an eye on Monica Trinca Colonel (Liv AlUla Jayco), the Italian who shot to prominence at this race last year, finishing fourth overall.

Of course, there is an assumption that the GC will all be decided on Jebel Hafeet, but the climbers and overall contenders will have to safely get through the sprint stages, which can be hectic, if they want to be in with a chance of winning overall come Sunday. Get caught on the wrong side of an echelon in one crosswinds section and your hopes of the red jersey could quickly be over.

Ones to watch

One of the best things about these early season races is the way they often showcase the up-and-coming riders who are ready to make a splash, and the slightly less full fields can give these riders a chance to shine and take a real result.

The UAE field is actually particularly strong this year, but there are still some names to keep an eye on. Picnic PostNL are coming with a young team, including junior world champion Megan Arens, British domestic scene graduate Robyn Clay and rising star Mia Griffin, all making their debuts for the team.

UAE Team ADQ have more than enough options with Longo Borghini, Gillespie and Persico, but new signing Megan Jastrab will be hoping to start her first season strong, and she showed some early-season form at the Challenge Mallorca.

Margot Vanpachtenbeke (Lidl-Trek) is one of the exciting attacking prospects who has stepped up to the WorldTour for this year, and is the kind of rider who could get in an opportunistic move or take advantage of the crosswinds to find success. Watch out for Femke de Vries (VIsma-Lease a Bike) too, an established rider who really seems to be finding her groove at 31.

WorldTour racing resumes this weekend as the Australian summer of international racing draws to a close at the men's and women's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, with the women's race arriving first on Saturday and the men's one day later in Geelong.

As Victoria plays host to some of the top riders in the world, the 1km Challambra Crescent Climb will once again be the highlight of the 186km and 145km courses, before the fast downhill run to the waterfront finish.

Both defending champions from 2025 will be back to try and reclaim their crowns: Jayco AlUla's Mauro Schmid, who won with a well-timed late solo attack, and Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez), who won from a sprint.

Even though the typical form-indicating Surf Coast Classic had to be cancelled due to extreme weather and evolving bushfires in the area, the Cadel’s Criteriums replaced it a day later, providing a pre-race look at some of the Geelong field.

Sam Welsford and Martina Fidanza took the victories and will no doubt be among those hoping to carry their form into the main event; however, as both are pure sprinters, the course's difficulty may be a step too far for their characteristics.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG would have been the heavy men's favourites, but they won't have their full-strength team, with Jay Vine – although he still won the Tour Down Under – breaking his wrist, and Jhonatan Narváez suffering several vertebral fractures.

Those in winning form from the Tour Down Under, such as Matthew Brennan, Ally Wollaston and Noemi Rüegg, will be eyeing up a successful end to their Australian trip, too. But even more riders will be hoping to capitalise on their final chance for some glory in this long Australian block.

With the key climb's difficulty, punchy riders always have a strong chance on this course, but the 1km length means it's a tough job staying out in front even if you distance everyone on the uphill. Cooperation will be key, but the attacks will no doubt come thick and fast.

The unpredictability of the course allows for a wide range of contenders at the first men's and second women's one-day WorldTour race of the season, but we've combed through the start lists and picked out our favourites to watch for the weekend.

Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez)

FDJ United-Suez's Ally Wollaston will start Saturday's women's race with a big target on her back as the heavy favourite to defend her title.

In flying form from the Tour Down Under, where she dominated the sprint finishes and took two victories, anyone toppling the quick Kiwi in the sprint would be big surprise.

The Challambra climb will be attacked by her rivals with dropping her as the aim, but Wollaston has shown her versatility over rising terrain, and can rely on full support from the French squad.

After all, it was luxury work from Elise Chabbey that allowed Wollaston to contest the sprint from the perfect position in the group last season, as the Swiss rider chased down the final few attacks.

Wollaston didn't win the criterium on Wednesday so there will be no repeat of the Surf Coast Classic-Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race double she did in 2025, but she still looks likely to repeat at the bigger event.

Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla)

The Defending champion showed that he is once again in top shape as the season opened Down Under, finishing second overall on the general classification at the TDU.

A well-timed, powerful move earned him a solo victory last year, and though he will be watched like a hawk this time around if he makes it into the first group over Challambra, Schmid's power and timing could prove unstoppable.

Team DS Mathew Hayman said after the final stage that he was pleased Schmid wasn't only using "brute force" to get results now, but actually utilising the team resources around him, and that could be key come Sunday's race.

The Swiss champion won't want a sprint, though, so make no mistake that he will all but certainly be on the attack in the finale if his legs allow him. With no obvious men's favourite, it's hard to look past the defending champion.

Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly)

Noemi Rüegg solidified her love of racing in Australia with a second successive GC victory at the Tour Down Under, and she'll be looking to go two better than her third-place finish from last year at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

A rising versatile star of the peloton, Rüegg has proved her worth across a number of different parcours. She was the top climber at the stage racing in Adelaide and then backed it up with second in the sprint at the TDU one-day race.

With the support of the world champion, Magdeleine Vallieres, too, EF Education-Oatly will be one of the big teams to beat at the weekend, and their two punchy leaders could be the key to getting away from Wollaston.

Laurence Pithie & Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe may not have won a stage at the Tour Down Under, but on an unpredictable course, their wealth of versatile options could be the best route to victory.

Kiwi duo Laurence Pithie and Finn-Fisher-Black are a strong combination for the climb and tactical finale, with the latter more than capable of getting over Challambra in a lead group, and the former being a previous winner just two years ago.

It was Pithie's first WorldTour win, and on that occasion, he was able to time his effort just right, even with riders attacking the final climb and rapid run for home, threading the needle in the sprint to win by a narrow margin.

Fisher-Black is also no slouch in a fast finish and would fancy himself against several of the purer climbers if a leading group does manage to stay away, and he would also have the card of Pithie being behind, which could allow him to sit at the back and save energy.

Pithie was also third last year from a small group and finished fourth in the Cadel's Criterium on Thursday, so he looks to have carried shape well ahead of the Aussie season finale.

Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ)

This section could have included three UAE Team ADQ riders in truth, such was their depth at the Tour Down Under, but Paula Blasi seems the best fit for the course and how racing could play out.

The young Spanish rider has already shown she can win at the WorldTour level, in the time trial of last year's Tour de Romandie, but she can also climb and sprint, so could well win from several avenues.

UAE were second to Wollaston last year through Karlijn Swinkels, but they will probably be hoping to ride the Kiwi off their wheels on Challambra through Mavi García, Dominika Włodarczyk and Blasi.

After their three against one against Rüegg on the final stage of the Tour Down Under, they will also be wanting to right the wrongs of that defeat with a dominant performance on Saturday.

Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike)

After his rapid rise to stardom, Matthew Brennan has only continued to impress for Visma-Lease a Bike, opening his 2026 account with victory on the undulating final stage of the Tour Down Under in Stirling, after several poor lead-outs had left him wondering what could have been in the first four road stages.

While the climb on the finale was much shallower than the gruelling ramp up Challambra Crescent, Brennan will probably be one of the chasers hoping things come back together for a sprint, but several things have to go just right for the Brit.

He's shown in the past how he can get over a big hill with enough sprint power in the tank – just look at his victories from the Volta a Catalunya or Tour de Romandie last year – but he may suffer from riders in a chase group not wanting to work for him if he doesn't make the front pack over the climb.

If it comes back for a sprint and the young Brit is there, it will be hard to bet against him, but it's all dependent on how he climbs.

Sarah Van Dam (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Visma-Lease a Bike new signing Sarah Van Dam will be one of those hoping to climb away from the likes of Wollaston as the race reaches Challambra.

The young Canadian made a flying start to her time on the Dutch team at the Tour Down Under, taking fifth on two of the three stages and fifth on the general classification.

As a rider with a snappy punch and the ability to get over some of the toughest hills, Van Dam can employ several different strategies depending on the finale.

But she's yet to take a professional win in her career, so upsetting the favourites at the weekend would require her to do something she hasn't managed yet in her career. Australia has long been a place for riders to burst into life with maiden successes, so perhaps Cadel's could bring Van Dam's.

Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM)

In a similar vein to Brennan, Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) will be hoping for things to come back together after the rep up Challambra Crescent and a sprint to decide the day.

After his win on the opening day of the Tour Down Under, the Dane continued to impress, albeit without another win, taking podiums on the last three stages and winning the points classification.

There's an awful lot of power in the Decathlon line-up, notably Tord Gudmestad and Oscar Chamberlain, while the French team also has two capable climbers in Nicholas Prodhomme and Callum Scotson to try and stop cooperation in a lead group of climbers.

Brennan looks the strongest sprinter after a tough day of punchy hills, but if Lund Andresen can position himself well, he can hold off the Brit as he did at the TDU.

Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime)

SD Worx-Protime have long been absent from the Australian summer of racing, so their presence on the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race start line will bring some anticipation.

One of the top Classics teams in the women's peloton, they will be expected to play a big role over the hilly course in Geelong, with Marta Lach and Femke Gerritse looking like their top options.

Both can punch over hills and sprint, as they showed at the Tour Down Under, but Lach likely has a better hope of staying in front with the stronger climbers.

She's also been gaining form as the block in Australia has gone on, taking third in the Tour Down Under one-day race and second in the Cadel's Criterium on Thursday.

Aaron Gate (XDS Astana)

Quietly positioning himself as one of the key contenders, once again, is XDS Astana's Aaron Gate.

Last year's runner-up in Geelong, it's a course that works well for the New Zealand rider's strengths, with his three appearances ending in rising results from 27th to 12th and second last season.

He's another rider who didn't get a victory out of the Tour Down Under and will be eager to get out of the Australian season with something big to show for it, and Sunday's race provides the perfect opportunity.

He took two top fives at the stage racing in South Australia and will be backed by the also in-form Simone Velasco, giving XDS Astana options as the climbing and rapid finale plays out. But with his track pedigree and fast finish, Gate could be the man to surprise the bigger names.

Honourable mentions

Home team Liv AlUla Jayco are always in and amongst the action, but it's difficult to place one of their riders above the top favourites, though Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Liv AlUla Jayco) could be a good option for the finale.

Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL) has shown consistent strong form throughout the Australian summer with two stage podiums at the TDU, and she has been fourth in this race previously.

Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) will likely come unstuck over Challambra, but if riders look at each other and it all comes back together for a big bunch sprint, she could come back in the fray.

NSN Pro Cycling have a very strong team for Sunday's race, but it's hard to pick an obvious leader between Corbin Strong, Brady Gilmore and pure sprint option Ethan Vernon. They will no doubt want to put on a show in teammate Simon Clarke's final race before retirement, too.

Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) arrives at the one-day race fresh off the back of an unexpected podium from the TDU, and he's the perfect candidate for a late attack.

With the course likely being too difficult for Welsford to make a final group, Samuel Watson (Ineos Grenadiers) looks like the best hope for Ineos Grenadiers.

This weekend, the cyclo-cross season reaches its pinnacle with the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in Hulst set to crown new champions across junior, under-23 and elite categories.

The main storyline going into the elite races is that Mathieu van der Poel could top off his already illustrious cyclo-cross career with an historic eighth world title in front of his home crowd in the Netherlands on Sunday.

The 31-year-old is currently equal with Belgian legend Erik De Vlaeminck on seven world titles, and the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider has the chance to hold the record outright with an eighth success.

Van der Poel comes into the championship event in unbeaten form this season from 12 races, with his perfect record in the cyclo-cross field stretching back two years.

The Dutch star previously hinted that a win in Hulst would give him a choice to ‘retire on a high’, so if he does delight his home crowd with victory, then he might hang up his cyclo-cross bike for the final time and focus on other road and mountain bike priorities.

Organisers of the cyclo-cross world championships had hoped for a showdown battle between Belgian star Wout van Aert and Van der Poel, which would have attracted a sell-out crowd. However, Van Aert fractured his ankle during the Zilvermeercross in Mol on January 1, marking the end of his cyclo-cross season.

Though Van der Poel is the clear favourite, if he were to suffer misfortune with a mechanical or crash, then an epic battle could develop for the rainbow jersey as his challengers have been closely matched this season.

Rising stars Thibau Nys (Belgium) and Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands) have their own strengths and weaknesses, while Niels Vandeputte (Belgium) will also be in the medal battle.

As for Saturday's women's race, Dutch riders will also be favourites for a home victory in the women’s race, but the outcome is far from certain following a season full of twists, turns and injuries.

Fem Van Empel (Netherlands) has won the title for the last three years, but the 23-year-old put her career on hold this winter and won’t defend the rainbow stripes in her home nation.

Lucinda Brand (Netherlands) will come into the race as the favourite following an impressive campaign, which has included 18 wins this season.

However, fellow countrywoman Puck Pieterse comes into the event full of confidence following double wins last weekend at the World Cups in Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide.

Former world champion Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands) is also on fine form, while competition from other nations could come from Amandine Fouquenet (France), Sara Casasola (Italy) and Zoe Bäckstedt (Great Britain).

Hulst is a relatively new venue on the cyclo-cross circuit, having first held an event in 2017, when Van der Poel won his first of six times at the venue.

The fortress city of Hulst provides a spectacular backdrop with the 3.3-kilometre course containing 150 metres of elevation, including steep climbs and descents to test riders’ technical abilities. The starting loop has also changed to include a new field to ensure a more ‘open’ race.

With two elite titles up for grabs this weekend, here are Cyclingnews' picks for the contenders to be the new world champions.

Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)

Defending champion Mathieu van der Poel will headline the men’s race on Sunday and is the heavily backed favourite to take a record-breaking eighth world cyclo-cross title in Hulst.

Over 35,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday’s men’s race, and a huge following of Dutch fans will be expecting another Van der Poel masterclass.

The Alpecin-Premier Tech star has been inch-perfect this cyclo-cross season, and even a double puncture was not enough to deny him victory at Maasmechelen on Saturday.

The following day, it was business as usual as Van der Poel wrapped up the World Cup series overall and broke Sven Nys’ record with a 51st World Cup win in emphatic style at Hoogerheide.

Once again, Van der Poel has been an imperious presence in the cyclo-cross field this season and won at Hoogerheide by one minute and 20 seconds.

A fourth consecutive world title and eighth in total would surely cement the Dutchman as the ‘very best cyclo-cross rider ever’, a title already given to him by legend of the sport Sven Nys.

Thibau Nys (Belgium)

Talented Belgian Thibau Nys took bronze in his first elite World Championship 12 months ago and will expect to go at least one step higher on the podium this weekend.

The 23-year-old has taken a step forward in his ‘cross career this winter with six wins and retained his Belgium national championship title.

With Van Aert ruled out from the World Championships, it has been left to Nys to lead the Belgian national team at the prestigious event.

Nys has been closest to being able to follow the attacks of Van der Poel this season and pushed him close on the steep banks at Gavere.

The Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions rider showed his form in the final weekend at Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide, but failed to finish on the podium in two frustrating finishes.

With years of cyclo-cross racing and learning ahead of him, the raw talent of Nys is undeniable, and he will be waiting to capitalise on any mistakes from Van der Poel.

Tibor Del Grosso (Netherlands)

Rising star Tibor Del Grosso has often been described as an understudy to Van der Poel and has been following in the wheel-tracks of his Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate this season.

Del Grosso might not yet have the raw power of his mentor, but he rose to the occasion with an impressive sprint win at Heusden-Zolder when he edged Van Aert during an epic sprint finish last month.

After winning the under-23 world title for the last two consecutive years, he has stepped up to race with the elites this campaign.

Del Grosso comes into the event following a career-best season consisting of five World Cup podiums and his second Dutch national title.

He was only denied victory at Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide last weekend by Van der Poel and could be ready to step into his countryman’s shoes if required at Hulst.

Niels Vandeputte (Belgium)

Another Alpecin-Premier Tech rider, Niels Vandeputte, is having the season of his career and is currently ranked number two in the world.

World Cup podiums last weekend at Hoogerheide and Maasmechelen have seen the Belgian move into contention for the podium spot at Hulst.

However, he could face a dilemma if it’s a close race, whether to help Alpecin-Premier Tech teammates Van der Poel and Del Grosso or national team leader Nys.

During four seasons as an elite, Vandeputte has yet to pick up a medal at an elite international championship, but he will arrive in Hulst with his best chance yet.

Lars van der Haar (Netherlands)

A fairytale ending to an illustrious career could await Lars van der Haar if he once again rises to the occasion in Hulst.

The Baloise Verzekeringen-Het Poetsbureau Lions rider will retire at the end of the season, with this weekend being his final major championship.

The 34-year-old has podiumed as an elite in four World Championships without striking gold, despite winning the rainbow bands twice as an under-23.

A long and successful career has seen the Dutchman win 68 races between 2007 and 2024, with his most recent coming at the Koppenbergcross in 2024.

Van der Haar might be in the twilight of his career, but he has also been battling for honours this season, placing second at the World Cup round in Flamanville and runner-up in the Dutch national championships.

He was also in contention as part of a large group chasing medal placings last weekend in Hoogerheide.

In what is bound to be an emotional sign-off to the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championship for Van der Haar, he will be spurred on by a vocal home crowd.

Lucinda Brand (Netherlands)

In the women's field, the season so far has been dominated by Lucinda Brand, but what a difference a week can make. Rather than one out-and-out favourite like Van der Poel in the men's race, the women's event looks wide open with a few days left to go.

Brand entered last weekend with the World Cup overall series already wrapped up and a podium streak of 63 races. However, after looking more vulnerable in recent weeks, she came unstuck at Maasmechelen.

Team boss Sven Nys said that there was ‘no reason to panic’ following the 36-year-old's 10th-place finish.

However, Brand posted on Instagram afterwards that she had experienced calf pain and missed the concluding World Cup round at Hoogerheide.

The Dutch rider has a strange history at the World Championships, having reached the elite women’s podium on eight occasions, but she's only won it once in her career. Her only rainbow jersey was won in Oostende in 2021, when there was no crowd due to COVID-19 restrictions.

After finishing runner-up to Van Empel in consecutive seasons, this year seems like a chance to add a second title to her palmarès, should her calf pain not get in the way. There will be a huge party in Hulst on Saturday if the home star can clinch the top spot.

Puck Pieterse (Netherlands)

Dutch star Puck Pieterse will be one of the firm favourites in Hulst on Saturday after peaking her form at the right moment.

The multi-discipline rider has ridden a reduced cyclo-cross programme following road and mountain bike campaigns during 2025. However, she has come back with vengeance and finished in the top five in all of her 11 races.

Pieterse suffered a heavy crash and hurt her back on her way to second at the Dutch national championships earlier this month, and it looked like the rest of her season could be in doubt.

However, following an enforced rest, she returned with a bang last weekend with impressive wins at both Hoogerheide and Maasmechelen.

The fearless mountain bike, road and CX rider is set to thrive on the steep descents in Hulst, and her bike handling abilities could prove to be a huge asset.

Pieterse has had to settle for bronze medals in the last two World Championships and is tipped to go one or two better on Saturday.

Amandine Fouquenet (France)

With nothing to lose and no pressure on her shoulders, Amandine Fouquenet could provide the surprise package of this year’s UCI Cyclo-cross World Championship and break the Dutch dominance.

The 24-year-old came into the cyclo-cross season with her career in the balance following the collapse of sponsor Arkéa-B&B Hotels Women and was left hoping that the ‘phone would ring’ with a new deal.

The two-time French national cyclo-cross champion gave a resounding response with a breakout season on the international stage.

Podiums at seven World Cup rounds resulted in Belgian team Pauwels Sauzen-Altez Industriebouw stepping in at the last minute to give her a contract for 2026 and shift her focus completely to cyclo-cross.

Following a stellar season, Fouquenet could cap a successful campaign off with a podium finish and will almost certainly improve on her 10th-place finish from last year’s World Championship.

Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado (Netherlands)

When it comes to overcoming hurdles and mental toughness, they don’t come much more resilient than Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado.

The Dutchwoman shot out of the under-23 ranks to win the elite World Championships in 2020 following a dramatic sprint finish at Dübendorf.

Since then, the Fenix-Premier Tech rider has suffered a host of setbacks which have disrupted her career and likely limited her list of wins, though she has always battled through.

This year, Del Carmen Alvarado’s cyclo-cross season was delayed by a lingering knee injury, which wiped out her early calendar of races.

However, she has hit a purple patch of form, resulting in a first Dutch national cyclo-cross title since 2020, preceded by a World Cup win at Zonhoven.

After placing runner-up at Maasmechelen, the 27-year-old opted to miss the following day’s race at Hoogerheide and will be gunning for a medal in Hulst on Saturday.

Zoe Backstedt (Great Britain)

Two-time under-23 world champion Zoe Bäckstedt will compete in the elite ranks for the first time at Hulst.

The 21-year-old has shown her toughness to be on the starting line after a serious crash in training resulted in her suffering two hand and wrist fractures and a delayed start to her ‘cross season.

However, the Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto rider could have hit form at the perfect moment after battling to fourth place at Hoogerheide on Sunday.

With just eight cyclo-cross races under her belt this season, the multi-discipline rider has an outside shot at her first elite women’s World Championships medal.

Hot on the heels of the women's race, the men's Tour Down Under gets underway on Tuesday, opening with a 3.6km prologue around Adelaide, and culminating with a punch day around Stirling next Sunday.

Kicking off the WorldTour calendar for 2026, the South Australian race features the full complement of 18 WorldTour teams, plus one ProTeam in Tudor Pro Cycling, and an Australian national team selection.

Among the riders taking on the 759km across six stages are two former overall winners, including the reigning champion Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and four former stage winners who boast 10 stage victories between them, though sprinter Sam Welsford (Ineos Grenadiers) is responsible for six of those.

This year's Tour Down Under route offers up a variety of stages, including the typical sprints, a short and fast prologue, some punchy days and of course the race's favourite climbs of Willunga Hill and Corkscrew Road.

With this mixture of stages, the GC is wide open for an all-rounder to take the title, or indeed, if one climber has a good day and takes enough time, that can be enough to take the overall win.

With all the starters confirmed, here is Cyclingnews' selection of riders who will be chasing the ochre jersey this week in Australia.

Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

UAE Team Emirates-XRG come to the Tour Down Under with undoubtedly the strongest squad, fielding both the 2025 winner in Narváez and 2023 victor Jay Vine.

A punchy all-rounder, Ecuador's Narváez is a rider whose abilities are made for the Tour Down Under, and his choice to return means he's almost certainly going to try to defend his title and the route – which isn't drastically different to the one he won on last year – will suit him well.

The only difference is the opening TT, but being so short, that shouldn't be a hurdle to a powerful rider like Narváez, and his ability to mix in both the sprints and climbs stands him in good stead.

The question will be how UAE manage their ambitions with the 2023 winner and home favourite Jay Vine in the team as well. Vine will debut his newly-reclaimed national champion's skinsuit in the TT on Tuesday, and is a dangerous rider on the hilly stages. Plus, he obviously knows how to win this race. The last time he won, the race also started with a prologue.

Ben O'Connor and Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla)

As they tend to do, Jayco AlUla are coming to their home race with a line-up worthy of the biggest European stage races, and presumably growing motivation to take a GC win – something they haven't done at the TDU since 2019 with Daryl Impey.

The headline name to try to rectify that is Ben O'Connor, who has opted to race the Australian summer and returns as a Tour de France stage winner. A climber of his calibre should be able to take on Willunga Hill and Corkscrew Road with ease, but being a pure climber isn't always the recipe for success at TDU. To win, O'Connor will have to climb well but also manage the punchier stages, too.

Like UAE, however, Jayco come to this race with options, not least Luke Plapp, who has been trying to win this race for years on end, and will likely be fired up after his runner-up spot at the National Championships in Perth. They can also look to Mauro Schmid as an option, the one non-Australian in the line-up, who won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in 2025.

Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

The 2026 line-up has a lot of returnees from the protagonists of 2025, and Finn Fisher-Black is one of those, coming back after taking third last January. A good climber and budding GC rider, the New Zealand rider is slowly building his stage racing pedigree, and races like the Tour Down Under are the perfect training ground for that, particularly as Australia is about as close to home as it gets for the Kiwi. Fisher-Black can use his punch on the harder days, and then has a strong team around him for the flatter ones.

Compatriot Laurence Pithie can also hope for some good results in Australia, particularly as he tries to build up for the Classics.

Javier Romo (Movistar)

The third returning podium finisher from 2025 is Javier Romo, who was runner-up behind Narvaez last year after winning the third stage and spending two days in the lead, only ceding the top spot to Narváez on the final day on Willunga Hill.

With that experience under his belt, Romo will no doubt be returning with ambitions of righting that wrong and upgrading second to first, over climbs he will have been familiarised with last year.

Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto-Intermarché)

Lennert Van Eetvelt was touted as a stage racing future star in 2024, but had a quieter 2025, so it will be interesting to see how he kicks off 2026 with his newly-merged and newly-WorldTour Lotto-Intermarché team – this will be their very first appearance in a race.

Van Eetvelt won the UAE Tour and Tour of Guangxi in 2024, so has a penchant for these non-European, sprint friendly stage races, and seems like a good under-the-radar pick for the ochre jersey or a spot on the podium. Motivation will be high at Lotto-Intermarche and he seems the obvious way to chase down a result.

Corbin Strong (NSN Cycling Team)

Corbin Strong is a rider very much of a similar pedigree to Narváez: a fast sprinter who is surprisingly handy in the hills, too. NSN Cycling, in their previous guise as Israel-Premier Tech, have done well at this race before, winning with Stevie Williams in 2024, and having two-time winner Daryl Impey in the car will be no disadvantage, either.

NSN have named their goal as stage wins with Ethan Vernon in the sprints and Strong on the harder days, but there's nothing to say that some good results – or that desired individual win – couldn't translate into a good GC ride for Strong, too. He won the Tour de Wallonie and Arctic Race of Norway last summer, so definitely fits the bill of an all-rounder who can put together a GC win.

Chris Harper (Australia)

With only one ProTeam racing and no Continental teams permitted to race WorldTour events, the national team had some very good riders to choose from for the Australian selection at this year's race. With Pinarello-Q36.5 not in attendance, both Chris Harper and Damien Howson will line up in the national jersey, and both could get a strong GC result, though Harper looks like the stronger option.

Harper is a solid stage racer back in Europe, and won the Queen stage of the Giro in 2025, so after departing Jayco this winter, he'll want to get his year off to a strong start for his new team. An Adelaide native, this is as local as it gets for Harper, and whilst he's sometimes got lost in a crowded Jayco team at this race, he should stand out as a leader in the Australian squad.

Keep an eye on new national Patrick Eddy for some good stage results, too, plus his trade teammate Oliver Bleddyn who was key to Eddy's win in Perth last weekend.

Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious)

Santiago Buitrago is a solid climber and stage racer who will lead a quite young Bahrain Victorious team in Australia. The 26-year-old starts 2026 off the back of 15th overall at the Vuelta a España, and is certainly one of the strongest climbers in the race, so his race will be about finding that punch to make the difference on the harder stages.

He's only taken one GC victory in his career, at last year's Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and he is a rider who often does well in the early races, so will definitely be someone to keep an eye on.

Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Twenty-eight-year-old Nicolas Prodhomme started 2025 having never won a race as a professional, and ended it with five wins and a GC victory under his belt, after a stage at the Tour of Alps seemingly opened the floodgates.

A climbing breakaway specialist, Prodhomme is perfect for the in-between climbing days that characterise the Tour Down Under, and he'll certainly be hoping that his 2025 winning streak can continue into the new year. His overall win at the La Route d'Occitanie shows he can do well in shorter stage races. This year marks the start of a new chapter for the budget-boosted Decathlon CMA CGM team, so kicking it off with a podium or win will surely be high on their priority list.

Sam Oomen and Patrick Konrad (Lidl-Trek)

Lidl-Trek start in Adelaide slightly rudderless, or at least without a clear leader, and no serious bunch sprinter. Their race will probably be riders going for individual opportunities, and warming the legs before the bigger goals down the line.

Their best GC hopes probably come from Sam Oomen, who has been quite quiet since joining Lidl-Trek in 2024, or Patrick Konrad, who finished in the top 10 here last year, and is a solid climber who should take these opportunities when they arise, before he returns to domestique duty.

Cyclingnews is on the ground for the season-opening 2026 Tour Down Under, and a subscription gives you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. From breaking news and analysis to exclusive interviews and tech, we've got you covered as the new season gets underway in Australia. Find out more.

The 2026 Women's Tour Down Under promises three days of action-packed competition, opening the top-tier racing season from January 17-19 in and around Adelaide, Australia. In the absence of the famed Willunga Hill, this year's race is wide-open for both puncheurs and climbers in pursuit of the ochre jersey.

The route marks the longest so far at 394km, with the racing set to begin with stage 1 in Willunga; however, instead of showcasing the famed longer version of Willunga Hill, the stage will include three trips up a much shorter 475-metre-long lower Willunga climb on the main street in town. The route will cater to the punchy sprinters. Stage 2 from Magill to Paracombe offers another lumpy route and a challenging final circuit.

The most decisive day of racing will happen on the final day of racing, with stage 3 beginning in Norwood on a route punctuated by Corkscrew Road. The peloton will tackle the ascent twice, followed by a technical five-kilometre descent into the finish line in Campbelltown, where the overall winner will be crowned.

All 14 of the Women's WorldTeams will be on the start line for the first time in the event's history, due to a notable regulation change allowing top-tier teams to miss only one Women's WorldTour event in a season. Therefore, all of them have travelled to compete in both the Women's Tour Down Under and will likely stay for the following week's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

That means the depth and strength of the peloton will be the highest it's ever been, with a wider range of riders who can pursue both stage wins and the overall title.

Only two previous winners will be on the starting line with defending champion Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) and three-time winner Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek), who won her titles in 2017, 1018 2019, and is beginning her final year of racing on home soil.

Cyclingnews has handpicked a selection of riders to watch for the 2026 Women's Tour Down Under.

Cyclingnews is on the ground for the season-opening 2026 Women's Tour Down Under, and a subscription gives you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. From breaking news and analysis to exclusive interviews and tech, we've got you covered as the new season gets underway in Australia. Find out more

Magdeleine Vallieres and Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly)

New World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres and defending champion Noemi Rüegg will lead the EF Education-Oatly team in their attempt to win it a second time in a row. Vallieres' presence marks the first time the rainbow jersey will be part of the peloton at the early-season race.

If her history-making breakaway victory wasn't proof enough of her strength and tenacity, this three-day Tour Down Under could well see her secure the overall title across the three challenging courses, all suited to the all-rounder in their own way.

The team have another winning card to play in last year's overall champion Rüegg, who won the race ahead of Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility) after winning the decisive Willunga Hill stage.

The absence of the main climb, however, means that the race presents an opportunity for riders of varying strengths and skill to contend for stage wins and the overall title, but Rüegg is also a proven all-rounder, so watch for her stage wins and decisive breakaways.

Neve Bradbury (Canyon-Sram zondacrypto)

Neve Bradbury will lead a powerful Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto team and aims to improve on her eighth place overall last year and third-place podium finish the year before.

She will be surrounded by one of the strongest teams with teammates Tiffany Cromwell, Soraya Paladin and Chloé Dygert, all capable of taking stage wins and setting up their overall leader on the decisive final day of racing.

Bradbury is a climber at heart and, in her sixth season with the team, is one of the more experienced contenders, having finished on the podium at the Giro d'Italia, Tour de Suisse, and UAE Tour.

Beginning her season in Australia will undoubtedly add to her motivation to win her home top-tier race.

Dominika Włodarczyk (UAE Team ADQ)

Absent from the start line are last year's runner-up overall finishers Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Mie Bjørndal Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility).

However, fourth overall last year and fifth overall the year before, Dominika Włodarczyk will lead UAE Team ADQ in an attempt to improve her performance and take a step onto the podium.

She is beginning her third year in top-tier racing and turned heads when she finished fourth overall at the Tour de France Femmes in 2025.

She more than earned her place as the team's leader in some of the biggest races, especially when the double Giro d'Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini is focused on a different early-season schedule that likely includes another run at the UAE Tour's overall title in February.

She will also have the support from teammate and potential winner Brodie Chapman, along with Mavi García, Erica Magnaldi and Paula Blasi.

Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike)

If we are going to pick out a pure climber in the field, who will more than likely focus on the stage 3 finale to make a possible winning move, it is Marion Bunel.

At just 21, the French rider got her chance at the WorldTour with Visma-Lease a Bike for the first season in 2025. She had spent two seasons with St Michel-Mavic-Auber93, during which she delivered strong GC performances at the Tour de l'Ardèche, the Volta a Catalunya, and the UAE Tour.

The team gave her a chance to grow with leadership roles at smaller races, fourth at l'Ardèche, second at l'Avenir, third at Catalunya and then ninth at the top-tier Tour de Suisse.

Now in her second season at the highest level, watch for her to begin leading the team in the bigger races, where her strength in the mountains gives her team the edge.

Mackenzie Coupland (Liv AlUla Jayco)

Mackenzie Coupland stunned even herself by winning the elite and under-23 women's road race title at the Australian National Championships at the weekend.

The first-year professional went solo in the final 10km of the race to win the green and gold jersey just days into her tenure with Liv AlUla Jayco, even more surprised to beat teammate Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Bradbury, who finished second and third on the podium.

This week, she will line up at one of the biggest races on the Women's WorldTour, and certainly the biggest on home soil, racing for the home team while wearing a brand-new national champion's jersey. In many ways, she already won before she even started.

Gaia Realini and Amanda Spratt (Lidl-Trek)

Amanda Spratt is entering her final year in the professional peloton before retiring, beginning her victory lap at a race she knows all too well - Tour Down Under - where she has won three overall titles from 2017-2019.

She brings ample experience as a road captain, having also been a major contender at the Ardennes Classics, Grand Tours and three-time winner of Emakumeen Bira, in her sparkling 15-year career.

She has stated that she aims to support the younger riders on Lidl-Trek in her last year of racing, but also said she would like to race hard and win this year. There would be no better place than to win a stage in her last Tour Down Under in front of home crowds.

She will almost surely support Gaia Realini on the final day of racing, however, as the team hunts the overall classification.

Mireia Benito (AG Insurance-Soudal)

AG Insurance-Soudal will line up without former winner Sarah Gigante, but the team will field Mireia Benito.

The Spanish rider is a talent across punchy one-day races, having finished fourth at the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar, Giro del Veneto, and Navarra Women's Elite Classics.

Her style of racing could be important during the three demanding stages at the Tour Down Under, and consistency in those races could land her in one of the top places in the overall classification.

Olivia Baril and Paula Ostiz (Movistar)

Olivia Baril will lead the Movistar squad at the three-day race, another rider who is a strong climber and opportunist, and well-suited to this year's parcours.

A strong general classification contender at the Tour de Scandinavia, Itzulia Women, and punchy one-day races like Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar, watch for Baril to make a mark on this challenging course.

She will have support from Floortje Mackaij and Claire Steels, while junior World and European Champion Paula Ostiz could really surprise in her first full year on the WorldTour.

It's nearly time. The Tour de France is nearly upon us, and with it the biggest and most important GC battle of the year as the best riders of a generation go head to head for the iconic yellow jersey.

Ever since the 2026 Tour route was announced last October, we've been tracking the contenders and favourites, ranking them after each and every important event, but now it's here, our definitive final ranking.

Given his successes all year and most recently at the Tour de Suisse, it's no surprise that Tadej Pogačar remains firmly in the driving seat as we count down the days to the Barcelona Grand Départ, with his long-term rival Jonas Vingegaard looking like his most likely challenging.

However, the all-important Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Tour de Suisse told us a lot about how the other contenders for yellow are faring – some better than others – and who is coming into the Tour looking solid, and who will start with work to do.

After months of preparation, anticipation and speculation, in just a few days and weeks we will finally know who wins the 2026 Tour de France, and more importantly, how they do it. To kick off our countdown to the race, here is our definitive ranking of the contenders.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Tadej Pogačar was number one on our list when we first made it back in October, and unsurprisingly, that is where he remains. The Slovenian has already won four Tours de France – some where he was pushed to his limit, some which he seemed to walk – which means this year is his chance to win a fifth, and join a very small club of five-time winners. So far in 2026, he's hardly set a foot wrong, defeat at Paris-Roubaix perhaps his only real 'loss', and he's continuing to look more or less unchallenged as the greatest stage racer in the current peloton, if not ever.

Pogačar's final tune-up even was the Tour de Suisse, which he won by a margin of six and a half minutes, winning three stages: a long-range solo attack on stage 1, a TT victory on stage 4, and a mountain procession on stage 5, although he didn't quite go as nuclear on stage 5 as he might have. On paper, he seems to be building up to the Tour perfectly, but the only small hiccup is that he may not be completing his final training as planned, deciding instead to spend some time with his partner Urška Žigart who was seriously hurt at the women's Tour de Suisse. A few days of missed altitude training isn't going to ruin the work he's already done or affect his fitness, and it is admirable to see more riders choosing home life over racing, but it may mean he arrives in Barcelona with just a few more things on his mind.

As it stands though, it is pretty hard to see anyone beating Pogačar. He would have to falter significantly, either through illness or injury, to lose time on anyone. Vingegaard will push him, as he always does, and of course he's lost to the Dane before, but if Pogačar is in good shape – and there's nothing to suggest he isn't – it seems pretty likely that Tour number five is on its way.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike)

The last time Jonas Vingegaard had this clean a run into the Tour de France, he won it, back in 2023, when he confirmed that his 2022 victory ahead of Tadej Pogačar was certainly no fluke. In the two editions since then, Vingegaard has been hampered by crashes in the build-up and had his preparation disrupted, almost missing the Tour entirely due to a horror crash at Itzulia Basque Country in 2024, and then being forced to skip any racing between March and June a year ago, due to a crash and concussion.

In 2026, aside from a bizarre training crash forcing him to delay the start of his season, Vingegaard has, for the most part, been undisturbed in his work. He survived and even excelled in the torrential rain at Paris-Nice, which he won, dominated the Volta a Catalunya with no issues, and then headed for a highly anticipated debut at the Giro d'Italia.

It was in Bulgaria and Italy where Vingegaard really came into his own. He avoided all the typical chaos a Giro throws up, exuding calm throughout his destruction of the field on almost every mountain he reached. The only exception was the one his teammate Sepp Kuss was allowed to go up the road and conquer in the final week, when the maglia rosa was already more than secured.

His climbing performances were impressive, and though not on the level that Pogačar has displayed at the past two Tours or his recent Tour de Suisse annihilation, Vingegaard always looked like he had more to give, breathing relatively easily throughout his efforts and at the finish. Taking an iconic Marco Pantani record atop Piancavallo certainly points to peak form.

The Dane's claim all along has been that he is usually better in the second Grand Tour he does in a season, having twice combined the Vuelta with racing at the Tour. So could the Giro-Tour double be the exact formula to turn the tide in his rivalry with Pogačar? That was the case for his rival two years ago, but he would need to reach new heights in July.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

A few months ago, many would have been hoping that Remco Evenepoel or Paul Seixas were going to battle for a spot on the podium, but as the racing has gone on, it looks more and more like the third-best rider in this race isn't one of Pogačar's rivals, it's one of his teammates. Isaac del Toro almost won the Giro d'Italia last year, only his second Grand Tour ever, and instead of going back there this year, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have opted to send him to the Tour. His role is to be a luxury domestique for Pogačar but also to start learning the ropes as they prime him to be the Slovenian's successor.

Del Toro has had a very good year so far, proving himself as good as, if not better than, many of the current GC contenders, winning the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico. A muscle injury disrupted his spring, but he came back for the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes which he duly won, making it look fairly easy and beating several Tour hopefuls in the process. Del Toro will be all in for Pogačar in France – no one is expecting a leadership scuffle – but UAE have put two riders on the Tour podium before. So if Del Toro is as strong as he seems, there's no reason why he couldn't help Pogačar and still end up in the top three himself. He's currently looking stronger than other team leaders, after all.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM)

Paul Seixas has taken a hit to his ranking on this list but only by one spot, as a result of his crash and abandon at the Tour Auvergen-Rhône-Alpes, where he was unable to live up to his status as the heavy favourite and properly take on Isaac del Toro.

Just 30km into the penultimate stage, Seixas came down heavily on a descent of a climb, completely blaming himself for the incident, saying, "Today I paid for it. I took too many risks," leaving his body covered in blood and bruises. He went on to lose significant time as Del Toro surged to the stage win and towards the race lead, and though he fought on admirably the next day, it wasn't long into the final stage until he had to climb off and start his recovery.

What followed the crash, however, is what is partly keeping him so high up this list, with a remarkable chase from being four minutes down to back in the bunch for the finale, and a gritty performance up the climb with blood seeping through his white jersey showing the fight of a champion.

It was also a wake-up call for the teenager that he isn't invincible, as his talent might sometimes suggest. Given that his injuries weren't so significant that Decathlon had to cancel one of the most anticipated Tour debuts in decades, Seixas has possibly learned that hard lesson at just the right moment, as he heads for the highest-pressure race of his young career.

What can't be taken away from him is what he showed in the first half of the season, winning Itzulia Basque Country, La Flèche Wallonne on debut, taking second at Strade Bianche, and pushing Pogačar further than anyone has in recent years at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, living with his brutal attacks up La Redoute, before finally succumbing to the pressure up the Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons.

Though Decathlon have had to delay their team announcement, Seixas is still set to be the youngest debutant at the Tour for 89 years, having headed to Les Arcs to train last Thursday and undergone an MRI scan early this week. Things are still on track according to local media, but the bump in the road at the renamed Dauphiné could prove pivotal – for better or worse.

Remco Evenepoel & Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

2026 was supposed to be the year of Remco and Red Bull. The German team finally secured his transfer after multiple years of trying, and the Tour project was on. But unfortunately, despite his strength and the team's resources, it's yet to look like Evenepoel actually has much chance of improving on his career-best of third overall at the Tour: he's good, but he's not on Pogačar and Vingegaard's level.

Given both he and Florian Lipowitz have finished on the podium before, it might feel a bit unfair to put them below two riders who have never even done the Tour before. But despite Evenepoel's strong start to the year, his form seemed to fall off, with fifth at Catalunya his last stage race result. He's taken a long break from racing since a strong Classics campaign, so we don't have an awful lot to go off in terms of his current form, so he may spring a surprise and turn up incredibly strong. But even the strongest Evenepoel has a ceiling, and it's probably fourth or fifth in this Tour.

Lipowitz returns to the race as defending third-place, and whilst Red Bull might roll out the 'shared leadership' line, it's clear what the hierarchy is between Evenepoel and the German. The interesting thing will be to see how they manage that, and if Lipowitz does emerge as the stronger one – which does not feel impossible at this stage – how quickly will they give him the green light to go for himself? In the pair, Red Bull certainly have a strong team, and one of them will surely get a good result, but unfortunately, the evidence so far isn't quite putting either of them amongst the top three contenders.

Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek)

Juan Ayuso may have technically dropped a spot on this list, but that's through no lack of his own performance, and it's only due to former teammate Isaac del Toro getting the better of him throughout a successful Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes for both riders.

The Lidl-Trek leader showed exactly why they brought him in for 2026 across the eight stages, contributing to a powerful team time trial and being the clear second-strongest climber at the race behind the Mexican.

Even if he did end up third overall due to Luke Tuckwell's great defence, it represented a return to the form Ayuso had shown in the early season at the Volta ao Algarve. Back in February he beat Paul Seixas to the GC win, as well as having the best of the likes of Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility).

Furthemore, this was Ayuso's first race back following two DNF results in the Basque Country and Paris-Nice in the spring, so Ayuso could and should well have more form to come ahead of the Grand Départ in Barcelona.

The race also gave us some answers when it comes to Lidl-Trek's potential leadership dilemmas, which were put to bed by the words of Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose, but also by the legs, with the former comfortably beating his teammate by 1:24 on GC.

Lidl-Trek will be chasing several goals at the Tour, too, with Mads Pedersen chasing sprints and the green jersey, so Ayuso will have less pressure on his shoulders when he makes his first start at the Tour as an outright leader.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility)

Still one of the most underrated GC riders in the peloton, Tobias Halland Johannessen has only kicked on in 2026 after finishing sixth overall at last year's Tour de France, netting more impressive results at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes since we last ranked the contenders.

He started the race slowly, showing all the signs of a rider coming down from altitude training camp and settling back into racing. But by the end of the eight days, he was back flying at his absolute best, finishing second, third and third on the trio of difficult mountain stages which closed out the week.

Of course, at the Tour, he won't be able to have a slow start if he wants to match or better his sixth place overall from last year. But this latest performance only suggests that the Norwegian is getting better and really living up to his Tour de l'Avenir-winning potential from 2021.

He didn't try to follow any of the big attacks from Ayuso and Del Toro on the final two stages, but rode his own pace impressively, picking off riders as he surged to the finish line, eventually ending the week fifth overall.

Uno-X Mobility have really impressed in what is their first season in the WorldTour, and Johannessen has played a major role in that. Another top 10 finish looks more than likely, but a top five finish at the Tour in July should not be that much of a surprise for Johannessen and the ever-impressive Norwegian squad.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5)

Despite Tom Pidcock's assertions that he's just coming to this Tour de France to enjoy it and not to put any particular pressure or ambitions on himself, he can't entirely deny his own talent, and his form this year puts him firmly amongst the top 10 contenders. The Brit stamped his authority as a Grand Tour GC rider when he finished third at the Vuelta last year, and we know he can go well in the French mountains, given he was a winner atop Alpe d'Huez in 2022 – which, incidentally, is the headline climb of this Tour.

So far in 2026, Pidcock hasn't won a stage race but has looked strong in the climbs, and when he returned to road racing last weekend, he immediately won the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica, beating some serious climbers in the process. His lack of stage racing days in 2026 puts a slight question mark over where exactly he stands, but if there's one thing we know about Pidcock, it's that he doesn't need a big lead-in to an event to do well. All he really needs is strength and mindset, and he has that in bags. Plus, he looked really strong on the mountain bike in May, and he's a rider who can transfer form across disciplines well. He may not be piling the pressure on, and perhaps we shouldn't either, but it is not hard to imagine him contesting for the GC top 10.

Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost)

Former Tour de France podium finisher Richard Carapaz is coming into form at just the right time with the Grand Départ fast approaching, taking second at the recent Tour de Suisse behind Tadej Pogačar.

While the Ecuadorian may have finished 6:32 down on the all-consuming champion after just five days of racing, he was the second-best climber overall in his first stage race since March, also gaining most of his advantage on the rest of the race on the blown-up first day, where Pogačar went solo 60km from the line.

Carapaz missed out on the Giro d'Italia to undergo surgery to remove a perineal cyst, so he came into this block of racing in Switzerland with question marks over his form, but he answered them with a podium finish on GC.

He hasn't raced at the Tour since 2024, where he didn't target GC, instead winning a stage to Superdévoluy and taking home the King of the Mountains classification. In any case, this recent form suggests another bid for the top 10 overall could be inbound from the EF Education-EasyPost leader.

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Movistar)

Cian Uijtdebroeks has quietly been coming into top form in the build-up to his first Tour de France and first Grand Tour with new team Movistar, impressing throughout the week at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Uijtdebroeks ended the race seventh overall and climbed to fifth and ninth on the two closing mountain stages. A solid team time trial from Movistar also suggests that he won't start the race on the back foot on the opening day in Barcelona against the clock.

The 23-year-old Belgian's luck has not been great in Grand Tours so far throughout his career, failing to improve on his impressive debut at the Vuelta in 2023, where he finished eighth, with his last two appearances ending in DNFs.

Luckily for him, he won't have the usual pressure at the Tour, which a top Belgian prospect typically breeds, thanks to the presence of Remco Evenepoel, so he will be allowed to quietly focus on his GC race as he looks to deliver on that promise.

In the same ilk as Johannessen, Seixas, Del Toro and Pogačar on this list, Uijtdebroeks is also a former winner of the Tour de l'Avenir, seen as the under-23 Tour de France, so has since then been looking to bring similar results to the elite WorldTour arena.

Oscar Onley & Kévin Vauquelin (Netcompany Ineos)

Signing both Oscar Onley and Kévin Vauquelin, fourth and seventh at last year's Tour, Netcompany Ineos started the year looking certain to have at least one solid top 10 contender for July, but that dream has somewhat fallen off in recent months.

Onley has had a torrid year, enduring injuries and setbacks which have left him self-critical and clearly with his confidence knocked. At the time of writing, his participation in the Tour isn't yet certain after he suffered a nasty crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and if he does start, it's clear we're not looking at the same rider who finished fourth last year. The ability is clearly there, and with a good run he'll likely be back at the Tour as a solid contender, but sadly he feels some way off that right now.

Vauquelin has been much more fortunate, but hasn't particularly delivered, finishing 15th at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. That's not to say he's had a bad year, though, fifth at Paris-Nice being a stand-out result, and we know from last year that he has the strength to challenge at the Tour. If anything, an undercooked Onley could be a blessing in disguise for Vauquelin, as he probably has better chances at doing well if he is the leader from the start and goes in with clear, strong ambitions. He finished seventh last year without being particularly hyped up, so although it's been a difficult year for Ineos' GC duo, their French star will still be hoping to fight for the top 10 again, and who knows, maybe the home roads and magic of the Tour will give him that edge he's so far been missing.

Other contenders

Bahrain Victorious' duo don't quite make our top 11 but Antonio Tiberi and Lenny Martinez are ones to watch nonetheless. Tiberi is an incredibly consistent stage racer making his debut in France, and his TT ability could make him a dark horse. Martinez has flashes of amazing form and then days where he loses time seemingly for no reason, so we don't quite know what to expect from him GC-wise, but expect him to be giving it a go on the hardest days.

French fans will be mainly looking at Seixas and Vauquelin, but the usual suspects of David Gaudu and Guillaume Martin (both Groupama-FDJ United) will both be hoping to make it into the top 15 or so, plus keep an eye on Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies), who ghosted into 10th last year.

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) will return to the Tour after his stage win, stint in yellow and ninth overall in 2025, though replicating a top 10 on GC seems like a big ask for the Irish rider.

Other teams with multiple GC riders could see teammates of their main leader sneak into the top 10, notably Matteo Jorgenson for Visma-Lease a Bike, and Mattias Skjelmose for Lidl-Trek.

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Only one of the Grand Tours now remains for the women's peloton, with the Vuelta Femenina and Giro d'Italia Women providing plenty of pointers, as well as delivering a few warning shots, ahead of the Tour de France Femmes.

The established favourites have revealed just where there preparation and form is at through both, some like Giro d'Italia winner Demi Vollering (FDJ United-SUEZ) delivering a masterclass that will just bolster her position as a favourite to recapture yellow, and others like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike) revealing the journey as a work in progress at the earlier Vuelta, which may have given rivals a sliver of hope.

New potential contenders also rose to prominence, most strikingly Vuelta Femenina winner Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ) who is now expected to make her Tour de France Femmes debut in 2026.

The battleground will also, of course, tilt the balance at the nine-stage race from August 1-9, with the route this year including an individual time trial, an ascent of Mont Ventoux and a wealth of other stages of radically varying type and difficulty all to tackle. The 2026 Tour de France Femmes looks like one of the hardest yet. What's certain is the potential winner will need considerable all-round strength to be in a position to claim the yellow jersey.

With that in mind, who are the riders that can be counted among the favourites to contend for the victory? The final teams may not yet be settled but with two Grand Tours already run, the indications of who will be in a position to vie for the podium spots are becoming increasingly clear, so here are our contenders to win the 2026 Tour de France Femmes.

Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez)

Though she's been beaten the last two years, Demi Vollering has every reason to look to the 2026 Tour de France as the perfect opportunity to return to the top step of the podium. For a start there is the route, as while Pauline Ferrand-Prévot may have out-climbed her to victory in 2025, the addition of a time trial really plays into Vollering's hands for 2026, and she's historically better in the medium mountains, too. Ventoux will be an all-out fight, but Vollering is the more well-rounded rider for the rest of the race.

On top of that, the Dutch rider has backed up an amazing 2025, topping the best rider rankings at the end of the year, with an impressive run in the opening part of 2026. Last year she may have missed out on her big goals but this year seems to be taking a more measured approach, and so far its clearly working for her. Of the nine races she has lined up for six have ended with a victory, and most importantly that includes the Giro d'Italia, where she delivered with form and finsesse. The carefully dosed but thoroughly effective efforts through the race to clinch the maglia rosa when it counted, on the very last day, have certainly added to the case of her being a prime pick to claim yellow and repeat her winning effort of 2023.

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

The winner of the 2025 race, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is another rider that has to be very high on the favourites list, particularly as the Frenchwoman only returned to road racing full-time in 2025, but won the Tour at the first time of asking. It was a clear demonstration of just how good the 34-year-old is at picking a target and delivering the perfect peak and form.

That's a factor which means that even though Ferrand-Prévot hasn't exactly got the long list of wins to her name that Vollering has this season, with second at the Tour of Flanders her top result, and far from the top ranks at Vuelta Femenina, she is a rider that it would be foolish to underestimate. Her strength in 2026 came in the high mountains, so she will be looking at Mont Ventoux as a great opportunity. Her time trialing is a bit more of an unknown – she hasn't raced a single ITT since returning to the road – but that's bound to have been something she has been working on.

Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx-Protime)

After an impressive performance at Vuelta Femenina and Giro d'Italia it looks like SD Worx-Protime have found their Tour de France contender in Anna van der Breggen. After coming back to the peloton in 2025 it was too much to expect the multiple Grand Tour winner to be right in the mix straight away, but she has now built from that solid re-start and stepped up to the podium at both the Vuelta and Giro d'Italia, coming second in Spain and third in Italy. That's a considerable pick up from the third and sixth last year, so there also looks to be plenty of room for a jump up from the 11th last year in the Tour de France as well.

Working in her favour is that there will no longer be any question over whether or not Lotte Kopecky is going for GC so the team should have had plenty of opportunity to build a team around Van der Breggen that will give her the best opportunity. The hard climbs and time trial should be good for Van der Breggen, amply demonstrated by her second place in the time trial at the World Championships last year and, more recently, at the Giro when after the race against the clock she stepped into the maglia rosa.

Elisa Longo Borghini and Paula Blasi (UAE Team ADQ)

Right from the announcement of the date change of the Giro d'Italia, Elisa Longo Borghini's stock as a Tour de France contender rose. The Italian who has twice won the Giro has made no secret of the fact that abandoning the focus on her home Grand Tour isn't an option, but now with the greater separation between the two events her chances of not just getting to the finish of her first Tour since 2022 but also making a mark have rocketed. What's more, the less than ideal circumstances of her early season, which saw her heading into the Giro d'Italia after a long stretch off racing due to illness could actually work in her favour come August. Longo Borghini was clearly on the build through the race, winning the final stage despite doing a huge amount of work in the break, so this time should be heading into the French race far fresher.

Also working in her favour is the team she will have by her side. At the start of the Tour de France last year it seemed like the spin across France would be a disastrous one for the squad, yet despite losing rider after rider they took two stages with Maëva Squiban and fourth overall with Dominika Włodarczyk. The team has yet to be announced but the expectation is also that alongside Longo Borghini the squad will have another GC option in a debuting Paula Blasi, who made clear what a formidable overall force she is developing into by winning the Vuelta and most recently the Tour des Pyrénées.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Antonia Niedermaier (Canyon-SRAM)

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney has finished on the podium of every single Tour de France Femmes so far, including winning the 2024 edition, and she'll be hoping to keep that streak up in 2026. The Polish rider isn't a prolific winner, but she's extremely consistent, and that's exactly what you need to do well at the Tour, particularly now it's been extended to nine days.

Like Ferrand-Prévot, Niewiadoma-Phinney has some work to do on her TT, but she should do well on the medium-difficulty stages that make up much of the second half of the race. The Vuelta may not have exactly been one where she put her best foot forward, finishing eighth overall, but as she pointed out after the event it has at least given her an opportunity to sit down with her coach and work out where she needs to improve. She's a rider who always pulls out her best performances at the biggest races, and this year's Tour should be no different.

What may be different though, is that she could well have another strong teammate by her side, with 23-year-old Antonia Niedermaier impressive in her ability to stick with the top riders on the climbs at the Giro. That staying power, and a savvy move on the final day of racing, helped put the rider up to second and the fact that she could keep up with key contenders like Vollering and Van der Breggen in Italy bodes well for France.

Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek)

At SD Worx-Protime, Niamh Fisher-Black may have been "that young girl" but the move to Lidl-Trek with an aim to step up into a leadership role has certainly yielded dividends. The rider from New Zealand delivered fifth overall at the Tour de France Femmes last year and also captured silver in the road race World Championships .

A pure climber, she'll thrive in the mountains, though this year's Giro, where she came fifth overall, provided a reminder of a potential weakness, as she lost ground in the uphill individual time trial with her 11th place. The deficit of more than two minutes she shed to winner Van der Breggen that day was the difference between fifth and a podium place.

The Giro also highlighted another strong up and coming option for Lidl-Trek, with Isabella Holmgren winning the youth classification and coming seventh overall. That climbing strength could come in handy for Fisher-Black in August, offering support in the mountains or even another threat.

Marlen Reusser (Movistar)

There could hardly be a bigger contrast between Marlen Reusser's path to the Tour de France in 2025 and 2026. She had her best year of GC racing yet in 2025, finishing second overall at both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Femenina whereas this year it was 13th at the Italian race as the Swiss rider returned from a spinal fracture sustained at the Tour of Flanders.

Still despite the powerful run in last year, sickness took her out on the first stage of the Tour, meaning we haven't got to see her in action in the race properly since 2023. Reusser is undoubtedly a rider that has matured since then, and has established herself in a leadership role, plus may enter the race fresher this time due to her forced injury time out. The race starts in her home country of Switzerland, too, which will add some motivation, and the stage 4 time trial surely looks appealing to the TT world champion.

Sarah Gigante and Urška Žigart (AG Insurance-Soudal)

Sarah Gigante is yet to return from breaking her femur last year, and in fact hasn't raced since the Tour in 2025, where she delivered sixth overall and an impressive second on the Col de la Madeleine. Usually that amount of time away from racing would mean completely discounting the chances of a rider, but Gigante has her comeback run down to a fine art, having had way too much experience at training her way back to form after a long lay-off. Plus the route for 2026 will surely be providing some great motivation to get back to her best for August – Ventoux will surely have the climber salivating.

However, should the return to racing have to be delayed further or the Tour de France Femmes prove to be a bit too early in the comeback curve, AG Insurance-Soudal aren't without options. Urška Žigart, for one, has stepped it up this year so may even be looking to add a third Grand Tour to her schedule after finishing sixth overall at the Vuelta and eighth at the Giro.

Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Premier Tech)

Compared to her breakout ride in 2024, Puck Pieterse had a slightly quieter performance at the Tour in 2025, after perhaps going a bit too hard in her preparation, but she will have learnt from that for 2026 and will be hoping to continue her GC development in this year's race. At the moment, Pieterse still balances road racing against mountain biking, but has been upping her road days each year, and clearly has the ability to do well at the Tour. After Pauliena Rooijakkers left the team over the winter, Fenix-Premier Tech will likely rely a little more on Pieterse this year, and she will be hoping to take a step up in her Grand Tour ambitions.

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Gravel is all about grit and embraces variety. That applies to both race routes and the competitors themselves, where variable conditions and terrain often present unpredictable equipment and fitness challenges to even the most experienced pro riders.

The fourth edition of the UCI Gravel World Championships in Zuid-Limburg this weekend hits the mark for fast, Classics-style competitions this Saturday and Sunday. There is Dutch territory that has been featured in the Amstel Gold Race, which lures the legends of the WorldTour and Women's WorldTour this year - Lorena Wiebes, Marianne Vos and Tim Merlier (Netherlands), Tim Wellens (Belgium) and Romain Bardet (France).

Riders with long pedigrees on gravel desperately want the rainbow stripes, however, so look for a clash of titans from the likes of gravel 'veterans' like Gianni Vermeersch and Greg Van Avermaet (Belgium), Tiffany Cromwell (Australia), Geerike Schreurs (Netherlands) and Rosa Klöser (Germany) to kick up the dust at the front of the elite races.

Some of the top women not expected to line up are 2023 women's champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Poland), last year's fourth-place finisher Puck Pieterse (Netherlands) and three-time US women's gravel champion Lauren Stephens. On the men's side, last year's winner Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) takes time off from a hectic road and MTB season, so the podium is wide open. While 2023 winner Matej Mohorič (Slovenia) is on the start list, he is questionable to start due to struggles at Road Worlds and European Championships.

Perhaps missing from the action will be many of the gravel stars who have performed consistently on longer and more mountainous courses, such as US riders Keegan Swenson, Alexey Vermeulen, Cole Paton, Cecily Decker and Melisa Rollins. They are expected to race the final two rounds of the Life Time Grand Prix in Arkansas across the next two weeks. Also absent from the Netherlands for the prize-rich Grand Prix are gravel standouts Matthew Beers and Haley Preen of South Africa, Simon Pellaud of Switzerland, Torbjørn Røed of Norway, Cameron Jones and Courtney Sherwell of Australia, Haley Smith and Andrew L'Esperance of Canada - all of them also in Arkansas.

The elite women start proceedings on Saturday morning in Beek with 131km and 1,190 metres of climbing. The elite men will cover 181km and gain 1,650m of elevation on Sunday morning. Both fields will open with local 50km circuits, the women with two-and-a-half laps and the men with three-and-a-half, with a final 18km stretch to Maastricht, the 1km Bronsdalweg ascent with an average gradient of 7.2% providing the perfect launchpad for attacks into Maastricht, which finishes on a packed gravel path in the city.

Here's a look at a few of the top names which should move to the front of their respective elite fields for gravel glory.

Marianne Vos (Netherlands)

Marianne Vos will line up as the defending champion, having won last year's title in Leuven ahead of Belgium's Lotte Kopecky and her Dutch compatriot Lorena Wiebes.

Vos opted not to compete at the recent Rwanda Road World Championships, citing a personal matter at home, but had had a strong summer season, winning a stage and finishing twice on the podium at the Tour de France and then taking second place at GP Plouay in August.

Although she hasn't had an extensive amount of gravel racing on her calendar this year, even as the World Champion, she did compete at the UCI's 3Rides Gravel Race, where she secured the victory ahead of compatriot Larissa Hartog and Germany's Romy Kasper.

Vos' strength and capabilities across multiple disciplines have led to 14 elite world titles: eight in cyclocross, three in road, two in track, and one in gravel.

Still at the top of her game, Vos will be the favourite on the start line in Limburg.

Tom Pidcock

Add gravel to the list of disciplines at which British rider Tom Pidcock wants to excel. The 26-year-old has a pair of mountain bike cross-country gold medals from two Olympic Games and gold medals from MTB and cyclocross World Championships.

Another rainbow jersey is possible, where he'll take on familiar roads and punchy climbs he conquered last year to win Amstel Gold Race.

This year, Pidcock earned his first Grand Tour podium, riding aggressively for Q36.5 Pro Cycling at the Vuelta a España for third overall. At the Road World Championships, he finished 10th in the challenging Kigali race, which saw only 30 riders complete the 268km course. Just a week ago, Pidcock was second at Giro dell'Emilia.

A jump into the gravel fray will be interesting, as the Dutch course may not have enough technical trails to his liking, but the constant barrage of small climbs should help him disrupt any front group and make the race interesting.

Tim Merlier (Belgium)

This is a second appearance at Gravel Worlds for Tim Merlier, who was eighth last year in Leuven. He was one of 12 Belgians in the top 20 on home soil last year, all going into chase mode when winner Mathieu van der Poel launched a solo attack for the victory. The big Dutchman is absent this year, so Merlier will be one of the leaders of the Belgian squad to watch this time out.

The 32-year-old is in his 16th pro road season, winning two stages at the Tour de France this summer and following a month later with the bronze medal at Belgian Gravel Nationals. He also has one-day race wins at Scheldeprijs and Brussels Cycling Classic this spring, with a runner-up at Gent-Wevelgem, so he'll have a rich appetite for the rolling roads and dirt lanes across the Limburg hills.

Rosa Klöser (Germany)

German national champion Rosa Klöser will be one of the key riders to watch, having competed across a range of gravel and road races under the Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto banner this season.

Klöser claimed one of her best results, winning Unbound Gravel 200 last year, and standing on numerous podiums, before signing a two-year deal with the WorldTeam for 2025 and 2026.

Klöser had another successful season this year, competing across 12 top-level gravel races and securing 11 podiums, including victories at Eislek Gravel Luxembourg, Hegau Gravel Race, The Rift, CORE4, Lauf Gravel Worlds, Ranxo Gravel, and the elite women's title at the German National Championships.

She hasn't had her best showing at the Gravel World Championships, finishing just outside of the top 20 in Veneto in 2023 and Leuven in 2024, but this year she lines up as a much more experienced racer, having won four consecutive events on the Gravel Earth Series for that overall title. She told Cyclingnews that the course is not super technical or super hard, with lots of punchy climbs. She's done a recon and liked her chances.

Mads Würtz Schmidt (Denmark)

One of the newest road pros to make a splash on gravel is Mads Würtz Schmidt. The Dane most recently won the European gravel title in Italy last month, but it is the scope of the entire season that makes him a major player versus the riders he used to face on the WorldTour when riding for Katusha Alpecin and Israel-Premier Tech.

Schmidt started 2025 on a tear for PAS Racing, winning the first three UCI Gravel World Series races he started - Turnout Gravel, Monaco Gravel and Blaavands Huk. In between, he won The Traka 200, part of the Gravel Earth Series, finished third at Rule of Three and used that US race as the tune-up for his debut at Unbound Gravel 200, where he finished two seconds off the podium in fourth.

Before he took a signature victory in the European championships, Schmidt competed at three more World Series races, stamping his authority at Houffa Gravel ahead of six Belgians. He could replicate that performance in the Netherlands this Sunday.

Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands)

Lorena Wiebes gives the Netherlands a second major contender for the elite women's world title in Limburg, and having finished third last year in Leuven and fifth the year before in Vento, she will undoubtedly want to secure the rainbow jersey this time around.

Wiebes has also only competed in one gravel race, so far, this season, winning the Marly Gravel Race ahead of compatriots Quinty Ton and Ilse Pluimers.

She has also had a full road racing campaign, securing 25 victories, including Milan-San Remo, Brugge-De Panne, Gent-Wevelgem, and two stages at the Giro, as well as two more at the Tour. Most recently, she won Binche Chimay just days before travelling to the Gravel Worlds.

It's hard to believe that Wiebes has only won one elite world title - on the track - but that could change on Saturday in Limburg.

Romain Bardet (France)

This year's Critérium du Dauphiné was the farewell road event to close a 14-year pro career for Romain Bardet (Picnic-PostNL), where he was able to enjoy the start of stage 3 from his hometown of Brioude. His contract with the WorldTour team, where he has competed for the last five seasons, allows him to continue in the blue and orange colours in gravel competitions, where he has won twice in the UCI Gravel World Series - La Monsterato and 66 Degrés Sud-Le Gravel - securing his spot on the start line for his first UCI Gravel World Championships this Sunday.

As for his transition to gravel in August, Bardet said it has been smooth, but he has not trained for gravel, "I just like to ride my bike". The versatile 34-year-old earned his living as a climber at stage races in the past, and he's up for the challenge on gravel, which he says can be like a breakaway day on a Grand Tour. He told Cyclingnews that even though he is retired, he's "still feeling relatively good and in good shape".

He has had close battles recently with compatriot Hugo Drechou, who has focused the early part of his season on the Life Time Grand Prix in the US. Bardet was far better at the UCI Gravel World Series contest on home turf, 66 Degrés Sud-Le Gravel, beating Drechou by four minutes for the win. The tide turned at the French Gravel Nationals, where Drechou outsprinted Bardet for the title.

The duo will most likely have to work well together to compete against the bigger Belgian and Dutch teams.

Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)

Also part of the Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto team for both road and gravel racing, Tiffany Cromwell will represent Australia at her fourth Gravel Worlds in Limburg.

Her best placing so far has been sixth in sixth in 2022 and 10th in 2023, both in Veneto, while last year she didn't finish the race in Leuven.

One of the top and most consistent gravel racers, Cromwell kicked off her year with a winning RADL GRVL and the Australian national title, before taking second in the Devils Cardigan and first in Seven, and then travelling to the United States to win Unbound Gravel 100.

She spent much of the summer months racing on the road before turning her attention back to gravel with fifth places at Gravel, Grit 'n Grind and La Monsterrato.

A combination of gravel racing and end-of-season one-day races on the road will have prepared her well for her rainbow-jersey attempt in Limburg.

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Saturday's Il Lombardia covers a route from Como to Bergamo which was last raced in 2023, but the more constant, controllable but still tough climbs in the east of Lombardy region seem perfect for Tadej Pogačar to take record-breaking fifth consecutive victory.

Remco Evenepoel may be hoping to match him on the climbs and valley roads and other riders may try to anticipate Pogačar's decisive attack but the world champion is widely expected to reach Bergamo Alto first and then descend to the finish line in the lower part of the city.

Warm autumnal weather is expected on Saturday, with the leaves falling from the trees and the air cool in the morning for the roll out in Como but warm in the afternoon for the finish in Bergamo.

The 238km route includes 4,400 metres of altitude and five major climbs, starting with the visit to the legendary Madonna del Ghidallo chapel and ending with the Passo di Ganda. The long descent of the Selvino includes 19 hairpins and then a ten-kilometre valley road takes the riders to the final Colle Aperto climb to Città Alta and the fast descent to the Viale Roma finish.

The entry list changed several in the final days before the race, with Juan Ayuso, Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) having already ended their season.

Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) has still to confirm his presence but the Dane is unlikely to be a contender after his poor showing at the European Championships.

The outsiders and dark horses include Toms Skujiņš and Albert Withen Philipsen (Lidl-Trek), Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers), Michael Storer and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor Pro Cycling) and Ben O'Connor (Jayco AlUla).

These are the Cyclingnews contenders for the 2025 Il Lombardia.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

Pogačar appears unstoppable and remarkably fresh despite racing into October and having won so much from the UAE Tour, to the spring Classics, the Tour de France and now the end of season races.

The Slovenian has won the last four editions of Il Lombardia and the last three races he has ridden – the World Championships, the European Championships and Tuesday's Tre Valli Varesine.

He won the 2023 edition of Il Lombardia on the roads to Bergamo with a solo attack with 30km to go on the Passo di Ganda. Even cramps on the valley road couldn't stop him winning by almost a minute.

Any other outcome or performance other than a win on Saturday would be a huge surprise.

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep)

Evenepoel will make his final major appearance in Soudal-QuickStep's blue and white colours at Il Lombardia and is no doubt tired of finishing second to Pogačar, but a victorious farewell seems unlikely.

Is there anything he can do against Pogačar? Probably not due to the hilly and selective nature of the Il Lombardia route.

Even if the Belgian can stay with Pogačar on the major climbs, he will surely struggle to match the Slovenian's attacks on the final climb to Colle Aperto and does not have the descending skills to close a gap before the finish line.

Of course, second behind Pogačar, or 'best of the rest' is still a result and it will be an emotional final race for Evenepoel, as he returns to the roads where he crashed so dramatically in 2020 and turns the page on his time at Soudal-QuickStep and steps near his future at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

Tom Pidcock (Q36.5)

The Yorkshireman appears pleasantly surprised to have emerged from the Vuelta a España in form and even improved after the World Championships.

Pidcock was second at the Giro dell'Emilia and could have beaten Isaac del Toro and so is a real contender for Il Lombardia.

Last year Pidcock was 'deselected' by Ineos Grenadiers just before the race, sparking his divorce and transfer to Q36.5. What a difference a year makes.

He could finish on the podium on Saturday and then win the Gravel World Championships the day after in the Netherlands in a final show of his many cycling talents.

Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)

If Pogačar has a rare off day or a crash, then UAE can count on Jay Vine and especially their rising star Isaac del Toro.

The Mexican is a favourite with the Italian tifosi after his long spell in the maglia rosa at the Giro d'Italia and appears to be near the same form as in May.

He has won 12 races since the Giro, dominating the Italian one-day races in September. He has the climbing ability and tactical nous to add Il Lombardia to his growing palmarès.

Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe)

Primož Roglič remains as enigmatic as ever but has overcome further crashes and injuries to fight back and find some end of season form.

He was 11th at the World Championships and fifth at the Giro dell'Emilia, indicating he is on the rise. He has the natural endurance for Il Lombardia and the more gradual Como to Bergamo route suits his climbing style.

It'll be fascinating to see how he performs and if he 'helps' 2026 teammate Evenepoel in a combined effort against Pogačar.

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost)

Ben Healy is a rider who will be hoping to end his very strong season on a high at Lombardia.

The Irishman took time to recover from the fatigue and success of the Tour de France but showed some end of season form at the Tour de Luxembourg and then the World Championships.

If Il Lombardia becomes a tactical race, watch out for Healy to try a solo move when least expected. If Pogačar hesitates, Healy could have a chance to get aero and ride away.

Paul Seixas (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale)

The 19-year-old French rider Paul Seixas became more popular than President Macron in France after his gutsy ride at the European Championships.

Il Lombardia offers Seixas another opportunity to show his prodigious talents. He may be tired or overwhelmed by the emotions of recent weeks but could step-up yet again and even try to take on Pogačar.

Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike)

In the absence of Vingegaard, Cian Uijtdebroeks is probably the best of the Visma-Lease a Bike line-up for Il Lombardia.

Sepp Kuss and Ben Tulett appear to be in domestique mode and likely to ride for the Belgian even though he will leave for Movistar in 2026.

As the headline elite road races loom large at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, the final junior race of the event will serve as the opener to the closing weekend of racing in Kigali, on Saturday morning, with the best women's junior riders set to do battle over 74 kilometres.

Four days have passed since Megan Arens stormed to victory in the junior women's time trial for the Netherlands. Many of the same players who fought out that race against the clock for the rainbow jersey, including the Dutchwoman, will once again star in the road race.

While more of a time trial specialist, Arens has impressed in road races season already, notably at the junior versions of Gent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders, finishing second to two of her rivals on Saturday at both. Also, after seeing a long-range move successfully work in the men's junior race, getting up the road early could see Arens time trial her way to a double at the World Championships.

Arens will be backed up by Jente Koops, who was third at junior Flanders and is already in strong form, having finished second at the recent junior GP Plouay, behind top Norwegian challenger for Saturday, Oda Aune Gissinger, who was third in the time trial.

Paula Ostiz (Spain) can probably be counted as the overall favourite, as the champion from junior Flanders, which was raced over a similar distance 73.9km course, but also after winning seven races and playing a key role in Spain being the top-ranked women's junior nation in 2025.

She'll ride for Movistar from next season, and will be eager to go one better than her silver medal in the time trial with overall victory on Saturday. Her punchy abilities will be perfectly suited to the Côte de Kigali Golf and cobbled Côte de Kimihurura climbs.

Ostiz was also second at last year's junior Worlds road race, behind Cat Ferguson (Great Britain), who has now stepped to the under-23s and Movistar's WorldTour team, with Arens the next-best first-year junior last year, finishing in fourth. Over a similarly difficult course to that of Zurich, expect them to light up the Kigali roads.

Erin Bootham (Great Britain) beat Arens to the line in Ieper at Gent-Wevelgem, and will be looking to bounce back after finishing a disappointing fourth in the time trial due to clipping out of her pedal and losing vital time in the final few kilometres.

She'll be backed up by a five-rider strong British team, which also features Abigail Miller, who was fourth at junior Flanders. The British team is looking for their fourth junior women's road race champion in five years, and someone to emulate what Ferguson did last season and Zoe Bäckstedt did twice in 2021 and 2022.

Other nations with big hopes should include Canada, who will have five starters in Kigali, including junior national time trial champion Sidney Swierenga, who finished third at the junior version of Trofeo Alfredo Binda this season, and junior national road race champion Rafaelle Carrier.

From the USA will come the strong duo of Alyssa Sarkisov, the junior national road race champion, and the US junior ITT champion, Liliana Edwards.

France, as always, will be a top contender in Saturday's road race, led by both the junior World Cyclocross Champion, Lise Revol, and junior French national road race champion Thaïs Poirier.

Many of the key contenders will make quick jumps to the Women's WorldTour as early as next season, so the junior women's road race is always a great one to watch, and after the thrilling action from the road races we've seen so far, it's not one to be missed.

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With many juniors already on a WorldTour pathway by the time they're 18, the junior Road World Championships aren't as important for talent identification as they once used to be, but they're still a chance for riders to win a rainbow jersey, and put their name on the map for the wider cycling audience.

Many of the contenders for Friday's junior men's road race in Kigali are already on their way to a WorldTour development team next year, so they're names you need to know, and for those that haven't secured a contract for next year, they'll be going all out to show their abilities on the world stage.

The men's road race is 119km long, taking in eight laps of the Kigali circuit that features the Côte de Kigali Golf and Côte de Kimihurura for just over 2,600m of climbing. It's a super hard course where only the strongest riders will emerge.

One of the top contenders for the victory will be TT winner Michiel Mouris (Netherlands), who won Paris-Roubaix Juniors earlier this year, so clearly has the ability over tough, attritional courses. The Netherlands have a small but strong team, which will help in a race that could be chaotic.

Potentially the strongest team on the startlist is Team USA. They'll be led by TT silver medalist Ashlin Barry, who has already made a name for himself on the junior circuit this year and last, enough to sign a long-term contract with Visma-Lease a Bike before he even finished his first junior year.

He will be joined by Paris-Roubaix runner-up Enzo Hincapie, who has become a strong stage race contender this year, as well as Beckam Drake, who came from being relatively unknown to really impress in the time trial. If they can decide on a leader and work together, the USA could be in for a win.

Seff Van Kerckhove (Belgium) is a rider who will know and probably like the cobbles that offer up another challenge in this race, and he's in good form with third in the TT. Great Britain will look to Max Hinds or Dylan Sage as their leader, but have several contenders in their number.

Also watch out for Benjamin Noval (Spain), one of the hottest junior talents right now, who secured himself a contract with Ineos Grenadiers when he was just 16, set to join the team in 2027.

The joy of junior racing, especially at the World Championships, is how open and unpredictable it can be, so don't expect to see some surprises and good performances from smaller countries, too.

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Sunday's elite men's road race at the Road World Championships in Kigali is one of the most anticipated races of the year, as the whole world looks on to see who will don the coveted rainbow jersey.

The men's road race course in Kigali is being touted as one of the hardest in history, with multiple laps of a hilly, city circuit packing in 6,000m of climbing across 268km. Not only that, but the whole race will be at altitude, with the central parts of Kigali sitting at 1,500m above sea level, and Mount Kigali taking the peloton even higher up.

With the repeated, almost constant climbing, and one of the climbs, the Côte de Kimihurura, the route has the characteristics of a climbing Classic, with tough, exciting racing expected on Sunday.

With such a difficult course and conditions, the men's road race is set to draw out only the strongest winners to be in contention for winning. One of the best climbers and one-day racers of his generation, defending world champion Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) is a big favourite to defend his title, though Remco Evenepoel's (Belgium) emphatic time trial win has boosted his stocks.

Those two are the most talked-up names as they've already gone head-to-head at this year's Worlds, but they'll be up against some very worthy rivals on Sunday. Juan Ayuso (Spain), Isaac del Toro (Mexico) and Tom Pidcock (Great Britain) are all expected to battle for the podium, with other dark horses looking primed for a good ride.

With only a few days left until the riders battle it out for the rainbow jersey, here are our top 10 contenders for the men's road race title, plus some honourable mentions to look out for.

Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia)

There is one stand-out favourite for the men's road race title, and that is defending world champion Tadej Pogačar. The current rainbow jersey has been the favourite for this race pretty much since the route was announced, with the hilly course in Kigali suiting his abilities, and his dominant performances in similar races – including the World Champs last year – making it clear that he can win races like this pretty much at will.

His stock took a small hit on Sunday when he showed some weaknesses in the elite men's time trial, finishing fourth after being caught by winner Remco Evenepoel, but for a rider who has never been a hugely successful time trialist outside of the Grand Tours, it shouldn't be a massive sign of problems. He'll also have had more time to adjust to the weather and air conditions in Kigali by Sunday, which should help.

A rider who is undeniably strong and often able to just ride away from the field, and would clearly love to wear the rainbow jersey for another year, it's hard to imagine what would have to happen for him not to win on Sunday if he's fit. His opponents are strong, but few have ever beaten him in a road race, plus he has a very capable Slovenian support team that includes Primož Roglič. Anything but another win would be a disappointment for Pogačar, so expect to see him going all in for gold.

Remco Evenepoel (Belgium)

One rider who has beaten Pogačar, and very recently, is the three-time time trial world champion – and former road race champion – Remco Evenepoel. He stormed to a dominant victory in the TT on Sunday, backing up his claims that he's in his best form of the season, and he'll be hoping to carry that through to the road race.

It's easy to forget Evenepoel's one-day prowess, because he isn't a Pogačar or a Mathieu van der Poel, but he is a two-time winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and three-time Clásica San Sebastián winner. He also finished third at Amstel Gold Race this year, after pulling back a Pogačar solo attack, which is the race many have compared the Kigali course to, so he has the characteristics to do well here. Belgium are always one of the strongest teams at Worlds, too, and even if he's missing Tiesj Benoot, Evenepoel's TT dominance will surely give him confidence to try and take another road race title, too.

Isaac del Toro (Mexico)

Many eyes are going to be on Isaac del Toro and what he can do in the road race. After a breakthrough Giro d'Italia, where he finished second overall after leading until the penultimate day, Del Toro has been on a winning streak all summer, winning two stage races and six one-day races in the last few months. The young Mexican seems to have an exceptionally strong combination of climbing and punchiness, which is exactly what is needed on a course like this.

One thing that could hold him back is the distance, with 268km the longest race Del Toro will do this year, and a tough ask for the rider who is still only 21. The other is his team. He's used to riding for the best team in the world, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, usually, but on Sunday, he'll only have two teammates, who are unlikely to be useful too far into the race. However, fifth in the TT shows he is clearly on form, and Del Toro is a rider who consistently defies expectations, so a top result wouldn't be surprising.

Juan Ayuso (Spain)

Juan Ayuso has had a bit of a rocky year, with derailed Grand Tour attempts at both the Giro and Vuelta ultimately leading to his conscious uncoupling from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, so he'll be hoping to end 2025 on something of a high in Rwanda. He's already come out swinging and said even silver wouldn't be enough for him, so it's clear his ambitions are high.

Is he suited to the course, though? A strong climber, he shouldn't have too many issues on the climbs and altitude that define the Kigali parcours, and despite being mainly a GC rider, he does have a great uphill punch, in the ilk of a Primož Roglič. However, he's not the most consistent one-day racer, which could present a real challenge, and he'll be hoping that the climbs whittle things down quickly and that his pure strength carries him into the lead groups that form. That said, he wouldn't be here and talking himself up if he didn't think he could win, and his double Vuelta stage wins show he's in a good patch of form, so he can certainly contend for a solid result.

Tom Pidcock (Great Britain)

Another rider who should be coming off the Vuelta in good form – and is a proven one-day racer – is Great Britain's Tom Pidcock. Pidcock is a former winner of Strade Bianche and Amstel Gold (which he should have won twice, if you ask him), and showed off his improved climbing abilities to finish a hugely impressive third overall at the Vuelta, so he's clearly going well right now. The mix of a one-day racer and GT-level climber is probably what's needed to win this race, so Pidcock is strongly in contention for a podium to close out his exceptional year.

Team GB look to be going all-in around Pidcock, too, with a strong squad of climbers assembled around him who should help to control things around the early laps. Tour de France fourth-place finisher Oscar Onley is also starting for GB, and could be a contender in his own right, but can also be a great final helper for Pidcock. Pidcock certainly has the confidence to go up against riders like Pogačar and Evenepoel, so expect to see him getting stuck in to the pointy parts of Sunday's race.

Egan Bernal (Colombia)

Perhaps surprisingly, Egan Bernal has never ridden an elite World Championships before, but it's not hard to see why he's picked Kigali to make his debut. Born at altitude in Colombia, Bernal should, in theory, adapt better to the conditions than some of his rivals, and he's shown this year that he's back towards his best level. Where he's mainly done well this season is on the shorter, punchier climbs, so his less impressive GC performance at the Vuelta shouldn't be an enormous cause for concern, as it's the punch rather than the endurance which will be needed here.

What Bernal lacks is probably some one-day experience, but the World Championships are a unique kind of one-day race, so that isn't an automatic problem. If the climbers make the race hard from early on, Bernal should be able to come to the fore quite quickly and could be in for a good result. He also has some strong support for the early part in the form of Harold Tejada and Brandon Rivera.

Richard Carapaz (Ecuador)

Another Latin American rider who will be looking at the altitude of Kigali as a plus is Richard Carapaz. The Ecuadorian rider skipped the Vuelta in order to focus on the World Championships road race, so this is clearly something he thinks he can win. Winner of the Olympic Games road race in Tokyo in 2021, Carapaz has prior form in these big, one-off road races, and knows how to thrive in the particular circumstances of a race like the World Championships. He's also made a habit of riding the Ardennes races in recent years, so despite being seen as a GC rider, he does also have the ability on hilly parcours like this.

Instead of the Vuelta, Carapaz rode a series of Italian one-day races and the Tour of Luxembourg, and had middling but not exceptional results, with a few top 10s. This means there isn't a recent sign of any outstanding form, but it could also be that he was using those events as a warm-up, and not going all out yet. Carapaz has four teammates in the road race, which will be useful, and he's clearly serious about adding a world title to his Olympic one, so don't be surprised to see him on the podium.

Julian Alaphilippe (France)

A few weeks ago, despite being a two-time former world champion, Julian Alaphilippe probably wouldn't have made this list, but his performances at the Tour of Britain Men and then his win at the GP de Québec are enough for him to sneak back on.

He's clearly in good form, he definitely knows how to win the World Championships, and he has a very strong French team around him, including Valentin Paret-Peintre, Valentin Madouas, Paul Seixas and Pavel Sivakov. The amount of climbing will definitely make it hard for Alaphilippe, who really isn't a pure climber, but if he can tame his instincts and save his energy for the right moment, he could be a dark horse for another top result at Worlds.

Ben Healy (Ireland)

Ben Healy has had a quiet summer since his yellow jersey-wearing exploits at the Tour de France, and only returned to racing at the Tour of Luxembourg, where he took second on a stage, so we're not quite sure where his form is. However, a rider who loves the Ardennes and hilly races and is clearly on a good level this year, Healy has to be a contender for at least the top 10.

The Irishman does have some weaknesses, for example, he'll admit that his sprint lets him down, but he's incredibly good at being in the right place at the right time, and this could be the secret on Sunday. Eddie Dunbar, Archie Ryan and Darren Rafferty are capable climbers in support of him, and Ireland should go all-in on their big star.

He made great decisions to get into the lead group at last year's Olympics and World Championships road race, so he has the nous to sneak away into a break and the time trialling ability to stay away if those behind look at each other. Healy is not to be ignored on Sunday.

Giulio Ciccone (Italy)

The next notable rider who can climb and has a good punch is Giulio Ciccone, winner of San Sebastián this year and second at Liège-Bastogne-Liège behind the imperious Pogačar. The Italian may have come away from the Vuelta without the stage win he was looking for, but he had several good results, including almost matching Vingegaard on the explosive stage 2 finish. Even if victory didn't arrive, Ciccone was on good form in Spain, and will be hoping he has brought that with him to Rwanda. He is Italy's best hope, and can count on some decent support from riders like Mattia Cattaneo and Matteo Sobrero.

Honorable mentions

• Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark) – One of the very few riders to beat Pogačar and Evenepoel in a one-day race from this year's Amstel Gold race and in good shape after a recent win at the Tour de Luxembourg
• Michael Matthews (Australia) – A multiple-time medallist at Worlds who is coming back from an illness scare, but had good results in Québec and the Bretagne Classic
• Natnael Tesfatsion (Eritrea) – A real contender representing the African nation, with some good one-day results in the lead up to the World Championships, and support from Biniam Girmay
• Thymen Arensman (Netherlands) – The double Tour de France stage winner knows what it takes to hold off a charging Pogačar, but won't like the punchy climbs as much as the longer ones of the Grand Tours
• Marc Hirschi (Switzerland) – A hilly one-day race specialist who is coming into his favourite part of the season, and could benefit from flying under the radar

Subscribe to Cyclingnews to unlock unlimited access to our coverage of the first-ever UCI Road World Championships on African soil. Our team of journalists will bring you all the major storylines, in-depth analysis, and more directly from the action in Rwanda as the next rainbow jerseys are decided. Find out more.

It was in 2022 at the Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia that the first Under 23 women's road race title was awarded to New Zealand's Niamh Fisher-Black, but there was no celebration on the line, and no picture of the new rainbow jersey winner with her arms thrown in the air given she was the twelfth rider across the line, earning the title by being the first eligible rider to finish among the combined elite and U23 field. In Rwanda, however, that all changes.

2025 marks the first time the under-23 women will get their own race, with team selection, race tactics and the winner dictated by the chase for their own rainbow jersey rather than dominated by the greater numbers of the elite field.

For the opening year of stand-alone racing, each nation has the option to take five riders, though few will take up that opportunity given the costs associated with attending the World Championships in Africa. However, it is clear that some nations have placed a high priority on the category and the opportunity to scoop up this historic title, with Canada and Great Britain among those delivering a full team.

Though there will be no chance that the others with lesser numbers, but still plenty of talent, will be letting them take the title without a spirited battle, not given what is at stake on the 119.3km race with 2,435m of elevation gain on Thursday, September 25

Cyclingnews has run the rule over the expected starters – the final start list is yet to be published, so the article will be updated when it is – to take a closer look at the riders who are in with a chance of becoming the first standalone U23 women's World Champion and delivering a celebration that befits a rainbow jersey.

Isabella Holmgren (Canada)

Canada hasn't held back in the women's under-23 category for the World Championships in Kigali, with five riders set to be on the start line for the nation, and it's easy to see why. They will be lining up with a strong team and one of the most impressive prospects in women's cycling. The 20-year-old Isabella Holmgren has already scooped up one U23 world title in September – in mountain biking – and there seems every chance of another.

The multi-discipline talent instantly made a mark in her first year on the Women's WorldTour with Lidl-Trek last year, but she has taken it to yet another level this season. She claimed her first professional victory on the road at Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria in May, was third in the youth classification at Itzulia Women and Tour de Suisse, plus second in the white jersey competition at Giro d'Italia Women while taking seventh overall. Then last month, before turning her attention back to MTB, she claimed the overall at the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes, a result sure to make her one of the most-watched riders on the start line.

Marion Bunel (France)

France is lining up with a powerful trio of riders in the category, between 19-year-old Célia Gery, with the FDJ SUEZ rider having just swept up two stage wins at the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes, Julie Bego, who came third in the youth classification at the Tour de France Femmes and is a former junior World Champion, and Marion Bunel. The team has options, but Bunel is likely the top card.

Not only did the French under-23 national champion come fourth behind Bego in the youth classification at the French Grand Tour, but also took out the top spot in the young rider's classification at the Tour de Suisse and Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femenina. In recent months, she has also followed on with a strong run of results, as apart from the national championships road race, she also came second at the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes and claimed the youth classification at the Tour Féminin de l'Ardeche earlier this month. If she can keep that form running, the 20-year-old could prove formidable.

Lore De Schepper (Belgium)

It's a strong Belgian team given the line-up of Fleur Moors, Tess Moerman and Xaydee Van Sinaey, along with Lore De Schepper. It's hard to pick just one leader, but given De Schepper's performance at the Tour de l'Avenir Femmes, where she finished just off the podium in fourth, the AG Insurance- Soudal rider, who also races cyclocross, is a good bet. Still with Van Sinaey having come third again at the Tour de Feminin again this season and also having just stepped onto the overall podium at Premondiale Giro Toscana Int. Femminile - Memorial Michela Fanini, the team has other cards to play.

Millie Couzens (Great Britain)

The British squad of five could be one of the most powerful combinations in the race, with Millie Couzens, Flora Perkins, Eilidh Shaw, Imogen Wolff and Cat Ferguson. British Cycling said when the team was announced that U23 national time trial champion and elite road race national champion Couzens would be leading the squad, but the rider who came tenth overall at the Tour of Britain and third at Elmos Dwars door het Hageland, isn't the only strong prospect.

Wolff is stepping up into the U23 category after having taken sixth in the junior ranks last year in Zurich, while it was none other than her teammate Ferguson who claimed the top spot. The 19-year-old has certainly shown her power in her first year as a WorldTour professional with Movistar, starting with third at Trofeo Alfredo Binda, a win at Navarra Women's Elite Classic and second overall at the Tour of Britain Women, on top of the top spot at the youth classification. With a record like that in her first season, Ferguson certainly can't be discounted, even though it is only her first year in the category and isn't the perfect course for her characteristics.

Talia Appleton (Australia)

Australia is fronting up with a team of four, and one of the best prospects looks to be the late addition, Talia Appleton. The 19-year-old has been making her mark in Australia, highlighting her climbing prowess best when she won the opening stage of the Tour of Bright and claimed second overall, then followed on by opening her ProVelo Super League campaign with a time trial win on Willunga Hill and finishing it off with a series-ending stage victory on the climb of Campbells Pocket Rd at the Q Tour. What really drew the attention, and earned the late call-up, was when she showed just what she could do on the international scene by taking third overall at Tour de l'Avenir.

On top of that, Appleton will be riding alongside the experienced Felicity Wilson-Haffenden, a junior time trial world title winner, Mackenzie Coupland and Alli Anderson. In fact, Anderson, who beat Appleton to the top spot overall at the Tour of Bright last year, could provide a strong card as well after following up a powerful run in the ProVelo Super League – winning the Harbour City GP and Q Tour plus taking fifth overall at the 2.2-ranked Gracia in May.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews to unlock unlimited access to our coverage of the first-ever UCI Road World Championships on African soil. Our team of journalists will bring you all the major storylines, in-depth analysis, and more directly from the action in Rwanda as the next rainbow jerseys are decided. Find out more.