Omloop Het Nieuwsblad men LIVE - Opening Weekend underway as Mathieu van der Poel and co. take on the cobbles in Belgium

130KM TO GO

Still the gap between the five leaders and the peloton remains at just under four minutes.

EIKENBERG

The riders are over the Eikenberg without incident. There’s now a long flat stretch before the next time they have to take on the cobbles.

Gianni Vermeersch in the peloton, one of the representatives of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team.

"We've got Jordi [Meeus, fast finisher and allrounder], we've got Gianni Vermeersch who's moved across with us [from Alpecin] the Van Dijke brothers (Mick and Tim) doing their first race, and I think everyone's fit and healthy," their DS Oli Cookson told Cyclingnews before the start.

"I wouldn't say we've got the favourite but we've got a strong team and I think we've seen over the last 10 to 15 years the winners of this race have been, not a surprise, but probably not the actual favourites. So that's where using the strength and depth of the team and communicating come into play."

140KM TO GO

Still the break's lead remains healthy, now up to about 3:50.

Arnaud De Lie is a rider who has long promised to win a Spring Classic, ever since his star-making debut at Omloop Nieuwusbald three years ago, when he finished runner-up behind Dylan Van Baarle. A series of injury problems has curtailed his progress since then. Could this be the year he claims his first?

'When it comes to following Mathieu, I'm still lacking 50 watts' – Arnaud De Lie argues Van der Poel will make for much more explosive Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The scene at the level crossing.

In a familiar sight in racing in this part of the world, the peloton were forced to stop briefly at a level crossing. The break was therefore also told to stop so that the gap remains the same. Thankfully things are relatively calm out there so none of the chaotic scenes we’ve seen at level crossings in the past - as at the 2016 Paris-Roubaix.

LEBERG

The riders are over the first uphill obstacle of the day, the Leberg.

Wet cobblestones, grizzled-looking cyclists - the Spring Classics are well and truly upon us!

150KM TO GO

The lead remains round 3:30, as they near the second cobbled sector, and the first climb of the day - the Leberg.

This is a rare race where UAE Team Emirates XRG aren’t the top favourites, but they still fancy their chances.

“Today we go for a hard race with Tim [Wellens], Florian [Vermeersch] and Nils [Politt]”, their rider Rune Herregodts said before the race. “These guys are our main men and we'll try to support them and help them to make a hard race. They're in form, so for us it'll be good if it's an attritional race and we get a small group at the finish."

Alpecin-Premier Tech and Soudal-QuickStep are the teams riding at the front of the peloton, staking their claims as favorites for the race for their respective leaders Van der Poel and Paul Magnier.

It’s begun to drizzle out there! The rain that was forecasted is materialising.

3:30 now for the break, who, at this early stage of the race, the peloton is happy to let lead by a considerable margin.

160KM TO GO

While Van der Poel is the top favourite for victory today, his Alpecin-Premier Tech have more than just his card to play. Also lining up is Jasper Philipsen, who will have the luxury of being able to ride passively, while trying to preserve energy in the event that Van der Poel doesn’t manage to go clear and the race comes down to a group sprint.

'Flemish Classics give me butterflies in my stomach' – Jasper Philipsen prepared to take any opportunities to win this spring at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and beyond

The riders are negotiating the first of the day's cobbled sectors, the Padeestraat. The rain has held off for now, but the later sectors could get very lairy if the heavens open before then.

COBBLES: PADDESTRAAT

The peloton evidently don't feel threatened by anyone in that group - they've allowed them a lead of over three minutes.

Here are the five riders up the road.

Alexys Brunel, Alexis Renard,Vincent Van Hemelen and Clément Alleno are the four riders with Krijnsen.

Krijnsen is now with four other riders, and it seems the peloton is happy to sit up and let them up the road.

While the second half of the race is dense with cobbled sections and climbs, this first half less so. The first cobbled sector doesn’t come until 41km into the stage, and then there’s just the climbs of the Leberg and Eikenberg between then and when things start to kick off just under 100km from the finish.

Krijnsen's lead over the peloton is neither growing nor falling, remaining steady at 18 seconds.

180KM TO GO

The aforementioned Matt Brennan out on the road.

Still Krijnsen remains the only rider out in front. It seems Lambrecht and De Jon might have been absorbed into the peloton after their fall.

One rider who many are looking out for today is Matthew Brennan, the 20-year-old talent whose performances last year sent ripples through the peloton, and looks set to become a superstar.

In the absence of the ill Wout van Aert, he’s one of Visma-Lease a Bike’s best hopes of claiming what would be a fourth win here in five years, but the team are eager not to put too much pressure on their young star.

'It's a steep learning curve, and this will add to it' – Visma-Lease a Bike insist no extra pressure on Matthew Brennan in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad despite absence of Wout van Aert

Here was Van der Poel with Tom Pidcock at the start this morning. Pidcock is set to be one of Van der Poel's main challengers today, on what will be one of only a few outings on the cobbles this spring, as he targets Strade Bianche and the Ardennes Classics coming up later.

Jelte Krijnsen leads the peloton by 20 seconds, with Lambrecht and De Jong in between.

190KM TO GO

That leaves Krijnsen in front alone, though it seems the two fallers are back and chasing him.

Crash in the breakaway, Lambrecht and De Jong have gone down. It’s unclear what happened exactly, they’re in the relative safety outside of the peloton, and we’re not even at the cobblestone yet.

Perhaps not - the gap is now being reported as only 20 seconds.

That trio already looks like it might be the break of the day, the peloton having allowed them about a minute's lead already

200KM TO GO

Time De Jong has been joined by two other riders at the front of the race - Michiel Lambrecht and Jelte Krijnsen.

The riders at the unofficial start.

As expected multiple more attacks are flying out of the peloton, which is yet to settle down.

Arnaud De Lie and Dylan Van Baarle wrapped up warm at the start.

There's an attack right from the flag, by Picnic PostNL's Timo de Jong.

And they're off! The classics season is at last underway.

OFFICIAL START

As for the all-important weather forecast: it’s cold out there, but the rain has yet to materialise - for now. That could change later in the day, and could seriously alter the dynamic of the race.

The official start looks set to be delayed a little as Van der Poel is making his way back up to the peloton from the convoy. Tension is building.

Be sure to have a read of our preview and run-down of contenders before racing gets underway.

A big-name debutant and a trio of former winners – Riders to watch at the men's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

The riders are in the neutralised zone. The Spring Classics season is almost upon us!

One rider for whom this race is the first race of the season is Mathieu van der Poel (pictured here at the team presentation), whose debut here is being eagerly anticipated. Having announced his intention to ride just a few days ago, Van der Poel’s presence changes the whole dynamic of how this race will be shaped.

Welcome especially to the more traditional cycling fans, who will be tuning in today for the first time for what they believe is the ‘real’ start of the season.

While there’s been plenty of great racing throughout the globe already this season, there’s nothing quite like the cobbled classics.

Hello and welcome to the 2026 Omloop Nieuwsblad!