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.
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.
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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