Mathieu van der Poel will ride Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, marking his 2026 season debut and his debut appearance at the opening cobbled Classic.
The Dutchman and his Alpecin-Premier Tech team had previously hinted at racing Omloop. However, they hadn't confirmed a decision about his 2026 starting point until the announcement came in a post to Instagram on Wednesday morning.
Van der Poel is set to join Jasper Philipsen in the Alpecin-Premier Tech line-up in the 207km race from Bruges to Ninove, which begins the Belgian racing season, though the remainder of the team's selection has yet to be confirmed.
"As announced after the Cyclo-cross World Championships, Mathieu van der Poel waited to complete his first training block before making a final decision on his road return," Alpecin-Premier Tech stated.
"After a few solid weeks on the bike, he feels race-ready and will line up at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad."
The team went on to confirm the remainder of his spring campaign, which largely follows his 2025 goals.
He'll then head to Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15) before defending his Milan-San Remo title (March 21), before heading back to the cobbles. He'll race the E3 Saxo Classic (March 27) and Middelkerke-Wevelgem (formerly Gent-Wevelgem, March 29) before taking on the Tour of Flanders (April 5).
Van der Poel's spring will end with Paris-Roubaix on April 12, where he'll attempt to win the race for a fourth time in succession, equalling the wins record held by Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck.
Van der Poel had been training on the Costa Blanca in Spain this week with several teammates and his long-time training partner Freddy Ovett. Recent seasons have seen him make a later start to his road season, with debuts coming at the Ename Samyn Classic in 2025, Milan-San Remo in 2024 and 2022, and Strade Bianche in 2023.
The 31-year-old will take a private jet back from Spain this morning and will be in the mix for another major spring Classic this weekend.
He and Philipsen will face off against Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), and Biniam Girmay (NSN Pro Cycling) among a packed field of contenders for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad title.
Alpecin-Premier Tech haven't won the race before. Norwegian racer Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) will be defending his title after outsprinting Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep) last year.
