Preview: E3 Saxo Classic 2026 – no Pogačar or Van Aert, will Van der Poel take three in a row?
Milan-San Remo has just passed, but the next big classic is already on the horizon. Not just any race, because this Friday it’s time for the E3 Saxo Classic. World champion Tadej Pogacar won’t be there, but top favorite and defending champion Mathieu van der Poel gets the perfect chance to erase his disappointing La Primavera. WielerFlits looks ahead.
History
Last edition
Route
The E3 Saxo Classic once again lives up to its status as a Ronde van Vlaanderen-light. With sixteen short, sharp climbs and several cobbled sections, it promises to be a race for classics specialists with depth. Compared to last year, there is one fewer climb in total, but overall the finale has become somewhat tougher than the previous edition.
As usual, the start and finish take place in Harelbeke, the epicenter of the E3 Saxo Classic. Then follows a long loop eastwards, where the riders cross more cycling-breathing towns such as Waregem, Wortegem-Petegem, Oudenaarde, Zottegem, Geraardsbergen (without the Muur), and Ronse. Nevertheless, the first hundred kilometers of the race are relatively flat.
Watch closely from La Houppe in the province of Hainaut, after 75 kilometers. From there begins a tense phase in which the riders face a short, sharp climb roughly every ten kilometers. The Berg ten Steene and Oude Kruisberg come next, but after that you get to see the first interesting route changes.
After 113 kilometers, the riders reach the steep E3 Col Karnemelkbeekstraat, followed by their first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont — albeit not from the usual side familiar from the major classics. At this point, it’s still early in the race, but in 2026 you can never be entirely sure the favorites are already making moves with around 90 kilometers to go.
On the Hotondberg and Kortekeer, the peloton returns to the 'old' route of the E3 Saxo Classic. Shortly after begins the real finale. The Taaienberg, with its steep initial section and long extension, will forever be Tom Boonen’s hill, where he traditionally launched his first attack. The Taaienberg remains a key point where the race is very likely to explode.
Certainly since the Boigneberg and the cobbles of the Eikenberg follow shortly after. It is the perfect springboard for an attack. Then come twenty relatively calm kilometers. But just over forty kilometers from the finish, a very critical phase follows, featuring the Kapelberg, Paterberg, and the Oude Kwaremont (this time from the familiar side).
These are two very well-known cobbled climbs that will also serve as decisive points at the upcoming Ronde van Vlaanderen. Riders seeking to avoid a sprint from a larger group will have to give their all here.
Afterwards, there is only the E3 Col Karnemelkbeekstraat (for the second time already) and the Tiegemberg left, after which about twenty relatively flat kilometers lead via Anzegem and Deerlijk toward the finish in Harelbeke. The finish lies close to the provincial domain De Gavers. Few surprises remain in the final kilometers, as the last 600 meters along the Stasegemsesteenweg are straight with no corners.
Favorites
Milan-San Remo was an outright insane race, just like a year ago. As a cycling fan, you fervently hope to see the top riders back in action as soon as possible, and for some of these stars, that applies to the E3 Saxo Classic as well. However, you shouldn’t expect world champion Tadej Pogacar this Friday. Aside from Strade Bianche, the Slovenian is only racing the monuments this spring.
Incidentally, the entire Milan-San Remo podium won’t be present in Harelbeke this weekend. Tom Pidcock had already decided not to ride cobbled classics but to use the Tour of Catalonia as preparation for the Ardennes classics. Wout van Aert has not officially withdrawn from Harelbeke yet, but Flemish media report that the Visma | Lease a Bike leader will also not start.
Van Aert had a calm week toward Milan-San Remo, and if he repeats that these days, he may struggle in the Monuments. At Visma | Lease a Bike, it will have to come from Christophe Laporte. This will be his first time at the start since 2023, after a painful saddle sore in early 2024 and cytomegalovirus sidelined him for the first eight months of 2025. In the initial races, Laporte has already shown reliability again.
But the top favorite remains Mathieu van der Poel. How well the Dutch all-rounder arrives depends on the finger injury he sustained in Milan-San Remo. It cost him a strong La Primavera result, but despite this, Van der Poel was, besides Pidcock, the only rider who could follow Pogacar on the Cipressa. Later he folded, but the spark never fully went out for Van der Poel, who finished eighth.
According to analyst Jan Bakelants, as well as Van der Poel’s own team Alpecin-Premier Tech, he should have no worries heading into the Flemish classics. Moreover, the all-rounder finds terrain around Harelbeke that suits him perfectly. A bonus: with Tibor Del Grosso, the Roodhooft brothers’ team has a second contender in the ranks. Never underestimate this top talent, but for him, it will probably mainly be a learning experience as it is his first time in most major Flemish classics.
The biggest opposition to Van der Poel may again come from the UAE Emirates XRG camp. Although Pogacar is out, they still have a worthy leader in Florian Vermeersch. In the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Vermeersch was still a notch below Van der Poel, but if everything goes his way, the East Flemish rider could go far.
After last weekend, more eyes turn toward Mads Pedersen. What Lidl-Trek has pulled off is almost unbelievable. As if he never left, Pedersen was active in the Milan-San Remo finale and finished fourth. But don’t forget he only got on the start list two days before the race and broke his collarbone in February. A medical miracle? Or do we now see Pedersen regularly at the front of races again? The latter should surprise no one.
At Lidl-Trek, he has a strong team around him, with Mathias Vacek as a key figure. But Soudal Quick-Step’s lineup is possibly even more impressive. Young talent Paul Magnier remains at home, but ‘good old’ Dylan van Baarle and Jasper Stuyven find perfect terrain to unleash their skills in the Flemish Ardennes. Van Baarle already showed his best legs in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and Stuyven (seventh in San Remo) is improving with every race. That promises well for races that truly suit them.
We’re also curious about climber Romain Grégoire, who will race his first real cobbled classic representing Groupama-FDJ. Winner of the Drôme Classic and fourth at Strade Bianche, he has the qualities but perhaps not yet the experience in Flemish races. After several years in a Belgian team, this will be less of an issue for Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling). But Milan-San Remo was a big disappointment.
The outsiders? We find them spread across different teams. Think of Matej Mohoric and Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious), Kasper Asgreen (EF Education EasyPost), Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché), Magnus Sheffield, Connor Swift and Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers), Laurence Pithie and brothers Mick and Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Matteo Trentin and Rick Pluimers (Tudor) and Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana).
Weather
After a rainy Wednesday and Thursday, weather conditions favor the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday afternoon. Rain is expected only late in the evening, meaning a dry race is likely. With maximum temperatures up to 9 degrees Celsius, it will remain quite cold. Winds will blow at 2 to 3 Beaufort from the west-southwest.
