Preview: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 – Mathieu van der Poel will join the party

The cycling season is truly about to begin. On Saturday, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is on the schedule, which means winter is finally over. Or, well, at least the winter slump. Real racing is back on TV! Who will seize victory in Ninove? Is it the big favorite Mathieu van der Poel, or someone else? WielerFlits looks ahead.

History

Last Edition

In last year’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, it didn’t take long before the early breakaway formed. After just a few of the total 197 kilometers, six riders were off the front. Among them were four Dutch riders: Julius van den Berg (Picnic-PostNL), Enzo Leijnse (Picnic-PostNL), Elmar Reinders (Jayco AlUla), and Hartthijs de Vries (Unibet Tietema Rockets). They were accompanied by Belgian Victor Vercouillie (Flanders-Baloise) and Italian Giosuè Epis (Arkea B&B-Hotels). Shortly after, Siebe Deweirdt (Flanders-Baloise) joined, making it a group of seven at the front.

The attackers were given quite some freedom, about eight minutes. But with ninety kilometers to go, as they hit the cobbles of the Lange Munte, UAE Emirates XRG began to deliver the first probing attacks. Visma | Lease a Bike then took control and launched attacks with Matthew Brennan, Per Strand Hagenes, and Matteo Jorgenson. The breakaway was quickly caught after that.

Large group stays together on the Muur
In the finale, a large group was still together approaching the Muur van Geraardsbergen. On the climb, Tim Wellens took the initiative, followed by Mathias Vacek. The youngster from Lidl-Trek kept the pace high, but neither he nor anyone else really made a serious move. We reached the summit with fifteen to twenty riders still in contention. Stefan Küng then went solo in the kilometers after the Muur and quickly built a twenty-second lead.

Ultimately, everything came back together just before the last kilometer. This meant a sprint finish in Ninove. The men from INEOS Grenadiers led out after the final gentle curve, but several fast riders came from behind. Jasper Philipsen and Paul Magnier launched their sprints. However, it was someone else with the fastest legs: Søren Wærenskjold blasted to victory. Magnier finished second, Philipsen took third. Van Aert could only manage eleventh place.

Route

After the unofficial start and team presentation in the well-known Kuipke in Ghent, the official start signal will sound again in Merelbeke. The peloton will then cover a bit more than 200 kilometers. In the first 100 kilometers of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, riders will pass areas such as the Zwalm region, Zottegem, Nazareth, and Oudenaarde.

Only the cobbles of the Paddestraat and Lange Munte and the duo Haaghoek-Leberg are notable obstacles in the opening phase of the race. After just over 120 kilometers, the pre-final begins as riders must ride over the Haaghoek and Leberg again in quick succession.

At 74 kilometers from the finish, the finale truly begins. The newly renovated Eikenberg is on the agenda, three kilometers later followed by the Wolvenberg. That climb—without cobbles—is not too difficult itself, but immediately after, riders face the cobbles of the Kerkgate and Jagerij. Then comes the crucial ascent of the Molenberg. This tough test follows several cobbled sections with a challenging extension. This is where the best often manage to distinguish themselves.

Next, the famous triple climb Haaghoek-Leberg-Berendries awaits. At the summit of the very steep Berendries, there are still 34 kilometers remaining to the finish in Ninove. Normally, a quieter phase would follow after Berendries, but this year the organizers have made the route even tougher. With the climbs of Tenbosse and the Parikeberg at 181 and 184 kilometers, there is no longer any calm moment in the finale.

Just seven kilometers after the top of Parikeberg comes the iconic climb of the Muur van Geraardsbergen. From the summit, riders still have about sixteen kilometers to the finish. If the race isn’t decided after the Muur, there is still the Bosberg. After the Bosberg, only twelve kilometers remain to the finish in Ninove. The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad finish line is located in Elisabethlaan, just as last year. This gives a slightly wider finish, which also inclines gently towards the end.

Favorites

Who will win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this year? That seemed like a tough question, but since Wednesday morning, we know the big favorite: Mathieu van der Poel. It was unclear for a long time whether the Dutchman would start the opening Flemish classic, but Van der Poel has now made up his mind.

"After a few solid weeks on the bike, he feels ready to race and will start the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad," was the message from his team, Alpecin-Premier Tech. And if Van der Poel feels ready to race, then watch out... The competition will have to be very strong to keep the classics specialist from victory in Ninove.

Van der Poel – who is not yet on the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad list of winners, which is another reason for him to celebrate – can count on a strong team for support. Alpecin-Premier Tech even has an extra leader in Jasper Philipsen. The speedy Belgian is always a threat in these kinds of races. Last year, he finished third on the podium.

With Tim Wellens, Wout van Aert, and Tom Pidcock, there are still three riders we could call top favorites. Wellens has raced incredibly hard in Spain in February and already has one win this season. At the Clásica Jaén, he completed a long solo impressively, and he also showed good form in several stages of the Ruta del Sol. That Ruta del Sol was won by Pidcock, who secured the final stage in Spain with a blistering attack on the Alto de la Primera Cruz. But, well, Pidcock and cobbles…

Van Aert’s name still carries a question mark after his crash in Mol, but the Belgian will not start in Ghent if he’s not ready. The 2022 winner has been able to train almost 5,000 kilometers in the past six weeks, so it looks likely he will be fit for spring. Visma | Lease a Bike also lines up at the Omloop with a very strong team, including Matthew Brennan. The 20-year-old Brit already won this year at the Tour Down Under, but beyond that, it’s unclear how ready Brennan currently is. The same goes for Christophe Laporte: he rode a strong Ruta del Sol but abandoned after a crash.

In the Omloop, however, there are more riders with ambitions to win. What about Arnaud De Lie? The Belgian rode an invisible Tour of Algarve but often rides well in the Omloop and had a strong end to 2025. The 23-year-old will really hope that Saturday will be his day in Ninove. INEOS Grenadiers will hope for Ben Turner, while NSN Cycling Team’s hopes lie with Biniam Girmay. The Eritrean has already won two races this year.

Finally, we haven’t mentioned quite a few teams. Uno-X will give everything to win again with Søren Waerenskjold, while Unibet Rose Rockets are aiming for another top result with Lukas Kubis. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe hopes to make progress with Jordi Meeus and the Van Dijke brothers, while Tudor has multiple cards to play with Rick Pluimers and Stefan Küng.

Weather

The Omloop has seen worse weather. This weekend, temperatures in the Flemish Ardennes will hover around 12 degrees Celsius with frequent sunny intervals. A small amount of precipitation—less than a millimeter—is expected, while the wind will be southwest at force three.