Six surprise riders who can shape the finales in the opening weekend

The 2026 Opening Weekend is just around the corner, featuring Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for the men (Saturday for the attackers) and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne (Sunday for the sprinters). Both races will see an eager peloton at the start line. It also serves as a stepping stone for new names making their mark at the front of the race. WielerFlits lists six riders for both finales who you might not expect to be there beforehand. 

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Two years ago, Jonas Abrahamsen already came forward as an attacker in the classics. From early breakaways, he scored top finishes in the E3 Saxo Classic (twelfth), Dwars Door Vlaanderen (second), the Ronde van Leuven (eighth), and his attacks in the finales brought him victory at the Brussels Cycling Classic — which also features the Muur van Geraardsbergen — and a second place in Dwars door het Hageland. Last season, he even took a stage win in the Tour de France with that aggressive racing style. But especially afterwards, he was particularly successful in Belgian semi-classics.

Abrahamsen won the Circuit Franco-Belge and the Muur Classic Geraardsbergen, which also happens to be the decisive segment in the finale of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The 30-year-old Norwegian from Uno-X Mobility followed some Spartan training methods this past winter and seems to have prepared himself for a (key?) role in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad finale.

Jenno Berckmoes arguably belonged on this list a year ago already, but bad luck — except for an eighth place in Gent-Wevelgem — got in his way during the spring. Once he finally shook off all his troubles, he immediately won the tough stage to Durbuy in the Tour of Belgium. In the autumn, he placed third in the Muur Classic Geraardsbergen, which he had won a year earlier (2024). Berckmoes also narrowly missed the podium with fourth in Binche-Chimay-Binche. This spring, the Belgian takes a leading role alongside Arnaud De Lie at Lotto-Intermarché. He will be there.

Admittedly, this is the most exotic name on this list of six. Yet, it’s not unthinkable that a Movistar jersey will be present in the finale of this classic. Carlos Canal has posted many strong results in hilly races in recent years. Now, hills scattered with cobblestones are a different story, but the 24-year-old Spaniard already placed twentieth in Gent-Wevelgem. He also rode strong finales in races like Clásica Jaén (eighth) and the Tour de Wallonie (fourth). Could Spain find a successor to Juan Antonio Flecha in Canal?

Like Berckmoes, Sandy Dujardin is someone who should have appeared on this list much earlier if he had ever raced the Flemish Opening Weekend. The 28-year-old Frenchman from TotalEnergies has collected plenty of top placings in tough one-day races since his pro debut in 2022. His form has been good in the season’s first races, and he is also familiar with the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Last year, he finished fifth in both the Brussels Cycling Classic and the Muur Classic. It’s Dujardin’s task to outsmart the rest.

This past winter, Rick Pluimers seems to have taken another step forward. In the Tour of Oman, he sprinted twice into the top-6, while he finished third in the Tour du Var behind Jason Tesson and Tord Gudmestad. These aren’t the usual names like Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock, or Tim Wellens, but the 25-year-old Dutchman from Tudor Pro Cycling looks ready for a significant role in the finale of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. He finished fifth in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne last year, which is also a realistic target for Saturday’s race.

We debated long and hard between Thibaud Gruel and Bastien Tronchon for this list. Both Frenchmen ride in service of Groupama-FDJ United and could both emerge as revelations this spring. Tronchon, however, is two years older and thus currently has a slight edge over Gruel. He is a strong puncheur with a powerful sprint. For example, he already finished second behind Christophe Laporte in the opening stage of the Ruta del Sol. Last year, Tronchon won Tro-Bro Léon and placed eighteenth in the Flèche Wallonne — definitely a rider to watch.

This was also discussed in the WielerFlits Podcast; see below

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne

Probably an even bigger surprise than his teammate Carlos Canal in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The Venezuelan champion made his debut in Flemish classics for Movistar last year. Since then, Orluis Aular emerged as one of the revelations of the season, with strong performances in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España. Aular relatively easily handles short climbs and difficult courses, while also having a powerful sprint. Riding cobblestones might be unfamiliar to him, but he should be able to handle a race like Kuurne.

Tom Crabbe is one of the early spring discoveries. Insiders had already seen it coming after he battled Olav Kooij last autumn in the Tour of Britain. He is confirming his rapid growth with stage wins in both the Ster van Bessèges and the Ruta del Sol. His first victory was on a tough finish in the rain against Lukáš Kubiš, the second a flat bunch sprint under the Spanish sun. In an interview with WielerFlits, Crabbe says he’s not making any illusions about Kuurne, but we certainly are. Good things come fast—especially for a sprinter nowadays.

The young Brit Noah Hobbs spent his early years as a hopeful in the Groupama-FDJ development team, where his sprinting talent quickly became clear. However, he didn’t quite find his place with the French outfit and moved last year to the EF Education-EasyPost development team. He won a stage and the points classification in the Tour de l’Avenir. Hobbs is considered the biggest sprint talent to have moved up from U23 to the pros this past winter. He rides alongside Marijn van den Berg on the squad but is not underestimated.

After a strong 2024, Paul Penhoët — coincidentally one of the fast men blocking Hobbs’s progression — seemed to be gearing up for a difficult season last year. He struggled with setbacks throughout the spring, so we’re still waiting for his definitive breakthrough. At Groupama-FDJ, he is viewed somewhat as the natural successor to Arnaud Démare. Penhoët is a strong sprinter and already placed second on the tough finish in Lopera (Ruta del Sol). His teammate Matteo Milan — younger brother Jonathan — has also caught attention.

Decathlon CMA CGM strengthened significantly last winter. This spring, Tiesj Benoot and Olav Kooij were expected to lead, but both arrivals will miss the entire spring due to a hernia (Benoot) and a virus (Kooij). The French team still has options with Oliver Naesen, Daan Hoole, and sprinter Tobias Lund Andresen. Also count on Rasmus Søjberg Pedersen. As a U23, he won the Danish elite title in 2024 and was already thirteenth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last year. The 23-year-old Dane is considered a strong sprinter.

In recent years, Maikel Zijlaard has developed at Tudor Pro Cycling into one of the best lead-out men in the world for Arvid de Kleijn. However, the latter won’t be at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Without the sprinter, Zijlaard proved last year that he can occasionally claim a top placing himself, such as a podium finish in the Giro d’Italia. The team management plans to give him more personal opportunities this year. He has Rick Pluimers and Matteo Trentin alongside him. Intrinsically, Zijlaard is the fastest of the three. Can he surprise?