Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) will make his delayed 2026 road debut at the Ename Samyn Classic on Tuesday, March 3, after recovering from the illness that forced him out of Opening Weekend. Race organisers confirmed his participation on Monday.
Following a turbulent winter, Van Aert fractured his ankle at the Exact Cross Mol on January 2 after slipping on ice, requiring surgery and cutting short his cyclo-cross campaign. His rehabilitation included a three-week altitude camp at Sierra Nevada, where storms confined him to indoor rollers for several days. Then, just as his Omloop Het Nieuwsblad debut approached, illness struck. His withdrawal was announced on February 26, and he skipped Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne too.
Now he lines up for Le Samyn, a race he has never started before.
Le Samyn 2026, essentials
Key race details for Van Aert's season debut
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date | |
| Distance | |
| Finale markers | |
| Forecast | |
| Start–finish | |
| TV coverage starts |
Van Aert posted a 74km training ride to Strava on Monday with the caption: "Terug samyn met de boys... Blij om weer te mogen koersen!" ("Back together with the boys. Happy to be racing again!"). His Visma director Grischa Niermann struck a more cautious tone. "Wout is now heading into a long period with many great races. Hopefully, the illness won't affect his ability to start that period in improving form," Niermann said.
Le Samyn is a 1.1-rated semi-classic, not a Monument. But it feeds directly into a punishing six-week block: Strade Bianche on March 7, Tirreno-Adriatico from March 9, Milan-San Remo on March 21, the Tour of Flanders on April 5 and Paris-Roubaix on April 12. A week of illness rarely ends a spring campaign, but it can blunt top-end efforts for days, which matters in a chaotic cobbled finale like Dour's.
How to watch Le Samyn 2026
Details for local race time start and finish are below.
Le Samyn 2026 schedule
Category | Local Time (CET) |
|---|---|
| Expected Finish | |
| Race Start | |
| TV Coverage Begins |
Official coverage of Le Samyn is spread across public broadcasters in Europe and dedicated cycling streaming platforms in the United Kingdom and North America. The full breakdown of channels is below.
Live Streaming Coverage by Region
| Region | Broadcaster | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
Belgium | Sporza / RTBF | Free | Free-to-air Belgian coverage |
United Kingdom | TNT Sports / Discovery+ | From £30.99/mo | TNT Sports via Discovery+ |
United States | FloBikes | $29.99/mo or $149.99/yr | Dedicated cycling platform |
Germany | Eurosport / Max | From €5.99/mo | Also available in Austria |
Netherlands | Eurosport / Max | From €5.99/mo | — |
France | Eurosport / Max | From €5.99/mo | — |
Australia | SBS | Free | Free-to-air and streaming on SBS On Demand |
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Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
