Omloop Het Nieuwsblad opens the European cobbled season on Saturday with a significantly revised 207.6km route from Ghent to Ninove, and a startlist headlined by two riders making very different returns to racing.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) will line up at the Belgian opener for the first time in his career, fresh from winning an eighth cyclocross world title in Hulst on February 1. Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), meanwhile, makes his 2026 road debut less than eight weeks after fracturing his ankle in a cyclocross crash on January 2.
Last year's edition ended in a 49-rider reduced bunch sprint, a result that organisers have clearly taken as a brief to redesign the finale. The changes have a clear intent: eliminate the dead road between the Berendries and the Muur van Geraardsbergen that allowed the peloton to regroup in 2025.
Route: what's changed
The race is 10km longer than last year, with 12 categorised climbs and eight cobbled sectors. The Valkenberg has been removed entirely, replaced by a double ascent of the Eikenberg (first at 74.3km, again at 146.1km). The biggest change, though, comes in the final 35km. Two new climbs, Tenbosse (500m at 6%) and Parikeberg (800m at 5%), have been inserted between the Berendries and the Muur-Bosberg sequence. That transforms the finale from a single decisive punch into a sustained 20km sequence of repeated efforts: Berendries, Tenbosse, Parikeberg, Muur, Bosberg, then 11.8km to the line.
It will mean riders will arrive at the foot of the Muur (1.1km at 7.3%, with pitches of 20%) already carrying two additional accelerations in their legs. Organised chase groups will find it far harder to reset between obstacles. The catch is that the Bosberg (980m at 5.8%, half cobbled) still sits 11.8km from the finish, leaving enough road for a determined peloton to close gaps if the lead group fractures rather than escapes cleanly.
Contenders
Wout van Aert brings the biggest question mark. An ankle fracture demands repeated out-of-saddle torque on steep cobbled ramps, precisely the effort pattern that tests post-surgical bone confidence. Reports from his Spanish training camp describe his recovery as rapid, as do his Strava activities in recent weeks. Visma-Lease a Bike have built a formidable support squad around him: Christophe Laporte, who won a stage at the Ruta del Sol earlier this month before recovering from a crash, plus Timo Kielich and Axel Zingle as additional options. Van Aert has chosen to skip Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Sunday, managing his load carefully. That suggests Saturday is the target, not a test.
Mathieu van der Poel arrives with unbeaten winter form and over 600km of road training on the Costa Blanca in the last week. His cyclocross dominance translates directly into the abilities this course demands: tolerance for repeated anaerobic surges, supreme bike handling on slippery surfaces, and the confidence to accelerate where others hesitate. The unknown is how his team, Alpecin-Premier Tech, will manage dual leadership alongside Jasper Philipsen, who finished third in 2025 and remains the strongest finisher in the race if a group of 20 or more reaches Ninove.
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) debuts his new squad and brings the steep-gradient punch to threaten on the Muur's worst pitches. Positioning on the narrow approaches will be his challenge without a deep classics roster around him. Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) combines climbing ability with a fast finish that makes him dangerous in almost every scenario. Defending champion Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) returns with a target on his back and the different tactical burden of leading a newly promoted WorldTour team.
Notably absent is Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), who struggled through the UAE Tour with illness and is heading to an altitude camp on Mount Teide to prepare for the Volta a Catalunya.
Weather and wildcards
The forecast offers classic Omloop conditions: 11–14°C with a 64% chance of afternoon showers and light southwesterly winds of 11–22km/h. Rain would make the cobbled sectors on the Muur and Bosberg genuinely treacherous, putting a premium on wheel position entering each sector and rewarding riders who handle confidently in the wet. Van der Poel's cyclocross pedigree becomes an even sharper advantage on slick stones.
Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling) is reported to be in strong early-season form and has the punchy power for the new-look finale. Laporte, ostensibly Van Aert's lieutenant, has the engine and finishing speed to be a contender in his own right if the race fragments unpredictably.
Prediction
The redesigned finale should deliver a front group of 10–20 riders rather than last year's 49, with the Muur as the decisive selection point. Van der Poel's form, handling, and acceleration on steep gradients make him the rider to beat in his Omloop debut. Van Aert's fitness is reportedly strong, but eight weeks post-fracture introduces just enough doubt to place him fractionally behind. If the group stays larger than expected, Philipsen has the sprint to capitalise.
Winner: Mathieu van der Poel | Podium: Van Aert, De Lie | Dark horse: Christophe Laporte
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
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