Judging by the way he effortlessly controlled the sprints in last week’s Volta ao Algarve, you’d say this is right up Magnier’s street. That said, Laporte was also very strong in the Ruta del Sol. Moreover, Omloop is by no means a traditional sprinters’ classic. Wærenskjold’s sprint victory last year was more the exception that proves the rule. It hadn’t happened since 2021, when Ballerini claimed the win.
No – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a true Flemish classic. That means climbs and cobbles. That means resilient Flandriens battling for victory.
With the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg in the final 20 kilometres, the finale of the Omloop is an exact copy of the Tour of Flanders as it was until 2011. The two obstacles form a tempting duo to put your rivals under severe pressure. Just as Van Aert did in 2022 on his way to victory. He launched his attack on the run-up to the Bosberg and soloed to glory, while Van Baarle opted for an even bolder tactic the following year. He attacked with 40 kilometres to go, dropped his only remaining companion, Mathis Le Berre, on the Muur, and rode solo to the win.
In 2024, the race played out differently. After plenty of action in the final 50 kilometres, the peloton came back together after the Bosberg. Dark horse Tratnik seized the opportunity and slipped away with 9 kilometres remaining. Politt jumped across, and the two worked well together — or rather, Politt was generous enough to take on most of the workload, after which Tratnik easily got the better of him in the sprint.
With a headwind in the finale, last year’s Omloop was relatively tame. An early attack from Jorgenson, Philipsen, Magnier, Groves and Pidcock was neutralised, and a group of around twenty riders crested the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg together. Küng then attempted a solo move, but it was hopeless, as the chase group behind him grew into a full peloton. In the sprint, Wærenskjold proved faster than Magnier and Philipsen.
Looking at the teams, Visma | Lease a Bike have no fewer than three potential Omloop winners in their ranks: Van Aert, Laporte, and Brennan. Soudal-QuickStep are also well stocked with contenders, featuring Magnier, Van Baarle, and Stuyven, while most other teams have at most one clear favourite. So we can expect Visma | Lease a Bike and Soudal-QuickStep to showcase strong team tactics and play a major role in shaping the race.
Five former winners are at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Stuyven (2020), Ballerini (2021), Van Aert (2022), Tratnik (2024), and Wærenskjold (2025).
Favourites 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
***** Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Paul Magnier
**** Christophe Laporte, Dylan van Baarle, Biniam Girmay
*** Tim Wellens, Arnaud De Lie, Matthew Brennan, Mathias Vacek
** Jasper Stuyven, Danny van Poppel, Matej Mohoric, Kasper Asgreen
* Florian Vermeersch, Søren Wærenskjold, Jordi Meeus, Ben Turner, Samuel Watson
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026
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