Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026: Favourites
fotobureau Cor VosOmloop Het Nieuwsblad kicks off the Flemish opening weekend in style, on a course that's loaded with climbs and cobbles. Who are the main favourites to take the win?
Last updated: 27 February 2026 (on the eve of the race; barring late withdrawals, the start list is final)
Judging by the way he effortlessly controlled the sprints in last week’s Volta ao Algarve, this is clearly right up Magnier’s street. That said, the 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, Alpecin–Premier Tech have the luxury of fielding three potential Omloop winners in Van der Poel, Philipsen and Groves. Soudal–Quick-Step and Visma | Lease a Bike also appeared well stocked with contenders — the former with Magnier, Van Baarle and Stuyven, the latter with Van Aert, Laporte and Brennan — but both teams suffered a setback on Thursday as Stuyven and Van Aert withdrew through illness. The other teams have at most a single outright favourite in their ranks.
Long story short: Van der Poel was already the man to beat, and with such a strong team behind him it would be a surprise if he didn’t come out on top. And if not, he would no doubt be happy to lead out Philipsen for a sprint victory, as he did two years ago in Milan–San Remo.
Then again, Pidcock showed at the Ruta del Sol last week that he is in excellent form. A similar type of rider to Van der Poel, he could well set up a head-to-head battle between the two
Three former winners are at the start of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Ballerini (2021), Van Baarle (2023), and Wærenskjold (2025).
Favourites 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
***** Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock, Paul Magnier
**** Jasper Philipsen, Christophe Laporte, Biniam Girmay
*** Dylan van Baarle, Tim Wellens, Arnaud De Lie, Matthew Brennan
** Kaden Groves, Jasper Stuyven, Matej Mohoric, Kasper Asgreen, Mathias Vacek
* Florian Vermeersch, Søren Wærenskjold, Jordi Meeus, Ben Turner, Samuel Watson
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