Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 is shaping up to be a blockbuster start to the Flemish Classics, with Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock already confirmed on the start list and Mathieu van der Poel reportedly weighing up his participation. With Arnaud De Lie also expected to line up, anticipation is building ahead of the season opener on Saturday, 28 February 2026.
Race organisers unveiled the 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad route on Wednesday, and one update immediately stands out: the finale has been redesigned. While the start and finish locations remain unchanged, the closing phase of the race has been reworked to encourage more aggressive racing.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Route 2026: Distance and Key Details
The men’s race will cover 207 kilometres from Ghent to Ninove, while the women will race 137 kilometres, sharing the same finishing circuit. As in recent editions, the men will depart from ’t Kuipke in Ghent, with Ninove once again hosting the finish celebrations on the Elisabethlaan.
Last season produced surprise winners, with Søren Wærenskjold and Lotte Claes capitalising on conservative racing and difficult conditions that kept the peloton largely intact. The changes introduced for 2026 appear designed to make a similar outcome far less likely.
Familiar Opening, Harder Finale
The early phase of the men’s race remains largely unchanged. Riders will tackle Haaghoek and Leberg twice, a combination that traditionally begins to thin the peloton and expose teams lacking depth or preparation.
The decisive phase for both the men’s and women’s races begins roughly 45 kilometres from the finish, following a familiar sequence: Molenberg, another passage over Haaghoek and Leberg, and then the Berendries.
Parikeberg Added to Spark Attacks
From there, the course takes a notable new direction. Tenbosse and Parikeberg have been added to the route, replacing the Elverenberg-Vossenhol used in recent editions. The inclusion of Parikeberg is particularly significant.
Short, steep and cobbled, Parikeberg features gradients of up to 12 percent, making it a far more explosive climb. Positioned at a moment when the race is already under pressure, it invites attacks from riders looking to force a decisive split rather than wait for later climbs.
This change is widely seen as favourable to riders like Mathieu van der Poel, who thrive on aggressive, selective racing and prefer to apply pressure before the traditional finale.
Iconic Finish Remains Untouched
After Parikeberg, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad returns to its classic closing sequence. The Kapelmuur (Muur van Geraardsbergen) and the Bosberg remain the final major obstacles, followed by the 13-kilometre run-in to Ninove, where the winners will be crowned.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 Teams: Men and Women
Alongside the route announcement, organisers also confirmed the teams on the start line.
All UCI WorldTour teams will contest the men’s race, joined by seven ProTeams. Cofidis, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and Tudor Pro Cycling Team earned automatic invitations based on their 2025 results. They are joined by Burgos-Burpellet-BH, Team Flanders-Baloise, TotalEnergies and Unibet Tietema Rockets, who complete the wildcard line-up.
The women’s race will feature the full Women’s WorldTour peloton, with seven Women’s ProTeams also confirmed: Cofidis Women Team, Laboral Kutxa Fundación Euskadi, Lotto-Intermarché Ladies, Ma Petite Entreprise, Mayenne Monbana My Pie, St Michel Preference Home Auber93 and VolkerWessels Cycling Team.
With a tougher finale, a world-class start list and the promise of more aggressive racing, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 looks set to deliver a thrilling opening chapter to the spring classics season.
Leave a Reply