E3 Saxo Classic 2026 preview - Van der Poel targets hat-trick as double Kwaremont ascent added

Known as the Mini Tour of Flanders, the E3 Saxo Classic is the first of the "big four" cobbled Classics on the calendar, alongside In Flanders Fields - From Middelkerke to Wevelgem (Gent-Wevelgem), the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix.

The nickname nods to the fact that the race holds many striking similarities to De Ronde, with multiple of the same cobbled hills featuring in both races.

Therefore, the E3 Saxo Classic is also seen as a dress rehearsal for the grand showpiece on the first Sunday of April, De Ronde, and often attracts the best of the best.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking this race isn't significant as a stand-alone. The E3 Saxo Classic is a prestigious event that every cobbled specialist would love on their palmarès, even though it is one of the younger Flemish Classics

In total, there have been 10 riders who have won E3 and Flanders in the same season: 

• Noël Foré - 1963
• Walter Planckaert - 1976
• Jan Raas - 1979
• Johan Museeuw - 1998
• Peter Van Petergem - 1999
• Tom Boonen - 2005, 2006, 2012
• Fabian Cancellara - 2010
• Niki Terpstra - 2018
• Kasper Asgreen - 2021
• Mathieu van der Poel - 2024

Twelve months ago, Mathieu van der Poel romped to victory for the second consecutive year in a commanding manner. The Dutchman and Mads Pedersen surged clear from the peloton on the slopes of the Taaienberg and were joined by Filippo Ganna, before catching the breakaway duo of Aimé De Gendt and Casper Pedersen. Van der Poel then blasted away on the Oude Kwaremont and was not seen again as he soloed 39km to victory in Harelbeke. 

Van der Poel is set to return again to defend his title and could become just the fourth rider to win three consecutive editions of the E3 Saxo Classic, alongside Rik Van Looy (1964-66), Jan Raas (1979-81), and Tom Boonen (2004-07). 

The Alpecin-Premier Tech rider is also set to be one of two former winners on the start list, alongside Kasper Asgreen, who won solo in 2021, just days before he would beat Van der Poel in a two-up sprint at the Tour of Flanders.

Key information: 

• Date -  Friday 27 March
• Distance - 208.5km
• Start Location - Harelbeke
• Finish Location - Harelbeke
• Start time (CET) - 12:45
• Expected finish (CET) - 17:12 approx

Follow all the action via our live report!

The route has been adapted for 2026, adding double ascents of both the Oude Kwaremont and Karnemelkbeekstraat (E3 Col), making the E3 Saxo Classic a sterner test than before. 

In total, there are sixteen hills and four cobbled sectors for the riders to contend with across the 208.5km route that begins and finishes in Harelbeke. 

The first hill for the riders to tackle is the Katteberg, which is 750 metres in length, averaging 6% with a maximum gradient of 11%. La Houppe and Berg Ten Stene are the only climbs that are covered across the next 70km and shouldn’t see the most action. 

Things should start to heat up on the fourth climb of the day, the Oude Kruisberg, which comes a little bit over the halfway mark of the race, with 101.6km remaining. This part of the race is important due to the fact that the climbs start to come thick and fast from here on out. 

Next comes the first ascent of the E3 Col (Karnemelkbeekstraat), 1.5 km at 4.9% with a stinging maximum of 18%, followed shortly by the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont.

2.2km in length with an average gradient of 4% but with a maximum of 11%, the Kwaremont is one of the most iconic climbs in all of cycling, and often has a pivotal say in the Tour of Flanders. 

With 87.2 km still to go and ten more hills remaining, the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont is more likely to thin out the peloton than to launch the race-winning move. It’s also an easier side than the one we’ll see later in the final.

That said, with what we have seen in recent years and with Mathieu van der Poel on the start list, nothing can be ruled out.

Next up is the Hotondberg and Kortekeer with 82.8km and 75.7km remaining, respectively, before the riders hit another significant climb, the Taaienberg, which has been crucial in recent editions of E3. 

The Taaienberg is one of the steepest cobbled hills around, and the positioning coming into the foot of the climb is crucial. It’s 700 metres in length, with an average gradient of 6.3%, but it’s the maximum pitches of 16% where the race has split apart in recent editions. 

Van der Poel has attacked on the Taaienberg in each of the last three editions of the race, an ode to its significance.

The Boigneberg and Eikenberg follow shortly after, with all these climbs from the Oude Kruisberg to the Eikenberg coming within 40km of one another. The 12th hill of the day, the Kapelberg, is situated 46.4km from the finish, before attention turns to the Paterberg.

Unlike in the Tour of Flanders, the riders will tackle the slopes of the Paterberg before the Oude Kwaremont. 

The Paterberg, with 42.3km remaining, is one of the shorter climbs at 400 metres in length, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most savage, with an average gradient of 12.9% and with a maximum of 20.3%.

From here it’s quickly onto the second ascent of the Kwaremont with 39.5km remaining, before the E3 Col once more at 31.7km to go, a brutal section of the race where sheer strength will prevail.

The final categorised hill of the race is the Tiegemberg, which comes 20km from the finish. It’s the last opportunity to make a difference on the hills, before attention turns to power, strength and perhaps tactics on the run-in back to Harelbeke.

As previously mentioned, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) returns to the E3 Saxo Classic, hunting a third successive title, and will naturally be the favourite for victory after the fashion in which he won the previous two editions. 

The Dutchman is supreme on the Cobbles, winning the last three editions of Paris-Roubaix and two out of the last three Rondes as well, and his chances of a hat-trick win are heightened by the absence of Tadej Pogačar, who will be waiting at the Tour of Flanders for another battle with the Dutchman.

Van der Poel’s 2026 road season started on the right note after the Dutchman soloed to victory at Omloop Nieuwsblad on his debut. Things looked even better when he won two impressive stages at Tirreno-Adriatico, indicating that he will once more be a force to reckon with in the Classics. 

Milan-Sanremo didn’t go entirely to plan for the Dutchman, however. Van der Poel made the key selection alongside Tadej Pogačar and Tom Pidcock on the Cipressa, but would be distanced by the duo on the slopes of the Poggio, ultimately being caught by the chase pack and sprinting to 8th on the Via Roma. 

The Dutchman was among those involved in the crash on the run-in to the Cipressa alongside the likes of Pogačar and Wout van Aert, and injured his hand. 

It remains to be seen if or how much the impact of the crash has on the Dutchman’s prospects at E3, but if his shape is still anything close to what it was over a week ago, he is comfortably the man to beat and a very difficult one at that. 

Fellow multi-disciplined star Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is set to make his E3 debut and could be a key lieutenant for the Dutchman, particularly in terms of setting up an attack. 

One rider who has proven that he can get the better of Van der Poel on the cobbles at times in recent years is Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek).

The Dane outsprinted Van der Poel to 2nd place at the Tour of Flanders last year, and also got the better of him in a two-up sprint to win Gent-Wevelgem in 2024, so the blueprint is there. 

Pedersen made a surprise appearance at Milan-Sanremo, returning to action after breaking his left wrist and fracturing his collarbone in a crash on his first race day of the season at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana. 

Naturally, the fact that the Dane finished 4th in La Primavera bodes well ahead of the Cobbles, where he shone twelve months ago. 

However, racing on the cobbles will test his recovery, so it will be interesting to see how he manages the unrelenting nature of the E3 Saxo Classic. Still, there’s no doubting Pedersen’s grit; he will do everything possible to ensure the injury does notdecide the outcome of the race.

Lidl-Trek also have the likes of the reliable Søren Kragh Andersen and Mathias Vacek to call upon, giving the team cards to play beyond Pedersen if necessary.

Christophe Laporte’s (Visma | Lease a Bike) 315-day absence in 2025 doesn’t seem to have stopped the Frenchman from making a strong start to the 2026 season. 

Winning a stage at the Vuelta a Andalucia, finishing 4th at Omloop Nieuwsblad and 16th at Milan-Sanremo while supporting Van Aert to 3rd, are all indications that the Frenchman is where he wants to be ahead of this crucial part of the season.

Laporte is a former runner-up at the E3 Saxo Classic and has won both Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen, so he knows what it takes. 

The Frenchman could also benefit from the fact that the spotlight will be on Van der Poel and, to an extent, Pedersen, and he has an innate ability to follow the right wheels in the key section of races. 

With Wout van Aert choosing to skip E3, Laporte has more scope of leadership for the race, and it would be no surprise to see the Frenchman on the podium in Harelbeke based on his credentials and current shape.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG win almost everywhere they go. For E3, they don’t have the services of Tadej Pogačar to rely upon, and with the presence of Mathieu van der Poel, victory will be hard to come by. 

However, the team still can get plenty out of this race with a strong line-up featuring Florian Vermeersch, António Morgado and Nils Politt. Vermeersch finished 3rd at Omloop, and given the Belgian’s current form, another podium finish isn’t out of the question. 

Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished runner-up to Van der Poel at Omloop and enjoyed a strong performance at Paris-Nice. Meanwhile, Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) battled his way to 5th place at Strade Bianche and is a proven Classics specialist. 

Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished 11th at the Tour of Flanders last year, and the Kiwi has made a strong start to the season, indicating a top 10 finish is possible for any or multiple of these Red Bull riders. 

Soudal Quick-Step have returned to their Classics roots for 2026, and therefore, E3 is a race of great significance. 

Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step)looks set to lead the Belgian side after his recent 7th place at Milan-Sanremo. Stuyven has been in the mix in recent editions, finishing 2nd in 2024, before taking 5th twelve months ago. 

Meanwhile, Dylan van Baarle (Soudal Quick-Step)can never be counted out. The Dutchman's recent results don't perhaps indicate that a top 10 is on the cards, but as a former Paris-Roubaix winner, Van Baarle knows how to navigate cobbles better than most. 

The Dutchman was also seen trying long-range attacks during Opening Weekend, an indication that he was focusing on building form rather than results.

Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) has been one of the stand-out riders of 2026 so far. The Dane enjoyed a successful spell in Australia, winning a stage at the Santos Tour Down Under before sprinting to victory at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. 

Lund Andresen also proved he can race on the cobbles by finishing 6th at Omloop and 7th at Kuurne, the lowest cumulative position of any rider over both races. Things continued to get better with a stage win against some of the world’s best sprinters at Tirreno-Adriatico before most recently finishing 13th at Milan-Sanremo. 

The sprint ability that the Dane possesses gives him an advantage over most, as he will likely be one of, if not the first rider, across the finish line from whatever group he is a part of. He has never finished in the top 10 of E3 before, but this year is as good as any opportunity to do so. 

Lund Andresen can also lean on the support of teammate Oliver Naesen (Decathlon CMA CGM), who has finished in the top 10 on four occasions at E3 and who is also capable of doing so once more after finishing 12th last year.

Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ United) is one of the more intriguing inclusions on the start list. The 23-year-old Frenchman is undoubtedly one of the more talented riders in the peloton and seems to be progressing year-on-year, and appears to be scheduled for a full cobbled Classics campaign this Spring, with the exception of Paris-Roubaix. 

We have become used to seeing Grégoire fighting towards the pointy end of the Ardennes, but this will be his first appearance in a cobbled Classic as a professional, so the Frenchman feels like a complete wildcard. 

The likes of Philippe Gilbert and Alejandro Valverde are just some of the more recent examples that have proven there is a pathway from the Ardennes to the cobbles, with the former winning the Tour of Flanders in 2017, before conquering Paris-Roubaix in 2019.

Grégoire did finish 2nd in the junior road race world championships on a cobbled course in 2021 in Leuven, but his credentials on the cobbles as a professional remain to be seen, making him unpredictable ahead of this race.

What is certain is that Grégoire has made a strong start to 2026. After winning the Faun Drôme Classic, the 23-year-old battled his way to 4th at Strade Bianche, before most recently finishing 18th at Milan-Sanremo in the first chase group behind the podium finishers.

Former winner Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) hasn't got the results this season to match some of the names previously mentioned, but the Dane seems to be building a solid base. 

While he may not have been a fixture on the cobbles in the way that he would have hoped for in recent years, Asgreen proved at last year’s Giro d’Italia that he is still able to produce a big result. 

The Dane was on the attack at Omloop Nieuwsblad and also at Tirreno-Adriatico, and he is the type of rider who won’t be afraid of going for a long-range effort, which could benefit him in a race like E3. Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) could also be an option for the American team, after his stage win at Tirreno. Valgren's previous best finish was 6th back in 2017.

At 36-years of age, Matteo Trentin (Tudor) is still producing the goods. After winning Paris-Tours at the end of 2025, the Italian has kicked on once again this season, finishing 15th at Omloop, 3rd at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, and 9th at Milan-Sanremo. Trentin’s race craft, combined with his sprint finish, always puts the Italian in the mix, and he is a rider who could very well feature in the top 10 on Friday.

Speaking of combative riders, you’ll be hard-pushed to find a rider who loves attacking more than Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility). The Norwegian powerhouse has never finished in the top 10 of the E3 Saxo Classic, but the Uno-X Mobility squad and its riders seem to be making leaps and bounds year on year, and Abrahamsen has been solid so far in 2026.

Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) is among the regular fixtures in the top 10 of hardened cobbled Classics, and the Slovenian's recent 15th at Milan-Sanremo suggests he could feature once more. 

Meanwhile, Alec Segaert (Bahrain-Victorious) is a bit of a wildcard after his recent victory at the GP de Denain, just a day after being pipped on the line for victory at the Danilith Nokere Koerse. The Belgian finished 47th at E3 last year, but did then go on to finish 10th at Dwars door Vlaanderen a few days later.

Other riders to watch who could be in the top 10 include Biniam Girmay (NSN), Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché), Alberto Bettiol, Yevgeniy Fedorov and Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana), Iván García Cortina (Movistar), Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ United), Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers), and Fred Wright (Pinarello-Q36.5).