Five riders for your Tour of Flanders fantasy team

Our selections are based on our partner Cycling Fantasy, where players have a 5,000 credit budget to build a nine-rider team.

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There is simply no way around it, Tadej Pogačar is the man to beat at the 2026 Tour of Flanders. The defending champion has won two of his three starts at the Ronde, beating Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen on both occasions, and arrives in Oudenaarde on the back of a perfect 2026 campaign. Victory at Strade Bianche was followed by a remarkable Milan-San Remo triumph, where he crashed before the Cipressa but still managed to outsprint Tom Pidcock on the Poggio to extend a winning streak that stretches back to the World Championships in Rwanda last September.

A third Flanders victory would put Pogačar level with some of the all-time greats on three wins, a record territory. He also brings arguably the strongest supporting cast in the race: Florian Vermeersch has been one of the standout riders of the entire spring campaign, while Nils Politt, Mikkel Bjerg, and António Morgado, who finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively in the 2024 edition, provide formidable depth around him.

At 1,200 credits, he is the joint-most expensive pick in the game alongside Evenepoel, Van der Poel, and Pedersen, but Pogačar's sledgehammer approach on the Oude Kwaremont has proven almost unstoppable. He should be the first name on every fantasy team sheet.

Mads Pedersen costs the same as Pogačar at 1,200 credits, and while that premium price tag raises eyebrows, the Dane's Monument pedigree justifies serious consideration. In just under two months since fracturing his wrist at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, Pedersen has fought his way back to a 4th at Milan-San Remo, 9th at E3, and 10th at Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Pedersen's record at this race is what justifies the cost, as he finished 2nd behind Pogačar last year after being perfectly led out by teammate Jasper Stuyven. It has been on the podium three times in recent editions. In a race where the winner is often Pogačar or Van der Poel, Pedersen's ability to claim 2nd or 3rd consistently is exactly what you want.

The illness that forced him to miss In Flanders Fields last weekend is a concern, but if Pedersen is on the start line in Antwerp, his race intelligence and tactical awareness on the Flemish bergs make him one of the safest bets for a high finish. Choosing between Pedersen and Pogačar at equal cost is the key budget decision on who you fulfil with your remaining credits.

At just 200 credits, Florian Vermeersch might be the single best value pick in the entire Cycling Fantasy game for De Ronde. The Belgian has been one of the standout riders of the 2026 Classics campaign, consistently riding at the front of every cobbled race and proving he could lead a top team in his own right.

He's been visible in every decisive moment of this spring, even if the result wasn't to his liking.

200 credits is an almost absurd value: Vermeersch's primary role will be supporting Pogačar through the climbs such as the Koppenberg and Oude Kwaremont, but his current level means he'll still be there when it matters on Sunday. An absolute must-pick at this price.

Christophe Laporte is once again flying under the radar, and once again, that could be exactly where you want him. The Frenchman has been quietly consistent throughout the 2026 Classics, taking 4th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and 7th at E3 Saxo Classic.

All eyes will be on Wout van Aert, who has been heartbreakingly close to a major cobbled win all spring, caught in the final kilometre at In Flanders Fields after going clear with Van der Poel, then passed by Filippo Ganna just 150 metres from the line at Dwars door Vlaanderen after a courageous solo attack. That relentless attention on Van Aert creates space for Laporte, and the Visma squad depth, with Per Strand Hagenes (2nd at E3) and Matthew Brennan also in the lineup, gives the team multiple cards to play.

Laporte has a classics-winning pedigree too, having taken Gent-Wevelgem in 2023 with a perfectly executed tactical ride alongside Van Aert. He has the engine to survive the Koppenberg and Oude Kwaremont and feature in the decisive groups. At 400 credits, he's the kind of experienced Classics hand who can quietly slot into the top 10 like he has done previously, most notably when he came 9th in 2022.

If there's one rider in the peloton who knows how to ride the Tour of Flanders without necessarily being the biggest name on the start list, it's Jasper Stuyven. The 33-year-old Belgian finished 5th at De Ronde last year while doing a huge job for Mads Pedersen, leading the Dane out for that 2nd-place finish behind Pogačar. Now, having moved to Soudal Quick-Step over the winter, Stuyven gets to race for himself, and that changes things.

Stuyven's Classics CV speaks for itself, a Milan-San Remo winner, a former Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner, 2nd at E3 in 2024, and six career top-10 finishes across the two cobbled Monuments. He can read a race like few others, knows exactly when to position himself before the key sectors, and has a fast finish if it comes down to a small group. That's the kind of rider who quietly pops up in the top 10 while everyone else is watching the protagonist's show.

His early 2026 season was disrupted by illness; he had to abandon the Volta ao Algarve and missed Opening Weekend, but he's been building through Paris-Nice and the Classics block since then. At Soudal Quick-Step, he's got Dylan van Baarle, Paul Magnier, and Laurenz Rex around him, giving the team plenty of options. For just 400 credits. He's the kind of rider who won't let you down in the final spots of your nine-rider squad.