A home soil winner? - 2026 Figueira Champions Classic preview

The Figueira Champions Classic began in 2023 and has quickly established itself as a race with strong start list pedigree, with riders such as Remco Evenepoel, Isaac del Toro and Julian Alaphilippe among the notable names to have lined up for the one day event.

Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step) won the inaugural edition in 2023, which was followed by a Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) exhibition in 2024, where he won by a margin of 1:48. The defending champion heading into the 2026 edition is 22 year old António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who triumphed by just five seconds after holding off a surging reduced group.

A 192.7 kilometre race beginning and finishing in Figueira da Foz on the Atlantic coast is on offer on Valentine’s Day and for the puncheurs, it should be a lovely day in the saddle, with a local circuit featuring short, sharp and steep efforts.

Proceedings begin relatively easily with some unclassified lumps for the peloton to contend with, which should also allow a breakaway to quickly establish itself up the road.

Brenha (3.2km at 4.5%) is the first classified climb of the day, with the summit coming 57.5 kilometres into the race, but it should not shed riders with its shallow gradients.

The local circuit begins 103 kilometres into the race and is tackled three times. Inside the circuit, two steep kickers feature. First up is Rua Parque Florestal, the longer of the two climbs at 2.3 kilometres. It is likely the bigger test too, with 800 metres in the double digits near the top.

Meanwhile, Enforca Cães is just 800 metres in length, but the gradients are no slouch, with more than half of the climb in double digits before easing to 6.3% towards the end.

The position of Enforca Cães on the final lap will also play a role in deciding the outcome of the fourth edition, with just 5.7 kilometres remaining after the summit.

In 2025, Morgado went clear before the final ascents of the two climbs mentioned above, delivering a phenomenal 20.5 kilometre solo effort, while Evenepoel attacked from more than 50 kilometres out in the 2024 edition. We could see a similar outcome in 2026, with a parcours that strongly suits long range moves.

Defending champion António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) heads into the race off the back of a strong block of Spanish racing, where the 22-year-old took victory at Trofeo Calvià, second at Trofeo Serra Tramuntana, and top ten finishes in the remaining races he started.

Tremendous talent Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) makes his professional debut at the Figueira Champions Classic and the 20-year-old from Hasselt, Limburg, has the credentials to compete immediately. Widar is well suited to short, sharp efforts, as shown by his results in youth races such as Flèche Ardennaise and Liège-Bastogne -Liège U23, but the step up to the professional ranks is significant.

Marc Hirschi (Tudor) will be aiming to begin his 2026 season with a win after a lukewarm Challenge Mallorca, where the Swiss finished 16th and 17th in his two appearances. In Hirschi’s last start here in 2024, he finished sixth.

Other notable riders to watch include Alex Aranburu (Cofidis), Haimar Etxeberria (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).