'Beyond my wildest dreams' - Inside Belgian talent Tom Crabbe's explosive start to 2026 season

Crabbe started his 2026 season in perfect fashion, sprinting to victory on the opening stage of the Etoile de Bessèges in an uphill drag to the line against Lukáš Kubiš (Unibet Rose Rockets).

Things continued to get better when Crabbe added another victory to his palmares, sprinting to victory on stage 4 of the Vuelta a Andalucia in a flatter finish, illustrating his versatility.

There were signs of his talent shining through over the previous campaign on the road as well as on the track, such as when he finished in the top 10 on all four sprint stages at the Tour of Britain, including finishing 2nd on stage 2 behind Olav Kooij.

Those victories in the early stages of 2026 have given Crabbe an added boost of confidence in his own abilities, and he admitted that he didn’t expect such success so soon.

"During training camp, people joked about it: 'Are you going to win a race?' But I had a clear plan with my coach. To win twice so early is beyond my wildest dreams,” explained Crabbe to Sporza.

The second victory in Andalucía was even sweeter as an added confirmation of his talent in a flatter sprint finish.

"Now it's for real, I thought,” said Crabbe about his feelings after winning in Spain. “It was nice to get confirmation that I'm also fast in bunch sprints. But sometimes it's still unreal that it's happening so quickly."

To give some context, Crabbe is one of 20 male riders at ProTeam level or higher to have scored multiple victories so far in 2026. Interestingly, he is the second youngest rider on that list, behind only Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA XGM).

Additionally, it was a significant moment for Team Flanders-Baloise as it was their first victories since Kamiel Bonneu won stage 3 at the Arctic Race of Norway back in August 2024. Crabbe understood the importance of that for a team that has been widely reported to have doubts about its future beyond the 2026 season. 

"You can tell that a victory like that brings a lot of euphoria and motivation to the team," said Crabbe.

Team Flanders-Baloise have produced a plethora of Belgian talent over the last couple of decades and some of their more recent successes in the last ten or so years include Victor Campenaerts (2014-15), Oliver Naesen (2015), and Yves Lampaert (2013-14). 

With the Belgian cobbles on the horizon, Crabbe lines up for Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, which is an interesting proposition for the 20-year-old. 

Having made his debut at the race twelve months ago, which he didn’t finish, Crabbe arrives this time around as a name that will be closely watched by many and for good reason. 

Despite the impressive start to the season, Crabbe is keeping his feet on the ground, not placing too much pressure on his shoulders and taking the racing as it comes with races such as Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne where he'll come up against the likes of Magnier, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek).

"In the multi-stage races, there's a completely different peloton at the start than in the spring," said Crabbe. "Many more candidates for the win, and for the top 20."

"If I can survive in Kuurne and finish with that first group, that's already fantastic. The team thinks so, too. If I can sprint, that would be amazing.”

Crabbe has highlighted that this upcoming Spring campaign is an exciting opportunity for him to test himself against the best, but importantly, continue to develop and grow as a rider, as he is still only twenty.

"I want to challenge myself a bit this spring and push myself to my limits. What I've already achieved is fantastic. If I can add something to that, it's fantastic."

He also pointed to Peter Sagan as an inspiration and revealed that his dream ambition is to replicate the former three-time World Champion by winning the points classification at the Tour de France.

"I've always been a big fan of Peter Sagan," said Crabbe "That's still a very distant dream. But if I can dream, I hope I can one day fight to stand on the podium there with the green jersey."