Confirmed - Mathieu van der Poel to start road season at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Mathieu van der Poel will enjoy an early face-off with Wout van Aert when he lines up at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday. It will mark his first-ever participation in the race and only the second time he has raced on Opening Weekend after he placed 12th at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in 2021.

After Omloop, Van der Poel’s next outing will come at Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15), with the Dutchman deciding against lining up at Strade Bianche. He will then defend his title at Milan-San Remo on March 21, where another high-octane duel with Tadej Pogacar is expected.

Alpecin-Premier Tech announced on Tuesday that Van der Poel will then ride both the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem before tackling the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

“After a few solid weeks on the bike, he feels race-ready and will line up at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad,” the team said in a statement on social media. “His programme largely mirrors last season.”

In 2025, Van der Poel won the Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix and the E3 Saxo Classic, while he placed second to Pogacar at the Tour of Flanders.

Van der Poel’s decision to race Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will change the dynamic of a race that finished in a bunch sprint a year ago, with Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) claiming victory ahead of Paul Magnier (Soudal-QuickStep).

The race has a tougher course in 2026, with the climbs of the Tenbosse and Parikeberg added ahead of the finale over the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg.

Van der Poel will be joined by Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves in the Alpecin squad for Omloop, where Van Aert will line up for Visma | Lease a Bike alongside Christophe Laporte and Matthew Brennan.

Magnier leads the line for Soudal-QuickStep, while other contenders include Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5), Biniam Girmay (NSN) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché).