Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 | Visma | Lease a Bike head to final Tour of Flanders dress rehearsal at full strength

For a long time, Dwars door Vlaanderen was seen as something of a bonus prize tucked in between the biggest races, but that status has changed. Since 2017, it has been part of the WorldTour, and the race has grown significantly in prestige. Just look at the winners’ list since then: Mathieu van der Poel, Dylan van Baarle, Christophe Laporte and Matteo Jorgenson all feature on it.

Visma | Lease a Bike have been the strongest team here in two of the last three years thanks to victories by Laporte and Jorgenson. It could — and perhaps should — have been three in a row. Last year, the team found itself in a three-against-one situation with Wout van Aert, Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot, but the decision to gamble on the sprint proved costly, as Neilson Powless beat Van Aert and left the Killer Bees empty-handed.

It looks very much as though Visma | Lease a Bike have returned to settle the score. They arrive with a formidable line-up, although they are far from the only team planning to race aggressively. They will do so on a course that has undergone a minor tweak as well.

2025 Neilson Powless
2024 Matteo Jorgenson
2023 Christophe Laporte
2022 Mathieu van der Poel
2021 Dylan van Baarle
2020 Not competed
2019 Mathieu van der Poel
2018 Yves Lampaert
2017 Yves Lampaert
2016 Jens Debusschere

There was once a time where Dwars door Vlaanderen both started and finished in Waregem, and there were even a few years in which the race got underway in Kortrijk. Since 2007, however, Roeselare has been the fixed starting point of the Flemish classic. This year’s route is not dramatically different from last year’s, though a few changes have been made.

The opening fifty kilometres will once again be almost completely flat, although the approach to the hill zone — through Ardooie, Meulebeke and finish town Waregem — is now slightly shorter. That means the first climb, the Hellestraat, arrives after around 47.5 kilometres. But it is only after 65 kilometres that the hill section really begins in earnest.

The Volkegemberg is a relatively gentle way to begin, but Berg Ten Houte is a much more recognisable obstacle. With 110 kilometres still to race, it is unlikely to cause major damage, though it could be a good launch point for outsiders. After some up-and-down roads in and around Ronse, the race reaches the Knokteberg and Hotond for the first time.

The Knokteberg — also known as the Trieu — is the race’s key difficulty. At 1.1 kilometres in length and an average gradient of 7.7 percent, it is the climb most likely to decide the race. The sting is in the tail, where ramps rise to as much as 21 percent. What makes it even harder is the fact that the Hotond follows immediately afterwards. There is no real recovery after the toughest effort of the day.

There are also plenty of cobbled sectors. Some of them come on the climbs, such as Berg Ten Houte, but after the descent from the Hotond comes the Maria Borrestraat, a 2.4-kilometre cobbled section. From there the riders head to a new obstacle, the Onderbossenaarstraat. It is not especially difficult, but it serves as a useful bridge between the Maria Borrestraat and the next passage of Berg Ten Houte.

That second visit arrives six kilometres after the Onderbossenaarstraat. With a little over 50 kilometres to go, the riders then tackle the Knokteberg and Hotond for a second time, after which they turn left rather than right following the Maria Borrestraat. There is no loop this time; instead, the race heads to the Eikenberg, which offers 1,200 metres of cobbles and sections of up to 9 percent.

The climbing becomes less severe after that, but there is still more than enough cobbled terrain to make the finale selective. The sector in Doorn, the Huisepontweg, the Nokereberg and the Herlegemstraat all help make the run-in extremely demanding, as does the uphill drag used in the finish of Nokere Koerse. The finish in Waregem also rises slightly.

Weather
Conditions are set to be a little cooler than in recent days. Temperatures are not expected to climb above ten degrees Celsius, and there is a small chance of a light shower. On the plus side, the wind has eased, so echelons are not expected.

Times
Start: 12:09 PM local time
Finish: around 4:30 PM local time

Visma | Lease a Bike are treating Dwars door Vlaanderen as a full-strength assignment, and it shows. The team has a complicated recent history in Waregem, with two wins in the last three years but also the deeply painful defeat of 2025. This time, however, they bring Wout van Aert, Matthew Brennan, former winner Christophe Laporte, and Per Strand Hagenes, giving them more than enough potential winners. Brennan, in particular, has continued to build momentum in 2026 and remains one of the most interesting young cards in the line-up.

Soudal Quick-Step also arrive with genuine ambition. Paul Magnier is on the start list, but if the race proves too hard for him, the team can fall back on Dylan van Baarle, who won here in 2021. Lidl-Trek look to the returning Mads Pedersen, while Alpecin-Premier Tech — without Mathieu van der Poel — will pin their hopes on Jasper Philipsen and Tibor Del Grosso.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG do not have the outright top favourite, but the consistently strong Florian Vermeersch belongs just below that category, and António Morgado gives them another dangerous option. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe start with Mick and Tim van Dijke, as well as Laurence Pithie and Jan Tratnik. At Groupama-FDJ, Romain Grégoire is clearly the team’s main man.

Uno-X will hope Jonas Abrahamsen can finally convert his chances. Dries De Bondt is, as ever, a rider to watch for Jayco AlUla. Lotto-Intermarché can count on the pairing of Arnaud De Lie and Jenno Berckmoes, while INEOS Grenadiers also have two credible contenders in Magnus Sheffield and Filippo Ganna.

Defending champion Neilson Powless will miss the entire spring, so EF Education-EasyPost will instead look toward Kasper Asgreen, Mikkel Honoré and Luke Lamperti. Riders such as Biniam Girmay, Jonathan Milan and Milan Fretin may find this route a little too demanding, but Tobias Lund Andresen and Cees Bol could well survive the climbs. Powless’ absence had already become clear earlier this season when his 2026 programme was outlined.

There are also more fast finishers with depth to their game. Rick Pluimers is one for Tudor, for example, while Lukas Kubis gives Unibet Rose Rockets a lively option. Among the more attacking riders, powerful rouleurs such as Daan Hoole and Alec Segaert may also try to shape the race from distance.

Top favorite: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Outsiders: Matthew Brennan, Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Long shots: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Paul Magnier, Dylan van Baarle (Soudal Quick-Step), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers), Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Premier Tech), António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Tobias Lund Andresen, Daan Hoole (Decathlon CMA CGM), Rick Pluimers (Tudor), Lukas Kubis (Unibet Rose Rockets)

Dwars door Vlaanderen can be seen on TV on two channels on Wednesday. Eurosport 1 starts it at 1:45 p.m., while Sporza on VRT 1 broadcasts the race at 1:30 p.m., 15 minutes earlier. It can also be followed on HBO Max starting at 1:45 p.m.