Hugo Hofstetter questions a sprinter’s place in the 2026 spring classics: “It’s always the same guys who win”

Despite his French nationality, the 32-year-old veteran still competes primarily in Belgium during the spring season. This year, for example, he finished third in Le Samyn and eleventh in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne. Last year, he even took fifth place in Gent-Wevelgem. Results you can be quite satisfied with, but where is that big win?

That big win could very well come this spring, though Hofstetter recently told this site that his form isn’t quite at its peak. “It’s going okay. Unfortunately, I’ve been a bit sick for a while. My training has been very irregular because of that. Despite that, I’ve still been able to perform. I hope my legs respond well,” were his words ahead of the Tour of Bruges at the end of March.

So far, it hasn’t been easy to make sense of how his legs are responding. “Sometimes they’re on point, other times not quite as much. I hope to perform well today.” The Frenchman from NSN ultimately finished sixteenth in the classic won by Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets).

Hofstetter’s last victory dates back to May 2022, when he won the Tro-Bro Léon in his home country. How far does he think he is from a win? “To be honest, it’s still a long way off. Still, I always want to win. That’s never easy, though, even though I’m someone who’s always in the mix.”

‘For me, it’s also important to be consistent and to have a team that trusts me,’ continued the NSN sprinter. ‘Unfortunately, it’s always tough to win, and the level keeps getting higher and higher. It makes it all a lot harder. In so many races, it’s always the same guys who win. That doesn’t leave much room for the rest.’

And so his goal for this spring is slightly different. 'That is to be right there in the mix. In Gent-Wevelgem, I still finished fifth. The goal is really to keep performing well and, in any case, always give it my all.‘ Starting in the Netherlands, this Saturday at the NXT Classic. Next up are the Tour of Flanders, Scheldeprijs, and Paris-Roubaix, but Hofstetter will face 'the same guys’ there as well.