Participants Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 | These big names are set to start in Waregem

Wout van Aert and Visma | Lease a Bike had things under control last year, only for a sharp Neilson Powless to tear up the script for EF Education-EasyPost in a one-against-three finish. Van Aert returns this year looking for revenge, and the Belgian will also have Matthew Brennan and Christophe Laporte alongside him in Waregem. Powless, however, is not back to defend his title, as he is set to miss the entire spring after knee surgery.

After winning In Flanders Fields, the renamed Gent-Wevelgem, Jasper Philipsen heads to Wednesday’s start with fresh confidence. At Alpecin-Premier Tech, they could also choose to play the Tibor Del Grosso card. Not on the start line on Wednesday is two-time winner Mathieu van der Poel, with Philipsen’s spring programme instead pointing toward Dwars door Vlaanderen and then Paris-Roubaix rather than the Tour of Flanders.

Mads Pedersen is also due to race on Wednesday, with Jonathan Milan joining him in the Lidl-Trek line-up. Other notable names expected at the start include in-form Tobias Lund Andresen of Decathlon CMA CGM, Arnaud De Lie of Lotto-Intermarché, Biniam Girmay of NSN Cycling Team and the consistently strong Florian Vermeersch of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. IDL’s own race preview places Van Aert as the top favourite, with Philipsen, Brennan, Laporte and Vermeersch among the main challengers.

The women’s race also has a stacked line-up. Among the riders entered are Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Longo Borghini, Marianne Vos and Marlen Reusser, which should give Waregem a major Women’s WorldTour field as well.