Participants In Flanders Fields 2026 | New name, same world-class start list

In the men’s race, there is an intriguing blend of Classics specialists, fast finishers and riders who sit somewhere in between. What makes the field especially interesting is that several of the top teams are bringing both a rider for the tougher terrain and a pure sprint option.

Just look at Alpecin-Premier Tech, where Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen are both listed, while Visma | Lease a Bike is set to start in Middelkerke with Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte and, normally, Matthew Brennan.

The team that has dominated this race over the past two years, however, is Lidl-Trek. Defending champion Mads Pedersen is back once again, and the German-based squad has also named fast man Jonathan Milan. Tactically, that should make this another fascinating edition.

Other notable names on the start list include Filippo Ganna, Tobias Lund Andresen, Tim van Dijke, Mick van Dijke, Florian Vermeersch, Matteo Trentin, Luca Mozzato and Mike Teunissen.

In the women’s race, Lorena Wiebes is once again expected at the start, although Lotte Kopecky is not yet listed for SD Worx-Protime. Other major names currently on the provisional line-up include Elisa Longo Borghini, Charlotte Kool, Elise Chabbey and Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo, who in recent years has come closest to matching Wiebes in these kinds of races.