Tour of Flanders 2026 | Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert arrive on Easter Sunday in peak condition
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Follow us on GoogleThe first Sunday of April is circled in red all across Flanders. Not so much because of Easter, but because it is time for the Tour of Flanders. On and around the Flemish cobbles, between Antwerp and Oudenaarde, cycling is the sport people live and breathe. And with stars such as Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert on the start line, IDLProCycling.com is more than happy to look ahead.
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In recent years, the road to Oudenaarde has increasingly become a Tadej Pogačar or Mathieu van der Poel show. The Dutchman won for the first time in 2020, beating Van Aert in the last true head-to-head sprint the two have had. A year later, Kasper Asgreen defeated Van der Poel in a two-man sprint.
Pogačar made his first appearance in 2022, but was outfoxed in the final straight as Van der Poel took the win. One year later, the Slovenian all-round phenomenon did manage to crack his Dutch rival, before Van der Poel struck back in 2024 in Pogačar’s absence.
Last season we were treated to another brilliant direct duel in the Flemish Ardennes, but this time Van der Poel had to concede to Pogačar on the Oude Kwaremont. Mads Pedersen then also beat the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider in the battle for second, while Van Aert finished fourth.
Latest winners Tour of Flanders
2025 Tadej Pogacar
2024 Mathieu van der Poel
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Mathieu van der Poel
2021 Kasper Asgreen
2020 Mathieu van der Poel
2019 Alberto Bettiol
2018 Niki Terpstra
2017 Philippe Gilbert
2016 Peter Sagan
2024 Mathieu van der Poel
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Mathieu van der Poel
2021 Kasper Asgreen
2020 Mathieu van der Poel
2019 Alberto Bettiol
2018 Niki Terpstra
2017 Philippe Gilbert
2016 Peter Sagan
Tour of Flanders 2026: Route, weather and times
Brutal, relentlessly brutal: that is what the modern Tour of Flanders route has become, especially with the finale designed by Flanders Classics. This year’s edition starts in Antwerp, the city that has alternated this honour with Bruges in recent years. A full 278 kilometres later, the riders will reach Oudenaarde, which has long since become the race’s fixed finishing town.
From Antwerp, the riders should have enough time to settle in, because there are no serious climbs in the opening 130 kilometres. Ideal, then, for a few riders to slip into the early breakaway, secretly hoping that by doing so they might still earn themselves a place in the finale of this Monument.
After around 140 kilometres, the first obstacle appears, and it is immediately a major one: the Oude Kwaremont, which the riders must tackle three times in total. From the Kwaremont, the race heads over almost twenty kilometres toward the Kortekeer and Wolvenberg, after which the climbs begin to follow one another in rapid succession. The Molenberg, Marlboroughstraat, Berendries and Valkenberg are all waiting not much later.
By the time the race passes the 200-kilometre mark, the legs of many riders will already be filling with fatigue, but then Berg Ten Houte and the Hotond begin a new sequence of climbs. And in 2026, that is usually the phase where the racing becomes truly serious, because at this point the anticipation before the anticipation before the anticipation has to begin.
That is because the biggest names usually make their moves on the crucial climbs: the second passage of the Oude Kwaremont and the first ascent of the Paterberg, roughly 50 kilometres from the finish. Those are followed by the dreaded Koppenberg. Put a foot down there, and your race can be over on that steep cobbled slope.
Any breathing room after the Koppenberg? Barely. Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg follow within ten kilometres, after which the race heads via the Kruisberg to the final two decisive and by now iconic climbs of the day: the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, for the third and second time respectively.
Once the climbing work is finally done, the riders turn northeast for the final 13 kilometres into Oudenaarde. “Only” 13 kilometres, perhaps, but after everything that has already happened, even that can feel endless.
Climbs and cobblestones
Weather
There is some chance of rain, but with temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius it should not be too much of a problem. The wind is expected to blow fairly strongly from the northeast, which means it should provide a tailwind in the finale. Naturally, that also means a headwind earlier in the day on the run from Antwerp toward the Flemish Ardennes.
There is some chance of rain, but with temperatures around 12 degrees Celsius it should not be too much of a problem. The wind is expected to blow fairly strongly from the northeast, which means it should provide a tailwind in the finale. Naturally, that also means a headwind earlier in the day on the run from Antwerp toward the Flemish Ardennes.
Times
Start: 10 AM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Start: 10 AM local time
Finish: 4:45 PM local time
Favorites Tour of Flanders 2026
We have, of course, already seen plenty of racing over the past few weeks, so it is fairly realistic by now to judge who has the best chance in the Tour of Flanders. In our view, that is Tadej Pogačar, the world champion and the man to beat for UAE Emirates-XRG. The Slovenian has more than enough opportunities on this demanding route to make the difference.
Before three-time winner Mathieu van der Poel boarded his flight to Spain after In Flanders Fields, he said as much himself: “I’m going to train well there for another week, and then I hope to be completely ready for Flanders. But against Tadej Pogačar it won’t be easy there.”
Pogačar has used a sledgehammer approach in recent years, applying pressure climb after climb until his rivals crack. In a race such as the Tour of Flanders, with landmarks like the Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg, the best riders usually rise to the surface. And those riders are very often called Pogačar and Van der Poel, though Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert certainly belong in that conversation too.
The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike showed in In Flanders Fields on Sunday that his form is coming together nicely, putting pressure on the race and following Van der Poel on the Kemmelberg. Pedersen, on the other hand, had to miss that race through illness, which, combined with the injury that had already cost him part of the season, leaves a few more question marks around him.
Looking at overall team strength, Visma | Lease a Bike have more than just Van Aert. They can also count on Christophe Laporte, Per Strand Hagenes and, if he has fully recovered from the flu, Matthew Brennan. In theory, that gives the team several cards to play, although in the modern Tour of Flanders that is easier said than done.
After all, every rider has only so much energy to spend, and Pogačar also has an exceptionally strong line-up around him at UAE Emirates-XRG. Florian Vermeersch has been among the best riders this spring, while Nils Politt, Antonio Morgado and Mikkel Bjerg, who finished third, fourth and fifth in the 2024 edition respectively, are all normally expected to be there as well.
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe have also shown this spring that they are a team to take seriously, so they too will be hoping for at least a top-five finish in Flanders. Their likely options, with Remco Evenepoel absent, are Tim van Dijke, Mick van Dijke, Laurence Pithie, Jan Tratnik and Gianni Vermeersch.
Soudal Quick-Step have two riders in Dylan van Baarle and Jasper Stuyven who know exactly what it takes to turn up at Flanders and come away with a major result, while Paul Magnier and Laurenz Rex add more depth. At Lotto-Intermarché, hopes will rest on a standout ride from Arnaud De Lie or Jenno Berckmoes.
In that same category, a broad group of riders capable of fighting for a top 10, we place Matej Mohorič, Alec Segaert (Bahrain Victorious), Daan Hoole, Oliver Naesen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Kasper Asgreen, Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost), Romain Grégoire, Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Joshua Tarling, Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana), Dylan Teuns (Cofidis) and Matteo Trentin (Tudor).
Top favorite: Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Outsiders: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Longshots: Christophe Laporte, Matthew Brennan, Per Strand Hagenes (Visma | Lease a Bike), Antonio Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), Dylan van Baarle, Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ), Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché), Tim van Dijke and Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe)
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
TV broadcast Tour of Flanders 2026
Sporza begins its full live broadcast at 09:15, with Eurosport 1 and HBO Max starting half an hour later. Dutch public broadcaster NPO will also show the Tour of Flanders, from 13:10 on television and via a livestream on NOS.nl.
Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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Latest Comments
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026
- Pointing to three former riders doesn’t settle what nearly 100 people have reportedly shared. Hopefully the review looks at the team’s systems and culture, not just whose version of events sounds more convincing.julien13-11-2026
- Eight questions or 23? That’s a pretty significant difference in the accounts, and it’d be useful to know exactly what was sent and when.robert6513-11-2026
- Kittel’s position sounds more nuanced than Spekenbrink suggests: he didn’t endorse the “culture of fear” label, but still called for the team to be looked at critically. That distinction matters.bikebuffj13-11-2026
- The independent investigation is the important bit now. It needs to give current staff a safe way to speak honestly, not just become another round of public statements.michael5413-11-2026
- One Lombardia doesn’t tell us how Seixas will handle a full Grand Tour. I’d rather see him develop steadily than have every result turned into a Pogačar comparison.samanthak12-11-2026
- Pogacar is 30 already? I thought he was younger. If he keeps winning like this, how long can he realistically ride at the top?jeremya12-11-2026
- Interesting that Thomas made the comparison while speaking to Rowe, given Decathlon’s hopes of keeping Seixas and the reports linking INEOS with him. Praise, or a subtle message to a potential signing?gearguru3312-11-2026
- Seixas winning Il Lombardia at this age is a huge statement. The Pogačar comparisons are inevitable, but Thomas is right to leave room for both of them to keep improving—Pog is still setting the bar.robert6512-11-2026
- A fascinating career, but the article leans heavily on his side of the story. Were the three disqualifications all for the same equipment rule, or were there different issues each time?michael5412-11-2026