The organisers of the E3 Saxo Classic announced some important tweaks to the 2026 route on Wednesday, with next year’s Classic set to include both a second ascent of the iconic Oude Kwaremont from a different direction, as well as sending the race twice up the E3-Col climb.
The changes were announced as the E3 organisers committed to the next five years of partnership with the town of Harelbeke, where the race starts and finishes. Harelbeke has agreed to host the race until at least 2031, as it has done since 1957.
In the typically strange way the E3 Saxo Classic organisers try to be creative – which has previously included posters objectifying women’s bodies, and cartoons mocking gay people – the announcement was staged as a wedding between the race and the town.
The added climbs makes for a higher elevation gain total in the race – which might seem like bad news for 2025 winner Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) or his main challenger in that race, Mads Pedersen…
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