Omloop Het Nieuwsblad saw another big box ticked for Mathieu van der Poel, as he amply lived up to his status as major favourite for Belgium’s second-biggest cobbled Classic despite a late decision to take part and this being his first race of the 2026 season.
Van der Poel is the first rider since Michele Bartoli in 2001 to win Omloop on his first-ever participation. But the power and speed which he showed throughout – not to mention some very nifty bike handling when a Tudor rider fell just ahead of him on the Molenberg – showed how much his opening victory of 2026 all but felt like the only outcome possible.
Now 31, there is simply no sign of the Dutch star slowing down, all of which makes his forthcoming Monument battles with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) even more keenly anticipated, if that were possible, than in 2025.
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