Weekend Preview: Cobbled Classics Kickoff

Previewing the start of the 2026 one-day season with the kickoff of the Belgian Cobbled Classics this weekend

With the beginning of the Spring Classics looming due to Omloop Nieuwsblad kicking off tomorrow (Saturday, February 28th), I wanted to outline the events, stakes, and main players. While we were all awaiting the season’s first showdown between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel at Omloop, Visma’s Belgian star was a late scratch due to illness, leaving Van der Poel as the sole major favorite for Saturday.

And, on Sunday, Van der Poel’s Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen will look to repeat his 2025 victory at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, whose slightly milder parcours will give him and the sport’s other top fast finishers like Jonathan Milan and Biniam Girmay a chance to duke it out in the season’s first major sprint showdown.

Cobbled Classics Opening Weekend

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (208km) - Saturday, February 28th

Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad kicks off the 2026 Spring Cobbled Classics season, with the 208-kilometer route featuring eleven notable, often cobbled, hills, and finishes along the old Tour of Flanders course, with the final 16 kilometers featuring the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg combination.

• The presence of Van der Poel all but ensures the race will break up inside the final 100 kilometers due to bottlenecks created by the mad dash to the climbs, which the leaders tackle all-out.

  • The only question is if anyone will be able to stay with, or pull back, Van der Poel on the 12-kilometer flat run-in to the finish line in Ninove.

Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (194.9km) - Sunday, March 1st

Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, Sunday’s slightly less prestigious follow-up to Omloop, is 195 kilometers long and includes thirteen major climbs.

• However, most of the climbing is done within a 40-kilometer segment in the middle of the course, and the final 50 kilometers are mainly flat.

  • Thus, the race has traditionally favored versatile sprinters winning from large bunches over pure Classics contenders from small groups, but this trend has been less pronounced in recent years, with 2024, 2023, 2020, and 2019 all won by riders from small elite groups off the front.

    • However, with the defending champion, Jasper Philipsen, and other top sprinters like Jonathan Milan, and young stars like Matthew Brennan and Paul Magnier lining up, it will be difficult for an enterprising group to stay clear.

Top Riders to Watch:
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech): Omloop
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech): Omloop & Kuurne
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5): Omloop
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): Kuurne
Biniam Girmay (NSN): Omloop & Kuurne
Christophe Laporte (Visma): Omloop & Kuurne
Matthew Brennan (Visma): Omloop & Kuurne
Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step): Omloop & Kuurne
Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility): Omloop
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): Omloop & Kuurne

What to Watch This Weekend:

Saturday:
Omloop Nieuwsblad
Where: FloBikes (USA & Canada), HBO Max (Europe + Global), TNT Sports (UK)
When: Men’s Saturday, February 28th, 8:00am-10:00am EST (estimate)/ Women’s Saturday, February 28th, 10:00am-11:00am EST (estimate)
Why: The kickoff for the cobbled Classics season with a collection of the sport’s biggest one-day talents, like Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, and Tom Pidcock, facing off on the (in)famous cobbled climbs of Flanders.

Faun-Ardèche Classic
Where: HBO Max (USA, Europe & Global), TNT Sports (UK) FloBikes (Canada)
When: Saturday, February 28th, 7:45am-10:00am EST (estimate)
Why: A challenging one-day race in southern France with some of the sport’s top Ardennes Classics riders and climbers, like Matteo Jorgenson, Marc Hirschi, and Mattias Skjelmose, facing off.

Sunday:
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Where: HBO Max (USA, Europe & Global), TNT Sports (UK), FloBikes (Canada)
When: Sunday, March 1st, 8:30am-10:00am EST (estimate)
Why: A slightly flatter one-day Classic over Flemish terrain gives the sprinters and Classics riders who were disappointed the day prior at Omloop a chance for redemption.

Faun Drôme Classic
Where: HBO Max (USA, Europe & Global), TNT Sports (UK), FloBikes (Canada)
When: Sunday, March 1st, 7:45am-9:00am EST (estimate)
Why: A near repeat of Saturday’s Ardèche classic, also in southern France, that will feature a rematch between a near identical start list from the day prior.