The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad officially opened the doors to the Spring Classics on Saturday, in what could be a tough campaign for riders seeking glory in many of the most prestigious one-day races on the international cycling calendar.
Riders were in for a treat of cobbles and chaos in Belgium, wrestling with more than a dozen hills and even some of the sectors used in the unforgiving Tour of Flanders.
The honour, however, belonged to Mathieu van der Poel in the men’s category and Demi Vollering in the women’s, marking the first wins of their 2026 spring campaigns.
Van der Poel powers to solo victory
Alpecin-Premier Tech’s van der Poel started his road season at the cobbled classic, fresh from his eighth cyclo-cross world title and a dominant winter campaign.
Belgian Florian Vermeersch was the first to attack out of the favourites, until several riders fell on a chaotic narrow cobbled climb behind him.
But in a display of cool dexterity and skill, van der Poel managed to swerve himself away from the brunt of the crash, unclipping to avoid hitting the head of another rider.
That became a pivotal moment in his race.
With his rhythm back, van der Poel launched an attack on the Muur Van Geraardsbergen to pursue an early breakaway, and eventually left them behind to go solo for the win.
Van der Poel finished 20 seconds ahead of fellow compatriot Tim Van Dijken from Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. UAE Team Emirates – XRG’s Vermeersch took the third spot.
“I don’t know how I managed that,” Van der Poel said when asked about the crash in a report from FloBikes.
“It was chaos. I unclipped and put my foot down to avoid the head of the Tudor rider then I managed to get back into the rhythm. This was the key moment of the race.”
While van der Poel showed just how much he remains unchallenged, fans had expected that to change with the presence of his long-time rival Wout van Aert, who was earlier confirmed to start his own campaign at the 207-kilometre Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
But that was not meant to be after he had to back out days before the race due to illness.
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Van der Poel vs Pogacar again in the Classics
All eyes are on van der Poel for the Spring Classics, following years of dominance challenged by the likes of Tadej Pogačar.
Van der Poel famously won Milan-Sanremo last year again, and has dominated the Paris-Roubaix since 2023 – a race Pogačar is keen to win.
Both riders are set to renew their duel at Milan-Sanremo on March 21, the first Monument of the year.
This will be followed by the Ronde van Vlaanderen on April 5 and Paris-Roubaix on April 12, where everyone will be waiting to see whether the final Monument of the cobbled season will crown a new winner.
Vollering shows Dutch dominance
There was also Dutch dominance at the women’s Omloop Nieuwsblad with Vollering coming out on top to win the race for the first time in her career.
Riders had to battle uphill climbs along the 135-km route, but teamwork soon paved the way for Vollering’s victory.
Vollering was led out by FDJ United-SUEZ teammate Franziska Koch on the Muur van Geraardsbergen, which helped her escape the pack alongside Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney from Canyon-SRAM-zondacrypto.
She then displayed dominant form in the final sprint to take the win.
Niewiadoma-Phinney was second and Lorena Wiebes from SD Worx-Protime finished third.
Vollering praised her team for a job well done, crediting them also for her win.
“All day in the front and then Elise [Chabbey] in the break and Franzi did the perfect leadout on the Muur. I almost didn’t do anything myself,” she said after the race in a report from Cycling Weekly.
“It was really nice, too, to do this with the girls.”
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