Everything you need to know ahead of the Classics

The Classics are calling. The curtain is about to rise on Opening Weekend, giving way to some of the most brutal one-day races in the world.

With Omloop within touching distance, we’ve put together a list of everything you need to know ahead of the most glorious period on the cycling calendar, including upcoming showdowns, young riders to follow and route changes to get familiar with.

Opening weekend should begin with a bang

Classics season kicks off as usual with Omloop Nieuwsblad on Sunday 28th February. But what could make it extra special is the return of Wout van Aert from injury and a potential showdown with Mathieu van der Poel. We were briefly treated to a spectacle between the two at Exact Cross Mol before Van Aert fractured his ankle, and when the pair are operating at their highest level, well, there’s nary a better sight in cycling. The prospect of them going head to head on the Muur is mouthwatering.

Both men’s and women’s races will see the addition of the Tenbosse and Parikeberg climbs in the final 14km of Omloop though the run in with the with the Muur and Bosberg remains the same. Last year, the races gave us quite the start to the Classics. The men’s race culminated with a nailbiting group sprint that saw Søren Wærenskjold of Uno X Mobility prevail, while two riders from the early breakaway surprisingly stayed away in the women’s race, with Arkéa-B&B Hotels’ Lotte Claes beating Winspace-Orange Seal’s Aurela Nerlo.

Van der Poel could join Boonen and De Vlaeminck

Alpecin-Premier Tech seem to have perfected Paris-Roubaix. Van der Poel has reigned victorious here since his first win in 2023, and teammate Jasper Philipsen followed behind in second in 2023 and 2024. Cobbles and mud make this a perfect hunting ground for Van der Poel and this year he’s seeking out a fourth title, which would see him join Roger De Vlaeminck and Tom Boonen as the men with most victories.

Another element to keep an eye on is the speed. The past three years hold the top three places as the fastest ever editions of the race, ranging between 46.84 kmh and 47.80 kmh. That’s likely due in part thanks to developments in technology such as wider tyres, as well as dry conditions and heavyweights like Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar putting in enormous efforts to split the field.

This year both the men and women will take on the cobbles on Sunday 12th April – as opposed to the women racing on the Saturday – and there is a slightly route change for both after the first cobblestone section, with organisers hoping four tightly packed sectors in quick succession could spark some early potential drama.

In the women’s race Pauline Ferrand-Prévot is not set to try to defend her crown. The reigning champion is instead focussing on the hillier Classics Strade Bianche, the Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Strade Bianche also gets a route change

Strade Bianche will take place on Saturday 7th March and has seen gravel sectors cut for both the men’s and women’s races. The men cover 201km and travel over 64.1km of sterrato over 14 sectors, which is down from 16. The women’s race is 131km with 33km of sterrato over 11 sectors, two fewer than last year.

Who will be where?

We’ve picked out the schedules of some of the big names, so you can mark your calendars.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG): Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech): TBC, but expected to be Omloop Nieuwsblad, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike): Omloop Nieuwsblad, Ename Samyn Classic, Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): Milan-San Remo, E3 Saxo Classic, In Flanders Fields – From Middelkerke to Wevelgem (formerly Gent-Wevelgem), Dwars door Vlaanderen, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5): Omloop Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Milano-Torino, Milan-San Remo, Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost): Faun-Ardèche Classic, Faun Drome Classic, Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek): La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez): Omloop Nieuwsblad, elsewhere TBC but likely Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike): Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): Omloop Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike): Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold Race

Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): Omloop Nieuwsblad, Leeuw-Oetingen, Amstel Gold Race

Anna van Breggen (SD Worx-Protime): Omloop Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly): Trofeo Oro, Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Young Classics contenders

All eyes might be on the big names, but as we’ve seen in the past with the likes of Maxim Van Gils, Laurence Pithie and Puck Pieterse, the younger generation can make their presence felt. This year, in the men’s race the names to look out for are Decathlon’s Paul Seixas in the Ardennes, Lidl-Trek’s Jakob Söderqvist and Albert Withen Philipsen on the cobbles and Lotto-Intermarché’s next great Belgian prospect Jarno Widar in the hilly Classics.

Meanwhile on the women’s side Movistar’s British sensation Cat Ferguson and her teammate Paula Ostiz, who’s a first year pro coming straight from the juniors so won’t have big expectations but looks to be a superstar in waiting, and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Slovakian talent Viktória Chladoňová. Incidentally those three made up the podium at the Worlds junior road race in Glasgow.

Seixas, billed as the next big thing in French cycling, is riding far beyond his 19 years, coming off a season that saw him win the Tour de l’Avenir, shine in the Tour of the Alps and Critérium du Dauphiné, notch a second place at Paris-Camembert, finish seventh at Il Lombardia and come behind only Pogacar and Evenepoel at the European Championships. He’s set to be riding in the Faun-Ardèche Classic, Strade Bianche, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège and already looks to have made an enormous step up in year two.

World U23 ITT Champion Söderqvist finished second behind teammate Philipsen at the U23 Paris-Roubaix last year and has Omloop Nieuwsblad and Paris-Roubaix on his schedule, though expect both Söderqvist’s and Philipsen’s spring programme to fill up. U23 European Champion Widar reigned victorious in the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège last year and is taking on a stacked Classics programme in 2026 that includes Strade Bianche, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Yorkshire’s Ferguson began the new season exactly how she ended the last one. winning. The Brit podiumed at Trofeo Alfredo Binda last year in her first full pro season, and went on to notch a top ten at Brabantse Pijl before winning at Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia to finish the year. This year, she stormed to victory at Trofeo Llucmajor and claimed a stage at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana. The 19-year-old will race Omloop Nieuwsblad, Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Milan-San Remo, In Flanders Fields – From Middelkerke to Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race. There was barely a race Ortiz entered that she didn’t win in 2025, victorious in the junior Flanders and the road races at both the World and European Championships. Her schedule is yet to be revealed.

Chladoňová doesn’t have much on her confirmed schedule so far but in 2025 did Milan-San Remo and the Ardennes. She’s got off to an impressive start this year with a strong ride at Valenciana.

Who is ruled out of the Classics?

Mads Pedersen is one of the biggest names sidelined following his collarbone and wrist fracture at Valenciana. Despite consistently lighting up every race he’s in, the Dane is still targeting that maiden Monument win. He will miss Milan-San Remo and an exact return date is still to be confirmed.

Decathlon-CMA CGM new signing Tiesj Benoot has been ruled out of the Classics following surgery for a herniated disc. It marks the first time that the Strade Bianche and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne winner will miss the spring. It’ll be a big disappointment as he was scheduled to be one of the team’s protected leaders.

Despite starting the year in good form, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Maxim Van Gils fractured his pelvis at the end of Clásica Jaén and will be out for a lengthy period. Van Gils was a revelation in the Classics in 2024, podiuming at Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne, finishing seventh at Milan-San Remo and fourth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Other talking points

Soudal-QuickStep back to their best?

With the departure of Remco Evenepoel to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal-QuickStep are realigning as a sprinting and Classics team. With Tim Merlier and Paul Magnier covering the sprints, they’ve signed former Monument winners Dylan van Baarle and Jasper Stuyven to rediscover their old form as well as former Intermarche rider Laurenz Rex, though he’ll miss the first races after crashing at the AlUla Tour.

Unibet-Rose Rockets to make presence felt?

Even though they missed out on a Tour de France wildcard, Bas Tietema’s Unibet-Rose Rockets will be on the start line for a whole host of Classics, bumping shoulders against WorldTour squads in Omloop Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo, E3 Saxo Classic, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. They have started 2026 hot with Dylan Groenewegen winning the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana ahead of QuickStep’s Magnier and Lukáš Kubiš racing to second on three stages of Etoile de Bessèges and finishing ninth at Clasica Jaen. Kubiš was the team’s star rider last year, with several Classics top tens and turned down WorldTour offers to stay with Unibet.

No spectator interference

Interfering fans were out of control during the Classics last year. Van der Poel was caught up in most of it, being spat at during the E3 Saxo Classic and having a bidon thrown in his face at Paris-Roubaix, while a spectator rode onto course at women’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Hopefully there’s less of that this year.

Eternal quote of the Classics

The Classics are brutal. Disgusting. Some of the hardest one-day races on the calendar, but they’re also the best. Perhaps nothing sums it up better than this quote from former rider Theo de Rooij in an interview with American presenter John Tesh.

‘It’s a bollocks, this race! You’re working like an animal, you don’t have time to piss, you wet your pants. You’re riding in mud like this, you’re slipping … it’s a pile of shit.’

But when asked if he would turn up the next year, he said, ‘sure, it’s the most beautiful race in the world!’

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