DISCUSSION | Catalunya 7 & Middlekerke - Wevelgem 2026: Is Mathieu van der Poel fatigued? Wout van Aert hitting top form for the spring?

The final Sunday of March delivered a double serving of high-level racing, with both In Flanders Fields - From Middlekerke to Wevelgem and the closing stage of the Volta a Catalunya providing contrasting but equally compelling narratives.

In Belgium, In Flanders Fields once again lived up to its reputation as a brutal test of endurance and positioning. Starting in Middelkerke and finishing in Wevelgem, the race unfolded over a demanding route that included De Moeren, the Plugstreets, and multiple ascents of the Kemmelberg.

An early breakaway of eight strong riders, including Victor Vercouillie, Julius Johansen and Dries De Bondt, gained significant ground, at one point stretching their advantage close to six minutes. However, Alpecin Premier-Tech kept the situation under control, gradually reeling them back in.

The race exploded after the peloton split into echelons following De Moeren, before regrouping ahead of the decisive climbs. On the Kemmelberg, Wout van Aert ignited the race with a fierce acceleration, quickly joined by Mathieu van der Poel and Florian Vermeersch.

The trio bridged to the remnants of the break and pushed clear, but it was the Van Aert – Van der Poel duo that ultimately emerged as the strongest combination after another acceleration on the final Kemmel ascent.

What followed was a tense chase towards Wevelgem, with sprint teams organizing behind. Despite building a promising gap, the leading pair were reeled in under the flamme rouge after a late effort from Alec Segaert helped close the final meters.

In the reduced bunch sprint that followed, Jasper Philipsen proved fastest, edging Tobias Lund Andresen, while Christophe Laporte secured third place.

Meanwhile in Barcelona, the Volta a Catalunya concluded with a short but intense circuit stage centered around the Montjuic climb. A five-man breakaway featuring Brandon McNulty, Magnus Cort Nielsen and Einer Rubio animated the early phase, but the peloton, controlled by Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, never allowed the move to gain decisive freedom.

The race came alive on the repeated ascents of Montjuic, where Remco Evenepoel launched multiple attacks in an attempt to shake the general classification contenders. Jonas Vingegaard remained attentive throughout, responding to key moves, while Florian Lipowitz briefly found himself distanced before rejoining.

Despite numerous accelerations and short-lived moves, including a late attempt involving Marc Soler, Giulio Ciccone and Ben O’Connor, the stage ultimately came down to a reduced sprint.

INEOS Grenadiers set up Dorian Godon, who launched early, but it was Brady Gilmore who surged past in the final meters to claim victory. Dorian Godon settled for second, with Remco Evenepoel finishing third. Jonas Vingegaard, never in serious difficulty, sealed the overall win.

Lorena Wiebes claimed victory at the 2026 In Flanders Fields - Wevelgem in unexpected fashion, attacking on the final ascent of the Kemmelberg instead of waiting for a sprint. The Dutch rider forced a decisive selection, forming a small leading group that ultimately decided the race.

An early breakaway of four riders built a significant lead, but the peloton remained largely in control, with no major splits occurring through the Plugstreets. Crashes and mechanicals added tension but did not significantly impact the main contenders.

The race began to intensify on the climbs, particularly on the Baneberg, where the group was reduced. However, the decisive moment came on the final Kemmelberg, where Wiebes launched a powerful move that only a handful of riders could follow, leaving key sprinters like Elisa Balsamo behind.

The leading group, despite tactical hesitation, managed to build a solid gap as the peloton failed to organise an effective chase. In the final kilometres, attacks within the group were neutralised, largely due to Wiebes’ control.

The race concluded in a reduced sprint, where Wiebes proved fastest once again, securing her third consecutive win ahead of Fleur Moors and Karlijn Swinkels.

Volta a Catalunya delivered a chaotic blend of attacks, counterattacks, tension, and raw emotion.

If the climbs to Montjuic didn’t create real gaps, only repeated accelerations that were always answered, I expected the decisive move to come on the descent. I was wrong. Neither on the climbs nor on the descents did anyone manage to truly break things apart.

There was some initiative from Remco Evenepoel, but every move was immediately covered by Jonas Vingegaard. Meanwhile, Marc Soler and Giulio Ciccone, joined by Ben O'Connor, were locked in their own battle for the KOM points.

In the final sprint, everything seemed set for Dorian Godon to take the win. But the INEOS Grenadiers rider was beaten and denied a hat-trick in Barcelona.

Over in Belgium, we got the much-anticipated head-to-head between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Van Aert is clearly building form, while Van der Poel looked fatigued. It’s only fair to say it.

The Dutchman showed signs of tiredness in his facial expressions, and when he hit the front, that usual overwhelming engine just wasn’t there.

The peloton quickly started to close the gap to the leading duo, and it was only a matter of time, and a few kilometres, before they were brought back. Jasper Philipsen then powered to a comfortable sprint victory. He launched at exactly the right moment, and once he went, no one had the legs to match him.

A final note goes to the heavy crash of Ben Turner, who hit the ground hard and was forced to abandon. I hope the INEOS rider is doing well.

There’s also a word for the In Flanders Fields WE, where the big favourite Lorena Wiebes took the win. But once again, she celebrated too early. This time, she nearly paid the price, as Lidl-Trek’s young talent Fleur Moors took advantage of the hesitation and threw her bike at the line. She lost by half a wheel.

From today onwards, whenever that 20-year-old finds herself in a reduced group, she will be taken seriously.

The Catalunya stage was proper explosive, as you'd expect, from early on. Evenepoel had the chance to make something happen if he went solo off the front early, as he would be impossible to catch and a podium - or even victory - would be added to the stage win.

Jonas Vingegaard knew this, and so he covered his every move, to Evenepoel's demise. BORA did try, with Lipowitz attacking again, but in the final lap it already became clear that this wouldn't happen and the attacks stopped too.

Lipowitz worked towards an Evenepoel sprint, to retribute the favour for yesterday's stage so to say, however that was not the plan that was going to work, as the final lap was very conservative and no-one made a serious attack, meaning a sprint looked inevitable.

Brady Gilmore took the win and let me tell you that the way this man rode at the 2025 Volta a Portugal with the NSN development team, this victory doesn't come as a surprise at all. Massive talent, ideal for this kind of hilly day.

At Middelkerke - Wevelgem we had an exciting race, a proper stand-off between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout Van Aert, versus the peloton. The peloton made the catch due to an extensive amount of work from several teams, who successfully completed the chase to my surprise.

Decathlon brought a second place, but the work of Red Bull (which was the grand majority) was not rewarded in any way as Jordi Meeus suffered a mechanical, whilst INEOS' work for Sam Watson didn't lead to any result as he wasn't part of the sprint.

Ultimately then, Jasper Philipsen had his men saved in the peloton and then took a deserved win, continuing Alpecin's trend over the past few years of timing their riders' peaks to perfection and just in time for the monuments.

Wout Van Aert looked very strong, and that is a good sign ahead of the monuments, but also rode well to position himself ahead of his attack which is perhaps more important. Mathieu van der Poel was present, he was always going to be, although I'm surprised the two couldn't hold off the peloton...

Florian Vermeersch showed that for Flanders he can be very valuable for Tadej Pogacar but no threat to van der Poel, but at Paris-Roubaix he is a genuine victory contender.

Filippo Ganna is also on tremendous form, only we aren't seeing it in the results sheet as he has been supporting his teammates, perhaps also keeping the pressure off himself for the big goal

The 2026 Volta a Catalunya was defined by the absolute dominance of Jonas Vingegaard. He made it clear that he has no rivals in the high mountains other than Tadej Pogacar.

In the final stage, featuring the traditional climb to Montjuic, Remco Evenepoel tried to salvage a race in which he ended up in a disappointing fifth place, leaving without a single stage win.

His final effort to finish third at the finish line in Barcelona was remarkable, but there are now too many races where, after losing time in key stages, he reacts too late. He needs to stop making those mistakes or start choosing his short-term targets more carefully.

Aside from that, the podium was completed by Lenny Martinez and Florian Lipowitz. A very strong performance from the French rider. As for the German, good sensations, although still far behind Vingegaard.

Joao Almeida, the other major contender for the general classification on paper, was hindered by a crash and could do nothing, while his overall start to the season has been poor.

From a Spanish perspective, Movistar Team disappointed compared to last year: they went from Enric’s podium to eighth place with a hard-working Cian Uijtdebroeks. Enric attacked on the final day and little else, still not fully recovered from his crash earlier in the year.

Mikel Landa showed a few attacks and not much more to start the season. Carlos Rodriguez, meanwhile, continues on a downward trend.

The final stage of 2026 Volta a Catalunya leaves one thing clear: it was the perfect finale to a week dominated, without question, by Jonas Vingegaard.

On Montjuïc, he didn’t need to take any risks, yet he still responded to every attack from Remco Evenepoel with an authority that reflects his current form. He didn’t win the stage, but he controlled the race like a solid, unassailable leader.

Brady Gilmore’s victory adds that chaotic, open element typical of this circuit, but what really matters is the impression Vingegaard leaves: superior in the mountains, intelligent on the flats and practically untouchable throughout the Volta.

Evenepoel, by contrast, leaves with the feeling of having tried everything… and not having found a single chink in the armour to exploit.

In contrast, what happened in “In Flanders Fields” was almost the opposite: pure, unpredictable spectacle.

The duel between Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert was exactly what cycling needed: a direct, long-range clash with no room for calculation. Both broke away from the peloton early on and put on a tactical and physical display… which, paradoxically, did not secure them the victory.

This is where Jasper Philipsen comes in, embodying modern cycling at its finest: knowing when to wait, trusting in teamwork and striking at just the right moment. Whilst Van der Poel and Van Aert exhausted all their energy in an almost epic duel, Philipsen played the perfect card and turned chaos into victory.

In short, two races and two very different narratives: in Catalunya, absolute control by a leader who leaves no room for surprises, in Flanders, a savage battle where the strongest do not always win. It is precisely this duality that makes cycling so great.