DISCUSSION | Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Faun-Ardèche Classic 2026 - Mathieu van der Poel emerges victorious despite crosswinds, rain and crashes

Today was the first day of the Spring Classics opening weekend with the traditional Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, held for the 81st time, and also the first of two races over the weekend in the French region of Ardèche, the Faun-Ardèche Classic, which took to the road for its 26th edition.

Mathieu van der Poel won the 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on his debut, deciding the race with a decisive attack on the Muur van Geraardsbergen. On a cold, rain-soaked day marked by crosswinds, crashes and mechanical problems, the race became selective long before the final climbs.

An early five-rider breakaway animated the opening phase, but the second passage of the Eikenberg split the peloton apart. Crashes and mechanical issues affected several favourites, and on the Molenberg, Florian Vermeersch forced the first major selection on the cobbles, with Van der Poel and Tim van Dijke joining him at the front.

The trio consolidated their advantage over the Berendries and Leberg, stretching it beyond one minute. Behind, however, the chase was reorganised by Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Soudal - Quick-Step, cutting the gap to around fifty seconds before the Muur, despite another crash disrupting the chasing group.

In Geraardsbergen, Vermeersch led onto the Muur, but between the Vesten and the steepest slopes of the Kapelmuur, Van der Poel launched his race-winning acceleration. He dropped his companions and crested alone, extending his lead to around 30 seconds over the Bosberg.

From there, he controlled the final 12 kilometres into Ninove with authority, increasing his advantage to roughly 40 seconds. The race was shaped by chaos and constant reshuffling, but in the end it was decided in traditional fashion, with a perfectly judged move on the Muur that no one could answer.

Paul Seixas claimed victory at the 2026 Faun-Ardèche Classic with a remarkably mature performance, attacking with 41 kilometres remaining, immediately after the early break was caught, and riding solo all the way to the finish. At just 19 years old, he became one of the youngest winners in the modern history of the race.

The 188.5-kilometre contest was initially shaped by an eight-man breakaway, but the peloton kept the move firmly under control. Teams including Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Bahrain - Victorious, Tudor Pro Cycling Team and Lidl - Trek managed the gap over Côte du Pin, Col de la Justice and the demanding slopes of Val d’Enfer.

Once the break was neutralised, the intensity rose sharply. The peloton split under repeated accelerations, with Matteo Jorgenson and Seixas moving to the front as the race entered its decisive phase.

Seixas then launched the move that defined the race. He quickly opened a ten-second gap over Jan Christen, Jorgenson and Lenny Martinez, but the chase never properly organised. His advantage stretched beyond one minute as the groups behind fragmented and lost cohesion.

On the final ramps of Val d’Enfer, the young Frenchman simply managed his effort to the line. It was a long-range solo victory, not a late counterattack, a controlled and calculated performance that made the 2026 Faun-Ardèche Classic a landmark moment in his emerging career.

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for. The opening weekend of the Spring Classics. I am a self-confessed fan of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and I like to follow everything that precedes race day closely.

But when Saturday comes, what matters is the road. I would have liked to have seen Wout van Aert or Mads Pedersen at the starting line... but it's not about what we want, it's about what is. Mathieu van der Poel was seen as the big favourite and he did not disappoint.

When he picked up the pace, he left his rivals behind, opening up a gap they would never be able to close. Florian Vermeersch and Tim van Dijke already had their fate sealed and fought for the remaining podium places in a sprint to the finish line.

There were many crashes, with some of the race favourites hitting the ground. Let's hope none of them are seriously injured and that they can continue their spring campaign.In France, I can say that the winner was who I expected.

Paul Seixas is a name to keep in mind. The youngster had already won a stage in the Volta ao Algarve and today he showed that he is really in great shape. After the peloton caught up with the breakaway, the big favourites made their move, with Seixas and Matteo Jorgenson breaking away at the front of the race.

When Seixas attacked, Jorgenson was unable to keep up with him and ended up being caught by the group led by Martinez and Christen. In the sprint, the strongest rider, Christen, won, with Martinez completing the podium. A great race, which whets the appetite for the races to come.

A race decided by the crashes really. Mathieu van der Poel was the strongest, and essentially did what he wanted. What is often a tactical race decided in the climbs but usually in the final flat kilometers was the exact opposite this time around, as when the Dutchman attacked, half the peloton had either been cut or crashed themselves.

UAE did their work right and Florian Vermeersch's attack was both well timed and executed. Van der Poel, the strongest, had the legs to bridge across and then won based on strength, which no-one doubted he had.

A new win in his palmarès, it will mean something to him. Spectacle wise I can't say we really had much, with the race broadcast also quite bad and barely showing a moment of what happened in the peloton behind during the key period.

Lots of wounds to heal after today and a lot of plans towards the classics will be redrawn today, as so many big figures were involved in crashes, and weren't even able to learn about their current form.

It’s always a bit risky to draw conclusions after the first major classic of the season. However, we can only conclude that Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe delivered a strong performance.

Tim Van Dijke truly lived up to his name 'Dijk van een wedstrijd' and is probably on cloud nine right now with his second-place finish. Jordi Meeus also rode his best Omloop to date, and Laurence Pithie finished just ahead of Nils Politt, who came home in 14th.

No one could do anything about the phenomenon that is Mathieu van der Poel, although his friend Florian Vermeersch seemed eager to try. But mechanical issues at the decisive moment on the Muur ultimately told a different story.

On the wet cobbles, he was grinding in far too big a gear, while van der Poel danced up the Muur on the inner ring. It was a bleak, cold day in Flanders, crowned by a great winner, a strong podium, and a fair result.The takeaway is that Red Bull showed up ready to race - an encouraging sign for the rest of the Flemish classics and Paris–Roubaix.