As one of the main preparation races for the Tour of Flanders, E3 Saxo Classics holds a special place in the Flemish Classics calendar. The last two editions were won by Mathieu van der Poel, but the 2026 race promises to be a bit different from recent years. The reason for a change has been explained by race director during a route presentation:
"We had a bit of a scare this year," organizer Jacques Coussens frankly admitted at a press conference for the E3 Saxo Classic. The tense moment was caused by simultaneously held youth event: "At one point, our junior race seemed to be crossing paths with the E3 Saxo Classic. We don't want that to happen again, hence this change."
With several notorious Flemish cols on the route including Oude Kwaremont, the Paterberg, the Taaienberg or the Tiegenberg, the winner of E3 often goes on to do well also at the spring highlight - the Tour of Flanders. However Muur de Geraardsbergen won't be part of the iconic route in 2026.
"The passage through Geraardsbergen will be cancelled," Coussens explained. "We'll head to La Houppe, our second climb of the day, via the Paddenstraat. Another new feature is that we'll tackle the E3 Col and the Oude Kwaremont twice. We'll tackle the latter climb from two different routes. The elevation gain will be increased from 2,800 to 3,000 meters, and the course will be about five kilometers longer. This will make the E3 Saxo Classic even more challenging."
With the extra difficult climbs on the course, the E3 could become an interesting stepping stone in the spring campaign of Tadej Pogacar who could make a natural bridge between Milano-Sanremo and Tour of Flanders this way, under the assumption that participating in both Monuments is a part of his 2026 plans.
Harelbeke remains on board
In addition to the route change, the E3 Saxo Classic announced that the start and finish will remain in Harelbeke for the next six years.
The last two editions of the E3 Saxo Classic were won by Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel. Wout van Aert was the last Belgian winner in 2023, succeeding himself. Among active riders, Michal Kwiatkowski (2016) and Kasper Asgreen (2021) have also won the race in the past.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
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