"I feel my level is good enough to start in Omloop" - Mathieu van der Poel shares his thoughts ahead of 2026 season debut

Mathieu van der Poel is starting Omloop het Nieuwsblad this Saturday, being the race's headliner; and looking to add a new race to his palmarès. It is his first race of 2026 and he has shared his thoughts and feelings in a press conference.

“In that short period you obviously don’t lose all your condition, but to be honest, it was a bit disappointing at first," van der Poel said of his form after winning the cyclocross World Championships for an eighth time, and having to start back up after a week's rest.

In the quotes shared by Alpecin-Premier Tech, van der Poel explained the reasoning behind his decision for an earlier start to the season then what was initially planned "Still, I had said earlier that I wanted to see how I responded to my first training block. By now, I feel my level is good enough to start in Omloop. Although the decision was only made final on Monday.”

There are only good signs for the Dutchman, who is starting his season in February for the first time since 2021. This could ultimately be a great sign of current form; although he admits that Omloop is a race he specifically wanted to participate in.

"I watched the race on TV in recent years and each time I felt it was a pity not to be there," he admits. "It had been on my mind for a while to line up this year. If I were ever able to win it, it would definitely be a beautiful race to add to my palmarès. And an extra race day heading into the coming weeks and months is never a bad thing.”

The 31-year old has spent the last few days in Belgium and notably conducted a recon of the cobbled sectors and key sections together with former Olympic champion Greg van Avermaet. “Did I learn a lot? Well, it’s not as if I don’t know the roads in the Flemish Ardennes. Nothing really surprised me. But it was good to see the sequence of climbs again," he admits.

Whether he likes it or not, he is starting out the race as a marked man for every single section. This may not play out well as traditionally, it is a race where big differences are hard to make.

"It’s a tough race, but often a fairly closed one as well, where it’s difficult to make big differences. The Muur and Bosberg are important, but whether it will be decided there tomorrow, we’ll only know then.”

However, he has freedom to play off different tactics, knowing Alpecin-Premier Tech has two clear options for a potential win outside of him. “Not all the pressure is on my shoulders. I always start with ambition, but with Jasper Philipsen and Kaden Groves we also have riders who can survive and win in a sprint," he argues. "That creates opportunities.”

He could well go on the attack early on; or save his legs for an attempt to destroy the peloton on the toughest climbs of the race. Equally, an attack over the top of the Bosberg could prove deadly due to the backwind that leads the riders into Ninove.

He may race Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne the day after, but this will only be decided on Saturday evening. Overall, his grand plan will not have a meaningful change. “My spring programme has hardly changed compared to recent years. It has proven to be a successful recipe. So I don’t really see a reason to move away from it," he concluded.