Preview Le Samyn 2026 - Can Wout van Aert match van der Poel with a win on day 1 of the season?
Cycling
On the 3rd of March, the peloton takes on Le Samyn. Following the 'Opening Weekend', we continue with an extensive schedule of Belgian one-day races that are highly prestigious, even those outside the World Tour. This one is set to start and finish at 12:35 and 17:25CET.
The event was first held in 1968 and has been a benchmark for classics specialists for decades, serving the Belgian crowd favourites many times. Since the start of the 21st century a lot of meaningful names have won here such as Magnus Bäckstedt, Robbie McEwen, Philippe Gilbert, Arnaud Démare, Niki Terpstra... It is a race that both suits the sprinters and classics specialists, an interesting dynamic, and so we have both types of riders in the palmarès.
This decade, every single edition has been won in a sprint - two of them from small groups however. Hugo Hofstetter, Tim Merlier, Matteo Trentin, Milan Menten and Laurenz Rex were all winners; whilst last year it was last-minute addition Mathieu van der Poel who opened his season here and took a victory over Paul Magnier.
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Profile: Quaregnon - Dour

Quaregnon - Dour, 203.5 kilometers
The 203.5-kilometer is going to almost fully be a circuit race this year, more difficult as the riders are going to be racing in the rolling hills and cobbled sectors around the town of Dour. There will be six laps of a 35-kilometer long circuit that feratures four cobbled sectors and a slight uphill finish.
It is a race that can be very tactical due to its nature, and this year we have 29 cobbled sectors on the menu which can make mishaps and mechanicals a bigger factor in the race. Nevertheless, we are likely to see an uphill sprint decide the race, regardless of it being in a peloton or attacking group - every option is possible.
Prediction Le Samyn 2026:
*** Jordi Meeus
** Wout van Aert, Danny van Poppel, Laurenz Rex
* Per Strand Hagenes, Hugo Hofstetter, Paul Penhöet, Gianni Vermeersch, Lukas Kubis, Dylan Teuns
** Wout van Aert, Danny van Poppel, Laurenz Rex
* Per Strand Hagenes, Hugo Hofstetter, Paul Penhöet, Gianni Vermeersch, Lukas Kubis, Dylan Teuns
Pick: Jordi Meeus
How: Small group sprint.
Original: Rúben Silva
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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