
After the 'Opening Weekend', the peloton will begin the semi-classic period in Belgium, consisting of many non-World Tour cobbled classics. The first of which is Le Samyn, a race with plenty history, notable winners, and with Wout van Aert at the start line this 3rd of March. We take a look at its startlist.
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.
Download the startlist in A4. Team Visma | Lease a Bike headline the race this year round with Wout van Aert at the start line followed by former European Champion Christophe Laporte, both big favourites. The World Tour is also represented with Alpecin-Premier Tech; Soudal - Quick-Step; NSN Cycling Team (Hugo Hofstetter); Groupama - FDJ United; Team Picnic PostNL; Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (Jordi Meeus & Danny van Poppel) and Lotto-Intermarché.
Read also
Startlist Le Samyn 2026
| Alpecin - Premier Tech | |
| 1 | Thijssen, Gerben |
| 2 | Rickaert, Jonas |
| 3 | Dillier, Silvan |
| 4 | Price-Pejtersen, Johan |
| 5 | Sénéchal, Florian |
| 6 | Geens, Jonas |
| 7 | Dehairs, Simon |
| Soudal - Quick-Step | |
| 11 | Rex, Laurenz |
| 12 | Bastiaens, Ayco |
| 13 | Svrček, Martin |
| 14 | Vangheluwe, Warre |
| 15 | Desal, Ceriel |
| 16 | Tricht, Stan Van |
| 17 | Lerberghe, Bert Van |
| TotalEnergies | |
| 21 | Dauphin, Florian |
| 22 | Boulahoite, Rayan |
| 23 | Gachignard, Thomas |
| 24 | Thierry, Pierre |
| 25 | Marcerou, Nicola |
| 26 | Tesson, Jason |
| 27 | Vadic, Baptiste |
| NSN Cycling Team | |
| 31 | Hofstetter, Hugo |
| 32 | Kogut, Oded |
| 33 | Watts, Kiaan |
| 34 | Pirinen, Miko |
| 35 | Tricht, Floris Van |
| 36 | Verbrugghe, Jens |
| 37 | Asbroeck, Tom Van |
| Groupama - FDJ United | |
| 41 | Barthe, Cyril |
| 42 | Fontaine, Titouan |
| 43 | Gruel, Thibaud |
| 44 | Huens, Axel |
| 45 | Milan, Matteo |
| 46 | Penhoët, Paul |
| 47 | Agnoletto, Blake |
| Team Visma - Lease a Bike | |
| 51 | Aert, Wout van |
| 52 | Kerckhove, Matisse Van |
| 53 | Belle, Loe van |
| 54 | Hagenes, Per Strand |
| 55 | Laporte, Christophe |
| 56 | Mattio, Pietro |
| 57 | Taillieu, Aldo |
| Team Picnic PostNL | |
| 61 | Biesterbos, Frits |
| 62 | Berg, Julius van den |
| 63 | Scheldeman, Xander |
| 64 | Flynn, Sean |
| 65 | Jakobsen, Fabio |
| 66 | Haquin, Henri-François |
| 67 | Roosen, Timo |
| Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | |
| 71 | Meeus, Jordi |
| 72 | Marit, Arne |
| 73 | Drizners, Jarrad |
| 74 | Poppel, Danny van |
| 75 | Magagnotti, Alessio |
| 76 | Mouris, Michiel |
| 77 | Vermeersch, Gianni |
| Lotto - Intermarché | |
| 81 | Grisel, Matys |
| 82 | Beullens, Cedric |
| 83 | Braet, Vito |
| 84 | Ørn-Kristoff, Felix |
| 85 | Schuyteneer, Steffen De |
| 86 | Grignard, Sébastien |
| 87 | Sintmaartensdijk, Roel van |
| Unibet Rose Rockets | |
| 91 | Reinders, Elmar |
| 92 | Vries, Hartthijs de |
| 93 | Bloem, Joren |
| 94 | Feldmann, Karsten Larsen |
| 95 | Groenewegen, Dylan |
| 96 | Kopecký, Tomáš |
| 97 | Kubiš, Lukáš |
| Team Flanders - Baloise | |
| 101 | Huysmans, Nolan |
| 102 | Lambrecht, Michiel |
| 103 | Thonnon, Senne |
| 104 | Torney, Artuur |
| 105 | Haute, Milan Van den |
| 106 | Vandenbranden, Noah |
| 107 | Vanhoof, Ward |
| Cofidis | |
| 111 | Aniołkowski, Stanisław |
| 112 | Biermans, Jenthe |
| 113 | Page, Hugo |
| 114 | Renard, Alexis |
| 116 | Teuns, Dylan |
| 117 | Maas, Jan |
| Modern Adventure Pro Cycling | |
| 121 | Boardman, Samuel |
| 122 | Christian, Sean |
| 123 | Caudell, Ezra |
| 124 | McDonald, Brody |
| 125 | Oliver, Ben |
| 126 | Pickrell, Riley |
| 127 | Stewart, Mark |
| EEW-VDK Cyclingteam | |
| 131 | Wal, Rik van der |
| 132 | Bouma, Jelle |
| 133 | Uptegrove, Ed |
| 134 | Schulten, Chiel |
| 135 | Bronswijk, Mike |
| 136 | Visser, Guillaume |
| 137 | Huitema, Jasper |
| VolkerWessels Cycling Team | |
| 141 | Abma, Elmar |
| 142 | Bolle, Bert |
| 143 | Claeys, Robbe |
| 144 | Crockett, Finn |
| 145 | Dobbelaere, Born De |
| 146 | Paardekooper, Thijmen |
| 147 | Woets, Mattanja |
| BEAT CC pb Saxo | |
| 151 | Dekker, David |
| 152 | Appel, Stijn |
| 153 | Maas, Marijn |
| 154 | Kerckhaert, Jochem |
| 155 | Kroonen, Max |
| 156 | Coppens, Michiel |
| 157 | Sintmaartensdijk, Daan van |
| Tarteletto - Isorex | |
| 161 | Dupont, Timothy |
| 162 | Lauryssen, Yorben |
| 163 | Moonen, Zeno |
| 164 | Santy, Arne |
| 165 | Harteel, Jelle |
| 166 | Petegem, Axandre Van |
| 167 | Vermoote, Jelle |
| Elite Fondations Cycling Team | |
| 171 | George, Alfred |
| 172 | Rouiller, Loris |
| 173 | Blum, Elia |
| 174 | Sommer, Jan |
| 175 | Jean, Victor |
| 176 | Darbellay, Valentin |
| 177 | Bögli, Noah |
| Team Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur | |
| 181 | Huppertz, Joshua |
| 183 | Rottmann, Jonathan |
| 184 | Jablonski, Ole |
| 185 | Behrens, Eike |
| 186 | Grupp, Louis |
| Van Rysel Roubaix | |
| 191 | Arnes, Daniel |
| 192 | Avoine, Kévin |
| 193 | Heremans, Joppe |
| 194 | Oosterlinck, Joes |
| 195 | Raugel, Antoine |
| 196 | Tendon, Arnaud |
| 197 | Théot, Killian |
| St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 | |
| 201 | Bénéteau, Lucas |
| 202 | Bouquet, Axel |
| 203 | Berger, Antoine |
| 205 | Delacroix, Théo |
| 206 | Lecroq, Jérémy |
| 207 | Niekerk, Morné van |
| Bahrain Victorious | |
| 211 | Segaert, Alec |
| 212 | Borgo, Alessandro |
| 213 | Bruttomesso, Alberto |
| 214 | Eržen, Zak |
| 215 | Govekar, Matevž |
| 216 | Stannard, Robert |
| 217 | Dunwoody, Seth |
| Atom 6 Bikes - Cycleur de Luxe - Auto Stroo Team | |
| 221 | Dhaeye, Enrico |
| 222 | Gullhav, Kristoffer |
| 223 | King, Matthew |
| 224 | McKay, James |
| 225 | Nielsen, Magnus |
| 226 | Radcliffe, George |
| 227 | Rigole, Brian |
| Aarco | |
| 231 | Baguelin, Jocelyn |
| 232 | Dockx, Gilles |
| 233 | Hannes, Victor |
| 234 | Lowagie, Arthur |
| 235 | Staes, Gibbe |
| 236 | Broek, Axel Van den |
| 237 | Zabelinskiy, Bogdan |
| Color Code - Alu Center | |
| 241 | Desmarets, Julien |
| 242 | Melotte, Matteo |
| 243 | Noirhomme, Arnaud |
| 244 | Wertz, Hugo |
| 245 | Marx, Louis |
| 246 | Cardinal, Nathan |
| 247 | Jacques, Lucas |

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.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- So far, a good series about riders before my time, even if the text feels AI generated like so much on this site. About the rider, he seems like one of many who are active fan favorites but don’t survive in the stories of cycling, a few decades later - I didn’t really know anything about him and this was a good read, thank you!RidesHills15-11-2026
- A calm, honest documentary, a bit of hagiography but mostly not too much. When he talks about a coffee shop, it aligns with several things in his world - he might want calm, but he does (more than a little bit) have someone near him (his fiancee) who makes sure that things happen the way he expects. Many atheletes have retired only to find out just how much others were taking care of their lives for them. If they work out (I'm old, things happen), I am sure it will take a renegotiation, which is a good thing. I truly enjoyed watching it, seeing him, seeing her, seeing the whole system built around him.RidesHills15-11-2026
- You do? My mother grew up around Bleiburg (Pliberk), across the border in Austria . My grandparents lived close to the train station in Bleiburg, and I spent a lot of the 70s and 80s there. The "Jugo" train of my youth went to Dravograd or Maribor, exotic places (behind the wall) at the time. What a moment that was, the 10 days war of '91 - times sure have changed.RidesHills15-11-2026
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment







