Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026: Route, TV broadcast & live stream and favourites

Traditionally, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad heralds the start of the classics season on the so-called "Opening Weekend", before Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne follows the next day. The Belgian spring classic is characterised by cobbled sections and short, but all the steeper climbs. This year, the men have to cover around eight kilometres more than last year, while the distance in the women's race has only shifted by a few hundred metres. There is also a decisive change in the final - the Tenbosse and Parikeberg climbs are new. The weather conditions can also be decisive: single-digit temperatures, temperatures just above freezing and rain are not uncommon - but the forecast for Saturday predicts ideal racing weather.

Omloop Het Niewusblad 2026: The most important facts in brief

• Date: Saturday, 28 February 2026, the men start at 11:05 am (finish ~ 3:51 pm), the women at 1:35 pm (finish ~ 5:16 pm)
• DistanceMen 207.2 kilometres, women 137.2 kilometres
• Start: Ghent, Target: Ninove
• Premiere: Men 1945, women 2006
• UCI category: World Tour, Women's World Tour
• Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025: The race report of the men's race
• Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2025: The race report of the women's race

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026: The route

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 exceeds the 200-kilometre mark again: at more than 207 kilometres, the race is significantly longer than last year's 197 kilometres. As before, the first half of the race is mainly a controlled roll-in before an intense up and down later on. In this section, the Leberg (three times in total in the programme) and the Eikenberg are only two of the twelve slip roads. Overall, the riders have to tackle one more climb this year than last year. The effort required for the checkouts is also limited until the middle of the race: Until then, there are only two cobblestone passages.

Then it's down to business. Climbs and cobbled sections alternate in the Ardennes between Oosterzele and Ninove. The finale begins with Leberg, Berendries, Tenbosse and Parikeberg. The route has been changed after the Berendries climb, with Tenbosse and Parikeberg replacing Elverenberg-Vossenhol. The 1100 metre long and notorious wall of Geraardsbergen (Kapelmuur) 16 kilometres before the finish with its up to 20 percent steep, cobbled ramps as well as the 1000 metres up the Bosberg, four kilometres later, are the last climbs known from previous years. From there, it is mainly downhill for the men to the finish.

Then things get serious: in the Ardennes around Oosterzele, climbs and cobbled sections follow each other in quick succession. The finale begins with Leberg, Berendries, Tenbosse and Parikeberg. 16 kilometres before the finish, the 1100 metre long, notorious wall of Geraardsbergen (Muur-Kapelmuur) awaits with its cobbled ramps with gradients of up to 20 percent. Just four kilometres later, the 1000-metre Bosberg sets the next sting in the tail and should force a preliminary decision. From there, the men's route is mainly downhill towards the finish.

The women are scheduled to cover 137.2 kilometres. From the Holleweg cobblestone passage onwards, the last 60 kilometres or so of the route are similar to the men's course, and the initial phase to Westrem is also identical. The preliminary decision is likely to be made in the demanding finale - with the wall of Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg as key sections.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 - the slip roads

Men

• KM 60.8 - Leberg
• KM 73.9 - Eikenberg
• KM 132.5 - Leberg
• KM 145.7 - Eikenberg
• KM 149.7 - Wolvenberg
• KM 162.2 - Molenberg
• KM 169.7 - Leberg
• KM 173.7 - Berendries
• KM 181.2 - Tenbosse
• KM 184.5 - Parikeberg
• KM 191.5 - Muur - Kapelmuur
• KM 195.4 - Bosberg

Women

• KM 75 - Edelareberg
• KM 79.7 - Wolvenberg
• KM 92.2 - Molenberg
• KM 99.7 - Leberg
• KM 103.7 - Berendries
• KM 111.2 - Tenbosse
• KM 114.5 - Parikeberg
• KM 121.5 - Muur - Kapelmuur
• KM 125.4 - Bosberg

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad - Kasseien 2026

Men

• KM 41.4 - Paddestraat
• KM 57.8 - Haaghoek
• KM 112.5 - Lange Munte
• KM 129.5 - Haaghoek
• KM 147.1 - Holleweg
• KM 153.4 - Kerkgate
• KM 156.3 - Jagerij
• KM 166.7 - Haghoek

Women

• KM 37.2 - Lange Munte
• KM 77.1 - Holleweg
• KM 83.4 - Kerkgate
• KM 86.3 - Jagerij
• KM 96.7 - Haaghoek

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: TV broadcast and live stream

The Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 can be followed in Germany both on TV and via live stream. Eurosport 2 broadcasts the races from 1:30 pm live: first the men's competition, then the women's race after the finish. About Discovery Plus (for a fee) there are also live streams - from 13:30 for the men's race and from 16:00 for the women's competition.

Men's race - The favourites

As usual, the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a tight affair between a bunch sprint and a breakaway victory. That's what makes this race so exciting - it feels like anything can happen. Last year, Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and Toms Skujiņš (Lidl - Trek) were unable to break away decisively from the rest of the peloton, resulting in a bunch sprint in which Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) prevailed over his rivals. In 2024, Jan Tratnik, who was still riding for Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the time, and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) made a successful escape to the front - but the German only managed 2nd place.

Classics riders and sprinters with a solid track record are once again in their teams' line-ups this year. Should it come down to a bunch sprint, the defending champion will once again be the first to be named. Søren Wærenskjold will be back at the start with his team, which has been promoted to the WorldTour. But the podium riders from 2025, Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin - Premier Tech), will also start at the Omloop. The 21-year-old Paul Magnier is in the form of his life, winning four stages in a row at the Tour of Guangxi at the end of last season and taking two more stage wins at the Tour of the Algarve this year. Jasper Philipsen, meanwhile, is still searching for his best form, finishing only fourth and tenth in the same stages of the Tour of the Algarve that Magnier won. The young Frenchman is therefore the absolute top favourite to win - should the race not be decided in the previous stages.

Also in contention for victory are Arnaud de Lie (Lotto - Intermarché), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe), Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling Team) and Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), should there be a sprint from the peloton.

But the classics riders could also play their cards in this race and leave their sprinter colleagues standing on the final climbs. Cyclocross dominator and classics victory guarantor Mathieu van der Poel cancelled his participation shortly before the start of the race. This should make it a little more difficult for the others to get away on the short climbs. Alongside Paul Magnier, the Dutchman is the second top favourite to win the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Although the UAE team will be without any real sprinters, it will have plenty of Classics power. In addition to Tim Wellens and Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt will also try to attack at the front again after narrowly missing out on victory two years ago. But Kasper Asgreen (EF Education - EasyPost), Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe), Dylan van Baarle (Soudal Quick-Step), Thomas Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team), Toms Skujiņš (Lidl - Trek), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain - Victorious) and last but not least Wout van Aert are also real specialists and could ensure an early decision. In Van Aert's case, however, the question is whether he will be able to ride at the front again after his crash in the cyclocross.

Naming favourites is not the problem with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, there are a whole host of contenders for victory. However, it is almost impossible to predict whether the race will be won by a real sprinter or a classics rider. But that's what makes the first big classic of the season so special!

Women's race - The favourites

The women's chances of victory look somewhat different. There has only been one bunch sprint in the last 15 editions. In the other years, the winner always came from a small group or, in some cases, crossed the finish line as a soloist. In 2025, Lotte Claes, then still riding for Arkéa - B&B Hotels Women, won in a sprint against Aurela Nerlo (Winspace - Orange Seal). The two breakaway riders finished 3:25 minutes ahead of the big favourites Demi Vollering (FDJ - Suez), Puck Pieterse (Fenix Deceuninck) and Lorena Wiebes (Team SD Worx - Protime) just behind them. However, the defending champion Lotte Claes will not be riding the Omloop this year, nor will last year's runner-up Aurela Nerlo.

Demi Vollering, who is one of the biggest contenders for victory in the classic after her success in the Tour of Valencia, is there for that. Vollering will be joined at the start by Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//Sram zondacrypto). However, these two are the only two of the big overall classification riders at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx - Protime), the 2023 winner, will also start, but the Belgian has been in a form slump for some time and is more likely to be a helper for Anna van der Breggen and Lorena Wiebes. Should the sprinters make it through to the finishing straight, Wiebes will also have Elisa Balsamo (Lidl - Trek) and Charlotte Kool (Fenix - Premier Tech) in her way. Under normal circumstances, however, Wiebes should take the win in such a scenario.

In addition to the favourites already mentioned, there are a number of other riders who could win the Omloop with a small surprise factor. These include Josie Nelson (Team Picnic PostNL), who has already shone with strong results in Australia this season, young Cat Ferguson and Liane Lippert from Movistar Team, Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ), as well as Chiara Consonni (Canyon//Sram zondacrypto) and Juliette Berthet (FDJ United - Suez), both of whom are likely to be their teams' plan B riders. The dynamics of group formation will be particularly exciting, as the past has shown that they can always come through.

As the teams' line-ups for both races have not yet been finalised, there may still be changes that cannot be taken into account in this article.