No rider has ever won Omloop Niewsblad and the Tour of Flanders in the same season, but Mathieu van der Poel will hope to become that man to break that curse in 2026 after claiming an utterly dominant victory with an effortlessly brilliant attack on the Muur van Geraardsbergen.
Alpecin-Premier Tech‘s talismanic leader moved clear of the peloton with 45km to go alongside Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). The three worked well together before Van der Poel dispatched his rivals with ease on the opening sections of Flanders’ most famous climb.
