Spring Classics season is almost upon us, with Belgium's Opening Weekend of racing kicking off a month on the cobbles leading into the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
This weekend, the men's peloton will tackle Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, while the women will race Omloop and the Omloop van het Hageland.
A host of top riders will be taking part, including Demi Vollering, Tom Pidcock, Lorena Wiebes, Jasper Philipsen, Lotte Kopecky, and Wout van Aert. You can now add to that list Mathieu van der Poel.
Question marks had surrounded the reigning Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix champion's plans for the Classics campaign, who hasn't yet got his 2026 campaign underway after concluding his cyclo-cross season with a record-breaking eighth world title on home ground in Hulst.
In recent years, Van der Poel has put off his road debut until March, with his first outing coming at Milan-San Remo (twice), Strade Bianche, and the Ename Samyn Classic. However, the possibility of making his earliest start since 2021 and racing Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on February 28 had been floated, and shrouded in mystery.
There were no real updates from Van der Poel or his Alpecin-Premier Tech team since his comments in mid-January, and in the week leading up to the Omloop there was still no news on a decision for Saturday's race. However, confirmation finally came on Wednesday morning that Van der Poel will indeed be on the start line for his first Omloop.
Van der Poel has been in Spain during the last week, training on the Costa Blanca with his long-time training partner Freddy Ovett, as well as several Alpecin teammates and Ineos Grenadiers rider Axel Laurance.
Recent rides, according to Ovett's Strava, have included a 157.6km ride on Monday and at least five further rides last week, totalling 600km and 7,520m of climbing.
On Tuesday afternoon, Ovett updated his Strava with a 106km ride in the hills around Dénia, this time titled 'Omloop or nah boys – I think we just flip a coin', acknowledging the speculation about Van der Poel's plans.
Was this all building up to an Omloop Het Nieuwsblad debut on Saturday? The answer, it turns out, is yes.
Earlier this month, Alpecin-Premier Tech team manager Christoph Roodhooft told WielerRevue that he was hoping his star will head to Opening Weekend this year.
"We already talked about the road. Last year, he was very clear that he didn't want to participate in Opening Weekend," he said.
"I thought that was a shame, because Opening Weekend is important for a Belgian team. A few days later, he won Le Samyn with a clear lead, but he was also very good in the weekend of Omloop and Kuurne.
"I think it would be good if he participates, but the first requirement is that the restart goes smoothly. After the World Cup, he will take a week off and go skiing. We'll let him do that to keep his balance."
