Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2027

The 2026 race was 207 kilometers long. Its finale began with the cobbles of Kerkgate and Jagerij and the Molenberg, about 45 kilometers from the finish, and went on over the Haaghoek cobbles and the Leberg, the Berendries, Tenbosse and the Parikeberg to the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg.

Mathieu van der Poel had never ridden the Omloop before 2026, and it was his first road race of that season. Wout van Aert was missing, ill. At the foot of the Molenberg a rider fell in front of Van der Poel. He put a foot down, got going again and caught Florian Vermeersch, who had attacked, by the top. Tim van Dijke joined them, and the three rode across to the early breakaway. The group rode toward the Muur with nearly a minute on the peloton. Behind them crashes on wet roads thinned the chase, and one with 18 kilometers to go involved Arnaud De Lie.

On the Muur Van der Poel rode everyone off his wheel without leaving the saddle. He was about 18 seconds ahead at the top and nearly 36 seconds ahead on top of the Bosberg, and he rode the last 16 kilometers alone. Van Dijke beat Vermeersch in the sprint for second place, 22 seconds behind. Nobody had won the Omloop at his first attempt since Michele Bartoli in 2001.

The Muur does not always decide the race. In 2025 nobody got away on it, Stefan Küng was caught in the final kilometer after a late attack, and Søren Wærenskjold won the sprint on the Elisabethlaan.