In Belgium the Dutchman, making his seasonal debut on the road, impressed: 57th success as a professional
There was a reason why the Omloop Nieuwsblad, the opening race of the season in Belgium, wasn’t in Mathieu Van der Poel’s palmares: he had never raced it. A gap filled at the first attempt (like Michele Bartoli in 2001), because the Dutch champion from Alpecin – fresh from a season as a phenomenon in cross, with his 8th world title – made his triumphant debut on the road in 2026, dominating the Belgian classic, in the rain between Bruges and Ninove. Van der Poel, who on a couple of occasions saved himself from falls demonstrating his usual great bike riding ability, pulled away from everyone on the iconic Grammont and then crowned a 16km solo escape at the finish line: for him that’s 57 successes on the road. It remains to be seen whether he will also participate in tomorrow’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, otherwise we will see him again from 9 to 15 March at Tirreno-Adriatico, before Milan-Sanremo.
