Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 route gets an adjusted finale, though the Muur and Bosberg remain

Flanders Classics, organisers of the Belgian season opener Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, unveiled the route for the 2026 race on Wednesday, revealing a revamped run-in to the finish in Ninove.

The 2026 race will be held on Saturday, February 28, the first day of a back-to-back Opening Weekend with Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and the first race of the spring Classics.

From there, the peloton will race to Brakel, home of Peter van Petegem, and tackle two additional climbs before heading to the final. The hills of Tenbosse and Parikeberg provide additional challenges before the final one-two punch of the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg, and the 11.8km flat run to the finish line.

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Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) is the defending champion of the race, having won in a mass sprint finish last year. With two extra climbs in the 2026 route, it seems as though the race organisers want to avoid a repeat of the 2025 49-rider dash for the line in Ninove this February.

Hills and cobbled sectors of the 2026 Omloop Het NieuwsbladPaddestraat, 41.8kmHaaghoek, 58.2kmHill 1: Leberg, 61.2kmHill 2: Eikenberg, 74.3kmLange Munte, 112.9kmHaaghoek, 129.9kmHill 3: Leberg, 132,9kmHill 4: Eikenberg, 146.1kmHolleweg, 147.5kmHill 5: Wolvenberg, 150.1kmKerkgate, 153.8kmJagerij, 156.7kmHill 6: Molenberg, 162.6kmHaaghoek, 167.1kmHill 7: Leberg, 170.1kmHill 8: Berendries, 174.1kmHill 9: Tenbosse, 181.6kmHill 10: Parikeberg, 184.9kmHill 11: Muur-Kapelmuur, 191.9kmHill 12: Bosberg, 195.8km