The 2026 Opening Weekend of the cycling classics begins Saturday with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, followed by Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne on Sunday, offering a challenging start to the cobblestone season for a field including Wout van Aert, Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, and Tom Pidcock.
FloBikes will broadcast both the men’s and women’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, as well as Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, to viewers in the United States and Canada. UK fans can watch the same races on TNT Sports/Discovery+. Viewers in Europe and elsewhere will find coverage on a variety of regional broadcasters, including Sporza, VRT, TV2, Eurosport, L’Equipe, Supersport Variety 4, and Proximus.
Australian cycling enthusiasts may require a VPN to access the races, as SBS and other local platforms are not currently scheduled to broadcast the Opening Weekend. Fans hoping to stream the Omloop van het Hageland, as well on Sunday, outside of Europe may also demand a workaround, as the women’s race is exclusively available on the Proximus/Pickx platform.
The men’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, a 207km race, is scheduled to initiate at 11:15 CET on Saturday, with the women’s 137km race following at 13:45 CET. Sunday will see the 195km Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne start at 12:25 CET, and the 142km Omloop van het Hageland begin at 13:00 CET.
This year’s Opening Weekend also marks the cobblestone debut for the newly formed USA-based team, Modern Adventure, competing in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. According to analysis, Wout van Aert faces significant competition from at least five rivals at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, including potential challenges to his dominance. Recent reports suggest Mathieu van der Poel is also slated to participate in the Classics season, beginning with this weekend’s races.
The Wærenskjold scenario, referencing a potential upset victory similar to that of Soren Wærenskjold in 2022, appears less likely this time around, according to recent assessments of the field.
