Van Aert had already had to settle for second place last year. Back then, his team had squandered a 3:1 advantage in the final against Neilson Powless (EF Education - EasyPost) and the American won. This time, the 31-year-old didn't want to let that situation happen. With 40 kilometres to go, he attacked on the Eikenberg, jumped out of the peloton to the leading group and shook off all his companions until the Nokereberg ten kilometres before the finish.

However, he was unable to complete his solo, missing a few metres. A good three kilometres before the finish, Ganna attacked out of the approaching peloton. It was to be the decisive move of the day, as Ganna made up metre after metre and entered the final bend with a sprinter's gap 300 metres before the finish. He sucked in the slipstream at high speed and flew past the Belgian to take his 39th victory.

Van Aert: "Would have been nice if the race had been 150 metres shorter"

And Ganna also had to overcome some resistance. "I had some bad luck throughout the day," said the winner. He had to change bikes twice in not inconsiderable situations. The first time after a front wheel defect, the second time due to a broken handlebar. But Ganna always fought his way back. "It's an important victory for me and hopefully also motivation for the team for the next races."

He also had warm words for van Aert: "Wout was extremely impressive. Catching up with him again was anything but easy." But that will hardly be any consolation for the Belgian. "Of course it would have been nice if the race had been 150 metres shorter. I tried everything and was really empty at the end, that's how bike races are. Until the last moment I thought it might be enough. I didn't look back because I wanted to concentrate on myself. Suddenly I saw Ganna pass me and I knew it was over."

Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 - Results

>> Everything about Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026

How Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 went

After no group was able to break away for almost 80 kilometres despite a series of attempts, the 18 men who were able to open up a gap were all the more prominent. Mads Pedersen (Lidl - Trek), Chrtistophe Laporte (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Sören Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) were among them. The average speed over the first two hours of the race was more than 48 km/h.

With 84 kilometres to go, the group was then dropped again. Shortly afterwards, a new one formed, again with 16 riders. And again with Vermeersch, Laporte and Pedersen. But they didn't get far either. The race then calmed down a little. It remained fast, but the big names held back a little.

Van Aert seeks preliminary decision on the Eikenberg

Only 50 kilometres before the finish, when the Mariaborrestraat was on the agenda for the second time, a new trio around Romain Gregoire (Groupama - FDJ), Niklas Larsen (Unibet - Rose) and Thomas Garchignard (TotalEnergies) had broken away. Van Aert joined them over the Eikenberg, but Garchignard was unable to join them.

Up to the Nokereberg 20 kilometres before the finish, the trio, which became a duo there because Gregoire dropped back, built up a 45-second lead over the main group. Between them were Vermeersch, Tim van Dijke (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe) and Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers). But that was history shortly after the climb. And ten kilometres before the second climb, van Aert was the sole leader of the race.

And that right up to the last bend 300 metres before the finish. But Ganna had started his pursuit from the peloton a good three kilometres before the finish. He entered the final bend 50 metres behind the Belgian. He then used his excess speed in the slipstream to suck up to the Belgian and actually caught van Aert 100 metres before the finish.