Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Premier Tech) has already completed long solo rides at the E3 Saxo Classic in the past. Last year he rode 39 kilometres solo to victory in Harelbeke, the year before it was 43.7 kilometres. This time, the Dutchman attacked 69 kilometres before the finish on the Taaienberg. At first he still had companions, but 42 kilometres before the finish he had shaken off every rider - and celebrated his third victory in a row in the E3 Saxo Classic after 208 kilometres.

Chasers lose out on the last kilometre

In the end, however, van der Poel almost paid the price for this feat of strength: he only managed to hold on to a lead of four seconds. In principle, he had to thank the four chasers who were almost close to the Dutchman 800 metres before the finish, but then started to play poker and thus handed him the lucky victory. Per Strand Hagen (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) finally sprinted to second place. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) finished third ahead of Stan Dewulf (Decathlon - CMA CGM) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility).

"I am very happy about this victory. But this race took a lot of energy out of me" - an exhausted van der Poel in the winner's interview.

The large main group reached the finish 24 seconds behind the winner. The sprint for sixth place was won by Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) ahead of Christophe Laporte (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) and Gianni Vermeersch (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe). Mads Pedersen (Lidl - Trek) finished in ninth place.

The route had changed in some places compared to the previous year. For example, the Oude Kwaremont was now ridden twice and from different sides. A total of 16 short, tricky climbs (so-called "Hellingen") awaited the riders, one less than in the previous year. However, the majority of the spectacle was only in the second half of the race.

The result of the E3 Saxo Classic 2026

How the E3 Saxo Classic 2026 went

The early stages of a classic are usually hectic. This was also the case at this year's E3 Saxo Classic. A number of riders tried to get into the day's breakaway group at the start, but the peloton stopped many of these attempts early on. After 35 kilometres, Bastien Tronchon (Groupama - FDJ), Nickolas Zukowsky (Pinarello - Q36.5) and Michiel Lambrecht (Flanders - Baloise) finally broke away. The trio was later joined by Stan Dewulf (Decathlon - CMA CGM), Luke Durbridge (Jayco - AlUla) and Sven Erik Byström (Uno-X Mobility). However, the lead never really grew beyond the two-minute mark.

High speed and many attacks at E3 Saxo Classic

The race was completed at a remarkably high speed right from the start: The peloton covered the first two hours of the race at an average speed of 45.1 km/h. And the race remained hectic, with new groups constantly forming in pursuit of the escape group.

With 95 kilometres to go, Timo Kielich (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Dan Hoole (Decathlon CMA CGM Team), Connor Swift (INEOS Grenadiers), Edward Planckaert (Alpecin - Premier Tech), Edward Theuns (Lidl - Trek), Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) and Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal - Quick Step) attacked on the Karnemelkbeekstraat.

Van der Poel attacks 69 kilometres before the finish

On the Taaienberg, Mathieu van der Poel finally came into action after an attack by Tim van Dijke (Red Bull - Bora - hansgrohe). It was 69 kilometres from there to the finish - and from then on it was the Dutchman's big show. A few kilometres later, Van der Poel and Van Dijke reached the seven-man chase group around Theuns and Hoole. Shortly afterwards, Van der Poel set off as a soloist in pursuit of the escape group.

His lead over the peloton quickly reached one minute. In the peloton, Mads Pedersen then tried an unsuccessful attack. Further attacks followed from Jan Tratnik (BORA-hansgrohe) and Pedersen again. But at this point the race already seemed decided. The most successful attack came from Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) and Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) 59 kilometres before the finish, who quickly caught up with Van der Poel's chasing group.

Van der Poel's lead melts away at the end

With 45 kilometres to go, Van der Poel joined the escape group at the foot of the Paterberg, soon shook off the riders and rode solo to victory. Only Stan Dewulf remained within sight of the Dutchman. The remaining escapees were gradually caught up by the chasing group. In the end, Abrahamsen, Vermeersch and Per Strand Hagens (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) joined Dewulf 28 kilometres before the finish.

With 20 kilometres to go, the quartet was 46 seconds behind van der Poel, with the peloton a further 20 seconds behind. And van der Poel's lead shrank by a few seconds with every kilometre. Accordingly, there was a lot of tension in the finale - especially as the four chasers worked together consistently. Five kilometres before the finish, the gap was only ten seconds.

At the Flamme Rouge, the group was only a few bike lengths behind van der Poel before suddenly they started looking at each other. Van der Poel, however, pulled through and saved the victory at the finish.