Across Flanders 2026: the most important facts in brief
- Date1 April 2026
- Estimated arrival time: ~ 16:05 (men), ~ 17:27 (women)
- Distance184.6 kilometres (men), 128.8 kilometres (women)
- StartRoeselare (men), Waregem (women), GoalWaregem (men and women)
- UCI category: (Women's) WorldTour
- OrganiserFlanders Classics
- Premiere1945, 80th edition (men), 14th edition (women)
- Last year's winnerNeilson Powless, Elisa Longo Borghini
Four days before the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Dwars door Vlaanderen is the last big test before the "Ronde", a race that teams like to use as a dress rehearsal to sharpen their form, tactics and equipment one last time. Although the distance is noticeably shorter than in the Tour of Flanders, it is not easy: rough cobblestones, short, steep climbs and open passages where the wind can tear the peloton apart at any time regularly ensure selection and hectic battles for position. It is precisely this mixture that makes the race so appealing and rewards robust all-rounders with good timing in particular. Last year, Neilson Powless was crowned the winner when he held his own against three Visma riders in the final and won the sprint.
The men's route
The route of the men's classic includes a total of twelve hellings and seven checkouts, the perfect endurance test for the upcoming Tour of Flanders. The race starts in Roeselare, from where it heads eastwards and after a short time passes through the finish town of Waregem for the first time. The challenges for the peloton only begin at kilometre 47, with a number of slip roads and checkpoints having to be conquered twice. On the stretch after the finish, the course is twisted with many changes of direction. The wind can always play a role here. The last crossing over the Nokereberg is less than ten kilometres from the finish, which is why it is possible to attack again here. From there it is not far to Waregem, so a solo ride is quite possible.
The women's route
For the women, the starting shot is fired in Waregem, making the race a large circuit. Otherwise, the men and women share the decisive sections. The double stage around Ronse is omitted for the women. For them, there are a total of eight slip roads and six checkouts. It is also possible to solo away from the last slip roads, as Elisa Longo Borghini showed again last year. The wind factor also plays a role, just like in the men's race, and the changes in direction are the same due to the almost identical course.
The favourites for Dwars door Vlaanderen
With the two dominators Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar focussing fully on the Tour of Flanders, Dwars door Vlaanderen has room for other riders with their sights set on victory. Mads Pedersen is already in very good form after his rapid recovery and could make an exclamation mark ahead of the big race on Sunday. The Dane and Wout van Aert should have the best chances in a hard-fought race. Both riders are Classics specialists and feel at home on the cobbles and on the short, poisonous climbs. Behind these two, it's easy to forget Romain Grégoire, who at 23 is still rather inexperienced but has already delivered top results this season.
Meanwhile, Florian Vermeersch has the rare opportunity to ride on his own. While the Belgian is usually busy helping his captain Tadej Pogačar, the team will probably ride for him at Dwars door Vlaanderen. With podium finishes at the Omloop and E3, the potential of the UAE rider has already flashed recently.
Sprinters who get over the short climbs well can also count themselves in with a chance. Behind Wout van Aert, this is likely to be Matthew Brennan in particular, both riders are also in their team's line-up for the Tour of Flanders. Arnaud de Lie, Tobias Lund Andresen, Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay are also candidates who should at least have hope of a slow race. The classic sprinters such as Jonathan Milan and Paul Magnier, on the other hand, will find it very difficult to keep the rear wheel of the classics riders on the Hellingen.
The favourites for Dwars door Vlaanderen
The women's race, which for the first time belongs to the highest category, the Women's WorldTour, has an incredibly strong line-up for the less prestigious race, in contrast to the Tour of Flanders. In addition to last year's winner, Elisa Longo Borghini, Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser will also be at the start. The overall classics elite will be in with a chance here, as will genuine classics specialists. FDJ therefore has two trump cards: in addition to Vollering, Elise Chabbey can also take on the role of captain should the race become particularly explosive. The same applies to Team UAE. In addition to the defending champion, Karlijn Swinkels can also cause quite a stir and follow a fast attack from a rival.
Lotte Kopecky is also back in impressive form just in time for the classics season. After a rather disappointing year, with "only" one classics victory at the Tour of Flanders, the Belgian returns to her home country with victories at Danilith Nokere Koerse and Milan-Sanremo. Alongside Kopecky and Swinkels, Cat Ferguson and Kim Le Court Pienaar are the outstanding specialists at the start.
Visma is counting on its 38-year-old Marianne Vos, who won Dwars door Vlaanderen 2024. The Dutchwoman may no longer be the big favourite, but her rivals should definitely reckon with her. The difficult terrain will definitely play into Vos' hands, as her experience in off-road terrain means she has bike control like almost no other rider.
Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026: TV broadcast and live stream of Cross Flanders
The men's race runs from 13:45-16:15 on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2the women's race directly afterwards until 17:45. At the same time, there will be a live stream on Discovery Plus.
Leon Weidner
Working student
