'This was the most dangerous Omloop of my life', says De Lie, one of many riders to crash

Omloop Nieuwsblad always carries a great deal of superlatives given its status as opening classic on Opening Weekend, and taking in many of the same roads and cobbles we'll see throughout the spring. But the 2026 edition seemed particularly dangerous, with weather and nerves playing a key role. Indeed, it was a crash that played a decisive role in the outcome.

Arnaud De Lie was one of the many riders to crash, the young Belgian coming down just as the peloton was approaching the crucial Muur van Geraardsbergen – albeit with the winning move already about a minute up the road – and the Lotto-Intermarché leader had some choice words at the finish.

"There was a lot of nervousness in the peloton, especially with this wind," De Lie told Sporza in Ninove. "Initially, it was actually a perfect day for me. Sure, it was impossible to follow Mathieu [van der Poel] on the Molenberg, but after that, I was among the best. Only, five kilometers from the Muur, someone fell next to me, and I broke my wheel. That was the end of the story."