Van Aert will make his 2026 road debut at Le Samyn

After an illness derailed his plan to start his road campaign at the Omloop Nieuwsblad, Wout van Aert will instead make his first appearance of the season at Le Samyn on Tuesday. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won the race last year in what was his 2025 season debut. This year's event will, somewhat surprisingly, be Van Aert's first ever start in the UCI 1.1-rated race.