Updated January 21, 2026 07:50AM
Two early-season markers - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche - are seeing meaningful tweaks for 2026 in the perpetual quest for the perfect balance between difficulty and spectacle.
Both races are among the spring highlights, with Omloop opening the northern classics season and Strade Bianche continuing to elbow in on near-monument reverence with its white roads and punishing parcours.
For 2026, race organizers are making meaningful course tweaks designed to spice up the action.
Strade Bianche trims its distance slightly to sharpen the action, while Omloop adds a new explosive climb designed to light the fuse earlier.
The upshot could be more exciting racing in both events.
Let’s first dive into Strade Bianche and some critically important changes for this spring.
Strade still too hard or just right?
Ever as organizers turned up the difficulty scale in 2024 to transform Strade Bianche into something longer, harder, and with more gravel, critics suggest that
## Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Course Changes for Upcoming Race
The 2024 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad men’s race will feature a revised final loop incorporating the Tenbosse and Parikeberg climbs, replacing the Elverenberg-Vossenhol section, while the women’s race course remains unchanged. Cyclingnews reported these changes on November 29,2023. A breaking news search as of January 21, 2026, 18:56:14 UTC reveals no further updates to the course.
### Omloop Het Nieuwsblad: Primary Event Details
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a Belgian semi-classic road cycling race held annually in February, traditionally opening the European cycling season. wielrennen.nl details the race’s importance as the first major event of the year. The men’s race is categorized as 1.Pro within the UCI ProSeries, while the women’s race is a 1.Pro event on the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
### Course Modifications: Men’s Race
The alteration to the men’s course aims to create a more dynamic and challenging finale. Cycling Weekly confirms the inclusion of the Tenbosse and Parikeberg climbs. The Parikeberg, with gradients exceeding 10%, is expected to be a potential launchpad for attacks. The classic Kapelmuur-Bosberg combination remains a crucial part of the course before the finish in Ninove.
### Kapelmuur and Bosberg: Iconic Climbs
The Kapelmuur (Chapel Wall) and Bosberg are two of the most famous and challenging climbs in Belgian cycling. Cyclingnews describes the Kapelmuur as a short, steep cobbled climb, while the Bosberg is a longer, more gradual ascent. Together, they often determine the outcome of the race, testing the strength and endurance of the riders. The Kapelmuur is 13% at its steepest and 1780m long, while the bosberg is 6% at its steepest and 980m long.
### Women’s Race Course
The course for the women’s Omloop het Nieuwsblad remains unchanged from previous years. Cyclingnews confirms that the women’s race will follow the same route as in 2023. The women’s race also finishes in Ninove, featuring several challenging cobbled sections and climbs.
