Men’s Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 team-by-team guide

Dwars door Vlaanderen sits in an awkward but fascinating place on the calendar. It comes close enough to Ronde van Vlaanderen 2026 that some teams will race with one eye on Sunday, but it still carries enough weight to demand a proper result in its own right. That is what makes the start list so interesting. Some squads arrive with an undisputed leader. Others bring a deeper, more tactical group, hoping to exploit the uncertainty that often defines this race.

If you want the wider context first, the Beginner’s guide to Men’s Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 and the Men’s Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 route guide explain why this race is not just a smaller version of Flanders. It has its own rhythm, its own pressure points, and often its own kind of winner.

2026 Men’s Dwars Door Vlaanderen Team Guide

EF Education-EasyPost

Kasper Asgreen gives EF Education-EasyPost a proven cobbled-race leader and one of the most natural long-range attackers in the field. With Colby Simmons alongside him, they have another rider who can help make the race difficult before the final selection, while Madis Mihkels offers a quicker finish if the group is still reasonably large late on. This is a team that looks built for aggression rather than patience, which is usually the right instinct in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike

Wout van Aert is the headline name and he remains one of the central figures in any major Flemish one-day race. Matthew Brennan adds another layer to the selection, while Per Strand Hagenes has the kind of form that makes him a serious card rather than just support. Christophe Laporte, if he is moving well, is exactly the sort of rider who can either cover the decisive move or become the protected option if Van Aert is forced into an earlier effort. On paper, this is one of the strongest teams in the race.

Alpecin-Premier Tech

Jasper Philipsen, Kaden Groves and Tibor Del Grosso make this one of the most versatile selections in the field. Philipsen has already shown sharpness this spring, while Groves gives Alpecin a second finishing option if the race develops in a slightly less selective way than expected. Del Grosso offers a younger wildcard who can anticipate moves or still survive into the final hour. If this becomes more tactical than purely destructive, Alpecin-Premier Tech are very well covered.

Soudal Quick-Step

Paul Magnier is the obvious focal point. He has the speed to win from a reduced group and enough punch to stay relevant on this sort of terrain, even if Dwars door Vlaanderen is still a race where timing and experience matter late on. Yves Lampaert and Dylan van Baarle bring exactly that experience, and both can help harden the race before Magnier is asked to finish it. The key question is whether Soudal Quick-Step commit fully to the Frenchman or keep several cards alive into the finale.

Lidl-Trek

Few teams look as dangerous across so many different scenarios. Mads Pedersen is the most obvious winning card, but Jonathan Milan changes the tactical picture because he remains a major threat if the race ends with a larger front group than many expect. Edward Theuns, Toms Skujiņš and Søren Kragh Andersen add depth and experience, which matters in a race where positioning and judgement can be as important as outright strength. Lidl-Trek can control, attack, or simply wait longer than many rivals.

INEOS Grenadiers

Filippo Ganna is the centre of gravity here. He has the engine to turn a hard race into a selective one, and Magnus Sheffield plus Ben Turner give INEOS two more riders who can thrive if the finale becomes attritional. Sam Watson and Connor Swift deepen the line-up further, while Sam Welsford offers a faster finish if the race proves less selective than expected. INEOS look more like a team for a forceful, high-speed race than for a hesitant tactical finale.

Lotto-Intermarché

Arnaud De Lie is the clear leader and this is one of the cleaner team structures in the race. Everything here points towards trying to deliver him into the decisive phase in winning position. Jenno Berckmoes and Cédric Beullens are useful riders to have around him on this terrain, but the line-up really comes down to whether De Lie can hit the final 20km in the right place and with enough left in reserve. If he does, few riders in the field can match his combination of power and finishing speed.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG

Without a single dominant leader to structure the whole day around, UAE may actually be harder to read than some of the more obvious favourites. Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt and António Morgado all have the attributes to play meaningful roles in a selective race, while Rune Herregodts is another rider capable of stretching things from distance. This is a squad with enough quality to race opportunistically across several phases of the day, which can be a strength in a race as changeable as Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

Laurence Pithie stands out as the rider with the highest ceiling here. Jan Tratnik brings the know-how to manage the race’s more difficult moments, while Mick and Tim van Dijke make this a useful line-up for repeated accelerations and split-race situations. Arne Marit gives them a quicker option if it is needed. It is not the deepest squad in the field, but there is enough variety here to stay relevant if the race opens up unpredictably.

Groupama-FDJ

Romain Grégoire and Valentin Madouas give Groupama-FDJ a very interesting pairing. Grégoire has the punch and attacking instinct to exploit shorter, sharper moments, while Madouas remains the kind of rider who can read a complicated finale well. Johan Jacobs and Bastien Tronchon add useful support, and the overall shape of the team suggests they will be happiest if the race is selective without turning into a pure sprint.

Intermarché-Wanty

Biniam Girmay is the key name and immediately makes this a team worth watching. Lewis Askey and Matis Louvel strengthen the classics core, while Tom Van Asbroeck adds a finishing option and Guillaume Boivin brings experience. If Girmay is moving well, this is the type of race where he can absolutely win, especially if the front group is reduced but not completely shattered.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale

Oliver Naesen remains the natural reference point for this sort of race, and the supporting cast is quietly solid. Daan Hoole and Oscar Chamberlain can help in the harder, windier phases, while Sander De Pestel and Tobias Lund Andresen give them more flexibility than some of the more one-dimensional teams. It feels like a squad that needs the race to become awkward rather than perfectly controlled, but that is often exactly how Dwars door Vlaanderen unfolds.

Movistar Team

Iván García Cortina is the obvious leader and this is exactly the type of one-day race where he can still make a major impact. Gonzalo Serrano and Jon Barrenetxea give Movistar two more riders with enough punch to survive a hard finale, while Carlos Canal offers another strong worker for the middle phase. This is not a team likely to dominate the race, but it can certainly place riders into the winning move if the race fragments in stages.

Bahrain Victorious

Matej Mohorič always changes the conversation because he brings a sense of invention that few others can match. Alec Segaert is a very useful team-mate on this terrain and gives Bahrain another rider who can commit from distance. The rest of the line-up looks more supportive than decisive, but if Mohorič sees an opening, Bahrain Victorious are one of the teams most likely to try something unconventional rather than wait for a standard sprint or scripted late move.

XDS Astana Team

Alberto Bettiol and Aaron Gate make this a credible outsider team. Bettiol suits races where timing and force matter more than a pure uphill kick, while Max Kanter gives them a faster finisher if they can keep the race under some sort of control. Arjen Livyns is another useful cobbled-race specialist to have in the mix. They may not start as favourites, but there are enough cards here for a strong result if the bigger teams hesitate.

Uno-X Mobility

Jonas Abrahamsen, Søren Wærenskjold and Stian Fredheim form the core here and it is a good fit for the race. Abrahamsen’s engine can light things up long before the finale, while Wærenskjold gives them a genuine finishing option if the front group is still relatively large. Fredheim adds another rider who can survive a hard day and still contribute late. Uno-X often race these events with conviction, and that tends to suit Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Team Jayco-AlUla

This is more of a workmanlike line-up than a star-led one, but there is enough here to matter. Dries De Bondt and Luke Durbridge understand the texture of races like this, while Amaury Capiot offers a finishing option if he reaches the line in contention. Jelte Krijnsen and Kelland O’Brien add depth, although the team probably needs a slightly chaotic race to exceed expectations.

Team Picnic PostNL

John Degenkolb remains a compelling name for this type of event, even if expectations have to be measured carefully now. Sean Flynn is an intriguing support rider because he can survive a hard day and still be useful late, while Timo de Jong and Frank van den Broek add energy to the line-up. Team Picnic PostNL do not look like one of the strongest squads on paper, but they have enough experience to race cleverly.

Cofidis

Alex Kirsch is the rider who makes the most sense here for the cobbles and repeated positioning battles. Hugo Page adds some speed, while Alexis Renard and Piet Allegaert bring support suited to a Flemish one-day race. It feels like a line-up built to stay in the race and look for a late opening rather than to impose itself from distance.

Tudor Pro Cycling Team

Stefan Küng is the obvious centrepiece and automatically gives Tudor a rider who can win if the race becomes a sustained power test. Rick Pluimers and Maikel Zijlaard offer quicker options if the race is less selective, and Marius Mayrhofer is another useful name for this terrain. Tudor are one of the more interesting non-WorldTour squads in the race because they have both strength and tactical range.

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

Fred Wright is the main attraction here. This is the sort of race that should suit him if he is given freedom to race on instinct, while Brent Van Moer and Frederik Frison strengthen the classics support around him. Emīls Liepiņš gives the team some finishing speed, but the more likely route to a result is Wright getting into the right move at the right time.

Team TotalEnergies

Anthony Turgis remains the obvious leader and still has the experience to turn up in the key moments of a race like this. Alexys Brunel and Thomas Gachignard provide useful support, though this does not look like a line-up with many fallback options if Turgis is marked out or misses the decisive split. Their best chance probably comes from racing before the absolute favourites want to move.

Unibet Tietema Rockets

They arrive as outsiders, but not as a team that can simply be ignored. Lukáš Kubiš and Tomáš Kopecký are both capable of making the race awkward, while Niklas Larsen and Wessel Mouris offer decent support. In a race like Dwars door Vlaanderen, where hesitation among the favourites can open the door to riders from just below the top tier, that matters.

Burgos Burpellet BH

This looks like a team here more to animate than to control. Eric Fagúndez is probably the most interesting rider in the selection, while Clément Alleno and Hugo de la Calle could be involved in the day’s more speculative phases. A major result would be a surprise, but these are exactly the teams that can get into the break and force bigger squads to do the work behind.

Team Flanders-Baloise

For a Belgian ProTeam, this is an important shop window and the motivation will be obvious. Jules Hesters, Artuur Torney and Ferre Geeraerts are the types of riders who can try to force their way into the move, while Noah Vandenbranden adds more support on home roads. Winning would be a huge ask, but getting visible and shaping the early part of the race is realistic.

Who looks strongest?

On pure depth, Team Visma | Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek stand out most, with Alpecin-Premier Tech close behind because of how many scenarios they can cover. Visma have the headline leader and enough support to make the race hard in several different ways. Lidl-Trek can race through Pedersen or Milan depending on how selective the day becomes. Alpecin-Premier Tech are dangerous for the same reason, especially if the race turns tactical rather than purely physical.

Best outsiders

If you are looking beyond the biggest favourites, UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Uno-X Mobility, Tudor Pro Cycling Team and XDS Astana make the most sense. None of them need the race to follow only one script, and that flexibility can matter enormously in Dwars door Vlaanderen, where the gap between control and chaos is often very small.

For readers following the whole cobbled week, this piece works naturally alongside the E3 Saxo Classic 2026 team-by-team guide, What E3 Saxo Classic 2026 means for the season, A brief history of Men’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the How to watch Men’s & Women’s Dwars door Vlaanderen 2026 in the UK guide.