After an extraordinary victory at the Milan–Sanremo race, Tadej faces another major challenge. On Sunday, at the 110th Tour of Flanders, he will be chasing his third win at Belgium’s biggest one-day classic.
»I’m very happy to be returning to Flanders, where I’d like to defend the title. The way the whole team raced at Milan–Sanremo was impressive, and if we can carry that into the next few weeks, we can achieve some great results,« Tadej said ahead of the second Monument of the year, where he will be supported by a strong UAE Team Emirates – XRG lineup. It will include Florian Vermeersch, Nils Politt, Mikkel Bjerg, Benoît Cosnefroy, Antonio Morgado, and Rui Oliveira.
»Flanders is one of cycling’s greatest hubs, and the energy around this race is something special. I’m delighted to be part of it. Since my last race I’ve been training, while also following the races and cheering on my teammates from home, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the action,« continued Tadej, who was the best at the Tour of Flanders in 2023 and 2025.
This time he faces a 278.2-kilometer route with the iconic »bergs«—cobbled climbs—where in past years he has dropped Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Premier Tech) and ridden away. The Dutchman, who has already celebrated victory at the Tour of Flanders three times, will again be among Tadej’s most dangerous rivals. Surprisingly, though, for the first time Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) will also be among them. He confirmed on April 1st that he will be at the start.
»I was a bit surprised, but in a way not. I heard rumors that he wanted some time ago to race in Flanders and other Classics. Since he announced his participation on April 1st, I thought it was a joke, but it will be great to see him on the start line on Sunday,« Tadej added.
For him, this will be his third race of the 2026 season, which he opened with victories at Strade Bianche and Milan–Sanremo. If he claims a third win in Flanders, he will join the record holders of this race. Besides van der Poel, these are Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, and Fabian Cancellara.