Description
September 23, 2026
79th Lotto Omloop van het Houtland 2026 (1.1) ME – Zedelgem – Lichtervelde : 189,6 km
Omloop van het Houtland is a UCI 1.1 one-day road race through the flat countryside of West Flanders,
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September 23, 2026
79th Lotto Omloop van het Houtland 2026 (1.1) ME – Zedelgem – Lichtervelde : 189,6 km
Omloop van het Houtland is a UCI 1.1 one-day road race through the flat countryside of West Flanders, combining open farmland, narrow rural lanes and long paved sections with very limited elevation change. The course typically covers around 190–200 km and contains only short rises, with gradients generally below 5%, making sustained climbing largely absent. Instead, wind exposure, high speeds and frequent changes in road width create the main challenges. Open agricultural roads can produce crosswinds and echelon formation, while bends, junctions and narrow passages demand careful positioning near the front of the peloton. The race often develops through an early breakaway, with teams controlling the gap before increasing the pace as the finishing circuits approach. Small splits can form in windy sections before the field regroups on wider roads. Repeated local laps add tactical pressure and make timing important in the final kilometres. The predominantly flat finale favors a fast bunch sprint, although a late breakaway can reach the finish ahead of the peloton.
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) stormed to his 12th victory of the 2026 season from a messy sprint at the Omloop van het Houtland in Belgium on Wednesday.
A rapid final 10km brought the bunch towards the arguably dangerous and tricky Lichtervelde finale, after a three-man breakaway was brought back, with Soudal-QuickStep, Tudor, and Unibet Rose Rockets among the teams who took control in the run for home.
Merlier was first brought to the front by long-term right-hand man Bert Van Lerberghe, but it was too early with more than 1km to go, so he dropped back into the wheels before the final duo of corners.
Once onto the last straight, he lit up the sprint on the right-hand side of the road, steaming his way through a narrow lane and all the way to the finish line, where he held off a fast-finishing Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets).
It’s the second season in a row Merlier has won the 1.1 race in West Flanders, which runs at 189.6km over laps of a circuit between Zedelgem and Lichtervelde.
Results :
 ME </strong> - Zedelgem - Lichtervelde : 189,6 km
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Omloop van het Houtland is a UCI 1.1 one-day road race through the flat countryside of West Flanders, combining open farmland, narrow rural lanes and long paved sections with very limited elevation change. The course typically covers around 190–200 km and contains only short rises, with gradients generally below 5%, making sustained climbing largely absent. Instead, wind exposure, high speeds and frequent changes in road width create the main challenges. Open agricultural roads can produce crosswinds and echelon formation, while bends, junctions and narrow passages demand careful positioning near the front of the peloton. The race often develops through an early breakaway, with teams controlling the gap before increasing the pace as the finishing circuits approach. Small splits can form in windy sections before the field regroups on wider roads. Repeated local laps add tactical pressure and make timing important in the final kilometres. The predominantly flat finale favors a fast bunch sprint, although a late breakaway can reach the finish ahead of the peloton.
Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) stormed to his 12th victory of the 2026 season from a messy sprint at the Omloop van het Houtland in Belgium on Wednesday.
A rapid final 10km brought the bunch towards the arguably dangerous and tricky Lichtervelde finale, after a three-man breakaway was brought back, with Soudal-QuickStep, Tudor, and Unibet Rose Rockets among the teams who took control in the run for home.
Merlier was first brought to the front by long-term right-hand man Bert Van Lerberghe, but it was too early with more than 1km to go, so he dropped back into the wheels before the final duo of corners.
Once onto the last straight, he lit up the sprint on the right-hand side of the road, steaming his way through a narrow lane and all the way to the finish line, where he held off a fast-finishing Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets).
It's the second season in a row Merlier has won the 1.1 race in West Flanders, which runs at 189.6km over laps of a circuit between Zedelgem and Lichtervelde.
<strong>Results : </strong>
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