Van der Poel makes his debut today on the cobblestones as the top favorite: schedule and where to watch the E3 Saxo Classic 2026

The classics season enters one of its key moments with the E3 Saxo Classic, a race that serves as a general rehearsal for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix each year. In 2026, the script is influenced by what happened just a few days ago in Milan-San Remo and by a start list marked by significant absences.

Schedule and where to watch the E3 Saxo Classic 2026

• Date: March 27
• Start time: 12:50
• Expected finish time: 17:10

Although several important races coincide at the same time, such as the Volta a Catalunya taking place simultaneously, Eurosport will broadcast the E3 Saxo Classic 2026 live practically in full from 13:50 to 18:15, starting at 16:00 through the Max platform.

A classic route that serves as a test for what’s to come

The route of the E3 Saxo Classic maintains its usual identity with the start and finish in Harelbeke, a town near Kortrijk, right in the border area with France and very close to key cities like Lille and Roubaix. During the classics, this location transforms into the nerve center of the peloton, with numerous teams setting up their base of operations there.

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It is more than two hundred kilometers with an accumulated elevation gain close to three thousand meters, a route filled with short and explosive climbs that progressively harden the race. After a relatively manageable start, the tension increases from the passage through La Houppe, where the walls that define the identity of this classic begin to chain together.

The decisive phase again concentrates on the most iconic sections of Flemish cycling. The Taaienberg is usually the first major point of real selection, while the combination of Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont, already within the last fifty kilometers, acts as the definitive judge. In that terrain, Van der Poel's ability to create differences in explosive efforts puts him a step ahead of the rest, especially in a year when the participation loses some of its usual depth.

Van der Poel is the big favorite

Mathieu van der Poel arrives in Harelbeke with the number one bib and the status of big favorite. The Dutchman has been having a solid start to the season, with a constant presence in key races and the ability to decide in important moments, until he encountered a different scenario in the Classicissima. There, the emergence of Tadej Pogačar completely changed the course of the race and left the Alpecin rider with no room for maneuver in the finish. Nevertheless, his performance in the decisive climbs confirmed that he remains an absolute reference in this type of terrain.

The context of the E3 further strengthens his candidacy. Neither Pogačar nor Wout van Aert will be at the start, two of the few riders capable of challenging him for control of the race on this type of route. Without them, Van der Poel faces a clear opportunity to chain his third consecutive victory in Harelbeke, a feat that would allow him to continue expanding his recent dominance in the cobbled classics and get closer to historic names in the event.

Still, the race presents alternatives. Mads Pedersen arrives at a particularly striking moment after his quick recovery and immediate performance in San Remo, where he was already seen in the final part. His profile fits the demands of the E3 and he could be one of the few riders capable of holding on in the key sectors and playing his options in a reduced scenario.

Attention should also be paid to collective blocks capable of hardening the race from afar. Teams like Lidl-Trek or Soudal Quick-Step have several cards to play in the decisive moments, while names like Jasper Stuyven or Dylan van Baarle find here an ideal terrain to measure their form before the big Monuments.

In parallel, the race will serve to evaluate the return to the top level of riders like Christophe Laporte, who returns to this classic after a complicated period marked by physical problems in previous seasons. His performance could be one of the tactical keys in the absence of Van Aert.

Beyond the names, the E3 Saxo Classic presents itself once again as a must-watch race to understand what is to come in the following weeks. What happens on the walls of Flanders this Friday will not only decide a winner, but will also set hierarchies and strategies for the two major objectives of the cobbled races.