Gooikse Pijl p/b Lotto 2026: Favorites and Expected Protagonists

Gooikse Pijl p/b Lotto 2026: A Late-Summer Flemish Classic On Sunday, September 20, 2026, the procontinental calendar stops in Belgium for the Gooikse Pijl p/b Lotto. The race, in the procontinental category, takes place on Belgian soil and is one of the most anticipated appointments for northern classics specialists. The Gooikse Pijl is one of the few procontinental races held in Belgium in September, ideally closing the Flemish classics cycle — source: OFFICIAL RACE DATA Expected Protagonists at the Start The verified startlist counts 131 entrants, with a significant presence of WorldTour and Professional teams. Among the standout names are Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling Team), Max Kanter (XDS Astana), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe), Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto Intermarché), Anders Foldager (Team Jayco AlUla), Noah Hobbs (EF Education - EasyPost), Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana) and Tobias Müller. The teams with the most cards are NSN Cycling Team (Vernon, Kogut, Van Asbroeck, Boivin, Stewart, Watts, Verbrugghe), Alpecin - Premier Tech (Thijssen, Rickaert, Uhlig, Behrens, Goossens, Plowright, Marsman), Lotto Intermarché (Taminiaux, De Schuyteneer, Fox, Rutsch, De Keersmaeker, Vaneeckhoutte, Verbeeck), Uno-X Mobility (Wærenskjold, Blume Levy, Abrahamsen, Bévort, Bystrøm, Pedersen, Resell) and Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe (Meeus, Marit, Etxeberria, Herzog, Putz, Schoonvelde, Van Dijke). This Year's Results of the Protagonists Looking at the verified history, Søren Wærenskjold has achieved notable placings at the 2026 Tour de France: 1st in stage 11 and 2nd in stage 7 (both stages, not the general classification), plus a 3rd place in stage 2 of the Renewi Tour and an 8th place at the ADAC Cyclassics. Ethan Vernon stood out with 3rd at the GP de Fourmies / La Voix du Nord, 2nd in stage 2 of the Arctic Race of Norway, 5th in stage 1 of the same race, 8th in stage 15 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia and 4th in stage 12. Max Kanter showed consistency at the 2026 Tour de France: 2nd in stage 5, 4th in stage 21, 7th in stage 12, 9th in stage 8 and 4th in stage 7 (all stages). Lionel Taminiaux won stage 4 of the ZLM Tour (a stage, not the general classification) and was 7th in stage 1 of the Arctic Race of Norway and 4th in stage 5 of the Tour of Hainan. Anders Foldager took 2nd at the Circuit Franco-Belge, 9th at the Brussels Cycling Classic, 5th in stage 2 of the Arctic Race of Norway, 10th in stage 1 of the PostNord Tour of Denmark and 4th in stage 5 of the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie (all stages). Noah Hobbs won the Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl, was 7th at the ADAC Cyclassics, 2nd in stage 3 of the Tour de Pologne and 3rd in stage 1, plus a 1st in stage 1 of the Tour de l'Ain (a stage). Mike Teunissen collected a 2nd place at the ADAC Cyclassics, a 3rd in stage 5 of the Renewi Tour, a 7th in stage 3 and a 9th in stage 1, plus a 6th in stage 5 of the Baloise Belgium Tour. Tobias Müller was 2nd at the GP de Fourmies / La Voix du Nord, 10th in stage 5 of the ZLM Tour, 6th at the Brussels Cycling Classic and 5th in stage 5 of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. Other interesting names: Oded Kogut (4th in stage 3 of the Tour de Pologne, 3rd in stage 4 of the Sibiu Cycling Tour), Madis Mihkels (2nd in stage 1 of the Route d'Occitanie, 5th in stage 21 of the 2026 Giro d'Italia), Jens Verbrugghe (2nd at the Lotto Famenne Ardenne Classic), Gijs Schoonvelde (1st in a stage of the Tour de Bretagne), Haimar Etxeberria (2nd in stage 5 of the Itzulia Basque Country), Kamiel Hannes (2nd in stage 2 of the Tour de Guadeloupe), Timothy Dupont (2nd in stage 3 of the Baku-Khankendi), Jelle Vermoote (2nd in stage 8 of the Tour of Türkiye), Gustav Wang (2nd at the Grand Prix Herning), Mārtiņš Pluto (2nd at the Kryterium Asow Laguna Beskidów), Kārlis Klismets (2nd at the Latvian National Championships), Roy Hoogendoorn (2nd in three stages of the Flèche du Sud), Karl Kurits (2nd in stage 2 of the Tour of Estonia), Rait Ärm (1st in stage 1 of the Dookoła Mazowsza), Max Kroonen (1st at the Arno Wallaard Memorial), Johan Meens (1st in two stages of the Tour de Guadeloupe) and Nikiforos Arvanitou (1st at the Visegrad 4 Bicycle Race Grand Prix Poland). Favorites for Victory Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) is the most solid name: the Tour de France 2026 stage win and the 3rd place at the Renewi Tour make him the reference for nervous finales. Ethan Vernon (NSN Cycling Team) has shown versatility with the podium at the GP de Fourmies and placings at the Arctic Race. Max Kanter (XDS Astana) is a guarantee in reduced sprints, as shown by repeated placings at the 2026 Tour. Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto Intermarché) races at home and has already won a stage at the ZLM Tour. Anders Foldager (Team Jayco AlUla) is dangerous on this type of course, with 2nd at the Circuit Franco-Belge. Noah Hobbs (EF Education - EasyPost) won the Heistse Pijl and can insert himself. Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana) and Tobias Müller complete the list of favori