Spring Classics 2026: The Injured and the Missing as Flanders Weekend Approaches
The Spring Classics are the most brutal stretch of the professional cycling calendar, and 2026 has proved no exception. Before the peloton even reaches the Tour of Flanders start line in Antwerp, a significant number of riders who would otherwise have been major contenders have been ruled out through crashes, illness and injury. Here is a comprehensive look at who is missing and how their absence reshapes the remaining weeks of cobbled racing.
Stefan Küng was one of the most anticipated riders of the cobbled spring after his near-miss at Paris-Roubaix last year, but the Swiss Groupama-FDJ rouleur suffered a major fracture at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in late February and has played no part in the Classics since. His absence is felt most keenly at Paris-Roubaix on April 12, where his ability to control a breakaway and deliver a well-timed late surge made him a genuine podium contender. Teammate Ben Swift also suffered fractures in the same incident, extending Groupama-FDJ's misfortune from the opening weekend of the Belgian season.
Neilson Powless of EF Education-EasyPost will miss the entire spring after undergoing knee surgery. The American is one of the more versatile one-day riders in the WorldTour peloton, capable of climbing the Flemish bergs and reading the complex tactical chess of the Classics. His team have adjusted their plans accordingly, but his absence deprives the races of a rider who reliably featured in the decisive moves in 2025. Tim Wellens, who had been expected to play a key domestique role for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, has also missed the spring, which leaves Pogacar's support structure slightly thinner than intended on the climbs.
Jhonatan Narváez's absence is another significant storyline. The Ineos Grenadiers rider was outstanding across cobbled terrain in 2025 and was expected to challenge for a top result at both Flanders and Roubaix. His recovery from injury continues off the bike, and the Classics will conclude without him. Ineos, consequently, arrive at both Monuments in a reduced state — their ambitions largely limited to stage-setting for Tom Pidcock, who remains very much in the picture on the Oudenaarde climbs.
The women's race has also been affected by notable withdrawals, most poignantly the announcement on Friday evening that Marianne Vos will not start the Tour of Flanders Women following the death of her father. Separately, earlier in the spring, several riders sustained injuries in the dangerous conditions that have characterised the early weeks of the season. The UCI's ongoing discussions around neutralisations and race safety have gathered fresh urgency in light of the injury toll.
For the races that remain, the absence list reshapes the dynamic in specific ways. At Paris-Roubaix, Küng's absence removes a dangerous escape artist who could have complicated Mathieu van der Poel's tactical management of the race from the front. Without the Swiss rider to worry about in a break, Alpecin-Deceuninck can focus more squarely on Van der Poel's primary rivals in the chasing group. At Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Powless's absence leaves Pogacar's rivals one fewer option for disruption in the climbs.
The pattern of injuries also underlines a broader point about the peloton's density of talent in 2026: even without Küng, Narváez, Wellens and Powless, the Classics fields are the strongest assembled in years. The arrival of Remco Evenepoel at the Tour of Flanders, the extended rivalry between Van der Poel and Pogacar, and the unpredictable form of Van Aert have combined to ensure that the cobbled season remains as compelling as any in recent memory — even if the casualty list is longer than anyone would have wished.