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Analysis written by Diego Martín (@martinthecaleb)

ANALYSIS OF THE 2026 WOMEN'S SCHELDEPRIJS COURSE

• Schedule: 11:40 am - 2:45 pm (UTC+2 Madrid)

After the Tour of Flanders, the international women's peloton has a new appointment before Roubaix. The Women's Scheldeprijs usually features strong participation and serves as a prelude to the Hell of the North. After Flanders, Scheldeprijs offers a transition route without hills and fewer cobblestone sections than the weekend.

The 2026 Women's Scheldeprijs will depart as usual from the Belgian municipality of Schoten. The race will cover 130 km with a key cobblestone segment. Riders will complete one lap of a long circuit and three additional local laps around Schoten. In both laps, the main challenge is the 1700m cobbled section of Broekstraat.

THE WEATHER

Temperatures are expected to be quite pleasant (18-20ºC) during the 2026 Women's Scheldeprijs. Rain is not anticipated, although it will be quite cloudy. Wind is not expected to be a decisive factor, blowing gently (averages of 15 km/h with gusts up to 25). However, we will have to wait until the last minute. It could blow unfavorably on the cobbled section and favorably in the kilometers leading up to the finish.

FAVORITES FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S SCHELDEPRIJS

Prelude

Since its first female edition, the Women's Scheldeprijs has always been won by a sprinter. Despite the proximity of Roubaix and being immediately after Flanders, this race usually attracts many of the best sprinters and classics riders.

Speed: The Safe Bet for Schoten

We highlight three sprinters above the rest in the 2026 Women's Scheldeprijs. Italian Chiara Consonni (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) is one of the fastest women in the peloton. Her final rush is near the level of the mighty Lorena Wiebes. She might only need a bit more support in the finishes or to start finding her place with her team. But if she's well-positioned in the final meters, she's our favorite to raise her arms.

Irish Lara Gillespie (UAE Team ADQ) is one of the year's big sensations. Not just for her definitive role as the team's main sprinter, but also for UAE Team ADQ's strategy to challenge sprinters like Wiebes and their trains. She won at Le Samyn and has shown consistency since, though without raising her arms again. Will it be in Schoten?

Dutch Charlotte Kool (Fenix-Premier Tech) is the third favorite we highlight. Perhaps she lacked some consistency following her early victory at Omloop van het Hageland. If she’s in leading positions at the finish, she is one of the top favorites.

Other Candidates from the Sprint

The list of great sprinters doesn’t end there. Riders like Dutch Nienke Veenhoven (Visma-Lease a Bike), who can seize opportunities and have other options within the team, like Italian Martina Fidanza, are also in the running. A rider who knows what it's like to win this year and should be considered is Canadian Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health).

We should also not forget riders who usually have other roles but are showing good form, like Belgian prospect Fleur Moors (Lidl - Trek), Austrian Kathrin Schweinberger (Human Powered Health), French Clara Copponi (Lidl-Trek), Polish Marta Lach (SD Worx-Protime), French Gladys Verhulst-Wild (AG Insurance-Soudal), Irish Mia Griffin (Picnic PostNL), Italian Barbara Guarischi ((SD Worx-Protime), or Aussie Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco).

Or riders somewhat under the radar because they compete in more modest teams, like Belgian Katrijn de Clercq (Lotto Intermarche), Italian Sara Fiorin (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi), or Estonian Laura Lizette Sander and Norwegian Oda Aune Gissinger (Hitec Products - Fluid).