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Gravel groupsets and pressure sensors: the 6 hottest bikes from Omloop het Nieuwsblad

1x and 2x groupsets, tyre choices, air-pressure sensors and fit-specific picks showcased at the opening Spring Classics of 2026

Tom Pidcock Pinarello Dogma F at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Ashley Quinlan

Published: March 2, 2026 at 5:00 pm

Just like that, 2026’s Opening Weekend is behind us, with victories on the board for Mathieu van der Poel and Demi Vollering at Omloop het Nieuwsblad, and Matthew Brennan crossing the line first at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with Charlotte Kool topping the podium at Omloop van het Hageland.

These opening salvos serve as a precursor to the year's biggest one-day races, just around the corner.

We were on the ground to cast a forensic eye over the more interesting bikes and tech choices riders were making.

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Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello Dogma F

Tom Pidcock Pinarello Dogma F at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — Perennial classics aggressor Tom Pidcock and his Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling team were present and correct, running a 2x SRAM Red AXS groupset. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Tom Pidcock Pinarello Dogma F at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — The peloton appears to remain split on whether to opt for 1x or 2x drivetrains at the Spring Classics, but Pidcock and co. appear to have faith in the chain retention offered by the double-chainring setup. This also enables a closer cassette to be used, given the gearing spread a 2x system offers. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Tom Pidcock Pinarello Dogma F at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — Pidcock's Dogma F was complete with Zipp 303 SW wheels and Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres. The bike sported Zipp 303 SW wheels, complete with an integrated tyre-pressure monitor, and ran 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Unibet-Rose Rockets’ Rose Shave FFX

Unibet-Rose Rockets Rose Shave FFX at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — The Unibet-Rose Rockets team was riding Rose’s recently-launched Shave FFX aero bike, taking a different tack with the drivetrain setup. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Unibet-Rose Rockets Rose Shave FFX at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — The team opted for a full Red XPLR AXS groupset. While designed primarily for gravel use, the XPLR versions of SRAM’s top-level drivetrain aren’t an uncommon sight for the Spring Classics, with the sprung-clutch rear derailleur arguably better able to cope with the rough and tumble of cobbles and debris. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Unibet-Rose Rockets Rose Shave FFX at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — The other interesting feature is the Shave FFX’s integrated cockpit – nicely colour-matched on Slovakian road race champion Lukáš Kubiš' bike, this features a textured top surface to improve grip when holding the tops. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe’s Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 — Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe mixed things up, blending a single front chainring with a standard SRAM Red AXS rear derailleur. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 — That chainring was a 54-tooth model, the same as Pidcock’s outer ring on his 2x setup. All things being equal, the 1x setup should prove lighter overall thanks to the removal of the inner ring and the front derailleur. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8 — Also present on these bikes were the still-unreleased Specialized S-Works Turbo Cotton tyres, which feature a cotton casing usually claimed to be both fast-rolling and comfortable when traversing rougher road surfaces. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Florian Vermeersch's Colnago Y1Rs

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad UAE Team Emirates-XRG Colnago Y1Rs — UAE Team Emirates XRG used the Colnago Y1Rs aero bike, but with some interesting spec differences between the riders' bikes. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad UAE Team Emirates-XRG Colnago Y1Rs — We spotted Florian Vermeersch’s number one race bike shod with 30mm Continental Archetype tyres on ENVE SES 4.5 wheels, but Grand Prix TT TR tyres on the spare bike, on deeper ENVE SES 6.7 wheels. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad UAE Team Emirates-XRG Colnago Y1Rs — The Archetype was launched as a limited-edition tyre in 2025 ahead of the Tour de France, so it’s possible the disparity is simply down to availability, but the presence of deeper rims with the SES 6.7 wheels also offers a notably different setup that Vermeersch could have swapped to if the conditions suited. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad UAE Team Emirates-XRG Colnago Y1Rs — Also noteworthy were raised portions of the inner extremities of the handlebar tape – effectively ‘bump stops’ just in case grip was dislodged over the Flandrian cobbles. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne winner Matthew Brennan’s Cervélo S5

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Visma Lease-a-Bike Cervélo S5 — Rising British star Matthew Brennan took to the startline of Omloop het Nieuwsblad and Kuune-Brussels-Kuurne, successfully using the hillier former to tune up for victory the following day. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Visma Lease-a-Bike Cervélo S5 — The Visma Lease-a-Bike rider ran Reserve’s 42|49 carbon wheels, fitted with 30mm Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR tyres (a tougher all-round racing option, compared to the brand’s Corsa Pro Speed tyres). Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Visma Lease-a-Bike Cervélo S5 — The tyres had also been glued on at the rim, likely in an effort to improve tyre retention and reduce burping over the cobbles – in effect, a solution that could stop the team needing to use tyre liners. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Visma Lease-a-Bike Cervélo S5 — Brennan opted to run an inline seatpost combined with his saddle pushed forward on the rails, reflecting a general trend towards riders pitching themselves over the bottom bracket in an effort to improve their pedalling efficiency.

Zoe Backstedt's Canyon Aeroad CFR

Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto Canyon Aeroad CFR at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — Zoe Backstedt of Canyon//SRAM Zondacrypto ran the widest tyres we saw at the start line of Omloop het Nieuwsblad, at 32mm. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto Canyon Aeroad CFR at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — The team was the only one to use Schwalbe Pro One Tubeless rubber, a tyre that has remained the same since 2019, and has been ever-present in the pro peloton since. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto Canyon Aeroad CFR at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — Newer tech on show included Schwalbe’s Clik valves, which (compared to standard Presta valves) offer a faster inflation rate due to their wider cavity, which can lead to easier tubeless-tyre seating. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto Canyon Aeroad CFR at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — In terms of contact points, Backstedt opted for the Canyon CP0048 aerocockpit, preferring the classic drops shape (as opposed to the flared aero drops on the CP0049 aerocockpit sported by some of her teammates). Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Canyon-SRAM-ZondaCrypto Canyon Aeroad CFR at 2026 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad — This was paired with an ISM Adamo PN 4.one saddle, complete with a split-nose design to relieve pressure when riding in an aggressive position. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

Road tech lead

Ashley is BikeRadar’s road lead, heading up our road, gravel and urban bike tech coverage. A trained journalist, he has been working in the bike industry for over a decade and riding for much longer. He joined BikeRadar in 2022 as senior technical editor. He has written for road.cc, ebiketips, RoadCyclingUK, Triathlon Plus magazine and Red Bull, plus worked in PR for some of the industry’s biggest brands, and content marketing for an emerging e-scooter company. Ash is a road cyclist, and has completed La Marmotte Granfondo Alpes and the Étape du Tour (twice) – something of an irony, given his non-climbing stature. He’s firmly getting to grips with gravel riding too, although the road is where his heart is. One day, he’ll buy an XC mountain bike before it’s ‘too late’. He enjoys testing products he thinks can make a tangible difference to a rider’s experience, from wheelsets to rain jackets, groupsets to tyres. Ash is always keen to share his nuanced findings in features about his tests, recognising one person’s perfect solution might be another’s worst nightmare. In 2025, Ash is targeting his first 200km audax and hopes to give bikepacking a try.

Height: 188cm
Bike size: 56-58cm