Team Bahrain Victorious are set to wrap up their three-race series in Belgium today with Gooikse Pijl, part of the Union Cycliste Internationale’s (UCI) 2026 Europe Tour.
The elite men’s road event, being held in its 23rd edition, is set to cover a total distance of 199 kilometres. The route from Roosdaal to Gooik has remained unchanged in recent years, with sprinters once again expected to be among the main contenders.
Competing for Bahrain Victorious will be Alessandro Borgo, Phil Bauhaus, Kamil Gradek, Robert Stannard, Vlad Van Mechelen, Matej Mohoric, and Mikita Babovich.
After a short opening point-to-point section, the race gets underway in earnest after 21.4km, when the peloton crosses the finish line for the first time. This marks the beginning of eight laps of a 21.8km circuit, which makes up most of the race.
Aside from a few gentle undulations, the circuit contains no significant elevation challenges, making another bunch sprint highly likely.
“For this final race, we expect a hard and chaotic bunch sprint,” explained Bahrain Victorious sports director Nikolas Maes. “Borgo will be our leader again. The race can become harder as it progresses, and our sprinter has the qualities to arrive at the finish in good condition. I would say the harder the race, the better for us.
“The wind on the open sections of the course could play a role, as could the weather, although conditions should be quite favourable.
“We remain focused on the final outcome: sprinting for the victory.”
In yesterday’s Flandrien 0.0 Classic, the 200-kilometre second event of Bahrain Victorious’ Belgian foray, Mohoric finished as the squad’s leading finisher. He narrowly missed out on a place in the top 20, coming home in 21st. Teammate Balint Feldhoffer, who will not be competing today, followed in 91st and Borgo crossed the line in 94th place.
The race was a UCI Pro Series event on this year’s calendar.