Best riders after the classics of 2026: update of skills

After the classics, before the Giro, it's a perfect moment to evaluate the skills of riders according to the computer model of Cycling Oracle. In this blog we take a look at the best riders in different skills and who improved the most. Who are the rising stars of 2026? In this blog you can find more details about the background of the model and how it works. At our website, you can compare up to 5 riders and browse through the skills and current rankings.

Best riders overall (OVR)

The overall skill measures the best skills of every rider, not taking into consideration all skills, but mainly their specialties. At the start of 2026, Pogacar already scored the maximum of 99, and he still does after the 5 classics he participated in. 4 wins, second in Roubaix; this is the greatest of all time.

Jonas Vingegaard increased from 97 tot 98, mainly as a result of GC victories in Paris-Nice and Catalunya. Despite their limited program, Almeida, del Toro and Pedersen remained in the top 10 of best riders.

Most improved:

Which riders improved most in during the classics season? Per Strand Hagenes gained some nice results and showed his strenght as a classic rider and domestique. Also Stan Dewulfis worth mentioning, being the last to follow Mathieu van der Poel at E3 Classic and one of the riders of the surprising strong Decathlon CMA CGM team this spring.

Considering riders who already scored 75 or higher at the start of the season, Paul Seixas is the rider who improved his overall skill the most. He ranks 91 after his victories in Basque Country, La Flèche Wallonne and impressive ride (2nd) at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. The French miracle-kid jumps across our ranks like we never saw before. The model traditionally struggles with young riders emerging fast, but Paul Seixas has such strong results that even the computer knows. Tim van Dijke and Tobias Lund Andresen had strong spring-campaigns as well and rank among the best riders after the classics.

Christophe Laporte (85>91) and Daniel Felipe Martinez (77>83) are two examples of riders who had a difficult season in 2025, and are back at their best this season.

Best hill-specialists (HLL)

Hills are everywhere in spring. From Omloop Nieuwsblad to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which riders have the best hill skill? It is without any doubt Tadej Pogacar with the maximum of 99. Behind him Isaac del Toro (3rd in Strade) and Remco Evenepoel (victory in Amstel Gold Race, 3rd in Vlaanderen and Liège) remained the best hill specialists. Romain Grégorie is among the best 5 after his top-10 results in all Ardennes classics and Strade Bianche.

Most improved:

Léo Bisiaux (67>84), Matys Grisel, Emiel Verstrynge (59>71) and Andrew August are four riders worth mentioning with a big increase in their hill skill according to our model. But it is Paul Seixas who scores 93 after the spring classics and is among the best at the age of 19.

Victor Lafay (78>67), Filippo Ganna (82>74) and Stephen Williams (84>74) are three riders who lost many points at their hill skill in the first months of 2026.

Best cobbled-specialists (COB)

Thé skill for the Belgian classic season. Who are the best cobblers in the peloton?

Without any doubt Mathieu van de Poel is the best at racing the cobbles. With a victory in Omloop and E3, and top results in Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix MVDP still scores the maximum of 99 at this skill. Mads Pedersen decreased from 99 tot 95 due to his injuries and recovery period. Jasper Stuyven and both Gianni and Florian Vermeersch added valuable points and rank among the best according to our model. What to say about Wout? Still at 96, but truly deserved to win that big cobbled classic.

Most improved:

His surprise appearence in Ronde van Vlaanderen resulted in a podium and a massive increase in his cobbled skill. Remco Evenepoel improved most but also Tobias Lund Andresen and Romain Grégoire raced impressive cobbled programs. Grégoire tried the cobbles, was less impressive than in the hills, but still gained a lot according to the model. Niklas Larsen (Unibet Rose Rockets) improved a lot despite missing out on that good result in Dwars door Vlaanderen.

It's lovely to see Daan Hoole and Alec Segaert among the most improved riders who already were cobbled specialists. Tim Merlier (89>79) and Jonathan Milan (87>74) are two big sprinters who missed out on good results in the cobbled classics, while Jasper Philipsen (victory in In Flanders Fields) remained among the best (93>91).

Best sprinters (SPR)

The fast men had some interesting chances and duels this spring. Who are the fastest men on the planet? It is still Jasper Philipsen according to our model. Tim Merlier lost a point due to his injuries and late start, while Groenewegen came closer by winning 3 sprint classics in a row. Olav Kooij was absent this spring, hopefully he will recover and be able to show his capabilities in summer.

Most improved:

Riders who already scored 75 or higher at the start of the season are considered to be fast finishers. Among them Steffen De Schuyteneer improved most. Dorian Godon scored the most impressive results at his new team (INEOS Grenadiers), mainly outside the classics.

Fabio Jakobsen (83>77) and Marijn van den Berg (89>86) are two examples of riders who lost most points on their sprint skill in our model.

These three skills are most important in the classics season. In the following lists we will highlight some interesting findings, without listing all best riders and rising stars in detail.

Best one-day specialists (ODR)

One-day races are a combination of several skills. Which riders have the best stats? The big names show up again, with Andresen and Laporte being 'new' in this list and Pidcock, Magnier en Skjelmose losing ground.

Most improved:

Among the most improved riders on this (combined) skill we see some interesting names: Andrea Vendrame, Huens, De Gendt and Oldani have not scored many top-results but improved through showing consistent results.

Best climbers (MTN)

Real big mountains have not been coverd in the spring classics. But still, the big oneweek stage-races impacted the climbing skills according to our model. Pogacar and Vingegaard rank 1 and 2 in this list.

It is quite remarkable to see Mathieu van der Poel improving his climbing skills. Possibly it relates to his strong results in the mountainous Tirreno-Adriatico stages. Alessandro Pinarello is the rising star in this regard, with strong climbing performances in Tirreno-Adriatico and O Gran Camino.

Laurens De Plus, Pello Bilbao and Lennert Van Eetvelt lost some points in their mountain skill.

Best time-trialists (ITT)

Time Trials are of importance in stage-races, but his ability is also shown during the classics. Who is the best in the invididual race against the clock? It is Remco, the reigning World, European ánd Olympic champion. Ganna gained a point, Vine lost one, but the difference with Evenepoel is still large.

Vlasov (78>83), Vauquelin (86>90), Söderqvist (81>84) and Arensman (88>90) are some ITT specialist who scored some good results this spring and improved their skills. Jakob Söderqvist is the rising star among them.

Best GC-riders (GC)

The skill for GC is not that important for classics, but there have been several stage-races that are of importance to the Giro d'Italia 2026. While Jonas Vingegaard is the best GC-rider according to our model, Tadej Pogacar did not contest any stage-race since the Tour de France 2025. Despite he might be a better GC-rider, the computer model uses results to measure skills. Without results it will be difficult to accurately model a rider his skills.

Daniel Felipe Martinez and Lenny Martinez already scored high but improved significantly. Also Tejada and Uijtdebroeks gained some points on this skill.