Sparkassen Münsterland Giro 2026 preview | There's something in store for the sprinters this weekend, too

There are sprinter races, and then there are sprinter races. The Sparkassen Münsterland Giro is one of the top-tier events. Since its inaugural edition in 2006, only five races have not ended in a bunch sprint, meaning the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro has always been a race for the fastest riders in the peloton.

The list of former winners features names of top riders like André Greipel, Marcel Kittel, Tom Boonen, Mark Cavendish, and Olav Kooij. Belgian rider Jasper Philipsen has won the last two editions and will be back looking to defend his title this year.

2025 Jasper Philipsen
2024 Jasper Philipsen
2023 Per Strand Hagenes
2022 Olav Kooij
2021 Mark Cavendish
2020 Not held
2019 Alvaro Hodeg
2018 Max Walscheid
2017 Sam Bennett
2016 John Degenkolb

The Sparkassen Münsterland Giro is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and nearly every edition has come down to a sprint. Jos van Emden pulled off two upsets, but the flat course isn’t particularly conducive to an attack. And this year, too, a sprint will be hard to avoid, though it must be said that the organisers have laid out a slightly more challenging course than last year. Will it make a difference?

Probably not. The race starts in Borken and covers a distance of 196 kilometers. The race quickly covers a local loop through the flat countryside just across the Dutch border.

After that loop, the route heads towards the first obstacles which come at the eighty kilometre mark, where the riders will loop back again to tackle two different climbs.

Both the Coesfelder Berg and the Daruper Berg must be conquered twice, but it’s unlikely that the climbs—1 kilometre at 4.5 percent and 800 meters at 5.6 percent, respectively—will make much of a difference. The loop ends at Hotel Weissenburg with one final short climb.

The peloton then heads quickly toward the finish in Münster. They’ll reach the city with about twenty kilometers to go, after which they’ll complete a tiny local circuit. In the final fourteen kilometres, they will cross the finish line three times before the actual finish is reached. That loop is still fairly technical, with a few turns here and there. It’s sure to make for a chaotic finale.

Weather
The weather in the area won’t be great over the next few days, but that will change over the weekend. Expect a mild afternoon on Saturday, with temperatures around 20 degrees and no clouds or wind.

Times
Official start: 12:30pm GMT / 7:30am ET
Finish: approx. 4:35pm GMT / 11:35pm CET

A sprinters' race is expected which is clear from the start list, which shows nearly every top sprinter will be in Germany this weekend.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) has been the strongest rider the past two years and is in a position to complete a unique hat trick. That would make him the sole record holder.

But he isn’t the only former winner on the starting line. Max Walscheid won in 2018, but we’re mainly keeping an eye on Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), who was the best in 2022. With a fantastic lead-out train, he’s ready for a second victory. Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) has never won here, but this year he may have proven himself to be the fastest sprinter in the world.

There are more Belgians with high hopes. Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) will become the lead-out man for Lidl-Trek next year and will be hoping for a strong send-off. Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché) is having the toughest year of his career and could really use a boost. Milan Fretin (Cofidis), on the other hand, is in great shape and has often come close to the absolute top riders.

Representing the Netherlands at the start, alongside Kooij, is Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets), who was second only to Merlier in the Tour of Flanders. Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor) won the GP Fourmies. Visma | Lease a Bike is giving Brit Matthew Brennan another chance after his miraculous Vuelta performance, this time against a much stronger field. It is also possible that Fabio Jakobsen could start in the yellow jersey of his new team.

Mads Pedersen ( Lidl-Trek) will have to hold his own against riders who are typically faster. EF Education-EasyPost will be counting on Noah Hobbs or Madis Mihkels, while Ethan Vernon looks to be the man for NSN. Uno-X Mobility has Soren Waerenskjold on its roster, and Pinarello - Q36.5 has Matteo Moschetti. Pavel Bittner delivered a much-needed victory for Picnic PostNL at Paris-Chauny and could go for his second straight win.

So are there still opportunities for the non-sprinters? There’s a big “maybe” attached to that, but it’s possible. Jayco AlUla doesn’t have a fast rider: you can bet your bottom dollar that Dries De Bondt will try something. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Aimé De Gendt (Pinarello - Q36.5), and Michael Valgren (EF Education-EasyPost) are also the type of riders who might try something.

Top Favorites: Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM)
Dark horses: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech), Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets)
Long shots: Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X Mobility), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Arvid de Kleijn (Tudor), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), Ethan Vernon (NSN), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost), Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello - Q36.5), and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché)