Tour of Bruges 2026 | Will the weather ruin it for Groenewegen, Philipsen and the other sprint stars?

In recent years, Classic Brugge–De Panne had unfortunately become known for crashes in the finale, but the 2025 edition took things to another level. In the final kilometres, several different crashes occurred in quick succession, with rider after rider hitting the deck hard. Juan Sebastián Molano eventually won for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but the riders were highly critical of the race’s safety.

That forced organiser Golazo into action. From 2026, the Belgian classic is therefore called the Ronde van Brugge, but above all it is the change to the finale that will please the riders most. De Moeren, long one of the defining features of this race, are no longer included either.

2025 Juan Sebastián Molano

Where the race previously travelled from Bruges to De Panne, from 2026 both the start and finish are in Bruges. Even so, the organisers have drawn up a route of just under 203 kilometres. From the Grote Markt, the riders head south toward Torhout before turning back toward Oedelem, where the peloton reaches the local circuit.

From that point, there are still around 40 kilometres to go before the first pass of the finish line, including the cobbles of the Brieversweg. After that, the riders still have to complete two full laps of 59 kilometres each. It is completely flat, and there are not many technical corners either: the route mainly features broad, open roads.

So the race no longer finishes in De Panne, but in Bruges, on the wide Gulden-Vlieslaan. Deliberately so, as it turns out. The organisers explained it as follows: “Gulden-Vlieslaan as the finish location was carefully chosen by organisers Golazo and vzw Koninklijke Veloclub Panne Sportief (KVCPS), in close consultation with the city of Bruges. Safety is the top priority. The sprint build-up will take place on obstacle-free roads, and Gulden-Vlieslaan itself is also a wide avenue.” That is a clear response to the criticism after the chaos of 2025.

Weather
The nice weather appears to be over for a while this week, and in Bruges the sun is expected to appear little, if at all, on Wednesday. In fact, rain is forecast for the afternoon, combined with a fairly powerful westerly wind. With an actual temperature of seven degrees Celsius, it will feel significantly colder, with a wind chill close to freezing. A straightforward bunch sprint is therefore far from guaranteed.

Times
Start: 12:45 PM local time
Finish: approximately 5:15 PM local time

Although the organisers speak of the race as the “unofficial world championship for sprinters,” a great many big-name fast men are indeed heading to Bruges once again this year. Dylan Groenewegen of Unibet Rose Rockets looks to be the man in the best form after winning both on Friday and Sunday. A victory here would give Bas Tietema’s team its first-ever win at WorldTour level.

But the Dutchman will have anything but an easy task on Wednesday. Jasper Philipsen, riding for Alpecin-Premier Tech and fresh from victory in Nokere Koerse, is set to line up. Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step is also due to start after repeatedly having to delay his season debut, though he did return to racing on Sunday in the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré, where he finished nineteenth.

A number of sprinters will also hope to surprise the biggest names. What about Tobias Lund Andresen? The Dane from Decathlon has already won three times this spring, including a stage at Tirreno–Adriatico. Milan Fretin of Cofidis has also opened his account this year, although his stage win in the Ruta del Sol was perhaps a slightly smaller catch than Lund Andresen’s. Luke Lamperti, meanwhile, took a win in Paris–Nice. Definitely names to keep on the list.

And what can we expect from Arnaud De Lie? After a difficult 2025, the Belgian from Lotto-Intermarché seems finally to be on the way back, although his 84th place in GP de Denain was hardly the most encouraging sign. Pavel Bittner of Picnic PostNL is another rider from whom plenty is expected after finishing third in the Bredene Koksijde Classic. The Dutch team is also bringing Fabio Jakobsen.

Beyond those names, Erlend Blikra of Uno-X, Stanislaw Aniolkowski of Cofidis, surprise package Tom Crabbe of Flanders-Baloise, Davide Ballerini of XDS Astana, and Jayco AlUla signing Amaury Capiot are all worth mentioning. The latter, however, also has the fast-finishing Jelte Krijnsen at his side.

Top favorites: Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
Outsiders: Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost)
Long shots: Milan Fretin (Cofidis), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intemarché), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Erlend Blikra (Uno-X), Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Davide Ballerini (XDS Astana) and Amaury Capiot (Jayco AlUla)