Preview GP de Denain 2026: Tibor Del Grosso, Morgado and Gruel take on established names
One of the more beautiful yet lesser-known cobbled classics in spring is the GP de Denain. Around the northern French town, the route is dotted with cobbled sections familiar from Paris-Roubaix. This 1.Pro race often serves as a benchmark for young talents aiming to excel on the cobbles later, frequently battling established names. That is the case once again. WielerFlits looks ahead to the GP de Denain 2026.
History
Last Year
Route and Information
The organizers of the Grand Prix de Denain-Porte du Hainaut (its official name) like to quote a well-known saying: “The GP de Denain is the only race where riders and equipment can race under circumstances comparable to Paris-Roubaix,” says race director Dominique Serrano. That is indeed true, as the Hell of the North passes through this area with its route.
Even more so: there are six cobbled sectors here that are also featured in Paris-Roubaix. Unfortunately, not the Wallers Forest, although the race passes near it just a few kilometers after the start. The course has barely been changed, except for a few parallel roads here and there. This means that sectors five, six, seven, eight, eleven, and twelve from the GP de Denain in mid-April are also seen in Paris-Roubaix. Sometimes in the opposite direction or shorter, but still.
We can therefore expect another lively race with a total of thirteen cobbled sections, all appearing in the second half of the race. Plenty of opportunities for the strongest to make a difference there.
Participants
Due to its flat profile and a length of around 200 kilometers, the GP de Denain is always a close call. Don’t be misled by the many sprinters on the roll of honor. It was only in 2018 that cobbled sections were added to the finale. Since then, many fast riders have still won, but not always in bunch sprints. For example, Matthew Brennan won last year from an elite group that included almost all the top riders in the race.
Multiple scenarios are possible again this year, which is what makes this such a great race to follow. Based on his Opening Weekend, Jordi Meeus is the big favorite here. The Belgian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe finished seventh in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, tenth in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and won the Ename Samyn Classic. Meeus races aggressively but is also one of the best sprinters at the start. He therefore seems to hold all the cards to fight for the win here.
Teammate Gianni Vermeersch might benefit from that. He was second here last year and looks to be in the form of his life, evident from his fifth place last weekend in Strade Bianche. Vermeersch will likely take the initiative with attacks; then, his leader Meeus can follow up. Arnaud De Lie will try to build his form here. The leader of Lotto-Intermarché was fourth in 2024 and ninth last year. Like Meeus, De Lie does not always wait for his sprint.
One of the riders who impressed last year in and around Denain was Tibor Del Grosso. The 22-year-old Dutchman is one of the spearheads at Alpecin-Premier Tech. He will again want to attack to shake off the fast men. With strong riders like António Morgado, the searcher for a breakthrough Lukáš Kubiš, experienced cobble specialist Anthony Turgis, and the fast rising talent for this type of race Thibaud Gruel, there are many potential allies.
We can extend that list a bit more when looking at outsiders. Who knows, Del Grosso and company might get support from riders like Nils Politt, Aimé De Gendt, Alexis Renard, Per Strand Hagenes (who was close with a long solo in Samyn and here is joint leader of Visma | Lease a Bike alongside Axel Zingle), the yet-to-be-proven cobbles talent Matisse Van Kerckhove (who had two wins last week in Croatia), Jakob Söderqvist, Brent Van Moer, and the strong Johan Geens from Alpecin-Premier Tech.
Looking at the fast men, two sprinters stand out. Cees Bol has made a strong start at Decathlon CMA CGM and has already won twice. In the latest RIDE Magazine, he also said he still expects to be competitive in the Paris-Roubaix finale. If so, he can do that in Denain too. We also highlight Matevž Govekar from Bahrain Victorious. The 25-year-old quick Slovenian was fourth in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and seventh in the Ename Samyn Classic. The cobbles pose no problem.
Other speedsters with a knack for powering over the cobbles include Juan Sebastian Molano, Max Walscheid (previous winner of this race, though he seems not to be in top form yet), and Dylan Groenewegen. Should it come down to a chaotic sprint from a large group, riders like Jensen Plowright, Jenthe Biermans, Ben Oliver, Aaron Gate, Matteo Milan, Arne Marit, and Pierre Gautherat might also feature. And let's not forget the top talent Albert Withen Philipsen.
