Preview: Philipsen faces in-form Groenwegen in 2026 Ronde van Brugge

Sprint races are a staple of the Flemish spring season. Races like the Bredene Koksijde Classic and Gent-Wevelgem are suited to the fast men, and the Classic Brugge-De Panne is no different. Formerly known as the Three Days of De Panne-Koksijde, it has since 2026 been rebranded as the Tour of Bruges. A race that identifies itself as a sprinter’s event. Will Jasper Philipsen or Dylan Groenewegen make it onto the roll of honor? Wielerflits looks ahead.

History

Last Edition

Route

No more finish in De Panne. The Tour of Bruges is the new name from this year onwards for the race formerly known as the Classic Brugge-De Panne. A race with both start and finish in the West Flanders provincial capital; until 2031 the race will begin and end in Bruges. This also means the removal of the dangerous finish in De Panne, which in recent years caused numerous crashes.

“With the Tour of Bruges, we are aiming for a strong and safe project,” said Christophe Impens from organizer Golazo. “Over the next six years, we give the world’s best sprinters the chance to compete in a top-level WorldTour race.”

The finish line will be set at the edge of the city of Bruges, on the Gulden-Vlieslaan. This finish was ‘carefully’ chosen, according to the organizers. “The sprint preparation, meaning the last 10 kilometers of the race, will take place on obstacle-free roads, and the Gulden-Vlieslaan itself is a wide avenue, with inflatable ‘finish barriers’ from Safe Cycling in the last 200 meters.”

As for the rest of the route, it’s flat as a billiard table. The course consists of two large loops: a southern one towards Tornhout, Wingene, and Beernem, and a northern one via Damme, Koolkerke, and Dudzele. On the northern loop lies the Brieversweg, the only cobbled section on the route. The riders will tackle this loop three times, and the southern loop once, making a total of 202.9 kilometers.

The women will ride both loops once on Thursday, March 26, for a total race distance of 143.7 kilometers. The team presentation and unofficial start for both races take place on the Markt in Bruges’ historic city center.

Favorites

A sprinters’ feast. That’s what the Tour of Bruges 2026 can be called. Not surprising, then, that the biggest teams in the world send their top sprinters to West Flanders. Two of those big names are Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) and Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets). They face off against defending champion Sebastian Molano from UAE Emirates XRG; he was third in Nokere Koerse and eleventh in the Bredene Koksijde Classic. Don’t look for Tim Merlier...

Philipsen secured his first win of the year at Nokere Koerse and played a supporting role at Milan-San Remo, while Merlier only logged his first race kilometers this past weekend. He finished nineteenth at the GP Monseré. Merlier was on the start list for Bruges for a time but was withdrawn two days before the race. This likely opens up opportunities for Laurenz Rex, with help from Bert Van Lerberghe and Dries Van Gestel.

Which other sprinters do we find on the (provisional) start list? At Decathlon CMA CGM, they are still waiting for the return of Olav Kooij. In fact, it’s uncertain whether he will race at all this spring. Initially, Tobias Lund Andresen was on the provisional start list, but the fast Dane will not participate—possibly saving himself for bigger classics. This again offers opportunities for Cees Bol on Wednesday.

Dylan Groenewegen is the leader of Unibet Rose Rockets. He heads the sprint train for the French team, while Lukas Kubis is more focused on the classics. Groenewegen is currently in great form after wins in the Bredene Koksijde Classic and the GP Monseré. Those are ProSeries and UCI .1 level races, but can he deliver in the WorldTour? Philipsen and Molano will need to be alert.

Another Belgian contender is Tom Crabbe, the spring revelation from Team Flanders Baloise. At Lotto Intermarché, the team relies on several fast men: with Vito Braet and Steffen De Schuyteneer, they can play two quick riders, although this might be more for a top-ten spot. Arnaud De Lie won’t be there, as he is focusing fully on In Flanders Fields.

Other fast men include the Czech Pavel Bittner at Picnic PostNL, who will throw himself into the bunch sprint. Alongside Paris-Nice stage winner Max Kanter (XDS Astana) and the Uno-X duo Erlend Blikra and Søren Waerenskjold, he will try to measure himself against top sprinters like Philipsen and Merlier. The small Oded Kogut might cause an Israeli surprise for NSN Pro Cycling, joining compatriot Itamar Einhorn and teammate Hugo Hofstetter.

For Sam Welsford, this is a chance for success; in the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, the INEOS Grenadiers sprinter was close to victory. Outsiders include Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain Victorious), Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek), Paul Penhoët, Matteo Milan (Groupama-FDJ United), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), Luca Mozzato (Tudor), Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost), Jenthe Biermans, and Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis). Dutch sprinter Arvid de Kleijn makes his season debut for Tudor.

However, looking at the weather conditions, this race could easily turn into a wind split event. Many strong sprinters can thrive in these conditions, including Philipsen and Groenewegen, so those names remain at the top of our ranking. It is also interesting to watch out for strong rouleurs who can make a difference in a small group or solo.

Think of riders like Florian Vermeersch and Rune Herregodts (both UAE Emirates XRG) and time trial specialist Jakob Söderqvist or his Lidl-Trek teammate Albert Withen Philipsen. Without Tim Merlier, someone like Yves Lampaert could also show himself in the attack. INEOS Grenadiers have two strong rouleurs in Sam Watson and Connor Swift and a finisher in Ben Turner. And what about Tirreno stage winner Michael Valgren? Or could Marijn van den Berg rise to the fore?

Weather and TV

The sunny spring weather of last week won’t be much in evidence on Wednesday during the Tour of Bruges. According to Weeronline, it will be considerably cooler with a high chance of rain around Bruges. Temperatures will hover around 8 degrees Celsius with a strong wind force 4 coming from the west-northwest, making it feel even colder. Beware of echelons as well.