Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne 2026 preview - Can anyone stop the sprinters?

The race often treads a fine line between favouring the sprinters and bold attackers, and regularly sees a game of cat and mouse between those who have attacked on the climbs earlier in the race and the sprinters behind in the peloton, biding their time for a sprint finish.

Last year's edition saw a dash to the line between the sprinters, with Jasper Philipsen proving to be the quickest, ahead of Olav Kooij and Hugo Hofstetter.

The last three editions have seen Belgian winners, with Tiesj Benoot and Wout van Aert winning in 2023 and 2024, respectively. These were also two selective editions of the race, with Benoot winning after a late attack under the flamme rouge from a group of five riders, while Van Aert won a sprint from a three-man group.

There are set to be three former winners on the start list.

• Dylan Groenewegen - 2018
• Kasper Asgreen - 2020
• Jasper Philipsen - 2025

Key information: 

• Date - Sunday, March 1
• Distance - 194.9km
• Start Location - Grand Market, Kortrijk
• Finish Location - Brugsesteenweg, Kuurne
• Start time (CET) - 12:10
• Expected finish (CET) - 17:00

In total, there are 13 climbs and 4 cobblestone sections across the 194.9km route. The race kicks off in Kortrijk, and the peloton hits the Tiegemberg after just 17 kilometres, which could be crucial in forming the breakaway if it hasn’t already formed at this point. 

From there, the route passes through the Volkegemberg, then through Lepelstraat and the Bossenaarstraat inside the first 70km of the race.

Not long afterwards, Berg Ten Houte and La Houppe will pile on some extra pressure, serving as a warning for what is to come. The fireworks could begin on the Hameau des Papin, Le Bourliquet, and Mont Saint Laurent combination, with the trio arriving almost one after the other, with little respite.

Each climb kicks up into double-digit gradients, and this is typically where the race becomes selective.

About 10 kilometres beyond Mont Saint Laurent, the Kruisberg marks the beginning of the next act, before the Hotond, Côte de Trieu, and Kluisberg wrap up the climbing action.

The distance from Hameau des Papin through to the Kluisberg is around 40 kilometres, and will be a key moment of the race where things can become selective, and sprinters get distanced. If those fast men are able to manage their effort, there will be plenty of time to return to the front of the race, and they could be aided if the wind plays ball or there is a lack of coordination out front.

Once the Kluisberg is crested, it's 61.3km of fast, flat roads where the game of cat and mouse will begin, to the finish line on the Brugsesteenweg in Kuurne. There's a sweeping left-hand corner to contend with inside the flamme rouge, which often strings the peloton out due to traffic furniture, thus positioning is key.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is the defending champion and one of the favourites for victory. The last rider to win back-to-back editions was Frans Verhaegen back in 1976, leaving Philipsen with the opportunity to write some modern history. 

The Belgian rider has proved on multiple occasions his ability to withstand the cobbles and hills better than most sprinters, and as a result, is more likely to have less work to do than others following the final ascent, and heading into the last 50km of the race. Though there will be plenty of challengers looking to dethrone Philipsen.

Only Remco Evenepoel has scored more than the five victories that Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) has picked up so far in 2026. The Italian powerhouse has the required form and confidence heading into Opening Weekend thanks to his recent performances in the Middle East, and will be looking to improve on a 6th place result from twelve months ago. 

Milan will have a strong Lidl-Trek team around him who can support him over the climbs, and importantly, provide the numbers to control the finale and set the Italian up in the prime position to sprint for victory. A victory for Milan would create history as he would become the first male Italian winner of Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

Soudal Quick-Step are also in the hunt, having turned their attention back to the cobbles for 2026 following the departure of Evenepoel. The Belgian team has a rising star, Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), spearheading their squad for the Opening Weekend.

The 21-year-old Frenchman is rapid and is becoming increasingly prolific as a rider, a daunting prospect for many of his rivals.

Magnier will make his debut at Kuurne on Sunday, but don't let the lack of experience in the race fool you into thinking that the Frenchman can't win. He beat plenty of the riders on the start list, including Philipsen, en route to his two stage victories last week at the Volta ao Algarve, and will be one of the favourites on Sunday in Kuurne.

Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike), Biniam Girmay (NSN), and Tobias Lund Andresen (Decathlon CMA CGM) are all well recognised for their versatility combined with their fast sprint finishes. The trio of riders have made winning starts to 2026, and on a good day, are more likely than most other sprinters to make the final selection if things become more reduced than expected. 

Representing the host nation's prospects in a sprint beyond Philipsen includes a plethora of riders such as Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), and Tom Crabbe (Flanders-Baloise). 

Other riders to watch out for in a sprint include Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Noah Hobbs (EF Education-EasyPost), Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets), and Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). There will also be plenty of other riders who could be better versed to sprint than some of the more traditional sprinters after a hard race, also.

It’s not a formality that the race will end in a bunch sprint, and there will be plenty of riders trying to scupper the chances of the sprinters, or equally take the pressure off their sprint teammates' shoulders by attacking over the hills and the cobbles. The wind will also have a significant influence on the chances of the early attackers.

Some of the riders who could look to animate proceedings include Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Héctor Álvarez (Lidl-Trek), Lewis Askey (NSN), Timo Kielich and Christophe Laporte (Visma | Lease a Bike), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious)There are set to be three former winners on the start list., as well as Florian Vermeersch and Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).