Scheldeprijs 2026 preview - Merlier, Philipsen and Groenewegen set for epic sprinters' showdown

Dubbed the unofficial sprinters’ world championship, Scheldeprijs is a race that stands out in the palmares of any top sprinter, and the list of former winners reads like a who's who of the World's best fast men.

The oldest Flemish spring Classic on the calendar, Scheldeprijs, slots in between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, giving the sprinters an opportunity to shine, among the races suited to the Classics specialists.

German powerhouse Marcel Kittel holds the record for most stage victories with five, with Mark Cavendish tied with Piet Oellibrandt on three victories. Meanwhile, there is a cluster of 21 riders who have won multiple editions, and in total, there have been 83 different winners in the 113 previous editions of Scheldeprijs.

Of course, while it is unlikely, the race does occasionally evade the expected bunch sprint. This has happened on three occasions this century. In 2003, Ludovic Capelle launched an opportunistic attack with a group of four under the flamme rouge, catching the sprinters off guard to take the win. 

Thorwald Veneberg was victorious in 2005 from the early breakaway, outsprinting his companion Tomas Vaitkus. 

Meanwhile, Alexander Kristoff was the winner of one of the most memorable editions in recent times in 2022, riding into Schoten solo after echelons shattered the race.

2026 is like any other edition in the sense that many of the peloton's premier sprinters will take to the start. 

The Dutch city Terneuzen will host the start of the 2026 Scheldeprijs, just as it has done for the previous five editions, running back to 2021. 

The 205.2km route for Scheldeprijs is predominantly flat, but that doesn't mean that it's an easy race for the riders. Very often, the wind becomes an important factor in the race, with the threat of echelons often present, particularly in the early stages of the race, as the race heads through the Netherlands along the Western Scheldt estuary on exposed sections of road.

Even without the wind, the fight for position and nerves building towards a bunch sprint can lead to tension and create a difficult finale.

Around 75km into the race, the peloton will cross the border into neighbouring Belgium, which will host the remainder of the Scheldeprijs.

Tension will build significantly as the riders reach the final 17km circuit in Schoten, which is set to be tackled three times. The lap includes the cobbled section of the Broekstraat, which is 1.7km long, and is an opportunity for those who want to trouble the sprinters. 

For the sprinters, the aim will be to navigate the cobbles without an incident or mechanical, and stay well positioned towards the front of the bunch.

The race concludes on the Churchilllaan in Schoten, which the riders will know like the back of their hand, and it is likely to serve as the setting for a fast and ferocious finish to the 2026 edition of Scheldeprijs.

Two-time defending champion Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) headlines the start list for the 2026 edition. However, the Belgian’s season was delayed due to a knee injury, and he has only started one race so far. 

In said race, Merlier finished a modest 19th place at the GP Monseré, so it remains to be seen if he will be towards his top-end level at Scheldeprijs. 

Speaking in a Soudal Quick-Step press release ahead of the race, Merlier stated that, "My shape is getting better and better, so I look forward to being there. I would love to be in the mix for a good result, but I know it won’t be easy, because others are in better form."

Despite the setback, Merlier has been a prolific winner in recent seasons and has rarely lost the sprints that he has actually contested. The Belgian scored 16 victories in 2025, the 4th most of any rider in the men's peloton, with 10 of those being at WorldTour level.

Therefore, it would be no surprise to see Merlier be victorious in Schoten, and become just the fourth rider to win three or more editions alongside Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish and Piet Oellibrandt.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) is always a major contender when he takes to the start line of Scheldeprijs. Like Merlier, Philipsen is a two-time winner, having sprinted to victory in 2021 and 2023, and has the opportunity to go level with Cavendish and Oellibrandt on three wins. 

Philipsen has had to settle for the runner-up spot in the previous two editions behind Merlier, giving him extra motivation to go one step better this time around. 

The Belgian is in a good space currently after claiming victory at both Nokere Koerse and Gent-Wevelgem. 

These victories will have given Philipsen a boost in confidence, particularly the victory at Gent-Wevelgem, where he sprinted to victory after his teammate Mathieu van der Poel had been caught alongside Wout van Aert late.

A win for Philipsen would mark a milestone 20th professional victory on Belgian soil, the country where he has unsurprisingly won the most times during his career so far.

Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) is in top form at the moment. The Dutchman has settled in well at Unibet Rose Rockets and arrives at Scheldeprijs with winning momentum. 

Three successive victories at the end of March at the Bredene Koksijde Classic, GP Monseré and Ronde van Brugge for Groenewegen will give the Dutchman confidence that he can win Scheldeprijs for the very first time in his career.  

Along with victory on debut with the Rockets at the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana, Groenewegen is already enjoying a more successful season compared to 2025, and we have only just reached April.

In eight previous participations, the Dutchman’s best result was 3rd back in 2024, but he will have the added boost of sprint coach Marcel Kittel being the record holder at the race with five victories. 

Groenewegen most recently finished 53rd at the La Roue Tourangelle Centre Val de Loire, won by his teammate Clément Venturini. 

A victory at Scheldeprijs would mark the second time in Groenewegen's career that he has won four times in five race days, following 2019 when he won the Ronde van Brugge and three stages of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque.

A former winner on the Champs-Élysées at the Tour de France, Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) knows what it takes to win on the big occasion. The Belgian is more of a dark horse compared to the trio previously mentioned, but has a strong team around him and has made a strong start to the season. 

Meeus was 7th at Omloop Nieuwsblad and 10th at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, before sprinting to victory at the Ename Samyn Classic, and narrowly missing out on victory at Nokere Koerse, ending 2nd.

With riders who will be part of a strong lead-out or can also sprint if required, in the shape of Arne Marit and Danny van Poppel, Red Bull have good cards to play.

Other riders to watch who could be involved in the sprint and top 10 include: Pascal Ackermann (Jayco AlUla), Stanisław Aniołkowski and Milan Fretin (Cofidis), Phil Bauhaus, Matevz Govekar and Žak Eržen (Bahrain-Victorious), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Tom Crabbe (Flanders-Baloise), Steffen De Schuyteneer and Milan Menten (Lotto-Intermaché), Timothy Dupont (Tartelleto-Isorex), Oded Kogut and Hugo Hofstetter (NSN), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), Matteo Moschetti (Pinarello-Q36.5), Edward Theuns and Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek), and Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor).