Less than 24 hours after Omloop Nieuwsblad comes another of the beloved Belgian races that epitomises everything we love about the grit, drama and adversity of the cobbled classics: Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne.
Although not a part of the WorldTour, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is still considered among the most prestigious of the cobbled Spring Classics, as the second leg of Opening Weekend that cycling fans await with such anticipation each year.
Of the two, this one is more weighted towards the sprinters than Omloop Nieuwsblad, but it’s a finely balanced race, with enough climbing to give attackers hope of succeeding.
As such, it’s a very difficult race to predict, with its outcome varying each year. Each edition since 2012 has been won by a different rider, and the way the race is won tends to alternate year on year; last season it was a bunch sprint, the edition before that Wout van Aert won from a three-man breakaway, and in 2023 Tiesj Benoot was a solo victor.
ROUTE
There isn’t a single climb synonymous with Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, or one that is widely recognised as the obvious moment to make a move. Instead, any one of the 13 on the route could be the decisive moment in determining the outcome of the race.
The most intense period of climbing begins 76km from the finish, where the Kruisberg is the first of several that come rapidly in succession. It’s followed by the Hotond immediately after, then the Côte de Trieu 8km later, and finally the Kluisberg in another 8km’s time.
The attackers will need to make the most of these bergs, as the final 60km to the finish back in Kuurne is entirely flat. Yet despite the parcours, this run-in can still be complicated, depending on the weather…if the wind is blowing strong enough (which it is liable to do at this time of year), then the direction it’s blowing in could make all the difference as to whether the break succeeds, the peloton brings them back, or more attackers succeed in breaking clear.
CONTENDERS
JASPER PHILIPSEN
With Mathieu van der Poel sitting this one out, Alpecin-Premier Tech are depending on Jasper Philipsen to do what he did last year and take Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in a sprint finish. Philipsen needs his team as much as they need him, however, as it’s a big ask to control this race for a big group finish, and though Philipsen can be depended on to remain in the peloton on the climbs, he’s unlikely to be able to follow or make the attacks himself. The Belgian wasn’t sprinting at his best during his season bow at the Volta ao Algarve, but is the kind of rider who comes into his own at the end of a long, tough day like this one, and at his best is still among the two or three quickest in the world.
TIM WELLENS
Having started the season in electrifying form in Spain, winning Clásica Jaén with a long solo move and looking strong at the Ruta del Sol, Tim Wellens goes into Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne as one of the attackers who could defy the sprinters. He was one of the three riders to do so in 2024, and was only denied victory by a superior sprint from Wout van Aert. Ever the team player, the form he’s building now will be in service of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Tadej Pogačar’s determined bid to win Milan-Sanremo later this spring, but for now, as Pog waits to make his season bow, Wellens has the chance to ride for himself.
JONATHAN MILAN
No sprinter in the men’s peloton has matched Jonathan Milan’s early season tally of five wins, all picked up in the Middle-East races of the UAE Tour and AlUla Tour, and now he turns his attention to the spring Classics. With neither the injured Mads Pedersen nor the departed Jasper Stuyven on their roster, he’s now Lidl-Trek’s outright leader for the race, and has a real chance to firmly establish himself as not just a sprinter, but a genuine classics contender. Though Milan only managed sixth in the big bunch finish at the end of last year’s race, in theory he has all the attributes necessary to win here, and is, on paper, the fastest sprinter present.
BINIAM GIRMAY
Biniam Girmay has started the 2026 season on fire, ending his eighteen-month drought without a win on his very first day of racing at Volta Comunitat Valenciana, and following that up with another win at Clasica de Almeria. He looks rejuvenated in his new NSN team; the big question is how will he approach Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne? Though clearly in form, he’d struggle to get the better of the likes of Philipsen, Milan and Paul Magnier in a straight-up sprint, so perhaps needs to be bold and repeat something like the attack he made to win Gent-Wevelgem back in 2022 — a result that still remains his only victory at a Spring Classic.
CHRISTOPHE LAPORTE
Visma-Lease a Bike have a strong recent record at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, winning both the 2023 and 2024 editions through Tiesj Benoot and Wout van Aert. Christope Laporte was a part of both of those winning teams, but whereas on those occasions he took a passive role and won the large sprint among the peloton that came behind the successful break, the absence of the former (having left the team) and the latter (through illness) mean this time it’ll be up to him to take the leadership role, and possibly animate the race with attacks while his young teammate Matthew Brennan performs his former role.
Laporte’s form this year, which saw him win on the opening stage of the Ruta del Sol, indicates that he has at last put his injury and illness problems behind him, and is ready to compete for victory; provided he has overcome the injury that forced him to abandon that race on stage five.
OTHER CONTENDERS
The start list is full of sprinters who could fancy their chances of victory in a mass finish, depending on how much the early climbing takes out of them. Paul Magnier has been one of, if not the, quickest sprinter of the season so far, winning two stages and the point classification at the Volta ao Algarve, and leads a Soudal-QuickStep team desperate to reassert themselves as patrons of the spring Classics.
Phil Bauhaus (Bahrain-Victorious), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe), the in-form Tom Crabbe (Flanders-Baloise) and 2018 winner Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) are other candidates in a bunch sprint, while Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Intermarché) could find success either this way or from an attack, given his explosivity over the cobbled climbs.
Other riders will look to break the race up and go clear on the climbs, including seasoned spring veterans Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling), 2020 winner Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious).
Finally, all eyes will be on Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) as the world waits to see what he can do in the spring Classics as a co-leader alongside Laporte.
PREDICTION
While the start list is full of sprinters, more often than not these days Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne is won by a breakaway, with only four of the last ten editions ending in a mass bunch finish. With this in mind, we’re backing Tim Wellens as the man best equipped to deny the fast men with a successful attack.
Cover image: Luc Claessen/Getty Images