Startlist Scheldeprijs 2026 | Riders: Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Jordi Meeus...

On the 8th of April 2026, the peloton will take on one of the most important sprinter races of the year: the Scheldeprijs. Placed right in the heart of the spring classics, between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, the Belgian classic provides a perfect opportunity for the sprinters to succeed. We take a look at the startlist.

The race was created all the way back in 1907 and is one of the oldest events in professional cycling, one that was also only interrupted during World War 1. Maurice Leturgie took the victory on the first edition but it was only in 1953 that a non-Belgian would raise his arms once again in the semi-classic. Rik van Looy, Roger de Vlaeminck, Eddy Merckx and Adrie van der Poel all won this race back when it was less guided towards a sprint finish - but currently, the speeds are so high that this is hard to ever be avoided.

Mario Cippolini, Erik Zabel, Robbie McEwen, Tom Boonen, Alessandro Petacchi, Mark Cavendish and Marcel Kittel (notably five times) were all generation-defining sprinters who have signed their name on the race's palmarès through the most recent decades. But there isn't a single year where the winner isn't a high-level rider.

This decade alone we've had Caleb Ewan, Jasper Philipsen, Alexander Kristoff and in the previous two editions, Tim Merlier take the victories. In 2025, Merlier outsprinted Jasper Philipsen for a second time in a row to take a sprint win.

Download the startlist in A4. It is going to be an important race for plenty reasons, one of them being that this may be Tim Merlier's first fight for victory this season after a difficult injury-ridden start to the year.

Jasper Philipsen, his former teammate, is going to be one of the main favourites in a race where the pure sprinters are going to be at the head of affairs. Jordi Meeus, Phil Bauhaus, Milan Fretin, Pavel Bittner, Matteo Moschetti and Dylan Groenewegen are all present as big contenders for a top result.