Startlist Tour of Britain 2026 - Riders: Filippo Ganna, Tim Wellens, Tim Merlier, Olav Kooij, Jhonatan Narváez and more and more
CyclingSaturday, 29 August 2026 at 13:56
The 2026 Tour of Britain is upon us as the countdown begins to the September 2nd opening stage. With an exciting startlist brimming with sprint quality and classics specialists, five stages are on the menu from September 2nd to 6th.
The first three stages are expected to offer flat bunch sprints for the peloton while some punchy climbs on stages 4 and 5 will offer up an intriguing general classification that could come down to the wire on Britain's roads. Download the A4 startlist here.
Tim Merlier is the on-paper favourite to pick up a stage win after dominating 2026 Tour de France sprints. His Soudal - QuickStep team also features classice rider turned lead-out man Jasper Stuyven and 2022 Paris Roubaix champion Dylan van Baarle.
His main sprint rival is expected to be Olav Kooij after a consistent performance in the Renewi Tour last week. The Decathlon leader has Cees Bol in support while other sprinters at the line include Sam Welsford, Matteo Trentin, Ethan Vernon and Tom Crabbe.
Netcompany INEOS bring an exciting team to their home race, with Filippo Ganna back in action after the Tour de France, Welsford for sprints while there's also places for Kim Heiduk, Artem Schmidt, Ben Swift and Connor Swift on their preliminary line-up.
Tim Wellens returns after the Tour de France
UAE bring impressive squad to Tour of Britain
Five World Tour teams start the race, while Tudor Pro Cycling and Pinarello Q36.5 are among the highly-ranked ProTeams making the trip. The best-ranked team in the world will be present however, with UAE Team Emirates - XRG bringing two key riders in a strong squad.
Tim Wellens, Nils Pollitt, Felix Grosschartner, Benoit Cosnefroy and Jhonatan Narváez are down to start, with the latter hoping to add a stage win to his three Giro victories and Tour de Suisse win this season.
Wellens and Grosschartner are back on the bike just over a month after his Tour de France performance that helped Tadej Pogacar take a fifth yellow jersey while Politt rode last week's Tour of Germany.
Other notable riders that could feature prominently include Riley Pickrell, Alessandro Pinnarello and Matteo Moschetti.
Startlist Tour of Britain 2026
| Decathlon CMA CGM Team | |
| Bol, Cees | |
| Ghys, Robbe | |
| Isidore, Noa | |
| Kooij, Olav | |
| L'Hote, Antoine | |
| Paret-Peintre, Aurélien | |
| BHS - PL Beton Bornholm | |
| Johannsen, Victor | |
| Lysgaard, Boas | |
| Sander Hansen, Marcus | |
| Schandorff Iwersen, Emil | |
| Sørensen, Asger Røjbek | |
| APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cyclery | |
| Flanagan, Liam | |
| Keogh, Cian | |
| Lewis, Adam | |
| McDunphy, Conn | |
| O'Connor, Ronan | |
| Welch, Patrick | |
| Modern Adventure Pro Cycling | |
| Caudell, Ezra | |
| Lopez, Ian | |
| McDonald, Brody | |
| Pickrell, Riley | |
| Stewart, Mark | |
| Wright, Paul | |
| Team United Shipping | |
| Arvanitou, Nikiforos | |
| Fetter, Erik | |
| Pelikán, János | |
| Přidal, Tomáš | |
| Stojnić, Veljko | |
| Team Storck - MRW Bau | |
| Cadena, Edgar | |
| Kull, Robin | |
| Sagrado, Alvaro | |
| Ury, Noé | |
| Voege, Lennart | |
| Walls, Matthew | |
| Tudor Pro Cycling Team | |
| Donzé, Robin | |
| Pluimers, Rick | |
| Trentin, Matteo | |
| Voisard, Yannis | |
| NSN Cycling Team | |
| Mullen, Ryan | |
| Pinarello, Alessandro | |
| Smith, Dion | |
| Stewart, Jake | |
| Vernon, Ethan | |
| Great Britain Cycling Team | |
| Bostock, Matt | |
| Bush, Jacob | |
| Rowe, Elliot | |
| Smith, William | |
| Wiggins, Ben | |
| Wood, Oliver | |
| UAE Team Emirates XRG | |
| Cosnefroy, Benoît | |
| Grossschartner, Felix | |
| Narváez, Jhonatan | |
| Politt, Nils | |
| Wellens, Tim | |
| BIKE AID | |
| Belohvoščiks, Kristiāns | |
| Hall, Karl | |
| Mattheis, Oliver | |
| Schempp, Oscar | |
| Sternsdorff, Lennard | |
| Vidal, Victor | |
| Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team | |
| Bax, Sjoerd | |
| Donovan, Mark | |
| Liepiņš, Emīls | |
| Małecki, Kamil | |
| Meurisse, Xandro | |
| Moschetti, Matteo | |
| Tarteletto - Isorex | |
| Dupont, Timothy | |
| Killy, Jonah | |
| Lauryssen, Yorben | |
| Sterck, Joppe | |
| Teugels, Lennert | |
| Vermoote, Jelle | |
| Netcompany INEOS | |
| Ganna, Filippo | |
| Heiduk, Kim | |
| Shmidt, Artem | |
| Swift, Ben | |
| Swift, Connor | |
| Welsford, Sam | |
| St Michel - Preference Home - Auber93 | |
| Bénéteau, Lucas | |
| Bouquet, Axel | |
| Cardis, Romain | |
| Champion, Thomas | |
| Delacroix, Théo | |
| Simon, Yohann | |
| Team Flanders - Baloise | |
| Crabbe, Tom | |
| Deman, Brem | |
| Maris, Elias | |
| Vandenabeele, Henri | |
| Vandenstorme, Dylan | |
| Vanhoof, Ward | |
| Soudal - Quick-Step | |
| Baarle, Dylan van | |
| Bastiaens, Ayco | |
| Lerberghe, Bert Van | |
| Merlier, Tim | |
| Schachmann, Maximilian | |
| Stuyven, Jasper | |
| Lucky Sport Cycling Team | |
| De Luca, Teodor | |
| Ekman, Vilmer | |
| Evertsen-Hegreberg, Simen | |
| Källberg, Axel | |
| Klyver, Hjalmar | |
| Ragilo, Frank Aron |
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Looked like a collar bone.Renz29-08-2026
- That f**** damn, ever-dangerous moment of inattention or distraction… Wish Pogi, my compatriot, all the best. He needs some rest and recovery. He’ll come back just as strong, if not stronger. The question is, when.PogiSloFans29-08-2026
- How unfortunate and sad a moment, a rare crash that he cannot continue from (as opposed to San Remo or Strade Bianchi with Pidcock or Strade Bianchi with that massive crash when he first won). What a disappointment. Also, I get the feeling he will come raging back, worlds and Il Lombardia in his sights, proving his mettle. He was always going to be intense at both, but now I think even more so.RidesHills29-08-2026
- Heartbreaking, absolutely sucks. Really hoping he’s didn’t break anything.DAS29-08-2026
- Unfortunately, he's done.
santiagobenites29-08-2026 - Being born in the US doesn't make me an American. Capish?PogiSloFans29-08-2026
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