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Analysis written by Sergio Yustos (@sergioyustos_) and fantasy tips by Cédric Molina (@ilcapoced)

ROUTE ANALYSIS

• Schedule: 13:00 - 17:20 CET
• TV start: 15:15 CET

A completely new route compared to the last edition. The structure of the day changes and, above all, the circuit with the passages along Brieversweg (Damme) gains prominence, a 1,800-metre section that is tackled several times. The final passage comes with 30 kilometres to go and, although it is not a particularly technical sector, it might encourage some attacks.

The profile is flat, yes, but it is an exposed day with many places where the race can split without the need for climbs. The danger here is not in the mountains; it is in the wind, the narrow roads, and positioning.

It is still a race for sprinters, and a bunch sprint in Bruges is the most likely scenario.

THE WEATHER

The wind is expected to blow at over 30 km/h for practically the entire day, so a race completely torn apart by echelons cannot be ruled out. On top of that, there is also a chance of rain, giving us a perfect day.

STARTLIST

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FAVOURITES FOR THE WIN

On paper, there is clear favouritism for Jasper Philipsen, who lines up as the rider most capable of taking the victory, not only on his own merits but also because he has a team that will work for him without hesitation. The fact that we are likely to have wind increases the Belgian’s chances of fighting for the win, bearing in mind that he usually performs perfectly in these conditions.

However, he is not unbeatable, and that is where riders such as Dylan Groenewegen (who comes in with two recent wins), Max Kanter, Milan Fretin, Luke Lamperti, Sam Welsford, Juan Sebastián Molano, Tim Torn Teutenberg, Søren Wærenskjold, Arvid de Kleijn, Phil Bauhaus, Pavel Bittner, Stanisław Aniołkowski, Paul Penhoët or Émilien Jeannière come into play. All of them are riders who can be in the mix in a mass sprint and, in cases like Molano or Lamperti, can multiply their chances if there is chaos.

Among those who will try to take advantage of the chaos and the wind, we find names such as Florian Vermeersch, Laurenz Rex, Dries Van Gestel, Alexis Renard, Davide Ballerini, Pierre Gautherat, Iván García Cortina, Ben Turner, Steffen De Schuyteneer, Hugo Hofstetter, Luka Mezgec or Tom Crabbé. These are riders with rather limited chances in a full bunch-sprint scenario, but who can dream of victory if, instead, the race explodes.

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IL CAPO CED’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO BE A CAPO IN FANTASY

💥 Il capo’s stat.

Over the last 8 years, Soudal Quick-Step have been on the podium 6 times, including 3 wins.
2025: ✖️
2024: Tim Merlier 🥈
2023: Yves Lampaert 🥉
2022: ✖️
2021: Sam Bennett 🥇
2020: Yves Lampaert 🥇 | Tim Declercq 🥈
2019: Elia Viviani 🥉
2018: Elia Viviani 🥇

📂 Riders with -10% who managed a T10.
2025: 8
2024: 4
2023: 5 (including 🥉)
2022: 2
2021: 4
2020: 4
2019: 6

📂 200-coin riders who managed a T10.
2025: 3
2024: 3
2023: 5
2022: 3
2021: 2
2020: 4
2019: 2

📂 Popular vote from users in the app (15 most selected riders).
7 editions played in Fantasy (since 2019)
Got 🥇 right: 6/7
Got 🥈 right: 6/7
Got 🥉 right: 4/7
Got rest of T10 right: 17/49

🌟 Capos to watch.

• Jasper Philipsen, Juan Sebastián Molano, Milan Fretin, Pavel Bittner and Søren Wærenskjold are, in my opinion, the main favourites to take the win. With the available budget you can pick them all, and my recommendation is that at least 3 of them should definitely be in your ‘9’ to cover the sprint option, which is the most likely outcome.
• Soudal rider: Laurenz Rex or Dries Van Gestel look like the team’s options if it comes down to a sprint. The former was already 8th last year in this race and Van Gestel had a good start to the season in Valencia, so he should by no means be ruled out.
• Low-% riders: Given this race’s history, I would not be afraid to go with some of the riders who appear in the selection tiers: “Differential”, “Little picked” or “Very risky”.