While the general classification contenders will dominate the headlines ahead of the Tour de France, the sprinters shouldn’t be overlooked. Around a third of this year’s stages are expected to favour the fast men, with several sprint finishes coming in the opening week.
The sprinters also have the green jersey, which is awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points throughout the three weeks. Previous winners Biniam Girmay, Jasper Philipsen and Michael Matthews will return to the Tour de France this summer, with hopes of adding another green-ish jersey to their collection, with challengers Mads Pedersen and Tim Merlier there to enter the fray too.
We’ve saved you some time trawling through the startlist and found the top ten sprinters coming to the 2026 Tour de France. We’ll go through each rider’s record for the year, distilling their form down into a Racing Post-style guide, including their win rate, average stage wins per race and season sprint results.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech)
2023 green jersey winner Jasper Philipsen will enter the Tour de France as many people’s pick for the points classification. That’s with good reason too, as ‘the Flame from Ham’ (it sounds better in Flemish) has looked strong in recent months despite a wobbly start to 2026. Victories at the Copenhagen Sprint and the recent Baloise Belgium Tour have filled many with confidence that the Alpecin-Premier Tech rider will be back to his best once the Tour reaches the sprints.
His record at the Tour is also unmatched among this year’s sprinting crop, having won stages at each edition since 2022, with wins spread out across the race, including last year’s opening stage in Lille. Philipsen will also have a strong leadout at his disposal, with Mathieu van der Poel the headline name for support.
Jasper Philipsen
- Age: 28
- Tour participations: 6
- Tour stage wins: 10 (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 16
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 5
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 2
- Win rate in 2026: 17.8%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 0.3
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 1st: Copenhagen Sprint
- 8th: Dwaars door Vlaanderen
- 1st: In Flanders Fields
- 2nd: Ronde van Brugge
- 69th: Milan-San Remo
2025 other sprint results
- 1st: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 5
- 3rd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 4
- 3rd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
- 23rd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 1
- 8th: Scheldeprijs
- 1st: Nokere Koerse
- 18th: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- 10th: Volta ao Algarve Stage 4
- 4th: Volta ao Algarve Stage 1
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Tim Merlier has been considered the world’s best sprinter for a season or two now. The Belgian, who has only participated in the Tour de France twice before, made a great return to the Tour last year, taking home two stage wins. Those victories helped Merlier reach a total of 16 pro wins in 2025, the highest of any sprinter last season.
That gold rush has continued into 2026, which began later than expected due to injury. Nevertheless, he won on his second race day of the year and began to clock up a rush of wins in Belgium and Hungary. The most illustrious of them, Scheldeprijs, was won at a canter against a field of top sprinters, many of whom feature on this list.
To boot, Merlier has one of the best hit rates of the year, having won 27.8% of the races he’s entered this year. That’s slightly down on last year’s 31.2%, but he knows how to rise to the big occasion (even if that means scrimping out on the green jersey).
Tim Merlier
- Age: 33
- Tour participations: 2
- Tour stage wins: 3 (2021, 2025)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 7
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 6
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2025: 27.8%
- Average wins per stage race in 2025: 2.0
2026 WorldTour sprint results
2026 other sprint results
- 2nd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 4
- 1st: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
- 2nd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 1
- 1st: Tour de Hongrie Stage 5
- 1st: Tour de Hongrie Stage 3
- 6th: Tour de Hongrie Stage 2
- 1st: Tour de Hongrie Stage 1
- 1st: Ronde van Limburg
- 1st: Scheldeprijs
- 19th: GP Pierre Jean-Pierre Monseré
Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM)
After years of hype and WorldTour success, Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij will finally make his Tour de France debut. That comes after a change of teams in the off-season, which seemed like a good idea before Paul Seixas decided to blossom in the spring this year.
The 24-year-old is coming into the race with just nine race days in his legs. His prolonged hiatus was forced by a virus picked up during the winter period, but he’s managed to come back to racing just in time for the Tour. While he’s only participated in two races this year, which explains his huge win rate of 44.4%, Kooij has looked strong
Kooij’s new leadout train looks slightly weakened now that he’s sharing leadership duties with Seixas. However, his dedicated four-man team of Cees Bol, Daan Hoole and Tiesj Benoot have all made the cut. Their strength could be enough for Kooij to continue his streak of never leaving a Grand Tour empty-handed.
Olav Kooij
- Age: 24
- Tour participations: 0
- Tour stage wins: 0
- Grand Tour stage wins: 3
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 3
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2026: 44.4%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 1.5
2026 WorldTour sprint results
2026 other sprint results
- 1st: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 4
- 2nd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
- 22nd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 1
- 1st: Boucles de la Mayenne Stage 3
- 1st: Boucles de la Mayenne Stage 1
Biniam Girmay (NSN Cycling)
Girmay is one of the three green jersey winners expected to take part in the 2026 Tour de France.
Girmay has been relatively consistent this year, probably the most so since 2023. With NSN, a team he signed for in the winter, he’s managed to pick up three wins, albeit from second-tier races. Regardless, he’s been a regular fixture towards the top of the standings throughout the season, having finished in the top ten on 35.7% of his races this year.
Girmay isn’t likely to win a flat sprint at this year’s Tour de France, but the Eritrean’s versatility and consistency could be the key to scooping up points more often than the thoroughbred sprinters. He often blows hot and cold at this race though, having been to three Tours, with just one memorable edition to write home about. He’s the kind of cyclist that rides on momentum, so he’ll be hoping to pick up some good results early in order to get the ball rolling.
Biniam Girmay
- Age: 26
- Tour participations: 3
- Tour stage wins: 3 (2024)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 4
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 3
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2026: 11.1%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 1
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 4th: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- 21st: In Flanders Fields
- 108th: Milan-Sanremo
- 2nd: Paris-Nice Stage 7
- 5th: Paris-Nice Stage 1
2026 other sprint results
- 5th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 4
- 122nd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
- 1st: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 1
- 3rd: Brussels Cycling Classic
- 1st: Clasica de Almeria
- 5th: Volta Comunitat Valenciana Stage 3
- 1st: Volta Comunitat Valenciana Stage 1
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Mads Pedersen has been passed the baton as Lidl-Trek’s designated sprinter at this year’s Tour de France, so it’ll be up to him to try and defend the maillot vert won by Jonathan Milan last year.
The Dane’s season, however, hasn’t quite gone to plan. He crashed during his first race day of the year and was forced to spend several months out of competition. He returned for the Monuments, where he impressed given the unfavourable run-up he had. Most of Pedersen’s race days have been in one-day events, so his only stage race was the Boucles de la Mayenne, where he seemed to lack the kick to deliver a big win.
That said, he hasn’t finished outside the top ten of a road race this year, which could prove vital if he wants to round out his collection of Grand Tour points classifications and ‘Sagan’ his way to green.
Mads Pedersen
- Age: 30
- Tour participations: 5
- Tour stage wins: 2 (2022, 2023)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 11
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 0
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2026: 0.0%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 0.0
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 10th: Dwaars door Vlaanderen
- 4th: Milan-San Remo
2026 other sprint results
- 2nd: Boucles de la Mayenne Stage 3
- 7th: Boucles de la Mayenne Stage 1
Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL)
Pavel Bittner is a name that has been there and thereabouts in the sprints since the winter.
The Czech rider, who won a stage of the 2024 Vuelta a España, has stepped up this year and become a staple in the top ten. His second place at Scheldeprijs probably stands out as the year highlight, but he’s been in the mix at one-day races and stage races alike. However, that run of form was derailed by a heavy crash at the Quatre Jours de Dunkerque, which sent him to hospital and out of competition until now.
Spare a thought for Bittner too. This 23-year-old from the Czech Republic has been carrying Picnic PostNL this year, with him at the helm of the team’s UCI points despite not being fit to race for a few months. Bittner is likely to leave at the end of the year, but Picnic will be hoping to improve on what was a torrid Giro d’Italia.
Pavel Bittner
- Age: 23
- Tour participations: 1
- Tour stage wins: 0
- Grand Tour stage wins: 1
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 0
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2026: 0.0%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 0.0
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 6th: Ronde van Brugge
- 5th: Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7
- 10th: Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3
2026 other sprint results
- 2nd: Scheldeprijs
- 3rd: Bredene Koksijde Classic
- 33rd: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- 14th: Volta ao Algarve Stage 4
- 3rd: Volta ao Algarve Stage 1
Max Kanter (XDS Astana)
Germany’s Max Kanter isn’t held in the same regard as Tim Merlier or Jasper Philipsen, but the Astana sprinter has been on fire this year.
Starting off with a podium at the Mallorca Challenge, Kanter made a big splash by winning Stage 2 of Paris-Nice, his first WorldTour victory. He would soon find himself on the podium of a WorldTour classic in Belgium before switching to stage racing once again, when he entered the Tour de Hongrie. There, he finished inside the top five on every sprint, before pulling off a very similar achievement at the Baloise Belgium Tour last month.
Kanter is on fire, you could say. In fact, he’s managed to finish inside the top ten on just under half of his race days this season. I suspect this will continue into the Tour, where his dieselly sprint could see XDS-Astana achieve some of their best results in the Tour.
On the other hand, the 28-year-old hasn’t raced here before, despite his former status as Germany’s next big thing in sprinting. He’s been passed around by several teams, but XDS-Astana have placed their faith in him. That’s a good team to have in your corner, as the Kazakh squad continue to punch above their weight in top-level sprints.
Max Kanter
- Age: 28
- Tour participations: 0
- Tour stage wins: 0
- Grand Tour stage wins: 0
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 1
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 1
- Win rate in 2025: 2.5%
- Average wins per stage race in 2025: 0.3
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 3rd: Ronde van Brugge
- 1st: Paris-Nice Stage 2
2026 other sprint results
- 3rd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 5
- 14th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 4
- 4th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
- 3rd: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 1
- 5th: Tour de Hongrie Stage 5
- 4th: Tour de Hongrie Stage 3
- 3rd: Tour de Hongrie Stage 2
- 5th: Tour de Hongrie Stage 1
- 5th: Bredene koksijde Classic
- 2nd: Trofeo Palma
Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility)
Uno-X won their first Tour stage last year, but they’ll be hoping for more with Søren Wærenskjold. The 26-year-old will compete in his third Tour, with aspirations of upsetting the apple cart in the sprints.
The 2025 Omloop Nieuwsblad winner is coming into the Tour in solid form. After a packed programme in the spring, he picked up some good momentum at the Baloise Belgium Tour, where he finished four of the race’s five stages within the top seven. That shows some good legs and means that we could consider the Norwegian as another contender for the green jersey if he can keep that consistency up throughout the race, much like Mads Pedersen.
The Norwegian rode a strong opening week to the 2025 Tour, with a third place on Stage 1 and a further top five on day three. This year, Uno-X have brought a few rouleurs to help Wærenskjold, but he’s well-versed in the art of surfing wheels in a hectic finale. If it gets messy, this guy might be able to pick up his first Tour victory.
Søren Wærenskjold
- Age: 26
- Tour participations: 3
- Tour stage wins: 0
- Best Tour sprint result: 3rd (2025)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 0
2026 results
- Wins in 2025: 0
- WorldTour wins in 2025: 0
- Win rate in 2025: 0.0%
- Average wins per stage race in 2025: 0.0
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 14th: Copenhagen Sprint
- 3rd: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- 45th: In Flanders Fields
- 14th: Ronde van Brugge
- 62nd: Milan-Sanremo
2026 other sprint results
- 4th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 5
- 7th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 4
- 10th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 2
- 5th: Baloise Belgium Tour Stage 1
- 4th: Volta la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 4
- 4th: Volta la Comunitat Valenciana Stage 1
Fernando Gaviria (Caja Rural)
Caja Rural will make their Tour de France debut this year, aiming to win a stage at some point during the three weeks. Fernando Gaviria, a two-time Tour stage winner, is the most proven quantity within the team, so it’s natural to assume that he’ll be the team’s best shot. Shockingly, the Colombian has only been to two Tours: 2018 and 2024. However, the team will be looking to prove themselves after their surprise call-up to the sport’s biggest event.
Somehow, Gaviria has clocked up an absolutely wild 44 race days this year, which is by far and away the most of any top sprinter at the 2026 Tour de France (maybe even the GC guys too). The Colombian claimed some top ten results in the Middle East during the winter, but his European results also look to be on the up, as he finished inside the top five on three stages of the Tour de Hongrie in May.
Nevertheless, he enters the Tour de France without a win under his belt in 2026. That’s not to say he hasn’t come close, he’s been on the podium in four races this year. Compared to Philipsen or Merlier though, those figures seem minor.
Fernando Gaviria
- Age: 31
- Tour participations: 2
- Tour stage wins: 2 (2018)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 7
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 0
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2026: 0.0%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 0.0
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 14th: Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3
2026 other sprint results
- 11th: Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl
- 3rd: Tour de Hongrie Stage 5
- 2nd: Tour de Hongrie Stage 3
- 5th: Tour de Hongrie Stage 2
- 7th: Tour de Hongrie Stage 1
- 5th: Tour of Türkiye Stage 7
- 6th: Tour of Türkiye Stage 1
- 2nd: Ronde van Limburg
- 10th: Vuelta a Andalucia 3
- 10th: Clasica de Almeria
- 7th: Tour of Oman Stage 4
- 2nd: Tour of Oman Stage 1
- 18th: AlUla Tour Stage 1
- 8th: AlUla Tour Stage 1
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Intermarché)
Still to win a Grand Tour stage, Arnaud De Lie returns to the Tour de France in what is expected to be his last season for Lotto-Intermarché.
Like Gaviria, De Lie has clocked up a few race days this year – 32 to be precise. However, his pathway is quite different, as he chose the Tour de Wallonie instead of the Baloise Belgium Tour. It’s his home race, but it makes it hard to gauge where his form is at currently, especially after he was forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia with illness during the first week.
Otherwise, his sprint performances have been so-so. He came close to a win at Tirreno-Adriatico, but the remainder of his top results seem to be on lumpier profiles. That said, he was on terrible form last year and he managed to finish inside the top five on several Tour stages, so I guess we’ll just have to hold our breath.
Arnaud de Lie
- Age: 24
- Tour participations: 2
- Tour stage wins: 0
- Best Tour sprint result: 3rd (2024, 2025)
- Grand Tour stage wins: 4
2026 results
- Wins in 2026: 2
- WorldTour wins in 2026: 0
- Win rate in 2026: 6.2%
- Average wins per stage race in 2026: 0.25
2026 WorldTour sprint results
- 29th: Copenhagen Sprint
- 4th: In Flanders Fields
- 8th: Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7
- 2nd: Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 1
2026 other sprint results
- 5th: Volta ao Algarve Stage 1
- 6th: Clasica de Almeria