Sparkassen Münsterland Giro 2026: Featuring Philipsen, Rutsch and Merlier

The German one-day race will start in Borken for the first time and will take the riders through undulating sections of the Baumberge to Münster. The organisers are expecting a sprint finish in front of the castle. Twenty-three teams from three licence categories have confirmed their participation.

Route and profile of the Münsterland Giro

From Borken, the Münsterland Giro route heads north initially. In the district of Borken, the peloton completes a 37-kilometre loop one and a half times before moving into the district of Coesfeld. The most challenging section lies in the second half of the race: Over 70 undulating kilometres through the Baumberge, several short, steep climbs follow one after the other. The final 50 kilometres to Münster are flat. The race is traditionally decided on the final lap through the city centre, with the finish in front of the castle providing the highlight.

Favourites: Münsterland Giro

Jasper Philipsen won the Münsterland Giro in 2024 and 2025 and is aiming for the first hat-trick in the race’s history. The Belgian rider from Alpecin-Deceuninck will face Tim Merlier and Matthew Brennan. The trio recently went head-to-head at Paris-Roubaix. Merlier has faced Philipsen several times this season, with the head-to-head record almost even. In a head-to-head comparison, Philipsen has a narrow lead, whilst Merlier leads in terms of wins this season. Brennan has secured one more victory than his two rivals. The 21-year-old Briton won five stages at the Vuelta a España.

Former winners of the Münsterland Giro

Alongside Philipsen, other previous winners are returning: Olav Kooij won in 2022, Max Walscheid in 2018, Sam Bennett in 2017 and John Degenkolb in 2016. Marcel Kittel, who won in 2011 and 2012, leads the Unibet Rose Rockets as sporting director. Jordi Meeus, Milan Fretin, Pavel Bittner and Pascal Ackermann have all previously stood on the podium in Münster. Representing Germany, Tim Torn Teutenberg, Jonas Rutsch and Tobias Müller will be competing.

Teams Münsterland Giro

Local authorities along the route are organising their own celebrations. In Münster, the all-day LeezenExpo, featuring exhibitors and hands-on activities, invites visitors to join the anniversary celebrations around Schlossplatz. Twelve UCI WorldTeams are taking part: Alpecin-Deceuninck, Decathlon CMA CGM Team, EF Education-EasyPost, Lidl-Trek, Lotto Intermarché, NSN Cycling Team, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Soudal Quick-Step, Team Jayco AlUla, Team Picnic PostNL, Team Visma|Lease a Bike and Uno-X Mobility. The eight ProTeams are Cofidis, MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Solution Tech NIPPO Rali, Team Flanders-Baloise, TotalEnergies, Tudor Pro Cycling Team and Unibet Rose Rockets. The three German Continental teams are Rembe|Rad-Net, Team Lotto Kern-Haus Outlet Montabaur and Team Storck-MRW Bau. The final start list for the Münsterland Giro will be confirmed on 2 October.

​Start list – Sparkassen Münsterland Giro 2026

Start date: 3 October 2026 | Version: 21 September 2026

ALPECIN-PREMIER TECH 🇧🇪

DS: Van Hecke, Preben

DECATHLON CMA CGM TEAM 🇫🇷

DS: Haussler, Heinrich

EF EDUCATION - EASYPOST 🇺🇸

DS: Klier, Andreas

[LTK] LIDL-TREK 🇩🇪

DS: Andersen, Kim

LOTTO INTERMARCHÉ 🇧🇪

DS: Vanspeybrouck, Pieter

NSN CYCLING TEAM 🇨🇭

DS: Claeys, Dimitri

RED BULL – BORA – HANSGROHE 🇩🇪

DS: Vanthourenhout, Sven

TEAM JAYCO ALULA 🇦🇺

DS: Weening, Pieter

TEAM PICNIC POSTNL 🇳🇱

DS: Curvers, Roy

[TVL] TEAM VISMA | LEASE A BIKE 🇳🇱

DS: Pons, Gaëtan

UNO-X MOBILITY 🇳🇴

DS: Andersen, Kragh Asbjørn

COFIDIS 🇫🇷

DS: Demarbaix, Sébastien

MBH BANK CSB TELECOM FORT 🇭🇺

DS: Maini, Orlando

PINARELLO-Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM 🇨🇭

DS: Zemke, Jens

SOLUTION TECH NIPPO RALI 🇮🇹

DS: Canciani, Leonardo

TEAM FLANDERS – BALOISE 🇧🇪

DS: De Clercq, Hans

TOTALENERGIES 🇫🇷

DS: Arnould, Dominique

TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM 🇨🇭

DS: Leysen, Bart

UNIBET ROSE ROCKETS 🇫🇷

DS: Budding, Martijn

REMBE | RAD-NET 🇩🇪

DS: Peplau, Fabian

TEAM LOTTO KERN-HAUS OUTLET MONTABAUR 🇩🇪

DS: Monreal, Florian

TEAM STORCK – MRW BAU 🇩🇪

DS: Coleman, Zak

SOUDAL QUICK-STEP 🇧🇪

DS: Terpstra, Niki

Total: 23 teams | 161 riders