The Ronde Van Brugge 2026 - renamed from Brugge-De Panne - takes place on Wednesday, March 25, starting and finishing in Bruges over 202.9km of flat roads, a cobbled sector at Brieversweg and a sprint-friendly finish outside the city centre. Here is how to watch live, with all official TV channels, confirmed free streams and a simple way to keep access to your home subscription through a VPN while travelling.
Race schedule
Wednesday 25 March 2026
Race favourites
The flat, wind-exposed route is built for sprinters, though the cobbled sector and exposed roads mean lead-out trains need to stay sharp all afternoon.
Last year's winner - Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates–XRG) is making a return to defend his title in the absence of 2025 second place finisher Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek).
But Ronde Van Brugge is more of a pure sprinters classic. With that in mind, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) arrives as the marquee favourite, with Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) in strong recent form after back-to-back one-day wins at Grote prijs Jean-Pierre Monseré and Bredene Koksijde Classic.
Pavel Bittner (Team Picnic PostNL) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis) are potential outside sprint contenders.
Startlist Ronde van Brugge 2026
How to watch Ronde Van Brugge 2026
Official coverage is split by country, with pay TV and streaming dominating in most markets but free-to-air options confirmed in Belgium and Australia.
How to watch
| Region | Broadcaster | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | TNT Sports (TV); discovery+ / HBOMax | £30.99/month | — |
United States | FloBikes | $29.99/month | — |
Canada | FloBikes | $39.99/month or $203.88/year | — |
Australia | SBS / SBS On Demand | Free | — |
Belgium | Sporza / VRT MAX | Free | — |
France | France TV / Eurosport (not race-specific confirmed) | France TV is free-to-air; Eurosport requires subscription. Check local schedule on race day. | — |
Netherlands | NOS (listed in preview coverage) | Check local schedule on race day | — |
Italy | RAI (listed in preview coverage) | Check local schedule on race day | — |
Legal free streams
Velora tip: Several countries offer official free-to-air coverage of the Ronde Van Brugge. These are confirmed legal options:
- Belgium: Sporza and VRT MAX carry the race live and free. Sporza's live cycling calendar lists the Ronde Van Brugge on March 25.
- Australia: SBS On Demand streams cycling free. The platform carries major one-day races and classics at no cost.
France TV is a free-to-air cycling broadcaster in France, but the research does not confirm this specific race on its schedule. Check the France TV sport page on race morning if you are in France.
If you are abroad, you can access your usual home service by connecting through a VPN to your home country and opening the official broadcaster's app or website.
Using a VPN legally while travelling
Broadcasters geo-block streams outside their licensed territory. If you are travelling, a VPN lets you connect securely to your home network so you can keep watching your existing paid or free account from abroad.
How to do it:
- Download NordVPN, our recommended VPN for streaming while travelling.
- Connect to your home country (e.g. UK for TNT Sports, Belgium for Sporza, Australia for SBS On Demand).
- Open your usual broadcaster's site or app and start watching as normal.
Velora never endorses bypassing broadcast rights. A VPN should only be used to access official services, whether paid or free-to-air, while abroad. Always use legitimate platforms. Unofficial streams often breach copyright and expose viewers to malware.
Brugge-De Panne to Ronde Van Brugge
The Ronde Van Brugge is the renamed - one of many curious renamings for major races in 2026 - version of the old Brugge-De Panne race, now centred entirely on Bruges rather than the coast. That shift moves the race from a long exposed run toward De Panne into a more contained urban-and-inland sprint classic.
The cobbled sector and repeated loops still make it tense for lead-out trains, and the crosswind potential on exposed roads means the bunch can fracture before the finale.
The decisive action builds late so if you're time-pressed aim to tune in for the last 40 minutes.
Quick recap
- UK: TNT Sports on TV; streaming via discovery+ on March 25 (HBO Max launches March 26, so verify your access)
- US and Canada: FloBikes
- Belgium: Sporza / VRT MAX, free
- Australia: SBS On Demand, free
- Travelling abroad? Use a VPN to keep access to your home subscription
- Avoid unofficial streams, they are unsafe and breach copyright
The Ronde Van Brugge is free on Sporza, VRT MAX and SBS On Demand, and on pay TV elsewhere.
FAQ
Ronde Van Brugge 2026: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. In Belgium, Sporza and VRT MAX carry the race live and free. In Australia, SBS On Demand streams it at no cost. If you are outside those countries, you can use a VPN to connect to your home country and access your existing free service.
TNT Sports broadcasts the race on TV in the UK. For streaming on March 25, discovery+ with TNT Sports (£30.99/month) is the expected platform, though HBO Max launches in the UK on March 26 and will carry TNT Sports content going forward. Check your provider for the correct access point on race day.
Using a VPN to access an official service you already subscribe to, or a free-to-air broadcaster in your home country, is a common and accepted practice while travelling. It should not be used to access pirate streams or to circumvent rights you do not hold.
The strongest confirmed free options are Sporza / VRT MAX in Belgium and SBS On Demand in Australia. Both are official, legal and free to use without a subscription.
The estimated finish time is around 16:15 CET (Europe/Brussels local time). Tune in from approximately 14:30 CET when the race enters its final 60km.
Yes. FloBikes holds the rights in both the United States and Canada. A subscription is required, though race-specific pricing has not been confirmed in current sources.
Velora only promotes VPN use to maintain access to legitimate, paid, or free-to-air services while abroad.
