Preview Scheldeprijs 2025 | Can we expect a sprint in Schoten, while keeping an eye out for the Zeeland wind!

The Tour of Flanders is behind us, and Paris-Roubaix is coming up. That means we can now prepare for the Scheldeprijs, which will be held on Wednesday between the two monuments. IDLProCycling.com takes a closer look at this race, which traditionally features a sprint finish in Schoten,

Anyone who examines the list of winners of the Scheldeprijs can only conclude that this race is made for fast men. Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish, Fabio Jakobsen—these are the men with the highest top speeds, and we repeatedly find them on the list of winners.

In the last two editions, the two fastest Belgians of the moment were Jasper Philipsen and Tim Merlier, who got into a direct duel last year. Both gentlemen will be back in 2025 to take another shot at the race, although they—like the rest of the peloton—will want to avoid bad luck with a view to Paris-Roubaix on Sunday.

Practical information Scheldeprijs 2025

• Terneuzen - Schoten (202.8 km)
• Wednesday, April 9
• Participants
  
• Classification: 1.Pro

In this article

• Latest winners
• Course, weather and times
• Favorites
• TV information

Latest winners Scheldeprijs

2024 Tim Merlier
2023 Jasper Philipsen
2022 Alexander Kristoff
2021 Jasper Philipsen
20 Caleb Ewan
2019 Fabio Jakobsen
2018 Fabio Jakobsen
2017 Marcel Kittel
2016 Marcel Kittel
2015 Alexander Kristoff

Scheldeprijs 2025: Course, weather and times

You don't have to be near the Scheldt (and therefore the Scheldeprijs) to gain altitude: the race is as flat as a pancake. However, there is another factor that can usually cause some sorting: the wind. However, the forecasts do not indicate that it will cause mayhem in 2025: in the opening phase, it will mainly act as a headwind, but on the road from Hoogerheide in the direction of Breda, there are still some stretches where it could be a factor.

Therefore, we will start in the Dutch town of Terneuzen, from where we will cover the first 75 kilometers through the Netherlands. At the start of the race, the course will wind its way along the Oosterschelde and Westerschelde. The dikes and accompanying wind will not only make for beautiful pictures but also a tough race. The route will pass through places such as Hoogerheide and Essen.

After that, the riders will enter Belgium and, after 140 kilometers, will take on the local 17-kilometer lap for the first time. On this lap, anything can happen, with the advantage going to the fast men who make it to Schoten. This lap must be completed three times.

Weather
The weather conditions are excellent from the sprinters' perspective. The temperature fluctuates around 15 degrees Celsius, with a moderate north wind. As mentioned, we will mainly have to deal with headwinds in the opening phase, after which we will have potential echelon risks here and there in the stretch through the Netherlands towards Schoten.

Times
Start: 07:00 AM EDT
Finish: Around 11:15 AM EDT

Favorites Scheldeprijs 2025

Regarding top favorites, we come to the men who finished first and second last year: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step). Both men have had a less-than-perfect spring so far. Philipsen crashed in both Classic Brugge-De Panne and Nokere Koerse and did not feel at his best last Wednesday in Dwars door Vlaanderen, while Merlier suffered a nasty knee injury in the same race in De Panne.

The two teams' interests clashed in Gent-Wevelgem, but after skipping the Tour of Flanders, the fast men hope to be back on point for this race. Philipsen will do so with strong guys like Robbe Ghys, Timo Kielich, and Jonas Rickaert at his side, while Merlier can count on loyal aide Bert Van Lerberghe.

Who else is there? Dylan Groenewegen's counter is still at zero, which will sting the Amsterdam native of Jayco AlUla, but the Scheldeprijs is a nice first chance at success for the Jayco AlUla rider. At Intermarché-Wanty, they will be hoping for better luck for Gerben Thijssen and Arne Marit, both of whom broke their ankles in this race last year.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe has put together a very strong team for Sam Welsford, including the Van Dijke brothers - who will be starting in their home province - Danny van Poppel, Ryan Mullen, and Jordi Meeus. Q36.5 has man-in-form Matteo Moschetti, who has already won four races this year.

Lidl-Trek (Tim Torn Teutenberg and Edward Theuns), Uno-X (Erlend Blikra and Alexander Kristoff), XDS-Astana (Cees Bol, Max Kanter, and Michele Gazzoli), and Cofidis (Milan Fretin and Piet Allegaert) have multiple riders, while Pavel Bitter (Picnic PostNL), Alberto Dainese (Tudor), Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), Lukas Kubis, Davide Bomboi (TDT-Unibet), Timothy Dupont (Tartoletto) and Sasha Weemaes (Pierre Wagner) are also in the running for a good ranking.

Who are the favorites for the Scheldeprijs 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Wanty), Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5)

TV broadcast Scheldeprijs 2025

Sporza and Eurosport will broadcast the Scheldeprijs live on Wednesday. Eurosport will broadcast it online from 9:40 AM EDT. You can watch the Tour of the Basque Country on the main channel.

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