Grand Prix d'Isbergues 2026: Fretin and Kooij Lead the Challenge in Pas-de-Calais

Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais 2026: top cycling in Northern France On Sunday, September 20, 2026, the international calendar stops in Northern France for the Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais, a procontinental category race held in Isbergues, in the Pas-de-Calais department. The race, historically a favourite among sprinters and attackers, will see 95 riders at the start representing some of the most important teams on the European scene. The protagonists expected at the start The entry list is top-level. Decathlon CMA CGM Team fields Dutch sprinter Olav Kooij, supported by Cees Bol, Sander De Pestel, Robbe Ghys, Tord Gudmestad, Noa Isidore and Antoine L'hote. Cofidis responds with Milan Fretin, Piet Allegaert, Stanisław Aniołkowski, Alex Kirsch, Jan Maas, Hugo Page and Dylan Teuns. Lotto Intermarché brings Matys Grisel, Thibaut Bernard, Cedric Beullens, Vito Braet, Joshua Giddings, Sébastien Grignard and Tars Poelvoorde. Also present are Tudor Pro Cycling Team (with Arvid De Kleijn, Robin Froidevaux, Marco Haller, Sebastian Kolze Changizi, Fabian Lienhard, Seppe Van Den Boer and Maikel Zijlaard), Groupama - FDJ United (with Paul Penhoët, Lewis Bower, Titouan Fontaine, Axel Huens, Johan Jacobs, Clément Russo and Karl Sagnier), TotalEnergies (with Anthony Turgis, Alexys Brunel, Florian Dauphin, Samuel Leroux, Lorrenzo Manzin, Nicola Marcerou and Jason Tesson), Unibet Rose Rockets (with Lukáš Kubiš, Joren Bloem, Hartthijs De Vries, Jelle Johannink, Tomáš Kopecký, Matyáš Kopecký and Abram Stockman) and Van Rysel Roubaix (with Maxime Jarnet). This year's results of the protagonists Looking at the provided results history, some riders stand out in great form. Milan Fretin (Cofidis) secured a stage win at the TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine (stage 4) and a second place in another stage of the same race, plus placings at the Tour de France 2026 (9th on stage 21). Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies) won a stage at the TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine (stage 2), was 2nd in a stage of the Arctic Race of Norway and 8th at the Copenhagen Sprint. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis) won a stage at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye (stage 4) and was 3rd in another stage, as well as 6th at the Heylen Vastgoed Heistse Pijl. Matys Grisel (Lotto Intermarché) won a stage at the Tour of Istanbul (stage 1) and took placings in other races. Killian Théot (Van Rysel Roubaix) won the Ixina Classic - GP Stad Halle and was 2nd in a stage of the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie. Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel Roubaix) won the Grand Prix de la ville de Pérenchies, while Jelle Johannink (Unibet Rose Rockets) took a stage win at the ΔΕΗ Tour of Hellas (stage 3). Joshua Giddings (Lotto Intermarché) won a stage at the Tour of Taihu Lake and Hugo Page (Cofidis) won La Polynormande. Among other notable names, Vito Braet (Lotto Intermarché) took 3rd on a stage of the 2026 Vuelta a España (stage 16), Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor) took placings at the Tour de Pologne (9th and 7th in two stages) and Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies) collected several placings at the 2026 Tour de France (8th on stage 21, 6th on stage 12). Clément Russo (Groupama-FDJ United) finished 10th on stage 21 of the 2026 Tour de France. The Grand Prix d'Isbergues is held in the Pas-de-Calais, a region historically exposed to wind and characterised by narrow roads: conditions that often favour long-range attacks and make the sprint unpredictable. — source: Pre-race analysis Grand Prix d'Isbergues - Pas de Calais 2026 The favourites for victory Based on the available data, the number one favourite is Milan Fretin (Cofidis): the French rider has shown this year that he is among the most in-form sprinters, with stage wins at the TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine and placings at the Tour de France 2026. Behind him, Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies) is a guarantee in a sprint, thanks to his stage win at the TPC en Nouvelle-Aquitaine and 2nd place at the Arctic Race of Norway. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis) is another fast arrow, with his success at the Tour of Türkiye and 6th place at the Heistse Pijl. Watch out also for Matys Grisel (Lotto Intermarché), fresh from his stage win at the Tour of Istanbul, and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), who although without a history in the provided database is one of the purest sprinters in the peloton. Among the outsiders, Killian Théot (Van Rysel Roubaix) and Maxime Jarnet (Van Rysel Roubaix) can insert themselves in long-range breakaways, while Anthony Turgis and Clément Russo (Groupama-FDJ United) are dangerous men in case of a selection. The race promises to be open: the teams with the best-equipped trains (Cofidis, TotalEnergies, Decathlon CMA CGM) will control the breakaways, but the wind and narrow roads of the Pas-de-Calais could spring surprises.