Lorena Wiebes, Paul Magnier and Matthew Brennan were among the best sprinters of 2026 (Image credit: Getty Images)

Surely we all love a bunch kick? The tension, the uncertainty, the chaos and the sheer speed, the strutting arms-in-the-air celebrations and the bar-banging of the losers can make hours watching an otherwise mundane day of a stage race all worthwhile.

While there might be only a small group of riders able to win at the highest level, it’s the most highly competitive area of the sport, even when there are only a couple of the best sprinters in the final, you can bet your bottom dollar there’ll be plenty of pretenders trying their luck.

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A recent addition to the Cyclingnews staff, Owen Rogers is an experienced journalist, working as a freelancer covering the sport for various magazines and websites for more than 10 years.

Initially concentrating mainly on the women's sport, he has covered…