Brussels Cycling Classic moves from August to June
The Brussels Cycling Classic, Brussels’ only professional cycling race, has changed dates. The competition moves from a Saturday in August in September to a Sunday in June. “On a Sunday we have more options in terms of mobility,” says Tomas Van den Spiegel of Flanders Classics.
Remco Evenepoel isolated through the largely empty streets of Brussels on August 30 of this year to win the Brussels Cycling Classic. While in the Druivenstreek or the Pajottenland there was still quite a bit of public on the side, once in the Brussels Region there was little enthusiasm for the last professional cycling race in the capital.
And the organizer Flanders Classics wants to change that. Next year, Paris-Brussels will no longer be an autumn classic in the middle of the season for the first time since the 1970s. “We wanted to go to a Sunday, and those are scarce on the cycling calendar”, Tomas Van den Spiegel of organizer Flanders Classics designed the date change. “Then we have more options in terms of mobility in Brussels. There is often still a lot of functional traffic on Saturdays.”
In recent years, the race has left the Brussels territory as quickly as possible after the start at the Cinquantenaire Park, only to return there as late as possible before the finish at the Atomium after a long circumnavigation. Now that could possibly change, although Van den Spiegel does not want to get too far ahead of the course plans. “Even the finish location is not fixed yet,” said the organizer.
In addition to being able to organize on a Sunday, the link with the Ronde van Limburg a day later is also important. “It is generally over for teams if we can link races to each other,” explains Van den Spiegel.
So, see you on 5 June 2022 for the Brussels Cycling Classic. Where exactly is still unclear.