Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne will once again travel through the viciously difficult Pays des Collines in Hainaut in the Belgian opening weekend
Just ask Arnaud De Lie how viciously difficult Le Hameau des Papins, Le Bourliquet or the monstrous Mont Saint-Laurent are. The international unveiling of 2022 parked there and never recovered from the Frasnes-les-Anvaing passage. Wearing out on the hills in the hope that we will get the annual fight between the escapees and the thinned group with the remaining sprinters: that is the recipe of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.
“Last year we checked the course and also made it safer. We have our own face with that. You don’t change what is good,” says Debaveye, who was waiting for a plane in Geneva on Wednesday afternoon to take him home. “I spent two days at the UCI headquarters, where – like any international organizer – I had to take a two-day safety course including an exam. Each match has produced a safety manager (Tom Leleu, ed.).”
The 75th Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne thus again contains four cobblestone sections and thirteen slopes, of which the Tiegemberg is the first and the Kluisberg is the last. Once you have passed the finish on Brugsesteenweg, there is another local lap of approximately 12.6 km through Kortrijk and Kuurne.
No Tim Merlier, indeed Jakobsen
With Fabio Jakobsen, the winner of 2022 returns to the big boys. The European champion performs well in the selection of Soudal – Quick Step. National champion Tim Merlier, who will one day also get the plush donkey as the winner, is for the UAE Tour that will gradually follow. Jakobsen can become the first winner since Frans Verhaegen (1975-1976) to follow himself. Roger De Vlaeminck’s act also dates from 1970 and 1971. If Jakobsen succeeds in his aim, he is one victory away from Tom Boonen, who is the record holder in the Ezelsgemeente with a triple (2007, 2009, 2014).
On EF Education-EasyPost, the day after the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, all World Tour teams travel to Kuurne, albeit partly with a (partially) different selection. In any case, Jakobsen will have Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) as an expected opponent and Jordi Meeus (Bora-hansgrohe) will also embark on Kuurne. The admitted ProTeams are Human Powered Health, Q36.5, Bingoal WB, Uno-X, Israel-Premier Tech , Vlaanderen-Baloise, Team Totalenergies and Lotto-Dstny.
Baby Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
On the same day, a competition for international juniors will also be organized with a pretty tough course. It will also be retained this time. Names such as Kevin De Weert, the unexpected home driver Frederiek Nolf, Adam Blythe, Moreno Hofland, James Shaw, Ethan Hayter, Casper van Uden, Remco Evenepoel, Cian Uijtdebroeks and last year’s winner Sente Sentjens won this list of achievements.
“They want doa!”
For the first time in years, a VIP village has been built again. For the jubilee edition, a book was also published that was given the title “Ze zin doa!” in the Kuurns dialect. It is a unique viewing and story book about 75 KBK editions that was presented at the Plastibac company in Kuurne on Wednesday evening. A keynote with professor Wim Lagae about the leading group of cycling sponsors: strategy and overview round off the informative part.