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The Tour de l'Eurométropole (formerly known as the Franco-Belgian Circuit) was a four-stage race that took place between France and Belgium from 1924, until in 2016 it changed format to become a one day race, and currently, the race only travels through Belgian territory. Last year the race was supposed to celebrate its 80th edition and was to premiere at the ProSeries, but had to be canceled due to the global pandemic. So, this year it will finally celebrate the anniversary and become part of the second category of world cycling.

Route

The first 100 kilometers of the race are have some ups and downs, but the outcome will most certainly be decided in the five laps on the final circuit in Tournai. In the circuit, the côte d’Ere (0.4 km at 2.8%) has been replaced by the Col de la Croix Jubaru (1.5 km at 5%), so it is possible that the race will be significantly more selective than in previous editions.

Favorites

The situation on the calendar between the world championships in Leuven and Paris-Roubaix makes the startlist better than on previous occasions, and includes up to 10 WorldTeams.

Fernando Gaviria (800) and Mark Cavendish (800) are the top two favorites if a sprint finish is reached, but there may be attacks and some riders may manage to break the group. Ineos Grenadiers with Michal Kwiatkowski (600), Tao Geoghegan Hart (600) and Giani Moscon (400) will be one of the main attacking teams as they do not bring a sprinter. Apart from Gaviria, UAE Team Emirates also has the option in a small group with Matteo Trentin (800) and in a selective sprint with Alexander Kristoff (800). Other candidates for victory are Elia Viviani (600), Danny Van Poppel (600), Hugo Hofstetter (400), Piet Allegaert (400), Luca Mozzato (400) or Andrea Pasqualon (400).