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In Belgium, the most important races are undoubtedly the one-day events, especially the spring classics. It's true that the most important of these races have already taken place and the international calendar is now focused on stage races, but Belgium is special, and one-day classics continue to happen there. This is the case with the Circuit Franco-Belge, which will be held next Wednesday the 29th, and the Brussels Cycling Classic, which will take place on Sunday, June 2nd.

Circuit Franco-Belge: Route and Favorites

The route is a replica of last year's. It totals 191 kilometers, and the entire final section takes place on a 22-kilometer local circuit around the town of Mont-de-L’Enclus, in the region of Wallonia. The circuit includes two categorized climbs, the Col de Hortelin (1.7 km at 3.7%) and Treux-Knokteberg (1 km at 7.9%), and the finish line is situated at the top of a third climb.

In theory, the riders best suited for this race are punchers like Marc Hirschi (600), Corbin Strong (600), Axel Zingle (400), Lorenzo Rota (400), Rasmus Tiller (400), Vincenzo Albanese (400), Yves Lampaert (400), Florian Sénéchal (200), and Alessandro Covi (200).

Brussels Cycling Classic: Route and Favorites

The Brussels Cycling Classic covers some of the most iconic cobbled climbs in Flanders, such as the Kappelmuur (1.1 km at 9.8%) and the Bosberg (1.4 km at 5%), which are climbed twice during the race, although they are placed far from the finish line. It is a very open route that has led to different outcomes in recent years, such as last year's sprint won by Arnaud Demare (800), the three-man sprint in 2022, when Taco Van Der Horn (200) triumphed in the final stretch against Timo Willems (200) and Tobias Bayer (200), or Remco Evenepoel (1200)’s solo victory in 2021.

This time, the starting list includes many sprinters, so many teams will work for a sprint finish. Among them, Kaden Groves (800), Alexander Kristoff (600), Jordi Meeus (600), Biniam Girmay (800), Pascal Ackermann (600), Arnaud Démare (800), Sam Welsford (400), Soren Waerenskjold (400), Paul Penhoet (200), Matteo Moschetti (200), or Jason Tesson (200) stand out.

Photo: Brussels Cycling Classic / Flanders Classics