Preview Brussels Cycling Classic 2025 | Tour meets Giro meets riders like Tibor Del Grosso

Anyone looking at the list of winners of the Brussels Cycling Classic will probably quickly conclude that this is a race for fast riders, the men with thick calves who can deliver a powerful sprint after a good 200 kilometers. However, in recent years, this has been less the case.

That's how the race was. A few years ago, an extra degree of difficulty was added for the first time: the organizers decided to include the Wall of Geraardsbergen several times in the course and the Bosberg. These are the decisive factors in the 'old' Tour of Flanders, which changed the character of the race. Winners such as Remco Evenepoel, Taco van der Hoorn, and Jonas Abrahamsen confirm this.

2024 Jonas Abrahamsen
2023 Arnaud Démare
2022 Taco van der Hoorn
2021 Remco Evenepoel
2020 Tim Merlier
2019 Caleb Ewan
2018 Pascal Ackermann
2017 Arnaud Démare
2016 Tom Boonen
2015 Dylan Groenewegen

If you look at the profile of the Brussels Cycling Classic, you will see that the highest point is not above 200 meters. However, from Brussels-North, the route goes up and down (slightly) all day long, and from 50 kilometers into the race, there are also some pretty steep climbs here and there. We encounter several classic climbs.

On the way back to Brussels, from halfway through the race, the course becomes more selective. An iconic cobbled climb duo from the Flemish region has to be conquered twice. The Kapelmuur van Geraardsbergen follows shortly after the Zavelstraat when the riders have 118 kilometers in their legs. Immediately after the Wall of Geraardsbergen climb, the Bosberg follows before the Congoberg leads to a flatter section. After this, there is another repeat of this trio. The key question of the day will be: who will have to let go after this explosive phase, and who will survive?

The following hilly phase, which includes another cobbled section on the Bosweg, ends in one last climb: the Heiligekruiswegstraat. But this climb isn't steep or challenging enough to really make a difference. The street where the finish line lies slopes slightly in Brussels. Here, we will see an exhausting sprint or a nice battle between riders who have managed to break away from the fast riders!

Climbs
91.2 km: Kapelmuur (1.2 km at 7.5%)
95.1 km: Bosberg (1.0 km at 5.7%)
102.0 km: Congoberg (1.2 km at 4.6%)
117.3 km: Kapelmuur (1.2 km at 7.5%)
121.2 km: Bosberg (1.0 km at 5.7%)
128.1 km: Congoberg  (1.2 km at 4.6%)
143.4 km: Kapelmuur (1.2 km at 7.5%)
147.3 km: Bosberg (1.0 km at 5.7%)
154.2 km: Congoberg   (1.2 km at 4.6%)  

Times
Start: 12:15 PM local time (06:15 AM EDT)
Finish: 5:10 PM local time (11.10 AM EDT)

Weather
There is a chance of light rain, but overall, it will be quite pleasant for the riders with a temperature of 16 degrees, sunshine, and a breeze of 2 to 3 on the Beaufort scale from the north.

The Brussels Cycling Classic is scheduled one week after the Giro, which means a mixed field of riders. Some are resuming their season after altitude training, others continue after the Giro d'Italia, and quite a few riders focus specifically on this type of race in May and June.

Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) is the fastest rider on paper. The Belgian won the race in 2020 but was dropped in the hills on his last two appearances. 'The course is selective and suits different types of riders. That's why we're also counting on other guys who can get involved in the dangerous situations that can arise on the tough part of the race," sports director Kevin Hulsmans has already said. Other options are Paul Magnier, Yves Lampaert, and Yves Lampaert.

At Intermarché-Wanty, it is becoming increasingly urgent to avoid relegation, which is why races like this are already a goal in themselves for lead rider Biniam Girmay. After the Brussels/Antwerp Port Epic combination, he will travel to his home country of Eritrea for altitude training. The African finished second in this race last year, and fourth the year before, so he has a proven track record.

In the hilly section, we have to cross the Wall of Geraardsbergen and Bosberg three times, which also offers the attackers opportunities. Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is one example, but there are others. Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) rode well on those slopes in this year's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, while riders such as Jonas Abrahamsen, Rasmus Tiller, Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X) and someone like Mike Teunissen (XDS-Astana) will also want to take advantage of this phase.

Nevertheless, the fast riders seem to be in the majority at first glance. Picnic PostNL has several options for such a scenario with Tobias Lund Andresen, Pavel Bittner, and Nils Eekhoff, as does Israel-Premier Tech with Hugo Hofstetter and Ethan Vernon. Milan Fretin, Stanislaw Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X), Arnaud Démare, Amaury Capiot (Arkéa - B&B Hotels), Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Max Kanter (XDS-Astana) can also be included among the fast men.

Arnaud De Lie will also be there on behalf of Lotto, but whether we can expect anything from him after all the setbacks remains to be seen. On behalf of that team, we place Arjen Livyns and Lionel Taminiaux in the list of long shots, along with Kiko Galvan, Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel), Jason Tesson (TotalEnergies), Lukas Kubis (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Iuri Leitao (Caja Rural) and Maikel Zijlaard of Tudor.  

Top favorites: Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)
Outsiders: Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Milan Fretin (Cofidis), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X)
Long shots: Jonas Abrahamsen, Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X), Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Tim van Dijke, Sam Welsford (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Nils Eekhoff, Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL), Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), Mike Teunissen, Max Kanter (XDS-Astana), Lukas Kubis (Unibet Tietema Rockets)

Sporza will broadcast the Brussels Cycling Classic on Saturday from 3 PM local time (9 AM EDT) on VRT! Eurosport will also be there from 3 PM local time (9 AM EDT), but on HBO Max.