Preview Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne 2025 | No overlap with UAE Tour = A super star showdown!

The opening weekend has been Visma territory for the past two years. The Dutch team pulled off the double victory in both 2023 and 2024, winning both Ninove and Kuurne. Last year, Wout van Aert took the semi-classic, while in 2023, Tiesj Benoot and Nathan Van Hooydonck secured a 1-2 finish.

Traditionally, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne is known as a sprinter’s race, as evidenced by past winners like Fabio Jakobsen, Dylan Groenewegen, and Mark Cavendish. However, the modern cycling trend has reshaped the race—it now tends to break open earlier, making it increasingly difficult for pure sprinters to survive until the final sprint.

2024 Wout van Aert (BE)
2023 Tiesj Benoot (NL)
2022 Fabio Jakobsen (NL)
2021 Mads Pedersen (DK)
2020 Kasper Asgreen (DK)
2019 Bob Jungels (LU)
2018 Dylan Groenewegen (NL)
2017 Peter Sagan (SK)
2016 Jasper Stuyven (BE)
2015 Mark Cavendish (UK)

Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne may still have its familiar name, but for the first time, the race will actually start in Kortrijk. While this change is mostly symbolic—since Kuurne is essentially a suburb of Kortrijk—it’s a point of discussion for cycling purists. The city of Kortrijk made a significant financial effort to secure the start on the Grote Markt.

At 12:05 PM, the riders will roll out for 17.6 kilometers of racing before hitting the main route, slightly longer than last year. However, the key features of the course remain largely unchanged. Once again, the Hainaut triple punch—featuring the climbs of Hameau des Papins, Le Bourliquet, and Mont St.-Laurent—will be a decisive moment in the race. The latter, measuring 1.3 km at an average of 7.8%, is an ideal spot to shake up the race, much like Visma | Lease a Bike did last year.

There won’t be much time to recover afterward, as the riders will quickly face the Kruisberg, Hotond, and Trieu climbs. The final ascent, the Kluisberg, marks the last major difficulty before a 60-kilometer run-in toward the finish on Brugsesteenweg in Kuurne.

This final stretch will be crucial for any sprinter teams trying to bring back attackers. The riders will first pass the finish line after 184 km, before completing a final 12 km loop leading to the decisive finish.

Climbs
17.5 km: Tiegemberg (1400 meters at 4.0%, max 8.0%)
35.6 km: Volkegemberg (1000 meters at 5.1%, max 10.3%)
55.1 km: Boembeek (1100 meters at 4.8%, max 8.2%)
70.6 km: Bossenaarstraat (1300 meters at 5.6%, max 9.0%)
74.3 km: Berg Ten Houte (1100 meters at 6.2%, max 13.0%)
81.3 km: La Houppe (1880 meters at 4.8%, max 10.0%)
99.1 km: Hameau des Papin (1200 meters at 6.6%)
107.5 km: Le Bourliquet (1300 meters at 6.8%, max 15.3%)
112.6 km: Mont Saint-Laurent (1300 meters at 7.8%, max 17.0%)
121.5 km: Kruisberg (1400 meters at 5.3%, max. 10.9%)
123.2 km: Hotond (1200 meters at 3.1%, max 9.0%)
130.7 km: Cote du Trieu (1260 meters at 7.0%, max 13.0%)
138.1 km: Kluisberg (1100 meters at 6.0%, max 11.0%)

Cobblestone lanes
35.6 km: Holleweg (1500 meters)
162.8 km: Beerbosstraat (500 meters)

Weather
Chilly but dry. There is almost no chance of rain in Belgium on Sunday, with temperatures hovering around 8°C. Wind will also be minimal.

Times
Start: 12:05 PM (local time) ⏐ 06:05 AM (EST)
Finish: approximately 5:00 PM (local time) ⏐ 11:00 AM (EST)

The past two editions of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne did not end in a bunch sprint, but it's worth noting that the race overlapped with the UAE Tour, which drew many of the top sprinters away. That’s not the case in 2025, meaning we will see many more elite sprinters—along with their lead-out trains—lining up in Belgium. This makes a mass sprint finish more likely than in recent years.

Once again, Visma | Lease a Bike is the team to watch. Olav Kooij, who withdrew from the UAE Tour, is scheduled to race in Kuurne, but he will need to wait patiently until the final meters. Meanwhile, Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, and Tiesj Benoot will likely look to shake up the race in the hilly section, just as they did in 2023 and 2024.

Lidl-Trek and Soudal Quick-Step bring Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier, both double stage winners in the UAE Tour. These two have already taken multiple impressive victories this season and stand out as the biggest sprint favorites. Milan will have a formidable lead-out train, featuring Toms Skujins, Mathias Vacek, Jasper Stuyven, and Edward Theuns. Merlier, on the other hand, will rely primarily on Bert Van Lerberghe, though his entire team is expected to work for him.

Other sprinters have already shown good form. Jasper Philipsen came close to victory in the UAE Tour and could well take home the famous donkey trophy on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jordi Meeus of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and Milan Fretin of Cofidis both secured wins on slightly uphill finishes in the Volta ao Algarve, making them legitimate contenders.

Among the other fast finishers to watch are Biniam Girmay of Intermarché-Wanty, Alexander Kristoff and Soren Wærenskjold of Uno-X Mobility, Luca Mozzato and Arnaud Démare of Arkéa - B&B Hotels, Paul Penhoët of Groupama-FDJ, Kaden Groves of Alpecin-Deceuninck, Madis Mikhels of EF Education-EasyPost, and Pavel Bittner of Picnic PostNL. But will they have the raw speed to compete with the top in this field?

For those expecting an aggressive race, there are several potential breakaway specialists who could make a move. Matej Mohorič of Bahrain Victorious, Matteo Trentin of Tudor, Kasper Asgreen of EF Education-EasyPost, Iván García Cortina of Movistar, and Jonas Abrahamsen of Uno-X Mobility are all riders who have shown they can thrive in these conditions. UAE Team Emirates also has strong options in Tim Wellens and Jhonatan Narváez, both of whom have performed well in this race before.

Top favorites: Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) and Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders:Olav Kooij, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Milan Fretin (Cofidis)
Long shots: Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike), Madis Mikhels (EF Education-EasyPost), Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Tim Wellens, Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Emirates-XRG), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Soren Waerenskjold (Uno-X), Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) and Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL)™.

Of course, you can watch Kuurne live on Sunday. The Belgian semi-classic will be broadcast on HBO Max from 2:30 PM CET. Eurosport 1 will begin coverage at 3:15 PM CET, following the conclusion of O Gran Camiño. For those wanting to tune in earlier, VRT 1 (Sporza) will start its broadcast at 1:30 PM CET.