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Follow us on GoogleAutumn is in full swing, and the Belgian races are coming thick and fast. After the GP de Wallonie on Wednesday and the Championship of Flanders on Friday, it’s already time for the Super 8 Classic on Saturday. In this beer classic, Wout van Aert makes his final appearance of the season. Is the Belgian the top favorite? IDLProCycling.com looks for an answer!
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The Super 8 Classic originated in 1982 as the GP Impanis. The one-day race was held until 1994, before disappearing for a while. It returned in 2011 as a 1.2 race. Just a year later, the race grew in stature: in 2012, the GP Impanis was upgraded to a 1.1 race.
Two years later, the event gained sponsorship from Primus, a Belgian pilsner, and became known as the Primus Classic. In 2015 it reached 1.Pro status, and in 2023 we saw another name change: the Super 8 Classic, named after the new beer from the Haacht Brewery.
With winners like Mathieu van der Poel, Jordi Meeus, and Taco van der Hoorn, the beer classic boasts an impressive roll of honor. This year a successor will be sought for Filippo Baroncini, who is sidelined after a heavy crash in the Tour of Poland.
Practical information Super 8 Classic 2025
- Saturday, September 20, 2025
- Participants
- Classification: 1.Pro
In this article
- Most recent winners
- Course, weather and timings
- Favorites
- TV coverage information
Most recent winners Super 8 Classic
2024 Filippo Baroncini2020 Cancelled
2023 Mathieu van der Poel
2022 Jordi Meeus
2021 Florian Sénéchal
2019 Edward Theuns
2018 Taco van der Hoorn
2017 Matteo Trentin
2016 Fernando Gaviria
2015 Sean De Bie
2014 Greg Van Avermaet
Super 8 Classic 2025: Course, weather and timings
As tradition goes in this one-day race, the start on Saturday will be in Brakel. The riders will once again head east toward Haacht, where the finish line is drawn after 200.7 kilometers. A little longer than last year, but the course is largely the same.
With the Parikeberg and the Zonnebloemstraat, two climbs come early after the start. The route then heads briefly south before turning left into the middle section of the Super 8 Classic.
The finale could already begin early, as the sequence of the Chaussée d’Ottenbourg (700 meters at 7.4%), the Moskesstraat (600 meters at 6.9%), the Smeysberg (500 meters at 8%), and the Florivalstraat (600 meters at 5.4%) starts with 75 kilometers still to go. From the Moskesstraat onward, the riders will tackle the climbs twice more in a local circuit.
Just like last year, the final categorized climb of the day comes in Bertem. After the short Hulstbergstraat, there are just under twenty kilometers left to the finish. The line is once again drawn next to the well-known Haacht Brewery, with the final 850 meters being straight and flat.
Weather
The riders will have very little to complain about on Saturday in terms of weather. With temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius, it will be pleasantly warm, while a moderate wind will blow mostly from behind for much of the day. Conditions are expected to stay dry throughout.
The riders will have very little to complain about on Saturday in terms of weather. With temperatures around 28 degrees Celsius, it will be pleasantly warm, while a moderate wind will blow mostly from behind for much of the day. Conditions are expected to stay dry throughout.
Times
Start: 1:15 p.m.
Finish: around 5:45 p.m.
Favorites Super 8 Classic 2025
Note: this section is based on the provisional start list and is therefore subject to change!
One more time we’ll get to see Wout van Aert in action this year. The Belgian from Visma | Lease a Bike wraps up an eventful 2025 in his home country. Alongside him, the Killer Bees are bringing a very strong team to the start, with Matthew Brennan, Tiesj Benoot, Victor Campenaerts, and Christophe Laporte also selected.
Anyways, the beer classic can in any case count on a strong field, as we’ll also see the rejuvenated Arnaud De Lie (Lotto), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty), and the still-recovering Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) lining up.
With riders like Alexis Renard (Cofidis), Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers), and Matteo Trentin (Tudor), there will certainly be no shortage of attacking power.
We’ll also have to take Uno-X very seriously. The Norwegian squad brings three dangerous names to the start: Tour stage winner Jonas Abrahamsen, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Søren Wærenskjold, and the aggressive Markus Hoelgaard.
At UAE Emirates–XRG, it will be up to António Morgado and Tim Wellens to ride into battle. They also bring Rui Oliveira, who finished third here last year.
If it does come down to a larger sprint in Haacht, riders to watch include Jonathan Milan (Lidl–Trek), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull–BORA–hansgrohe), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), and Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL). These are sprinters who should also be able to survive the climbs.
In the second tier behind them, it remains to be seen how far riders like Arnaud Démare (Arkéa–B&B Hotels), Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Paul Penhoët (Groupama–FDJ), Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step), Pascal Ackermann (Israel–Premier Tech), and Rick Pluimers (Tudor), who finished second here last year, can hold up.
Favorites Super 8 Classic 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com
Top favorites: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto).
Outsiders: Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers), Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X) and Tim Wellens (UAE Emirates-XRG)
Long-shots: Mike Teunissen (XDS Astana), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), António Morgado (UAE Emirates-XRG), Jonathan Milan(Lidl-Trek), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies), Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL), Luke Lamperti (Soudal Quick-Step) and Rick Pluimers (Tudor)
TV Super 8 Classic 2025
Those who want to watch the Belgian one-day race Saturday will have to tune in to streaming service HBO Max. The broadcast will start at 3:45 p.m.
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Latest Comments
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- I like the honesty of that training post. Even the best riders feel the difference after a few weeks off, and he’s got plenty of time to build back up.samanthak11-11-2026
- Fifth in the world rankings after that autumn run is some achievement. Pidcock was so aggressive at the Tour, too—hopefully he can turn a few of those near-misses into wins inpatriciaw11-11-2026
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- If the roster is nearly complete, why bring up Roglič at all? Feels like the article is turning a firm “no” into a transfer rumour.andrewf11-11-2026
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