Greg Van Avermaet is a retired Belgian professional cyclist. Considered one of the most versatile riders of modern cycling, Van Avermaet was a specialist of the classic cycle races, but has also won stages and the general classification in stage races, particularly when run on a hilly terrain, such as the 2016 Tirreno–Adriatico, and the 2018 Tour de Yorkshire. His strong sprint finish enabled him to win sprints of small lead groups, but he has also won races after solo breakaways.
Sep Vanmarcke is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2023 for Jong Vlaanderen–Bauknecht, Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator, LottoNL–Jumbo, EF Pro Cycling, and Israel–Premier Tech, before being forced to retire from the sport for medical reasons. During his professional career, Vanmarcke took nine victories, including the 2012 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the 2019 Bretagne Classic Ouest-France and the 2022 Maryland Cycling Classic one-day races.
The 71st edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was held on 27 February 2016. It was won by Belgian Greg Van Avermaet in a five-man sprint before Peter Sagan and Tiesj Benoot.
The 2017 UCI World Tour was a competition that included thirty-seven road cycling events throughout the 2017 men's cycling season. It was the ninth edition of the ranking system launched by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 2009. The competition started with the opening stage of the Tour Down Under on 17 January and concluded with the final stage of the Tour of Guangxi on 24 October. Slovakia's Peter Sagan was the defending champion. The 2017 edition featured ten new events.
The 2017 Milan–San Remo was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 18 March. It was the 108th edition of the Milan–San Remo, and the eighth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.
The 2017 Dwars door Vlaanderen is a road cycling one-day race that took place on 22 March. It was the 72nd edition of the Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the first since it was promoted to World Tour level – as the tenth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.
The 2017 Record Bank E3 Harelbeke was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 24 March. It was the 60th edition of the E3 Harelbeke and was the eleventh event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.
The 2017 Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 26 March. It was the 79th edition of Gent–Wevelgem and the twelfth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.
The 2017 Tour of Flanders was the 101st edition of the Tour of Flanders, a one-day cycling classic, that took place on 2 April 2017. It was the second monument race of the 2017 cycling season and the thirteenth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour. The race marked the pinnacle of the Flemish Cycling Week.
The 2017 Paris–Roubaix was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 9 April 2017. It was the 115th edition of the Paris–Roubaix and was the fifteenth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour.
The 69th edition of the Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne cycling classic was held on 26 February 2017. It was part of the 2017 UCI Europe Tour and ranked as a 1.HC event. The route was 200.7 km (125 mi), starting and finishing in Kuurne. It was the second and concluding race of the Belgian opening weekend, the year's first road races in Northwestern Europe, one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The 2018 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 24 February 2018 in Belgium. It was the 73rd edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the fourth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour. It was won by Danish rider Michael Valgren for the Astana team, soloing to victory by 12 seconds ahead of Team Sky's Łukasz Wiśniowski of Poland, with the podium completed by the highest-placed home rider Sep Vanmarcke.
The 2018 E3 Harelbeke was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 23 March 2018 in Belgium. It was the 61st edition of the E3 Harelbeke and the tenth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour. The race was won by Niki Terpstra, who stayed 20 seconds clear of an elite group, led home by his teammate Philippe Gilbert, with BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet completing the podium.
The 2018 Gent–Wevelgem was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 25 March 2018 in Belgium. It was the 80th edition of Gent–Wevelgem and the eleventh event of the 2018 UCI World Tour.
The 2018 Paris–Roubaix was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 8 April 2018 in France. It was the 116th edition of the Paris–Roubaix and the fifteenth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour.
The 2018 La Flèche Wallonne was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 18 April 2018 in Belgium. It was the 82nd edition of the La Flèche Wallonne and the seventeenth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour.
The 2018 Liège–Bastogne–Liège was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 22 April 2018 in Belgium. It was the 104th edition of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the eighteenth event of the 2018 UCI World Tour.
The 70th edition of the Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne cycling classic was held on 25 February 2018. It was part of the 2018 UCI Europe Tour and ranked as a 1.HC event. The route was 200.1 km (124 mi), starting and finishing in Kuurne. It was the second and concluding race of the Belgian opening weekend, the year's first road races in Northwestern Europe, one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
The 2020 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was a road cycling one-day race that took place on 29 February 2020 in Belgium, starting in Gent and finishing in Ninove. It was the 75th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the fourth event of the 2020 UCI World Tour.
The 2022 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad is a road cycling one-day race that took place on 26 February 2022 in Belgium, starting in Gent and finishing in Ninove. It was the 77th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the second event of the 2022 UCI World Tour.
