Flanders Classics is an official cooperation among the organizers of the classic cycle races held in Flanders, Belgium. It was founded in 2009 [1] and comprises seven races, of which the Tour of Flanders, one of the Monuments of cycling classics, is considered the most prestigious.
The mission of the Flanders Classics is to ensure the position of the Flemish Classics in the international cycling calendar. By doing this the organization improves the stature of the smaller Flemish races. The cooperation has already achieved a better date for three of the races: Gent–Wevelgem will now be held on the Sunday between Milan–San Remo and the Ronde van Vlaanderen; the Scheldeprijs will be held between the Ronde and Paris–Roubaix; and, the Brabantse Pijl will be held before the Ardennes classics, which consist of the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
Cooperating races are:
| Race | Route | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | Ghent - Ninove | Late February | First race of the Belgian cycling season. |
| Gent–Wevelgem | Ghent - Wevelgem | Late March | The first of the three Sunday cobbled classics, held on the Sunday between Milan–San Remo and the Tour of Flanders. |
| Dwars door Vlaanderen | Roeselare - Waregem | Late March | Until 2017 the first race of the Flemish Cycling Week; since 2018 held between Gent–Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders. |
| Tour of Flanders | Antwerp - Oudenaarde | Early April | The pinnacle of the Flemish Cycling Week and the only Flemish race of the five Cycling monuments, held on the first Sunday of April. |
| Scheldeprijs | Terneuzen - Schoten | Early April | This race is held between the Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix. |
| Brabantse Pijl | Leuven - Overijse | Mid April | This race is now held before the Ardennes classics. |
| Amstel Gold Race | Limburg, Netherlands | Mid/late April | only Flanders Classics race out of Belgium (from 2025) [2] |
| Brussels Cycling Classic | Brussels - Geraardsbergen - Brussels | Early June | Known until 2012 as Paris–Brussels. |
| Tour de Suisse | Switzerland | Mid June | only partnership [3] |
The Tour of Flanders, also known as De Ronde, is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste. First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016.
Johan Museeuw is a retired Belgian professional road racing cyclist who was a professional from 1988 until 2004. Nicknamed The Lion of Flanders, he was particularly successful in the cobbled classics of Flanders and Northern France and was considered one of the best classic races specialists of the 1990s.
Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as La Doyenne, is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium. First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar; usually coming as the last of the spring classics. It is held annually in late April, in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back.
The Amstel Gold Race is a one-day classic road cycling race held annually since 1966 in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classics riders as the favourites.
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Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe, and holds significant prestige because of it. Since 2017, the race is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's top-tier professional events.
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The Tour of Flanders, formerly the Tour of Flanders for Women, is an annual road bicycle racing event in Flanders, Belgium, held in early April. It is held on the same day as the men's race, on much of the same roads but at a shorter distance. Dutch riders Mirjam Melchers, Annemiek van Vleuten, Belgian Lotte Kopecky and German Judith Arndt hold the record with two wins each. Elisa Longo Borghini won the most recent edition in 2024.
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