The UCI Road World Championships Elite Men's Road Race is a one-day event for professional cyclists that takes place annually. The winner is considered the World Cycling Champion and earns the right to wear the Rainbow Jersey for a full year in road race or stage events. The event is a single 'mass start' road race with the winner being the first across the line at the completion of the full race distance. The road race is contested by riders organized by national cycling teams as opposed to commercially sponsored or trade teams, which is the standard in professional cycling.
The classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional road cycling races in the international calendar. Some of these events date back to the 19th century. They are normally held at roughly the same time each year. The five most revered races are often described as the cycling monuments.
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.
The Bretagne Classic, also called Bretagne Classic Ouest–France, is an elite cycling classic held annually in late summer around the Breton village of Plouay in western France.
Sport in Belgium plays a prominent role in the society. As of 2010, Belgium counted around 17,000 sport clubs with approximately 1.35 million members, or about 13% of the Belgian population. Popular sports in Belgium are, among others: football, cycling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, judo, hockey, rowing, motocross, auto racing, volleyball, and running. Belgium has organized the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp as well as the 1972 UEFA European Championship and the 2000 UEFA European Championship along with the Netherlands. The Belgium national football team's best result was a 3rd place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a second place of the 1980 UEFA European Championship. Belgian football clubs have won 3 times the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and twice the UEFA Cup, plus 3 times the UEFA Supercup.
Marc Sergeant is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer. He competed in the team time trial event at the 1980 Summer Olympics. After Sergeant stopped his cycling career, he became team manager at Lotto–Soudal. He left his management role at the end of the 2021 season. Sergeant finished a total of 6 times in the top 10 of Tour of Flanders.
Omloop van het Waasland is a bicycle road race held annually in the Belgian region of Waasland. Since 2009, it is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour.
Jules Vanhevel was a Belgian racing cyclist. He was a professional from 1919 to 1936.
The Men's Individual Road Race of the 2010 UCI Road World Championships cycling event took place on 3 October in Melbourne and concluded in Geelong, Australia. Thor Hushovd claimed the World Championship in a sprint finish, to become the first Norwegian to win the World Championship road race.
Werner Devos is a former Belgian racing cyclist. He finished in last place in the 1982 Tour de France.
The Women's Amstel Gold Race is the women's event of the Amstel Gold Race, the most important annual road cycling event in the Netherlands. Held in mid-April, it is organized on the same day as the men's race at approximately half the distance. Like the men's event, the race starts in Maastricht and finishes in Berg en Terblijt, Valkenburg. It features 17 categorized climbs, including four ascents of the Cauberg.
The Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen was a post WW II-men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1979. The start and finish place was Ertvelde.
The Circuit of the Border Region was a men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1983. The start and finish place was Ledegem
The Omloop van Midden-België was a men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1979. The start and finish place was Lier, Belgium.
The Omloop der Vlaamse gewesten was a men's cycling race of which the original format was organized for the last time in 1972. The race was run in variating Flemish provinces or Brussels.
The Omloop van Midden-Vlaanderen was a men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1976. The start and finish place was Deinze.
The Omloop van Limburg was a Belgian cycling race organized for the last time in 1969.
The Omloop der drie Provinciën was a Belgian post-WW II cycling race organized for the last time in 1982.
The Omloop van het Zuidwesten was a Belgian cycling race organized for the last time in 1982.
Omloop van de Vlasstreek was a Belgian post-WW II cycling race organized for the last time in 1994.
Jean Storms (BEL)
