Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne 2024
Latest News from the Race
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Opening Weekend mega tech gallery, Part 2: Through the scrum at Kuurne
Bigger chainrings, new derailleurs, unreleased wheels -
Cancellara’s Classics column: Visma-Lease A Bike are dominant, but they can destroy themselves too
Wout van Aert and Visma may outgun the peloton, but tactics-wise and racing-wise Opening Weekend showed they're far from flawless -
7 conclusions from Opening Weekend 2024 – Invincibility, long-range deciders and triumphant returns
Taking a closer look at the key themes emerging from the cobbled curtain-raisers
Date | Sunday February 25, 2023 |
Start location | Kortrijk, Belgium |
Finish location | Kuurne, Belgium |
Length | 196.4 kilometres |
UCI class | ProSeries |
Last edition | 2023 Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne |
Last winner | Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Jumbo-Visma |
Wout Van Aert wins three-up sprint to claim victory in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne debut
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike) won a three-man sprint to take the victory at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne after he outsprinted breakaway companions Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and Oier Lazkano (Movistar) at the finish line.
It was Van Aert first time competing at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. Visma-Lease a Bike once again dominated Opening Weekend with Jan Tratnik winning the previous day's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne information
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, a one-day race in Belgium, comes one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and together the races form the Opening Weekend of the Belgian Classics season.
While Omloop het Nieuwsblad uses much of the course for the Tour of Flanders, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne only skirts the numerous bergs that pepper the Flemish Ardennes. The course uses the Tiegemberg, Berg ten Houte, Kruisberg/Hotond, Cote du Trieu and Kluisberg but a flat final 61km tips the race in favour of the sprinters.
The race starts in Kortrijk in 2024 and finishes in Kuurne.
In 2023, Jumbo-Visma dominated the race with Tiesj Benoot soloing to victory ahead of his breakaway companions and Nathan Van Hooydonck sprinting in for second place.
2024 Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne route
The race organisers for Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne have paired with RouteYou to create an interactive map and profile for the 2023 edition. The 193km route around Kuurne tackles some of the most popular climbs of the Spring Classics.
The early loop sends riders over the famed Koppenberg and the Wolvenberg, while the foray into Wallonia uses lesser known but equally punishing ascents of the Hameau des Papins, Le Bourliquet and Croisette.
Luckily for the sprinters, all of those are out of the way with 60km to go and a pan-flat run-in almost always ensures a fast finish.
2024 Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne teams
- Alpecin-Deceuninck
- Arkéa-Samsic
- Astana Qazaqstan
- Bahrain Victorious
- Bora-Hansgrohe
- Cofidis
- Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
- Groupama-FDJ
- Ineos Grenadiers
- Intermarché-Circus-Wanty
- Jayco-AlUla
- Movistar
- Soudal-QuickStep
- DSM-Firmenich-PostNL
- Lidl-Trek
- UAE Team Emirates
- Visma-Lease a Bike
- Bingoal WB
- Israel-Premier Tech
- Lotto-Dstny
- Team Flanders-Baloise
- TotalEnergies
- Tudor Pro Cycling
- Q36.5 Pro Cycling
- Uno-X Pro Cycling
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne race history
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was first held in 1945 and is now about to hold its 74th edition.
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne past winners
Valère Olivier was the first winner and Belgians have gone on to dominate the race, with a total of 53 home winners. Of them, the decorated Tom Boonen holds the record of three victories, in 2007, 2009, and 2014.
The late February date has often seen wintery conditions, and the race has had to be cancelled on three occasions: 1986, 1993, and 2013. That makes it 73 editions in the past 76 years, but there have in fact been 74 winners, with Alfred De Bruyne and Leon Van Daele sharing the honours in 1961 after a close finish that the officials were unable to call.
Races
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Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne 202425 February 2024 | Kuurne | 1.Pro
Latest Content on the Race
Wout van Aert aims to make Omloop Het Nieuwsblad too tough for sprinters
By Kirsten Frattini published
News 'I can sprint too ... But we always want to make the game tough' says overwhelming favourite
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – Analysing the contenders
By Kirsten Frattini, Daniel Ostanek published
Analysis Cyclingnews looks at 10 key riders to watch as the curtain rises on the Spring Classics at Opening Weekend
Top News on the Race
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Wellens 'satisfied' with 'highest achievable' result behind Van Aert at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
Belgian takes second despite revamped training plan with focus on peaking later in spring -
Wout van Aert completes another perfect Opening Weekend for Visma-Lease A Bike
'It was the logical tactic for us to make the race so hard' says Belgian after day of Visma dominance at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne -
Wout van Aert aims to make Omloop Het Nieuwsblad too tough for sprinters
'I can sprint too ... But we always want to make the game tough' says overwhelming favourite
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How to watch Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne 2024
Find out how to stream the return of the spring Classics this weekend -
Alaphilippe, Asgreen, Lampaert lead Soudal-QuickStep at Opening Weekend
Moscon and Lamperti also in Belgian team's squad at Omloop and Kuurne
Related Features
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Opening Weekend mega tech gallery, Part 2: Through the scrum at Kuurne
Bigger chainrings, new derailleurs, unreleased wheels -
Cancellara’s Classics column: Visma-Lease A Bike are dominant, but they can destroy themselves too
Wout van Aert and Visma may outgun the peloton, but tactics-wise and racing-wise Opening Weekend showed they're far from flawless -
7 conclusions from Opening Weekend 2024 – Invincibility, long-range deciders and triumphant returns
Taking a closer look at the key themes emerging from the cobbled curtain-raisers -
Big tyres, big gears, big bars: Six tech trends from Opening Weekend
Here’s what I’ve learned wandering the pits at Omloop and Kuurne