Demanding course of 2024 Belgian Championships features famous climbs and cobblestone sections from races like Tour of Flanders

Riders who want to take a shot at the Belgian title this June will certainly not get it for free. A challenging 'flandrien course' has been designed in and around Zottegem with several slopes and well-known cobblestone sections. Remco Evenepoel and Lotte Kopecky will be defending their titles on this demanding course.

The race will take off from Sint-Lievens-Houtem, then head to Herzele and Zottegem for the first time. In a first loop of just under fifty kilometers, with the climbs of the Diepestraat, Klemhoutstraat and Hostellerie and a passage over the cobblestones of the Paddestraat, there are already some possible executioners. The women complete this loop once, the men twice.

This is followed by a local lap of 22.9 kilometers in and around Zottegem, in which you have to be careful of the climb of the Grotebergestraat and the cobblestones of the Kruiswaterplein and the Lippenhovestraat. The last cobblestone section is known mainly from the Tour of Flanders. The women get to do this decisive loop three times, the men four times.

"In the run-up to the Olympic Games, a month later, the Belgian Championships is an important benchmark," explains Tom Van Damme, the chairman of Belgian Cycling, in conversation with Sporza. "Every rider wants to wear that beautiful tricolor jersey at some point. We expect another high-quality sporting battle on a challenging course in Zottegem."