New race on the busy classics calendar to serve as "a stepping stone towards the Amstel Gold Race"

Compared to previous years, there's a "new" one-day race taking place in Belgium in April. Ronde van Limburg may be just a 1.1-level race, but with the organizer Flanders Classics hopes to create an extra opportunity for versatile sprinters in the midst of the biggest Classics of the season.

"Let’s just say that the teams and riders still have to get used to the new format," Flanders Classics CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel tells WielerFlits. "I think that many teams don’t yet know how to deal with the Ronde van Limburg. With the Brabantse Pijl, we do see an immediate impact on the field of participants. I think it will take some time. Maybe it will look completely different next year. I think that everyone is curious to see how this will evolve."

And so, there are only five WorldTeams at the start, could it be that teams feel a bit overloaded at the moment? "I don’t know if that played a role. I think the teams may not have fully understood what exactly was changing. And also, I understand that this specific week is often the week of the logistical switch for many teams. They are not only flying over a new segment of riders, it is also a kind of change moment in terms of logistics. That is why changing the plans is less obvious for them."

"No, we knew it would be a kind of transition year. We see every time something changes to the calendar that it takes a while before teams realize how they want to approach that change. For a 1.1 race at this time of year, those five WorldTeams in the Ronde van Limburg are very good. But we will work on getting an even stronger field at the start in the coming years."

What are the plans for Classics into the future? "In theory, the intention is for the Ronde van Limburg to become a 1.Pro race. Fewer teams will be waiting to see what happens in the coming years, which is why we think that both the Ronde van Limburg and the Brabantse Pijl will continue to grow as a stepping stone towards the Amstel Gold Race."