PREVIEW | Baloise Belgium Tour 2024 - Jasper Philipsen and Benoît Cosnefroy among big favourites for explosive race

The Baloise Belgium Tour is scheduled from June 12th to 16th and has grown into a highly regarded preparatory race for the Tour de France, particularly favored by sprinters and classics riders. Let's preview the upcoming race.

The race starts off in the town of Beringen with a 12-kilometer time-trial. This is an important day for the overall classification; the course is long enough to create differences and in such a short race they won't be easy to get back. It will set an order before the difficult days.

Stage 2 takes place from Merelbeke and Knokke-Heist and is 184 kilometers long. A day for the sprinters, where the wind may play a role but overall the profile doesn't have too many difficulties. There is a slight uphill finish but the fast men will enjoy the route.

The third stage of the race goes into Flandrien roads which are, as always, tense and explosive. The day ends in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem and ultimately, the final few small bergs and cobbled sectors provide opportunities for the race to explode. 

The fourth day of the race starts and finished in the city of Durbuy and follows a hilly circuit. This is a very hard day where the classics specialists and all riders in good form will try to make the difference. The overall classification can be decided on this day, which features a lot of climbing and rolling terrain.

The race ends in the Belgium capital of Brussel. It's a day that should end in a sprint, although the finale definitely isn't pan-flat and not only the sprinters, but the GC contenders have to be at the very front to avoid losing something they have won the previous days.

*** Jasper Philipsen, Benoît Cosnefroy
** Olav Kooij, Rune Herregodts, Gianni Vermeersch
* Quinten Hermans, Mike Teunissen, Jasper Stuyven, Mathias Vacek, Alex Aranburu, Rémi Cavagna, Kasper Asgreen, Mick van Dijke, Brent van Moer, Anthony Turgis

Pick: Jasper Philipsen