PREVIEW | Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne 2025 - Visma vengeance or sprint battle between Milan, Merlier, Philipsen and Kooij?
Cycling
On the 2nd of March, the peloton races the second of the 'Opening Weekend' classics: Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. The race that closes the weekend is one of Belgium's most popular classics and deliver a lot of spectacle every year. We preview the race ahead.
The Belgian race features 1800 meters of climbing, mostly in the first two thirds. It is always an extremely interesting race, where attacks come aplenty from the classics specialists over the many climbs and cobbled sectors that the race has to offer.
But the final 60 kilometers present very little difficulties, which creates an interesting dynamic between the attackers and the teams of the sprinters that wish to bring things back. Every year drama is promised and delivered into the streets of Kuurne.
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This is a race where often there is a lot of attacking in the hilly area, and there is always an exciting battle between the attackers and the sprinter teams within the final hour of racing. Over the past two years the attackers have indeed succeeded, but this year we see some of the world's very best fast men present at the start line.
Jonathan Milan, Tim Merlier, Jasper Philipsen and Jordi Meeus will certainly have their teams working overtime to get the peloton to reach the finish in a sprint scenario; whilst the likes of Visma, UAE and many other riders will look to make their moves earlier in the day and hold off the rest of the field.
Prediction Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne 2025:
*** Tim Merlier, Jonathan Milan, Jasper Philipsen
** Jordi Meeus, Olav Kooij, Mathias Vacek, Jhonatan Narváez, Soren Waerenskjold
* Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Kaden Groves, Luca Mozzato, Fred Wright, Marijn van den Berg, Ivan García Cortina, Jan Tratnik, Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, Brent van Moer, Matteo Trentin, Alexander Kristoff
** Jordi Meeus, Olav Kooij, Mathias Vacek, Jhonatan Narváez, Soren Waerenskjold
* Wout van Aert, Matteo Jorgenson, Kaden Groves, Luca Mozzato, Fred Wright, Marijn van den Berg, Ivan García Cortina, Jan Tratnik, Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, Brent van Moer, Matteo Trentin, Alexander Kristoff
Pick: Jonathan Milan
How: A lot of attacks but too many interests in a sprint. I believe there will be another bunch sprint, with many top riders, and Milan will take the win.
Original: Rúben Silva
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Still counting down, one week to go... ⏳ pic.twitter.com/FKvsHh1KNL
— KuurneBrusselKuurne (@KuurneBxlKuurne) February 23, 2025
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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