The Belgian Online Road Championships are being held this Sunday June 23 in Zottegem.
In cycling, there are those successes that are more valuable than others. A value which is not necessarily due to the difficulty of the course or the field of runners present, even if it is prestigious, but rather to the reward granted at the end of the kilometers covered at full speed: a distinctive jersey to wear during the twelve months following.
There is of course the most coveted of all, the famous rainbow jersey worn by the World champion, or the most recent blue and white jersey with three stars, offered to the European champion since 2016.
Black-yellow-red
Finally, there are the different jerseys reserved for national champions, most often in the colors of the flag of the country concerned. In Belgium, we are no exception to the rule. Each year the winner obtains the privilege of wearing black-yellow-red during each event in which he takes part, until the following championship. However, one national championship is not the other: winning the event of an emerging cycling nation does not have the aura of success among the best of a historic cycling nation with many contenders. The Belgian national clearly belongs to the second category. From Eddy Merckx to Remco Evenepoel, via Rik Van Looy, Freddy Maertens, Lucien Van Impe, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, Philippe Gilbert or Wout van Aert, most of our champions of the Flat Country have dropped out at one point of their career the tricolor tunic.
Known climbs
This year, the town of Zottegem has the honor of hosting the event. This is where the peloton will set off for a first loop of 48.2 km to be completed twice. On the program, climbs known from the Flandrian races (Diepestraat, Klemhoutstraat and Langendries), but also the no less famous paved sector of the Paddestraat. A second loop of 22.9 km follows including the ascent of the Grotenbergestraat as well as the cobblestones of the Kruiswaterplein and the Lippenhovestraat, which the candidates for victory will have to cross four times. This Flandrian course corresponds well to the qualities of the Belgian in form this season: Jasper Philipsen. Winner of Milan-San Remo and 2e of Paris-Roubaix, he is the favorite. However, he will have to deal with other big names, whose form is more uncertain following a fall, like Wout van Aert.
Unfortunately, Remco Evenepoel, the reigning champion, had to withdraw at the last moment due to illness.
For the ladies, the course is identical, although reduced. They will only go through the first loop once and the second three times. Already crowned three times, in 2020, 2021 and 2023, Belgian women’s cycling superstar Lotte Kopecky will be the woman to beat.
This article appeared in Le Télépro on 6/20/2024
