 | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Late February – Early March |
| Region | Flanders, Belgium |
| English name | Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne |
| Local name | Kuurne–Brussel–Kuurne(in Dutch) |
| Nickname | KBK |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI ProSeries |
| Type | One-day race |
| Organiser | Sportingclub Kuurne |
| Race director | Peter Debaveye |
| Web site | www |
| History | |
| First edition | 1945 (1945) |
| Editions | 77 (as of 2025) |
| First winner |  Henri Delmuyle (BEL) |
| Most wins | Tom Boonen (BEL)(3 wins) |
| Most recent | Jasper Philipsen (BEL) |
Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-dayroad cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day afterOmloop Het Nieuwsblad, on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season.[1] It was ranked a1.HC event of theUCI Europe Tour before joining theUCI ProSeries in 2020.Tom Boonen holds the most wins with three victories.
First held in 1946, the race was run fromKuurne, a small town known for itstextile industry, to the Belgian capital ofBrussels and back. In the 1950s it served as the opening race of the Belgian cycling season. When Brussels was becoming inaccessible for a cycling event in the late 1960s, the race was rerouted towards theFlemish Ardennes and renamed "Omloop der beide Vlaanderen"("Circuit of both Flanders").[N 1] In 1979 organizers decided to rename the event to Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne nonetheless.
For many decades, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne has served as the second race of the opening weekend in Belgium, afterOmloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, as well as the first weekend of racing inNorthwestern Europe.[1] Although second after theOmloop, and considered the smaller of the two events, it holds significant prestige because of its calendar date. Since 2005 it is included in theUCI Europe Tour; in 2016 it was upgraded to a1.HC event, the same ranking as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but Omloop was upgraded toUCI World Tour level in2017. Despite tandeming with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, no rider has ever won theOmloop and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne on the same weekend.
As it is run in late winter, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne has often been affected by poor weather. The race had to be cancelled three times because of snow or frost – in 1986, 1993 and 2013. The2010 event was run inextreme weather as the remnants ofcyclone Xynthia hit Belgium, with strong winds and torrential rain ravaging the peloton.[2] The race had to be shortened by 20 km because a fallen tree obstructed the road.[3] The edition was won by Dutch outsiderBobbie Traksel; only 26 of 195 riders finished the race.[4][5] In 2004Kuurne served as the opening race of the season, after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was cancelled because of snow, before thaw set in on the night before the Sunday race.[6]
Despite its name, the route does not actually extend to Brussels. The race starts on thehippodrome ofKuurne, in the south ofWest Flanders, before heading east in the direction of Brussels, but its easternmost point is somewhere nearNinove, 23 km west of Brussels. After the turning point, the race addresses theFlemish Ardennes where a number of hills feature, before finishing in Kuurne after approximately 200 km. The route in thehill zone changes every year, but some of the regular climbs include Edelareberg, La Houppe,Kanarieberg,Kruisberg,Oude Kwaremont, Tiegemberg and Nokereberg.
With a long and flat run-in to the finish, the course is less selective than the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The race ends with two local laps aroundKortrijk and Kuurne.[7] With the last climb of the race coming at 53 km from the finish, Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne has established itself as something of asprinters’ classic.[1]
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| Wins | Country |
|---|---|
| 55 | Belgium |
| 10 |  Netherlands |
| 3 |  Denmark |
| 2 |  Germany (including West Germany) Great Britain |
| 1 |  Australia Estonia France Luxembourg Slovakia United States |
A junior version of the race has been held since 2000.
