Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
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| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Late February-Early March |
| Region | Flanders, Belgium |
| English name | Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne |
| Local name(s) | Kuurne–Brussel–Kuurne (Dutch) |
| Nickname(s) | KBK |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Europe Tour |
| Type | One-day race |
| History | |
| First edition | 1945 |
| Editions | 67 (as of 2015) |
| First winner |  Valère Olivier (BEL) |
| Most wins | Tom Boonen (BEL) (3 wins) |
| Most recent |  Mark Cavendish (GBR) |
Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium. It is ridden on the last Sunday of February or on the first Sunday of March, one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. First held in 1945, since 2005 it has been a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.
History
Together with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this race forms the Belgian opening weekend of the road cycling season. The course is less selective (the last climb comes 53 km before the finish line) than the Omloop which gives sprinters a better chance for winning this race. As of 2015 no rider has completed a double in the Belgian opening weekend by winning both Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne.
The name of the race however is somewhat misleading, as the race doesn't actually reach Brussels. After starting in Kuurne, the race heads out in the direction of Brussels but the turnaround point is near Galmaarden, some 25 km west of Brussels. On the way back, the race heads to the Flemish Ardennes where a number of hills (Edelareberg, La Houppe, Kanarieberg, Kruisberg, Oude Kwaremont, Knokteberg, Tiegemberg and Nokereberg) are climbed before finishing back in Kuurne.
Three times in history the race was cancelled due to bad weather, the last time in 2013. In 2010 the race was run in extreme weather coming from the Cyclone Xynthia. The race was shortened by 20 km because of a fallen tree and only 26 of the 195 started riders were able to finish in Kuurne.
List of winners
Winners by nationality
| # of Victories | Country |
|---|---|
| 51 | Belgium |
| 8 |  Netherlands |
| 2 | United Kingdom |
| 2 |  Germany |
| 1 |  Australia |
| 1 |  Denmark |
| 1 |  Estonia |
| 1 |  France |
| 1 |  United States |
References
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- Pages with reference errors
- Articles with Dutch-language external links
- Articles with hCards
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Cycle races in Belgium
- UCI Europe Tour races
- Recurring sporting events established in 1945
- 1945 establishments in Belgium
- Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
- Sport in Brussels
- Annual sporting events in Belgium
