Despite the rainy weather, more than 6,000 cyclists participated in the eighth edition of the BXL Tour cycling races, with both semi-professional and amateur cyclists crisscrossing the capital.
The 40km cycle race, which has become one of the most iconic events on the Belgian sports calendar, attracted some 6,000 two-wheelers on Sunday. This means organisers have once again broken the record for the highest number of participants, surpassing the previous record of 5,370 cyclists.
The BXL Tour kicked off at 09:00 by the race's patron and iconic Belgian cyclist, Eddy Merckx, at the Place des Palais. Cyclists then passed through Parc du Cinquantenaire and Bois de la Cambre to Watermael-Boitsfort, before heading north through Schaerbeek to Laeken before finishing by the Atomium.
The first participants already passed the finish line, with the first woman taking 55 minutes and 23 seconds, and the first man finishing after 53 minutes and 50 seconds.
Participants could register in one of the four categories, ranked by their level of difficulty, starting with the "Ride" category (which is shorter at 32 km and sees people cycle at an average minimum speed of 16 km/h), followed by 'cyclo' for riders aged 12 and over, going at an average minimum speed of 20 km/h and 'masters' for semi-professionals who cycle at more than 40 km/h. Finally, there was also a para-cycling category, in which Belgian cyclist and world champion Maxime Hordies took part.
Between 07:00 and 13:00, several roads had to be closed to traffic to allow the race to run smoothly. However, Brussels Mobility's traffic service confirmed that all roads on the route have been reopened, as have all the closed-off tunnels.
Related News
- Tunnels and public transport: The road works taking place in Brussels this summer
- What to do in Brussels this weekend: 14 - 16 June
However, the fifth stage of the Tour of Belgium – called the Baloise Sprint – will start at 13:30, Brussels Mobility said. Cyclists will leave from the Heysel plateau by the Atomium, passing by Place de Belgique, Avenue Impératrice Charlotte, Avenue des Magnolias and Chaussée Romaine.
The race will then pass in the vicinity of the Plateau du Heysel four more times, including on Avenue de Madrid, Avenue de Miramar, Place de Belgique, Avenue Impératrice Charlotte, Avenue des Magnolias, Chaussée Romaine and Esplanade before finishing around 17:15. This means traffic disruption will continue in the North of Brussels.
