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2024 Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
(1.1), Belgium

108th edition: Friday, September 20, 2024

Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen podium history | 2023 edition | Start list

Koolskamp - Koolskamp, 180.2 km. After the start there are 12 laps of 14.7 kms.

2024 Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen course map and profile

Tim Merlier is the day's fastest man.

Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Weather at the start/finish city of Koolskamp at 2:00 PM, local time: 22C (72F), sunny, with the wind from the northeast at 19 km/hr (12 mph). There is just a 1% chance of rain.

Race preview: Here's the organizer's look at the race.

The Belgian autumn continues on Friday with the Championship of Flanders. It promises to be a sprinters' ball, partly due to the beautiful weather, with all eyes on Jasper Philipsen and the new European champion Tim Merlier. Who will take home the yellow jersey with Flemish lion in the closing event of the Lotto Cycling Cup

The nickname of the race is Koolskamp Koers for a reason, because the entire epicentre of the race is located in the sub-municipality of cycling municipality Ardooie. The unofficial start is given on the Dorpsplein, after which twelve local laps of 14.7 kilometres await. Ideal for the spectators who are present at the race, therefore.

The local round also has roads through Egem, Pittem and Kruiskalsijde after the start in Koolskamp. The course consists of a combination of longer (fan) strips and passages through the municipalities. Because it is a round, it does not matter from which direction the wind comes and so the wind is always somewhere 'on the side'. To indicate which direction is being ridden: the circuit goes clockwise.

There are few bends in the last 2.5 kilometers. Or as the organization of Koolskamp Koers explains it: "The road is flat and without changes of direction. At 1.7 kilometers before the finish there is another roundabout and at 500 meters before the finish there is a traffic island in the middle of the road. This obstacle is indicated with a signalization totem", can be read in the road book.
“During the last 500 metres the road makes tiny bends to the left and right successively, these are not of a nature that limits or slows down the speed.” In short, due to the gentle bends in the final, positioning is key in the Tieltsestraat in Koolskamp.

The race: Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar) did not start.

Here's the report from winner Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step.

Tim Merlier won the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen for the first time in his career with a monster sprint in the final 200 meters of the race, one of the oldest in Belgium. It was a victory that came just five days after the 31-year-old became European Champion, cementing Merlier’s position as the best sprinter of the season, with 15 successes.

The Jayco AlUla team with Dylan Groenewegan is presented during the starting ceremonies.

The day was controlled by Soudal Quick-Step, who pulled hard the entire race behind the breakaway, chewing into the gap of the small breakaway and keeping Tim in a good position the entire time. Inside the final ten kilometers, the race looked to be over for the Belgian, who got caught behind a crash near the front of the peloton – which in the meantime had reeled in the escapees – and had to overcome a 25-second deficit.

Thanks to an immense effort of Memorial Briek Schotte winner Warre Vangheluwe, Merlier erased the gap and made it back in the bunch, where Bert Van Lerberghe again did a great job, bringing his teammate to the front for the hectic final kilometer. Merlier patiently waited for the last 200 meters to unleash another powerful trademark sprint that propelled him to a clear victory in what is his best season to date.

“There’s always an extra pressure on you at the first race you do with a special jersey on your shoulders, but luckily, I managed to get the win just a couple of days after becoming European Champion, so all is good. The boys were again amazing today. It wasn’t easy, because I didn’t have the best feeling and I was also blocked behind that crash, but thanks to Warre I could make it back just in time for the sprint.”

“I tried to remain calm and just do my own sprint after Bert put me in a good position and I’m super happy now, especially as there were a lot of good sprinters at the start. The end of the season isn’t that far away, but I am still motivated and ready to give my best, because each race is important and each win matters”, said Tim after his 49th pro victory.

Complete results:

180.2 kilometers raced at an average speed of 45.814 km/hr

Start list with back numbers, Thursday, September 19, 2024: