The Tour of Belgium ( nl, Ronde van België; french: Tour de Belgique) is a five-day
bicycle race
"Bicycle Race" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album ''Jazz'' and written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls", rea ...
which is held annually in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
, and is part of the
UCI ProSeries.
It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several races were not organised and none at all from 1991 to 2001. From 2002 onwards the race has again become an annual fixture on the cycling calendar.
Following the start of the
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, e ...
in 2005 it looked like the race would merge with the
Eneco Tour; however this did not happen and it became part of the
UCI Europe Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of ...
competition.
Winners
Twelve riders have managed to win the Tour of Belgium more than once. The most successful rider is German rider
Tony Martin, who won three consecutive editions between
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
and
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...
.
By year
Multiple winners
By nation
Classifications
As of the 2021 edition, the jerseys worn by the leaders of the individual classifications are:
*
Blue Jersey – Worn by the leader of the general classification.
*
Red Jersey – Worn by the leader of the points classification.
*
White Jersey – Worn by the leader of the combativity classification.
References
External links
Official Tour of Belgium websiteTour of Belgium full results 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tour Of Belgium
UCI Europe Tour races
Recurring sporting events established in 1908
1908 establishments in Belgium
Cycle races in Belgium
Annual sporting events in Belgium
Spring (season) events in Belgium