Kortrijk and Kuurne extend Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne to 2031

Kortrijk and Kuurne extend Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne partnership until 2031. Mayors Vandenberghe and Benoit announce. Kortrijk €90-100K, Kuurne €100-110K funding. Alderman Jan Deprez welcomes support for riders and spectators.

As VRT News reported, Kortrijk and Kuurne have extended their partnership with the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne cycling race until 2031. In a playful video on YouTube, mayors Ruth Vandenberghe of Kortrijk and Francis Benoit of Kuurne made the announcement. The race will continue to start in Kortrijk and finish in Kuurne for the next 6 years.

What makes Kortrijk and Kuurne extend Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne to 2031?

Jan Deprez, Alderman for Sports in Kuurne (CD&V), welcomed the strengthened partnership between Kortrijk and Kuurne for the Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne cycling race. He said both cities are also increasing their financial support for the event. 

“Kuurne remains the beating heart of this classic cycling event: the junior race takes place here, and we honour the winners with a cuddly donkey. It took some getting used to moving the start of the elite riders to Kortrijk, but we believe that the partnership with them will strengthen the race for the future.”

“For two years now, the race has started on Kortrijk’s Grote Mark, and it’s been a huge success,”

said Kortrijk Alderman for Sports Wouter Allijns (TBSK).

“We are very proud to extend our partnership.”

Under the new agreement, Kortrijk will contribute €90,000 in 2026. From 2027, the city will raise its annual support to €100,000. Kuurne will provide €100,000 in 2026 and increase its contribution to €110,000 per year starting in 2027. The additional money will cover organisation costs, improve logistics for riders and teams, and enhance the experience for spectators. 

The Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne cycling race was first held in 1946. At that time, the route went from Kuurne to Brussels and back. In the late 1960s, the course was changed because the race could no longer reach Brussels, and it was renamed Omloop der Beide Vlaanderen. The original name returned in 1979. 

Since 2005, the race has been part of the professional European cycling calendar as a ProSeries event, attracting top teams and riders. Held each year in late February or early March, it has become a key race in Belgium’s “Opening Weekend” and one of the most important early-season classics in Northwest Europe.