GP Criquielion race preview

After one year of absence, Leopard Pro Cycling will be present at the GP Criquielion again. This Sunday, the Luxembourgish UCI Continental team will try to reproduce the strong results from 2013 and 2017, when respectively Eugenio Alafaci and Jan Brockhoff crossed the finish line in third and seventh.

At the GP Criquielion - named after Claude Criquielion - the riders await a challenging race. The race which is part of the UCI Europe Tour has its start situated at Silly. Throughout the day, the pack will cover a total distance of 193,3 kilometers through the Hainaut, Vlaams Brabant and Oost Vlaanderen provinces. First, the riders will take on three bigger laps of 50 kilometers each, before arriving at the local circuit in Deux-Acren, close to Geraardsbergen. This local circuit needs to be covered six times and has both a cobbled section of 1400 meters as the cobbled ascent of the Denderoordberg (700 meters at 8%) in it. A look at the start list shows one several strong teams, amongst which are UCI Pro Continental teams Wanty Groupe Gobert and Sport Vlaanderen Baloise. Leopard Pro Cycling brings a talented roster to the race with different cards to play. One of the riders representing the Leopard outfit is Dutch youngster Bas van Belle.

Bas van Belle: "Despite some knee problems, I am really enjoying this season with Leopard. I feel that I am able to compete in the tougher and longer races better and better. As many races this season, also the GP Criquielion is new to me. I know that we will ride in the surroundings of the Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux, so I expect a sloping course with a demanding local circuit at the end. However, I don't think the parcours will be difficult enough to avoid a sprint finish. With the team we come to this race with a strong, fast and experienced team. We have to make sure to mix in with different moves, which we are capable of. I want to play an important role myself too."

GP Criquielion (UCI 1.2)
19.05 - Silly-Deux Acren | 193,3 km