The Wallonian race offers a shorter 209km race to fill in the gap between the first two Belgian Spring Classics and Strade Bianche, and is a chance for riders to redeem themselves for misfortune in the previous weekend's races or open up their legs for days to come.
It's a cobbled race, but on stones that are less roughly hewn than those in Flanders. As with many of the flatter one-day classics, the winners of Le Samyn vary between pure sprinters and rouleurs with past winners such as Arnaud Démare, Robbie McEwen, Niki Terpstra and Philippe Gilbert.
