Pascal Ackermann of UAE Team Emirates celebrates winning during 2022 Bredene Koksijde Classic (Image credit: Getty Images)
Bredene Koksijde Classic overview
When is Bredene Koksijde Classic? One-day race on March 17, 2023
How long is Bredene Koksijde Classic? TBD
Where does the race start? Bredene
Where does it finish? Koksijde
Bredene Koksijde Classic 2023 information
The 2023 edition of Breden Koksijde Classic will be the 12th in the 13-year history of the one-day race, which saw a cancellation in 2020 due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The Flanders race began in 2011 as the Handzame Classic, then changed to Breden Koksijde Classic in 2019. What hasn’t changed are the ingredients to a challenging one-day race - cobblestones, hills and wind.
In the past three editions, German sprinter Pascal Ackermann has won twice, first in 2019 for Bora-Hansgrohe and then last year for UAE Team Emirates. With his third-place finish in 2018, the trio of podiums tied him with Kristoffer Halvorsen for the highest number of top placings, the Norwegian winning in 2017 and then taking second place the next two years for Team Sky. The first winner of the event was Belgian Steve Schets (Donckers Koffie - Jelly Belly Cycling Team), holding off contenders in the rain.
Upgraded as a 1.HC race (now ProTour Series) in 2018, the Belgian race attracts top WorldTour teams and the top ProTeams. There were 10 WorldTour teams competing in 2022.
Bredene has hosted the race start nine times, with the early editions finishing in Handzame. From 2019 the race has culminated in the seaside town of Koksijde in West Flanders, with courses of 199km to 200.9km in distance.
There are key climbs on the course each year and last year they were the Monteberg (500m with maximum of 8.7%), Kemmelberg (1,700m with maximum of 12.1%), Rodeberg (1,700m with maximum of 12.1%), Sulferberg (1,700m with maximum 6%) and Scherpenbeg (1,700m with maximum 6%).
