Tour of Flanders to move abroad in 2019

Apr 01 2017 07:34 pm CET

Image: Tour of Flanders / Ronde van Vlaanderen logo

The Ronde Van Vlaanderen, also known as the Tour of Flanders, is set to move abroad in the coming years. Several countries have already expressed their interest in the event.The Belgian race has been struggling to find ways to innovate the Ronde and keep it interesting for the international public, explained organizer Bart Van Leerkeirckx on Saturday."That's why we are now looking to organize the race in different countries in the coming years. People have become bored seeing the same location, the same climbs every year. By moving abroad, we will be able to add new elements to the race such as extreme heat and impressive mountains, neither of which we're able to offer in Belgium."Van Leerkeirckx adds that the race isn't leaving Flanders altogether. "We will still want to have a more traditional edition once every four or five years, just to stay in touch with our roots," he assured.The organizers have already initiated talks with a number of interested countries including Kuwait and Peru."A race like this, in our country, would truly be a dream come true," according to Kuwait's secretary of sports and culture, Ahmed Bin Hamman. "We don't know the riders or what they do exactly, but we do know that people care about this race and that's what matters to us. Dubai, Qatar and Oman have all had their own races but nothing quite as impressive as the Tour of Flanders."Asked whether the heat wouldn't be too influential, Bin Hamman explained that it probably would. "Of course it would. This is Kuwait, it's going to be really hot!"Peruvian sports events organizer Fernando Ramos believes that his country would be a perfect location for the Tour of Flanders. "Imagine seeing Peter Sagan or Greg Van Avermaet trying to overcome a 3000m climb in the Andes. Wouldn't that be spectacular? We even made a plan to add cobbled sections to the climbs, as a tribute to the original race."Talks are currently in progress to have the 2019 edition of the race take place abroad, Van Leerkeircks confirmed.