Circuit Franco-Belge 2023

Sprinters head to Wallonia in Belgium for a lumpy but fast one-day race

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Circuit Franco-Belge

Dates 28 Sept
Race Length 190 kms
Start Tournai
Finish Mont-de-l'Enclus
Race Category Elite Men

Published: September 27, 2023

Circuit Franco-Belge 2023 overview

The Circuit Franco-Belge, which takes place on September 28, is one of the oldest races on the calendar, dating back to 1924. Formerly traversing the French and Belgian border, the one-day race now takes place solely in Belgium, and is attractive ground for sprinters, with its largely flat parcours and punchy but fast finish in Mont-de-l’Enclus.

Formerly known as the Tour de l’Eurométropole and the Tour de Wallonie-Picarde, the race is a long-standing feature of the autumn block, and has been won by the likes of Julien Vervaecke, Robbie McEwen and Arnaud Démare during its 80-year history.

This year, a host of strong sprinters are taking to the start in Tournai, with Belgian favourites Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) the two biggest names hoping to join the race’s roll of honour. Philipsen replaced Mathieu van der Poel as Alpecin’s leader, after the world champion removed the race from his busy late-season schedule.

Circuit Franco-Belge 2023 key information

Dates: September 28, 2023

Country: Belgium

Category: 1.Pro

Editions: 81 (as of 2022)

First winner: Julien Perrain

Most recent winner: Alexander Kristoff

Circuit Franco-Belge 2023 route

The Circuit Franco-Belge starts in Tournai and traverses the easternmost part of the Wallonia region before finishing in Mont-de-l’Enclus. The race is 190.1km in length and takes in 2,281m of climbing thanks to the constant up and downs that characterise Belgian racing.

Circuit Franco-Belge 2023 profile

Circuit Franco-Belge 2023 contenders

The top riders at this year’s Circuit Franco-Belge will be the Belgian duo of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), both of who have had successful seasons and seem to be carrying momentum into the last stretch of the season. The Tour de France green jersey winner in 2023, Philipsen is widely considered to be the best sprinter in the peloton right now, and will be close to unbeatable if he can make it to the finish in the lead group. The 25-year-old is on a winning streak, taking victory in the last three races he’s started in Belgium and France, and will be hoping to make that four on Thursday.

Arnaud De Lie, on the other hand, only took his first WorldTour victory this month in the GP de Québec, but has proven his ability in lower-ranked races all season, and is hoping to back up his win in Canada with some more visits to the podium - crucially securing some UCI points for Lotto Dstny, too. Philipsen and De Lie have gone head-to-head surprisingly few times this season, so the Circuit Franco-Belge will offer an exciting chance for the home favourites to face off.

Outside of the two big names, the likes of Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Rasmus Tiller (Uno-X) and Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) will be ones to watch, all names that have looked strong in the end part of the season, and are well-suited to tougher, punchier finishes. It’s not destined to be a sprint, though, and this hard race does often come down to a smaller group. In that situation, many of the already-mentioned riders are strong enough to get into a more select group, but you should also keep an eye on riders like Yves Lampaert (Soudal Quick-Step), Axel Zingle (Cofidis) and Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek).

Circuit Franco-Belge 2023 teams

The start list of this year’s Circuit Franco-Belge features seven WorldTour teams, 10 ProTeams and five Continental teams, with Alpecin-Deceuninck, Soudal Quick-Step and Lidl-Trek the headline squads.