Brabantse Pijl 2016: The Route

Wednesday, April 13, 2016 – At 203.1 kilometres, Brabantse Pijl has 26 hills on offer. The race is the first of the hilly classics in the lowlands, while Ben Hermans is title holder.

After leaving Leuven the riders are zigzagging Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant at random and it’s only after 50 kilometres in the saddle the first hill looms. The climb up Rue de Hal is 1,200 meter à 4.9%.

The tone is set. The hills in Brabantse Pijl are never inhumanly steep, yet the ceaseless succession of uphill sectors turns the race into a tour of weariness. With intervals of 2.5 to kilometres 16.9 kilometres the next ten hills are served within a 75 kilometres frame. Especially the 2.5 kilometres intermezzo is a challenging one with the back-to-back toils up Bruine Put (800 metres à 8.3%, steepest section à 14%) and Krabosstraat (1,200 metres à 5.3%).

With 133 kilometres done the first passage to the finish line brings a local circuit at 23.4 kilometres that’s to be raced three times. With the bell still ringing in their ears the riders go straight up at Hagaard and 3 kilometres after cresting they are at the top of Hertstraat. That’s another tone set, the one of the criterium. Via Holstheide and IJskelderlaan the local circuit concludes with Schavei. That’s five hills in 23.4 kilometres, at most 6 kilometres apart.

In the last 10.3 kilometres the finale includes Holstheide, IJskelderlaan and Schavei. So that’s a 1,000 metres climb at 5% and a 400 metres climb at 8% leading to a flat 3.4 kilometres section taking the riders to the foot of the Schavei. That last climb equals 700 metres at 6.2%, while the finish is 200 metres after cresting.

Race results/race report Brabantse Pijl 2016.