On Wednesday, 14th April, one of the renowned Flemish springtime races, a cycling classic De Brabantse Pijl, will start in Leuven. Bahrain Victorious’ strong line-up, including Sonny Colbrelli and Dylan Teuns, is ready for the 61st edition of this legendary race.

Since 2008, the famous one-day classic has started in the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant, Leuven. The race will take riders through Belgian provinces Flemish Brabant and Walloon Brabant, situated southeast of Brussels. This race’s critical challenge is the number of climbs that are not demanding by themselves, but with 27 climbs over 201.7 kilometres, they add up to wear the riders down. The finish of this year’s race will be a little different than in previous races, with the finish climb on Brusselsesteenweg.

Team Sports Director Neil Stephens expects a good performance and aims for the podium: “We are looking forward to the Brabantse Pijl race. It is a transitional race since it is not a flat classic but not a hilly Ardenne classic either. On the last edition that took place six months ago, actually, we were just off the podium with Sonny Colbrelli, and we are hoping to fix that this year. We will fight for a podium finish with Sonny Colbrelli and Dylan Teuns.”

One of this year’s leaders, Sonny Colbrelli, is also excited about the race that he already won in 2017 and that saw him finish runner-up the year after in 2018: “I always had a good feeling with Brabantse Pijl. I have almost always taken excellent results there, and the course suits me well. I like this race. Our team aims to try to grab a podium place. Not only with me, as we have various cards to play according to how the race will unfold. My teammates Dylan Teuns and also Matej Mohorič are in good shape to be competitive.”

Line-up for the Brabantse Pijl: Sonny Colbrelli, Dylan Teuns, Eros Capecchi, Heinrich Haussler, Matej Mohorič, Stevie Williams.