Preview Brabantse Pijl 2025 | Evenepoel’s comeback, but also van Aert, Pidcock, a strong UAE team, and many more!

Paris-Roubaix is done and dusted, and the Amstel Gold Race is coming up. This means that for the first time, we can get ready on Friday instead of Wednesday for the Brabantse Pijl, the traditional transition race between the cobblestones and the hills. IDLProCycling.com gives you a detailed overview!

Today, the same can be said for all races, and indeed for the Brabantse Pijl: every race is important. Of the last five editions, three were won by stars of contemporary cycling: Mathieu van der Poel (2019), Julian Alaphilippe (2020) and Tom Pidcock (2021). A little further back, we also see names like Tim Wellens and Phillippe Gilbert.

For the past two years, Decathlon AG2R was the team to beat Benoit Cosnefroy and Dorian Godon, but strangely enough, that team is not at the start this year. One possible reason for this could be the switch from Wednesday to Friday, leading to Lidl-Trek deciding not to ride this race. On the other hand, Visma | Lease a Bike will be there again for the first time in years.

Practical information Brabantse Pijl 2025

• Friday, April 18, 2025
• Participants
• Classification: 1.Pro

In this article

• Latest winners
• Course, weather and times
• Favorites
• TV information

Latest winners Brabantse Pijl

2024 Benoit Cosnefroy
2023 Dorian Godon
2022 Magnus Sheffield
2021 Tom Pidcock
2020 Julian Alaphilippe
2019 Mathieu van der Poel
2018 Tim Wellens
2017 Sonny Colbrelli
2016 Petr Vakoc
2015 Ben Hermans
2014 Philippe Gilbert

Course, weather, and times Brabantse Pijl 2025

Brabantse Pijl usually started in Leuven, but in 2025, the location was switched to Beersel. "We are returning to the origins of De Brabantse Pijl in the region around Beersel. Together with the finale around Overijse, which has been the highlight of the race since 2010, we are continuing to build the identity of the race that marks the start of the Ardennes stage," said Flanders Classics CEO Tomas Van den Spiegel.

The first climbs of this one-day race are also on the program. However, it remains to be seen whether climbs such as the Chaussée d'Alsemberg (1.6 km at 2.8%) and Bruineput (1.2 km at 5.7%) will impact the race story. What will certainly impact the course of the race is that it has been shortened considerably. Last year, the race had to cover 195 kilometers, but this year, it is only 160 kilometers.

Usually, the race is mainly about the local lap in and around Overijse, where we still recognize some of the 2021 World Cycling Championships hills. Little has changed there. The Hertstraat (0.7 km at 4.7%), Moskesstraat (0.5 km at 4.9%), Holstheide (1 km at 5.3%), and S-curve (1.3 km at 4.2%) must be conquered several times in the local lap, where the last few hundred meters are also quite dirty.

Climbs

Weather
The weather conditions in Belgium on Friday are excellent. It will be around 18 degrees Celsius, and the sun will occasionally break through the clouds, unlike earlier in the week. There will be a light breeze from the north.

Times

Favorites Brabantse Pijl 2025

Please note that the participant list has not yet been officially confirmed, so this section is still subject to change.

The day has finally arrived: the return of Remco Evenepoel. The Soudal Quick-Step cyclist has been counting down the days until April 18, 2025, in his Strava titles because that is when he will finally make his season debut. In his own region, no less, where he will undoubtedly be starting with the necessary ambition. Of course, it is still anyone's guess how he will perform compared to the competition.

The other 'great' Belgian will also be starting: Wout van Aert. The Visma | Lease a Bike cyclist focused his spring on the first two Sundays in April, where he finished fourth in both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. He is one of the few who can carry his form to the Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold Race, where his right-hand man, Tiesj Benoot, will serve as a strong outsider.

UAE Emirates-XRG will start without Tadej Pogacar, but rest assured that this team will still be fielding a very strong lineup. Florian Vermeersch once again showed how strong he is in Paris-Roubaix and has already demonstrated his climbing prowess in De Ronde and Strade Bianche. Top talent Jan Christen, Jhonatan Narváez, and Tim Wellens are potential contenders, although they have all recently suffered crashes and associated injuries.

Also present: Tom Pidcock, winner of the Brabantse Pijl in 2021. The British rider withdrew from the competition after Milan-Sanremo and will start to block two of his season, including the Ardennes classics and Giro d'Italia, almost four weeks later. If Pidcock is already in shape, he is the man to beat on this course.

Alpecin-Deceuninck is counting on Quinten Hermans and the recovering Tibor Del Grosso, while Marijn van den Berg - who came in seventh last year after a tactically inferior finale - will also be competing on behalf of EF Education-EasyPost after missing the Tour of Flanders. The fast Dutch rider will do so with Samuele Battistella and Alex Baudin. Israel-Premier Tech has also assembled a strong Joe Blackmore, Stephen Williams, and Corbin Strong team.

Other contenders are Edoardo Zambanini, Robert Stannard (Bahrain Victorious), Aimé De Gendt, Dylan Teuns (Cofidis), Anthony Turgis, Emilien Jeanniere (TotalEnergies), Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural), Alexander Kamp (Intermarché-Wanty) Fransisco Galvan, Pau Miquel (Equipo Kern Pharma), Lander Loockx (Unibet Tietema Rockets) and Markus Hoelgaard of Uno-X. Jayco AlUla, Soudal Quick-Step, and XDS-Astana teams have yet to be finalized.

Who are the favorites for the Brabantse Pijl 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Tom Pidcock (Q36.5)

TV broadcast Brabantse Pijl 2025

De Brabantse Pijl is traditionally broadcast live by Sporza and Eurosport. The men's race can be watched on VRT 1 from 03:00 PM local time (09:00 AM EDT), while Eurosport will show the women's race live from around 03:15 PM local time (09:15 AM EDT). It will also be broadcast on HBO Max around that time.

Read also

Dead last in Roubaix! Joseph Pidcock finishes nearly an hour behind van der Poel in Roubaix: "Not risking my life for this"

🎥 Perpetrator in van der Poel's 'attempted manslaughter' case first denies, then expresses 'deep regret and shame'

Based on what Pogacar told teammate Vermeersch, it’s clear that Roubaix won’t be his downfall

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