Preview Le Samyn 2025 | Van der Poel’s presence turns the race upside down

Two days after the fantastic opening weekend of the Flemish spring, the action continues in Belgium, but this time at the French border. In Wallonia, Le Samyn is on the program. Who will still have the legs to excel here after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne? IDLProCycling.com gives you a detailed preview!

Even though Le Samyn is less prestigious than the previous classics, the winners already include several great names. Terpstra has already been successful here: the Dutch rider won in 2016 and 2018 and finished third in 2019. Other riders who have added this race to their list of achievements are Tim Merlier, Matteo Trentin, and Arnaud Démare.

Last year, Laurenz Rex won in Dour. The Belgian from Intermarché-Wanty was the strongest in a sprint of a depleted peloton on the difficult finish and beat the up-and-coming António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates) by a slight margin. The tall cyclist from Belgium will be at the start again this year, but he will have to deal with some serious competition.

Practical information Le Samyn 2025

• Tuesday, March 4, 2025
• Participants 
• Classification: 1.1
  

In this article

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

Latest winners Le Samyn 

2024 Laurenz Rex
2023 Milan Menten
2022 Matteo Trentin
2021 Tim Merlier
2020 Hugo Hofstetter
2019 Florian Sénéchal
2018 Niki Terpstra
2017 Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
2016 Niki Terpstra
2015 Kris Boeckmans

Course, weather, and timetable Le Samyn 2025

Last year's race covered more than 200 kilometers, but in 2025, we will stay just below that mark. At 199 kilometers, it is still not a short race, and the difference lies mainly in the first half of the race. After 98 kilometers, the riders will climb the Côte de la Roquette for the first time, opening the local lap. The riders will complete three laps of this climb, where the course is dotted with challenging slopes and cobblestone sections.

After the day's first climb, the riders will tackle the short Côte des Nonettes and head to the Rue de Belle Vue. From there, the race continues to the finish line in Dour. The next obstacle is the Rue du Vert Pignon, a relatively long cobblestone section. Then, the riders hit the Rue Chasse de la Motte, a cobblestone climb, after which they continue to the Côte de la Roquette, completing the lap.

Climbs and cobbled lanes
Côte de la Roquette
Côte des Nonettes
Rue de Belle Vue
Rue Chasse de la Motte

Weather
It will be a fantastic day of racing in the south of Belgium. The maximum temperature will be nine degrees, and there will be bright sunshine and a light breeze.

Times
Start: 06:35 AM EST
Finish: approximately 11:20 AM EST

Favorites Le Samyn 2025

Much depends on how some riders come out of the previous classics. The riders who perform best in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne will probably also do well on Tuesday. That said, it is impossible to ignore Paul Magnier as the top favorite, given his form in the early season. The Soudal Quick-Step sprinter is eager to make his mark in the spring.

Read more below the photo!

His team focuses on the youth because Martin Svrcek, Jordi Warlop, and Warre Vangheluwe could also aim for a result if things don't work out for Magnier. Besides the powerful French rider, there will be mainly outsiders starting in Wallonia. XDS Astana will aim for their service sprinters, Max Kanter and Matteo Malucelli. If the course is too challenging for them, they also have Aaron Gate and Michele Gazzoli. Groupama-FDJ hopes that Paul Penhoët can reward his good start to the season with a victory.

Intermarché-Wanty's defending champion is Laurenz Rex, who will be eager to build on his first and, so far, only victory. But the Belgian team has more than one good bet. With names like Hugo Page, Taco van der Hoorn, and Arne Marit, they have several options in different situations.

Read more below the photo!

At Alpecin-Deceuninck, the first focus was on Timo Kielich, but suddenly, there is Mathieu van der Poel! He said: “If the itch gets too strong, you just have to race!" So he will start in Le Samyn. The same goes for the men of Arkéa-B&B Hotels. They have former winner Florian Sénéchal, but the Belgians are well represented with Jenthe Biermans and Amaury Capiot. Bahrain-Victorious has Alberto Bruttomesso, a feisty young Italian who showed he was fast in the fall of 2024.  

At one point, it was unclear whether he would even start: Arnaud De Lie suddenly disappeared from various start lists, but he will participate after all. This means that Lotto has Magnier's biggest challenger on their team. But Alec Segaert has already proven he can win in these races, such as the Grand Prix Criquelion. TotalEnergies presents a full French lineup: They can count on Thomas Gachignard, Emilien Jeannière, and Anthony Turgis.  

Who are the favorites for the 2025 Le Samyn, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto)
Outsiders: Anthony Turgis (TotalEnergies), Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), Max Kanter (XDS Astana) Jenthe Biermans (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Timo Kielich (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Long shots: Taco van der Hoorn (Intermarché-Wanty), Alec Segaert (Lotto), Henri Uhlig (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Martin Svrcek (Soudal Quick-Step), Amaury Capiot (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) and Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana)

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