Preview Super 8 Classic 2024 | Who will succeed Mathieu van der Poel in "beer classic?"

The Super 8 Classic? Then this is only the second edition, right? Well, not quite. The race originated in 1982 as the GP Impanis. Thus, it was named after Raymond Impanis, the Belgian cyclist who won Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Nice in 1954 and claimed numerous victories in the following years. The one-day race was organized until 1994, when the GP Impanis thus disappeared for a time.

The comeback was in 2011 when the race returned as a 1.2 race. After one year, the race had already increased in size, as the GP Impanis became a 1.1 race in 2012. Two years after that, the race was sponsored by Primus, a Belgian lager from Haacht Brewery. The name Primus Classic was then born. Since 2015, it has become a 1.Pro race, and we saw another name change in 2023: the Super 8 Classic, named after Haacht Brewery's new beer.

Since its return to the cycling calendar, the "beer classic" has had a splendid list of winners. Last year, Mathieu van der Poel won in his rainbow jersey, while before that, many riders from the Low Countries won, such as Jordi Meeus (2022), Taco van der Hoorn (2018), and Greg van Avermaet (2014).

2023 Mathieu van der Poel

As is tradition in this one-day race, we start Saturday in Brakel. The riders will head east to Haacht, where the finish is set after 197.6 kilometers. The course is thus 6 kilometers shorter than a year earlier, although the route chosen by the organization this year is very similar to that of 2023.

After 8 kilometers, the first categorized obstacle looms, the Zonnebloemstraat (900 meters at 6.3%). After that, the riders are presented with a long intermediate stage. The road surface is not entirely flat, but the real hilly phase only comes after about 120 kilometers.

Here, we'll include the Chaussée d'Ottenbourg (700 meters at 7.4%), the Moskesstraat (600 meters at 6.9%), the Smeysberg (500 meters at 8%), and the Florivalstraat (600 meters at 5.4%). Some of these climbs are tackled twice in a local lap, and we continue north towards the Bosstraat.

That Bosstraat in Bertem is the last categorized climb of the day. With an average gradient of 3.5%, the kilometer-long climb is nothing to fear. At the summit, it is only 14 kilometers to the finish, which will be predominantly flat and downhill. The final is identical to last year's, in which we will thus see some technical turns again. Nevertheless, in the previous 850 meters, we will see the riders pedaling dead straight to the finish, where they will finish alongside the famous Haacht Brewery.

Times.

While Mathieu van der Poel will not be present to defend his title, Jasper Philipsen, a teammate at Alpecin-Deceuninck, is perhaps the top favorite. Most of the Jasper Disaster's recent sprints (fourth at the European Championships and seventh in the BEMER Cyclassics) didn't quite work out. Still, with his win in Milan-Sanremo and three stage victories in the Tour de France, the fast Belgian has already shown madness this year. Philipsen will not be afraid of the short hills, as he has repeatedly demonstrated he is an excellent classic rider.

Classical riders with powerful sprints include Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). The first has already won six times this year, beating Philipsen at the Belgian Championship. The second one showed good things recently, finishing second in the GP Québec and third in the BEMER Cyclassics. Girmay also won his first green jersey at the Tour this summer, where, like Philipsen, he took three stage wins.

There will also be some purer classic riders at the start. Consider Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-Quick Step), who recently showed excellent shape with his third place in the GP Montréal. Also, remember Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), who won the Renewi Tour at the beginning of this month. And what about Toms Skujins? The Lidl-Trek Latvian has already recorded some excellent results this year, such as a sixth place in the GP Montréal road race and, in the spring, a second place in Strade Bianche. By the way, that was behind the impassable winner Tadej Pogacar both times. These riders hope to make the course on the hills as hard as possible, just as Alex Aranburu (Movistar) and Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) will probably expect as well.

Due to the flat final section of this race, many pure sprinters will also hope that a sprint from a large group will have to make the decision. Think Bryan Coquard (Cofidis), Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech). Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) demonstrated he can handle uphill terrain well and is a dangerous outsider. And what can Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE Team Emirates) and Caleb Ewan (Jayco-AlUla) do? They both hope to survive the Belgian hills and surprise in the sprint.

Top favorites: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny)

Those who want to watch the Belgian one-day race on Saturday must subscribe to VTM or HBO Max. The first and second options allow you to watch the race from 3:45 p.m.