winning the inaugural Dwars Door België in 1945
Dwars door België The race was first run in 1945 from
Sint-Truiden to
Waregem and was named
Dwars door België () – a name it kept until 1999. Belgian cycling icon
Rik Van Steenbergen won the inaugural race. From 1946 to 1964 the event was run as a
stage race over two days – with the exception of 1948. The first stage started in Waregem and finished in the eastern Belgian provinces of
Limburg or
Liège; from which it returned to Waregem the next day. In 1948 and since 1965, it has been held as a one-day race. Two editions have been cancelled, in 1971 and during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Held in late March, the event traditionally marked the start of the
Flemish Cycling Week, which also includes
E3 Harelbeke,
Gent–Wevelgem, the
Three Days of De Panne, and the
Tour of Flanders. On the evening of the event, organizers decided to continue as planned and the Belgian authorities gave clearance on the day of the race. The race was won by
Jens Debusschere. The
2017 edition was promoted to the
UCI World Tour, cycling's highest tier of professional races.
Women's race Since 2012, a women's edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen is held on the same day as the men's race, starting and finishing on the same location, of approximately 130 kilometres distance. From 2023, this event joined the
UCI Women's ProSeries calendar, the second tier of women's races. In 2026, the race moved up to the
UCI Women's World Tour. As with the men's race, Dwars door Vlaanderen is seen as a warm up event for the
Tour of Flanders for Women. ==Route==