With Paris-Roubaix done, the shift to the hills starts here—and the Brabantse Pijl feels like that in-between race riders either need…or skip. The men’s race is shorter this year. Why? Because instead of taking place on Wednesday, it moves to Friday. And the organizers don’t want riders to empty the tank too much with Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race looming. The women’s remains the same distance, however.
The guys will race 162.6 km from Beersel to Overijse, sticking with the shorter, punchier format introduced last year. The route loops north early before snapping back into a relentless run of climbs, then settles into the familiar local circuit: Hertstraat cobbles, Holstheide, the Moskesstraat, and that draggy S-bend just before the line. It’s not brutal in one go—but it stacks.
In the women’s race, there are plenty of Canadians in the 126-km race including world champ Magdeleine Vallières-Mill, who has made the upcoming Ardennes races a big goal. The hilly courses suit the Sherbrooke rider. In 2025, she was an animator of Brabantse Pijl—or La Flèche Brabançonne, if you’re from Wallonia (or Brabant Arrow in English, but nobody calls it that, so don’t).
There’s another Canadian climber too, racing only her second race of the year: Lidl-Trek’s Isabella Holmgren. EF Education-Oatly also has Alexandra Volstad racing—who has been showing some great form this year. There’s also Kiara Lylyk (Mayenne Monbana My Pie) and Minimax’s Émilie Fortin. Some of the other top women include Karlijn Swinkels, Mischa Bredewold, Lotte Kopecky, Anna van der Breggen, and Yara Kastelijn.
The men’s start list is a little thinner than usual. No Remco Evenepoel, no Wout van Aert, and several big teams sitting it out ahead of Amstel. That leaves this one wide open.
Riders like Tibor Del Grosso and Mauro Schmid step into the spotlight—maybe not the marquee names, but in this race, that might be the point. The lone Canuck is NSN Cycling’s Hugo Houle. After skipping Étoile de Bessèges as a result of illness, he got back to competition at Itzulia Basque Country, where he picked up some race miles, finishing 40th overall.
There is also an American rider with Canadian roots riding. Gavin Hlady (EF Education – Aevolo) son of former Conti rider, Mark Hlady, will also be there.
You can watch Brabantse Pijl on Flobikes.com. Coverage begins at 9:15 a.m. EDT for both men’s and women’s event. Canadian Cycling Magazine has you covered if…
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