[4] The race, which took place in Walloon Belgium near the border with France, featured a hilly route covering 177.6 kilometres (110.4 mi).

[1] The first 103.5 kilometres (64.3 mi) of the race saw riders travel west from the start in La Louvière to the finish city of Tournai, traversing one sprint point in Lessines (Souvenir Criquielion) and five short but steep hills.

[5] Additionally, each passage through the finish line before the end of the race was a sprint point; in order, these were the Souvenirs Duquennoy, Weylandt, Demoitié, Rossolini, and Dubois.

The first four were professional cyclists: Criquielion and Duquennoy died of illness, while Weylandt and Demoitié were fatally injured in separate racing incidents.

Rossolini was an announcer at several cycling events, including the Tour de France, while Dubois was a media reporter.