Scheldeprijs

The Scheldeprijs is a cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten.

The event, ranked as a 1.Pro race on the UCI ProSeries, features mostly sprinters on its roll of honour, as it is held on all-flat roads over roughly 200 kilometres.

[3] Since 2021, a women's edition of Scheldeprijs is held on the same day as the men's race, starting and finishing in Schoten, approximately 136 kilometres in distance.

Prominent winners include Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy, Mario Cipollini, Freddy Maertens, Roger De Vlaeminck, Erik Zabel, Briek Schotte, Stan Ockers, Georges Ronsse, Mark Cavendish, and Tom Boonen.

[9] The race had a neutralised start on the banks of the River Schelde in the centre of Antwerp at the Grote Markt outside the City Hall.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition was postponed from the spring to 14 October, and a revised route of 10 laps around Schoten planned, remaining entirely in Belgian territory.

Scheldeprijs finish passage in Schoten , 8 april 2015
Frenchman Maurice Léturgie won the inaugural Scheldeprijs in 1907.
Local cycling icon Rik Van Looy (pictured in the rainbow jersey ) won the race twice in the 1950s.
Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini claimed two Scheldeprijs wins in the 1990s.
Mark Cavendish had his breakthrough win at the 2007 Scheldeprijs , on the T-Mobile Team , and secured two further victories in later years.
German sprinter Marcel Kittel holds the record with five wins between 2012 and 2017.