The men’s Scheldeprijs will start from Middelburg in 2027, with roadworks around the Western Scheldt Tunnel forcing the race to move away from Terneuzen for one year.
The change applies only to the men’s race. The women’s Scheldeprijs will continue to start and finish in Schoten, preserving the format used in recent editions.
Middelburg replaces Terneuzen for 2027
Terneuzen has hosted the start of the men’s Scheldeprijs since 2018, but work on the Western Scheldt Tunnel has forced organisers to find an alternative location for the 2027 edition. Middelburg, the capital of Zeeland, will take over for the race on Wednesday 7 April.
The broader character of the race will remain familiar. Riders will still cover the traditional opening section through Zeeland before heading towards Belgium and the finish in Schoten, where the race is typically decided by the fastest riders in the peloton. Scheldeprijs has long been regarded as one of the clearest opportunities for pure sprinters on the spring calendar.
“We are extremely grateful to Middelburg for giving the Scheldeprijs such a warm welcome next year,” said Nicolas Denys, Head of Road at Flanders Classics. “In this way, we can stay true to the race’s DNA, with a passage through Zeeland that has now become inextricably linked with the Scheldeprijs.”
Start will take place beside Wouter Weylandt memorial
The start in Middelburg will also carry particular significance. The race will set off from De Dam, beside the monument dedicated to Wouter Weylandt.
Weylandt won stage 3 of the 2010 Giro d’Italia, which finished in Middelburg, before losing his life in a crash during the 2011 Giro. The city unveiled the memorial in 2012, making the 2027 Scheldeprijs start a direct connection between one of Belgium’s best-known sprint races and the memory of a rider whose career was closely linked to fast finishes.
Jeroen Louws, alderman for Middelburg, said hosting the start would bring an international Classic into the centre of the city and give local spectators the chance to see the team presentation and riders at close quarters.
Women’s Scheldeprijs unchanged
-
Photo Credit: Cor Vos
While the men’s race changes its start city, the women’s event will remain based entirely in Schoten. That continuity means the race will keep the same start-and-finish arrangement used for the 2026 edition, when Charlotte Kool won a crash-affected sprint.
The full route for the 2027 men’s Scheldeprijs has not yet been announced, so the exact roads used between Middelburg and Schoten remain to be confirmed. What is already clear is that the Zeeland element will stay in place despite the temporary move away from Terneuzen, preserving one of the features that has shaped the modern version of the race.
