Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was created in 1968 as Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc, named after the former municipality where it started and finished. In 1970 it was renamed Grand Prix José Samyn as a tribute to José Samyn, the race's first winner who died in a race accident in 1969.[1] Johan Capiot holds the record with three wins.[2]
 | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | February/March |
| Region | Hainaut, Belgium |
| Local name(s) | Le Samyn des Hommes (men) Le Samyn des Dames (women) (in French) |
| Nickname(s) | Le Samyn |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | Men: UCI Europe Tour Women: Lotto Cycling Cup |
| Type | Single-day |
| Web site | www |
| Men's history | |
| First edition | 1968 |
| Editions | 56 (as of 2024) |
| First winner |  José Samyn (FRA) |
| Most wins |  Johan Capiot (BEL) (3 wins) |
| Most recent | Laurenz Rex (BEL) |
| Women's history | |
| First edition | 2012 |
| Editions | 13 (as of 2024) |
| First winner |  Adrie Visser (NED) |
| Most wins | Chantal Blaak (NED) (3 wins) |
| Most recent |  Vittoria Guazzini (ITA) |
History edit
Since 2005, the race is included in the UCI Europe Tour as a 1.1 event.[3] It is the first race of the season in Wallonia, held on the Tuesday after its Flemish counterpart, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The race is run entirely in the province of Hainaut, starting in Quaregnon and finishing in Dour. During the course, 16 sectors of cobbled roads are traversed, prompting Belgian media to call it The Little Paris–Roubaix.[4]
The 2005 edition was cancelled because snow had made the roads too dangerous.[5]
Since 2012, a women's edition of the race, named Le Samyn des Dames, is held on the same day as the men's race.[6]
Winners edit
Men's race edit
.JPG)
Multiple winners edit
| Wins | Rider | Country | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Johan Capiot | Belgium |
1992, 1994, 1995 |
| 2 | Hendrik Redant | Belgium |
1989, 1990 |
| Niki Terpstra | Netherlands |
2016, 2018 |
Wins by country edit
| Wins | Country |
|---|---|
| 35 | Belgium
|
| 9 | France
|
| 5 | Netherlands
|
| 1 |  Australia,  Denmark,  Germany, Italy,  Russia,  Sweden
|
Women's race edit
Source[6]
References edit
- ^ "Le Samyn". lesamyn.be. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ "Le Samyn". FirstCycling.com. 2023.
- ^ "Le Samyn (Bel) - Cat.1.1". Memoire-du-cyclisme.eu (in French). Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ Delvaux, Maarten. "Niki Terpstra wint nu ook "klein broertje van Paris–Roubaix"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 2 March 2016.
- ^ "Memorial Samyn Fayt-le-Franc cancelled". Cyclingnews. 3 March 2005. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Le Samyn des Dames". cqranking.com. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
External links edit
- Official website (in French)