Scheldeprijs Women will be part of the UCI ProSeries from 2026 onwards
Three Flanders Classics races will receive a category upgrade on next year’s road cycling calendar. Dwars door Vlaanderen for women had already been announced to join the UCI Women’s WorldTour. In addition, Scheldeprijs for women and Ronde van Limburg will belong to the UCI ProSeries from 2026 for the next three seasons.
On this day, Scheldeprijs for men, De Brabantse Pijl for men and women, and the Brussels Cycling Classic are already part of the UCI ProSeries within the Flanders Classics portfolio. In addition, Omloop het Nieuwsblad, Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, and Dwars door Vlaanderen belong to the UCI WorldTour for both men and women. The Amstel Gold Race, in which Flanders Classics has been involved since 2025, also belongs to the highest level. The category upgrade of the Scheldeprijs for women now ensures that, for each classic, the race is at the same level for both men and women.
“We are extremely proud to take this step,” says Jack Vissers, chairman of the Schotense wielerclub. “Over the past five editions, the interest from teams to participate in Schoten has been particularly strong. We are therefore looking forward to welcoming all Women’s WorldTour teams in the search for a successor to Elisa Balsamo.”
Schoten’s mayor, Maarten De Veuster, is also looking ahead with enthusiasm: "We are preparing for a jubilee edition in which we celebrate the fact that the Scheldeprijs has been finishing in Schoten without interruption since 1926. This news is a fine reward for the commitment and support of the municipality and the organization. Schoten once again looks forward to making April 8 a festive day of cycling."
“A next step in the Closing the Gap program of Flanders Classics,” says CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel. “Adding the Scheldeprijs for women was one of the very first steps we took, with the support of our presenting partner for women’s cycling, KPMG. Besides building media attention and ensuring equal prize money, category upgrades have always been an important objective in that multi-year plan. That we are now, together with our partners KPMG and the municipality of Schoten, able to bring each of our women’s races to the same level as the men’s races is a continuation of a project in which we have enthusiastically taken on a pioneering role.”
