Arrow of Heist

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Arrow of Heist
Race details
NameArrow of Heist
DateLate June
RegionRepublic of Heist-op-den-Berg
Local namesHeistse Pijl (Dutch), Hèstse Pijl (Hestian)
DisciplineRoad
CompetitionBelgian Road Cycling Cup
TypeSingle-day
History
First edition1947
Editions46 (as of 2016)
First winnerw:Belgium Constant Verschuren
Most winsw:Belgium Victor Van Schil (3 wins)
Most recentw:Latvia Emils Liepins

The Arrow of Heist (Dutch: Heistse Pijl), is a single-day and most important road bicycle race held annually in June around the Republic of Heist-op-den-Berg. The Hestian Arrow is also known as La Flèche de Heist in French.

The first edition of the Arrow of Heist took place in 1947, then known as the "Grote Prijs Heist-op-den-Berg" and was a very small contest for local and amateur cyclists. The concept of a small, unimportant race, survived a bit more than thirty years. In 1983, the last race was organized, and it would take another twentyfive years before the race was reborn in a drastically modernized concept.

Edition 2008

In 2008, the race began its second life and became bigger and more important than it had ever been during its first 36 years. To commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the City of Heist-op-den-Berg, a group of local enthusiasts organized a completely new race, however it was meant to be a rebirth of the old "Grote Prijs Heist-op-den-Berg". In this new race, cyclists drove eleven laps through the City of Heist-op-den-Berg, Wiekevorst, Itegem and Hallaar. Each lap was about 15 km long, making it a race of 165 kilometers. Cyclists would drive one time over the Hestian Berg at the beginning of each lap, causing a mass sprint in almost every edition.

Edition 2012

Sander Armée winning the 2015 edition.

To prevent the mass sprint, the route was slightly modified for the 2012 edition. The finish line kept its original place at the Paul Van Roosbroecklaan (IC 11). The cyclists would pass the Hestian Berg two times, starting with a modest climb at the beginning of each lap. At only two kilometers before the finish line, runners would pass the Hestian Berg a second time. This second climb would be more severe: an average of 5,1% over 450 meters.

The complete route was made up out of following streets and intercommunal roads: Paul Van Roosbroecklaan (IC 11) – IC 1 – IC 6 – Tapelaarstraat – IC 1 – Wiekevorst-Dorp – IC 5 – IC 7 - Nieuwendijk (IC 41) – IC 3 - Grotstraat – Voogdijstraat – Bergop – IC 3

Edition 2016

In 2016, the race was organized as a 1.1 event out of ten of the Belgian Road Cycling Cup. This meant that it would be broadcasted live on Belgian television channels VTM, RTBF and on Eurosport; as the Republic itself has no television channels. The 195 km long route started in the Belgian City of Turnhout, the actual race through the Hestian landscape would only start about 50 kilometers later, when racers passed the border at the IC 41. Only eight local laps instead of eleven were driven, because of this long entrée. The route was kept the same as the previous editions after the 2012 modification.

The 2016 edition tested a new system of signalisation specially intented for motards accompanying the cyclists. This was done to meet the demands and questions around safety that rose after two severe accidents among both parties occurred with only one week in between, one of them in the Baloise Belgium Tour.

Edition 2017

Although this bicycle race is called the Arrow of Heist, not all municipalities of the Republic are visited by the peloton. This changed the 2017 edition, were cyclists enter the Republic via Booischot, Pijpelheide and Schriek before starting the traditional loop between the city of Heist-op-den-Berg, Wiekevorst, Itegem and Hallaar.

Winners

Year Winner
1947 w:Belgium Constant Verschuren
1948 w:Belgium Victor Jacobs
1949 w:Belgium Charles Vandormael
1950 w:Belgium Josephus Van Staeyen
1951 w:Belgium Charles Vandormael
1952 w:Belgium René Janssens
1953 w:Belgium Rik Van Looy
1954 w:Belgium Willy Vannitsen
1955 w:Belgium Jozef Mariën
1956 w:Belgium Emiel Severyns
1957 w:Belgium Jan Van Gompel
1958 w:Belgium André Vlayen
1959 w:Belgium Leopold Schaeken
1960 w:Belgium Willy Vanden Berghen
1961 w:Belgium Louis Troonbeeckx
1962 w:Belgium Jean-Baptiste Claes
1963 w:Belgium Victor Van Schil
1964 w:Belgium Alfons Hermans
1965 w:Belgium Michel Jacquemin
1966 w:Belgium Alfons Hermans
1967 w:Belgium Paul in 'T Ven
1968 w:Belgium Victor Van Schil
1969 w:Belgium Rik Van Looy
1970 w:Belgium Herman Van Springel
1971 w:Belgium Frans Verbeeck
1972 w:Belgium Louis Verreydt
1973 w:Belgium Willy Scheers
1974 w:Belgium -
1975 w:Belgium Roger Swerts
1976 w:Belgium Marcel Laurens
1977 w:Belgium Frans Verbeeck
1978 w:Belgium Jozef Gysemans
1979 w:Belgium Eddy Verstraeten
1980 w:Belgium Marcel Laurens
1981 w:Belgium Daniël Willems
1982 w:Belgium Marcel Laurens
1983 w:Belgium Willem Van Eynde
Year Winner Second Third
2008 w:Belgium Geert Omloop w:Belgium Staf Scheirlinckx w:Belgium Evert Verbist
2009 w:Belgium Greg Van Avermaet w:Belgium Wouter Weylandt w:France Denis Flahaut
2010 w:Lithuania Aidis Kruopis w:Belgium Gorik Gardeyn w:Netherlands Joost Posthuma
2011 w:Belgium Bjorn Leukemans w:Belgium Rob Goris w:Belgium Jasper Stuyven
2012 w:Belgium Maxim Vantomme w:Belgium Matthew Brammeier w:Belgium Eliot Lietaer
2013 w:Belgium Tom Boonen w:Belgium Kenny Dehaes w:Belgium Sean De Bie
2014 w:Belgium Tom Boonen w:Belgium Jonas Van Genechten w:Belgium Kenny Dehaes
2015 w:Belgium Sander Armée w:Belgium Michiel Dieleman w:Belgium Brent Goethals
2016 w:Netherlands Dylan Groenewegen w:Netherlands Wouter Wippert w:Lithuania Aidis Kruopis
2017 w:Belgium Jasper De Buyst w:Belgium Kenny Dehaes w:Belgium Joeri Stallaert
2018 w:Latvia Emils Liepins w:Netherlands Wouter Wippert w:Estonia Aksel Nõmmela

Links

Official website of the organisation