Hasselt, the Limburg provincial capital, was both start and finish of the Omloop van Limburg from 1941 until the race's final edition in 1969 — a fixture of the province's cycling calendar for nearly thirty years, run over courses between 145 and 258 kilometres.
The city's cycling identity has since folded into the Ronde van Limburg, revived in 2012 and now built around the twin host cities of Hasselt and Tongeren-Borgloon; the modern race starts in Hasselt before finishing amid the orchards and berg climbs to the south.
Hasselt's cycling geography puts it squarely between two very different landscapes: the flat Kempen forest to the north and the rolling fruit country of Haspengouw to the south — a rare central Belgian city that can offer both within a single afternoon's ride.
Beyond racing, Hasselt sits on the Limburg cycle-node network, one of the most extensively signposted systems in Europe, making it a practical hub for riders wanting to string together routes in either direction without needing to double back.
