Roubaix still sets the tone at the start, even after the route quickly crosses into Belgium. North French brick gives way to Flemish Classics country: narrow roads, open fields, low hills and places that sound like spring racing. Around Kluisbergen, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg sit close to the route; later, Koppenberg and Taaienberg mark the Flemish Ardennes with unmistakable cycling weight. After that, the terrain becomes calmer without turning dull. The route continues through Ninove and the Pajottenland towards Brussels. In the final kilometres, the space tightens: suburbs, city streets, traffic, façades and tramlines, before the route reaches the centre of Brussels.
