Flanders Classics CEO Thomas van den Spiegel acknowledged that the UCI has denied the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite Women's race a place on the 2022 Women's WorldTour calendar. In an interview with Cycling News, van den Spiegel said she understands the UCI's decision not to list the race on its top calendar as it continues to shape the structure of women's cycling.

Flanders Classics intends to submit a new application for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwar door Hlaanderen to join the Women's World Tour in 2023, while adding a seventh race to the current six women's event range The goal is to add a seventh race to the current range of six.

"We requested that Oloop Het Nieuwsblad become a WorldTour this year, but we understand that the UCI has asked us to be patient and wait because women's cycling is not yet formed," Van Den Spiegel said at the Oloop Het Nieuwsblad in a phone interview with Cyclingnews on Friday, the eve of the

"We are ambitious and we want to have a World Tour version of the women's race for the men's race, which is the World Tour. The Dwars door Hlaanderen is a men's World Tour race, but eventually we want to make it a women's World Tour as well," Van den Spiegel added when asked about the status change for the 2023 Flanders Classic.

"Add another race, that's another goal.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will kick off the Spring Classic season, with the World Tour men's event and the 1. Pro Series women's event on February 26.

Although the women's race is not on the top-class calendar, the prestige of one of the so-called "opening weekends" draws top teams and riders every year.

The competition also takes place during the Spring Classics, including Ghent-Wevelgem (WWT), Dwars door Fraendelen, promoted to 1. Pro, Tour of Flanders (WWT), Scheldeprijs (1.1), and Brabants Pile, also promoted to 1. Pro It is also the first of six Flanders Classics.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad began in 2006 as a 1.2-level event and was promoted to a 1.1 race in 2016. Last year, it further jumped up to the 1.pro series. Organizers attempted to get women's WorldTour stats for the 2022 Omloop Het Niusblad, but the UCI denied the request.

"We started with 1.1 two years ago, moved up to the Pro Series last year, and then requested to be on the World Tour this year, I think the UCI is still trying to shape the calendar and they don't want it to end. ...... I know they are getting a lot of demands too and they are trying to shape the calendar a little bit.

"We understand that women's cycling is developing rapidly and they are still in the middle. We are organizing a women's version of the men's race, but at the same time there are other organizations that are organizing women's races exclusively.

"I think (the UCI) is still looking for a balance in the women's World Tour calendar. You can start a World Team as a Pro Series event, so there is not a big difference between the Pro Series and the World Tour. Because last year all the World Tour teams couldn't run in the Pro Series, but this year they can."

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad will have 24 teams, 12 World teams and 12 Continental teams, competing in the women's 128 km race between Ghent and Ninove.

The Flanders Classic has been lauded by Closing the Gap, a four-year initiative aimed at improving women's cycling, primarily by providing live coverage and live streaming of six women's events. The initiative also aims to increase the number of categories for women's events to equal those of men's events by 2023, with equal prize money.

The women's Tour of Flanders in 2022 will have the same prize purse as the men's, Van den Spiegel said, with a total of €50,000 for the women and men, and €20,000 for the winner of each race.

"(Next year) all races will have equal prize money. We promised that in 2019 and we need to keep that promise. The reason we equalized the prize money in the Tour de Flanders this year is because we wanted to make that statement. We hope other organizers will follow suit. We are already here, but next year we want to equalize prize money for all races.

Van den Spiegel said that in 2023, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwar door Fraunderen will join Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders as part of the Women's World Tour, and Scheldeprijs and Brabanthe Pyle will be 1. pro The cycling community has confirmed that they can expect to become 1. But regardless of category, van den Spiegel said that the Flanders Classic will continue to host all races at the highest level.

"Whether it is a 1.1, a Pro Series, or a World Tour race, we will organize at the World Tour level.

An in-depth interview with Thomas van den Spiegel, CEO of the Flanders Classic, about Closing the Gap, a four-year effort to raise the level of women's racing, will be posted soon.