The event will be postponed from the August 22 and 23 dates set by the UCI due to the Belgian government's decision to ban large gatherings until September to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Belgium has the fifth highest number of COVID-19 cases in Europe, with nearly 55,000 confirmed cases and 9,000 deaths.
The federation is looking for new dates for the elite men's and women's time trial in Coxaide and the U23 and non-contract elite races scheduled for Lokeren.
The new dates are two days after the final stage of the Tour de France and the UCI Road World Championships elite men's time trial in Paris on September 20, which now coincides with the Tour. It is also three days after the conclusion of the Giro d'Italia Féminaire of the Women's World Tour.
This new schedule raises the question of who the race will favor: Yves Lampaert of Deceuninck-Quickstep told Het Nieuwsblad that there is only one Belgian who can challenge for the Belgian title from the Tour de France He said.
"I know how I will feel after the Tour. The Roselare Criterium on Tuesday is not worth it. The Belgian championships are another story. This is only good for one rider in the Belgian Tour: Thomas De Gendt.
De Gendt, winner of last year's Saint-Etienne stage of the Tour de France, is one of the few riders coming out of the Grand Tour stronger. Greg Van Avermaat has also gone from strength to strength over the three weeks of racing, as evidenced by his gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.
He intends to go for the Belgian title with a simple strategy: "I'm going to start the Tour this year thinking it will be two days long and end in Anzegem on Tuesday.
The fact that the Belgian championships are held within the World Tour calendar is an advantage for riders on teams that do not compete in the Tour de France.
Defending champion Tim Merlier (Alpecin Phoenix) was disappointed that his team was not given the chance to be added as a wild card to the Tour, but now enjoys competing in the championships when many Belgians are tired
"I hope that Wout Van Aert will still be aiming for victory in the final stage and that he will be even more tired for the Belgian championships," said Mellier.
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