The World Ports Classic was a

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an two-day

cycle race Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling ...

held between the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

cities of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

and

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, organized by ASO as a

2.1 The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world's governing body in the sport of bicycle racing, classifies races according to a rating scale. The rating is represented by a code made of two or three parts and indicates both the type or style ...

event on the

UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

. The race was held between 2012 and 2015. In all years except for

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, the riders started in Rotterdam, finishing the first day in Antwerp before riding in the opposite direction on the second and final day. A leader's jersey was awarded to the winner of the first stage, to be defended on the second stage.

History

The inaugural event commenced on 31 August 2012 with the first stage being won by

Tom Boonen Tom Boonen (; born 15 October 1980) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the and teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed in ...

ahead of

André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2021. Since his retirement, Greipel now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Born in Rostock, East ...

and

Alexander Kristoff Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2007 and 2011. His biggest victories have been the 2014 Milan� ...

. The second stage was won by

Theo Bos Theo Bos (born 22 August 1983) is a Dutch former professional road and track cyclist. An Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion, he is the brother of Olympic medalist in speed skating Jan Bos. On 29 November 2021, he announced hi ...

ahead of Greipel and Boonen. Boonen won the overall classification and the points classification with Kristoff winning the youth classification. The 2013 event, the only edition that started with the Antwerp–Rotterdam stage first, was won by

Nikolas Maes Nikolas Maes (born 9 April 1986) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2007 and 2020, for the , and teams. He now works as a directeur sportif for his final professional team, UCI WorldTeam . ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, while Bos won in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. The final edition in 2015 was won by

Kris Boeckmans Kris Boeckmans (born 13 February 1987) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2020, for the , , and teams. Career Born in Malle, Boeckmans began competing as a professional in the second h ...

;

Andrea Guardini Andrea Guardini (born 12 June 1989) is an Italian former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2021 for the , , , and teams. A sprinter, Guardini currently holds the record for most stage wins at the Tour de Langkawi w ...

won the first stage ahead of

Yauheni Hutarovich Yauheni Hutarovich (born 29 November 1983) is a Belarusian former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2007 and 2016 for the , , and teams. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Career In th ...

and Boeckmans, while Boeckmans won the second stage ahead of

Danilo Napolitano Danilo Napolitano (born 31 January 1981) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2017, and was chiefly known for his sprinting abilities. Born in Vittoria, Sicily, Napolitano turned profe ...

and

Alessandro Bazzana Alessandro Bazzana (born 16 July 1984 in Alzano Lombardo) is an Italian former professional cyclist. Major results ;2005 : 3rd Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza ;2006 : 6th Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza ;2008 : 7th Overall Rochester Omnium : ...

Winners

References

External links

* {{World Ports Classic Cycle races in Belgium Cycle races in the Netherlands UCI Europe Tour races Recurring sporting events established in 2012 Recurring sporting events disestablished in 2015 2012 establishments in Belgium 2012 establishments in the Netherlands 2015 disestablishments in Belgium 2015 disestablishments in the Netherlands Sports competitions in Rotterdam Sports competitions in Antwerp Defunct cycling races in Belgium Defunct cycling races in the Netherlands