A kermesse, also spelled kermess, and kermis in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

is a style of

road bicycle race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

that is common in

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's countries and territories vary depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the ancient Mediterranean ...

. Typically kermesse races are found in Belgium, especially in the northern

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

region, where they are the most popular style of amateur bicycle race. They also exist in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The bicycle race borrows the name from the kermesse festival where the bicycle race is often held on the same day as a town festival, though not always. These amateur races are usually 90 to 140 kilometers in length. While some are longer or shorter, most are about 120 kilometers. The race is a set distance and number of laps over the established course. There are typically 10 to 20 laps, of between 5 and 10 kilometers. There are also professional races, which are longer, 150 to 180 km, with a circuit length of not less than 10 km. The race usually begins and ends in the center of the town which is hosting the day's race. The race will occupy the roads in town as well as the roads surrounding, either city streets or farmland. The course usually has a rolling enclosure. This means that while the race is not passing through, the streets are open to traffic. A designated car, usually with a caution sign and a red flag, leads the riders and close the cross streets to traffic. A following car, usually with signs and a green flag, open the streets back up to traffic. These events are usually amateur races (professionals are not allowed) and classified as UCI 1.12B, though there are also professional only races. To enter the race one must hold a license with a governing cycling body of their country or with the

Union Cycliste Internationale The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues raci ...

. Most kermesse races in

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 ...

are overseen by Wielerbond Vlaanderen. Registration for the races is typically 3

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

with a 5-euro deposit for the race number. The race number must be returned after the race to get one's deposit back. There is usually a pay out of 670 euro or 800 euro. Traditionally the 670 euro race will pay out 35 deep and the 800 euro race will pay out 50 deep. Some races have greater or less payout. Within the event there are often special prizes awarded during certain laps of the race, known as

primes A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...

. The primes are usually cash awards, but sometimes will be other things like a bicycle. The kermesse is similar to the

criterium A criterium, or crit, is a bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit, the length of each lap or circuit ranging from about 400 m to 10,000 m. Overview Race length can be determined by a number of laps or total time, ...

but differs in having a longer course length and longer lap length. While a criterium traditionally lasts 60–90 minutes, a kermesse will often take 120–180 minutes. A single lap in a criterium is usually less than 5 kilometers while the kermesse is usually 5-10 kilometers per lap.

References

{{Reflist Road bicycle racing terminology Men's road bicycle races