Le Samyn
Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was first held in 1968 as a men's race; since 2012, there is a men's edition and a women's edition held on the same day. It is named after José Samyn, the race's first winner, who died in 1969.
Johan Capiot holds the men's record and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak holds the women's record for most victories, each with three.
History
The first edition of the race, called the Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc, was held in 1968 and won by Frenchman José Samyn. Samyn died in a race accident the next year, and the race was renamed Grand Prix José Samyn as a tribute. The race more commonly referred to as simply Le Samyn or Memorial Samyn. As of 2025, the race is officially called Ename Samyn Classic for sponsorship purposes.Since 2005, the race is included in the UCI Europe Tour as a 1.1 event. It is the first race of the season in Wallonia, held on the Tuesday after its Flemish counterpart, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. The race is run entirely in the province of Hainaut, starting in Quaregnon and finishing in Dour. During the course, 16 sectors of cobbled roads are traversed, prompting Belgian media to call it The Little Paris–Roubaix.
The 2005 edition was cancelled because snow had made the roads too dangerous. Since 2012, a women's edition of the race, named Le Samyn des Dames, is held on the same day as the men's race.