There will be no pro race in Lichtervelde this year. "We had proposed a new date, but it coincided with the jaarmarkt," says the organizer.

Omloop van het Houtland (1.1) has been a fixture on the cycling calendar since 1945 but in 2016 the organizers have opted for sabbatical.

"Suddenly, the cycling calendar for this year had to be redrawn and from September 19-25, the Eneco Tour will be held," organizer Etienne Denys tells sporza.

"Lichtervelde was normally scheduled for September 21. But on that day, the Eneco Tour will arrive in Ardooie, not far from Lichtervelde.

"Both Ardooie and Lichtervelde are located in the same police zone and that has caused problems.

"We ended up getting proposed a new date: September 27. But on that day we have the jaarmarkt in Lichtervelde and there is too little time to set up our finish zone with VIP tents."

The next edition of Omloop van get Houtland will thus takesplace on September 20, 2017. Last year Jens Debusschere won the race.