Belgium could have a new WorldTour race. According to Het Nieuwsblad, Dwars door Vlaanderen will be moved from the 1.HC category to the highest level. The Belgian newspaper reports that the WorldTour license has been awarded for three years and runs from 2017 to 2019.

Dwars door Vlaanderen is always the start of the Flemish cycling week. E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, the Three Days of De Panne-Koksijde follow later and lead to the highlight, the Tour of Flanders. Like the last race and Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen is organized by Flanders Classics. If today's report is confirmed, the organization will have three WorldTour races on the schedule.

It has earlier been reported that also 3 Days of De Panne-Koksijde is trying to get one of the coveted licenses as part of the UCI reforms which is likely to make the WorldTour become bigger than it has been in the past.