What is a golden kilometer in cycling?

The Golden Kilometre is a facet of some races, specifically always in the Tour of Belgium, where a rider can earn bonus seconds in any kilometre chosen by the race organizer between 20 to 25 kilometres from the finish.

Within the golden kilometer, there are three intermediate sprints. The winner will receive three bonus seconds, two seconds for the man in second and the third, one second.

In total, you can therefore collect nine seconds in a kilometre. Greg van Avermaet won the final standings in the Tour of Belgium one year thanks to the seconds he gathered in the Golden Kilometer of the final stage.

Certain other tours have copied the features because it generally causes the race to be faster and more exciting for viewers. This is especially important for races held in less, well, adventurous terrain that Belgium is known for.