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2023 Tour of Flanders: Preview, schedule, how to watch both men's and women's classic races live

Mathieu van der Poel is favourite to defend his title at the iconic one-day men's classic race on the Belgian cobbles, while Annemiek van Vleuten chases a third women's crown in her final season.

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on Stage 17 of 2022 Tour de France

The second road cycling one-day classic monument of the 2023 season is here.

On Sunday (2 April), the Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen; Tour des Flandres) will celebrate its 107th men's and 20th women's editions as the first of two back-to-back cobbled monuments (Paris–Roubaix follows next week).

Men have raced 'De Ronde' annually uninterrupted since 1919. This year, for the first time since 2016, the race begins in Bruges/Brugge – the first year of an agreement that will see Bruges/Brugge and Antwerp alternate start-line duties. The race will end in Oudenaarde, as it has done every year since 2012, after 273.4km (169.9mi).

The women, meanwhile, face a 156.6km (97.3mi) course set around Oudenaarde but also encompassing swathes of the men's route.

Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands and Belgium's own Lotte Kopecky are the respective defending champions. Van der Poel is looking for his third title in four races, having also triumphed in 2020.

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2023 tour of flanders course routes.

Welcome back to Bruges/Brugge. That's the main headline from this year's men's Ronde van Vlaanderen course , as the race returns to the same UNESCO World Heritage Site start town it had from 1998 through 2016.

The Grote Markt in Bruges/Brugge is where the peloton will start from; the change in start city from Antwerp means the route south to Oudenaard is also changing.

While the daunting Oude Kwaremont – Paterberg finale will still take pride of place, the course for the first 136km (84.5 miles) to the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont looks a little less heavy on the legs compared to last year, with only a single cobbled sector (down from two) at Huisepontweg and a generally flatter parcours, albeit with an additional côte.

However, the traditional loop around Oudenaard will again test the riders, with 18 climbs from the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont to the finish. Once more, the Paterberg is the last climb of the day with 13 km to go before a fast, flat finish. Across the day's 19 classified hills, the riders will climb 3,227m (10,587ft).

The women will ride a course very similar to the ones they are used to – a loop around Oudenaard, beginning at the Markt and ending on Minderbroedersstraat as the men do.

As with the men's race, Huisepontweg at 49.6km is the first cobbled sector; unlike the men, the women's peloton will already have had to climb their first test – the Tiegemberg.

Twelve further climbs await the women, who will face the same final 45km as the men, starting with the notoriously difficult cobbled climb up the Kopperberg (113.4km) and concluding with the Oude Kwaremont – Paterberg one-two to finish. A total elevation gain of 2,682m (8,799ft) awaits the peloton.

2023 Tour of Flanders riders to watch

Men's race - 2023 riders to watch.

Mathieu van der Poel – the defending champion from the Netherlands. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider also triumphed in 2020 and was beaten into second place in 2021. He will aim for a fourth straight podium finish on the back of winning Milano-Sanremo two weeks ago.
Tadej Pogacar – the all-round phenomenon from Slovenia is looking for his fourth career monument win (2 at Il Lombardia, 1 at Liège-Bastogne-Liège). This is just his second appearance in De Ronde, having finished agonisingly off the podium in fourth last year.
Kasper Asgreen – the Dane was the surprise winner in 2021, knocking van der Poel into second place. His Soudal–Quick Step team can also count on…
Julian Alaphilippe – the two-time road race world champion, who looked set to challenge for the 2020 race before crashing into a motorcycle while in the winning breakaway.
Wout van Aert – Jumbo-Visma's leader in Flanders, who was forced to miss last year's race after catching Covid. Widely considered the biggest rival to Van der Poel, Van Aert will be hoping to upgrade his 2020 second place to the top step of the podium. Enters off the back of a second place at Gent-Wevelgem.
Greg van Avermaet – even aged 37, don't rule out the Belgian on his home roads. The 2016 Olympic road race champion is a specialist in the one-day classics, and has finished on the podium in Oudenaarde four times without ever winning the race.
Tom Pidcock – the Briton is, like Van der Poel and Van Aert, used to riding on different terrain as a cyclo-cross, mountain bike, and road rider. Pidcock claimed his first major one-day win earlier this year at Strade Bianche and has experience of winning on cobbles, triumphing in the 2021 Brabantse Pijl and 2019 Paris–Roubaix Espoirs junior race.

Women's race - 2023 riders to watch

Annemiek van Vleuten – the Dutch women's cycling legend has announced that 2023 will be her final season. A two-time winner of the women's Tour of Flanders (2011, 2021), Van Vleuten is no stranger to success in all forms of road cycling, from long stage races to one-day classics, and will hope to sign off from Oudenaarde with a third victory.
Lotte Kopecky – defending champion from 2022, Kopecky will have the home support behind her. A two-time national road race champion, she already has a pair of one-day classic race wins under her belt this season and will be one of the favourites for a third.
Marianne Vos – the London 2012 Olympic road race champion hasn't won in a one-day race since Gent-Wevelgem in 2021, but count Vos out at your peril. The vastly experienced Dutchwoman is still a force to be reckoned with on her day.
Elisa Longo Borghini – the Trek-Segafredo team leader, who won bronze in the last two Olympic road races, is a previous winner of the event (2015) and will be supported by fellow Italian and 2021 world champion Elisa Balsamo.

2023 Tour of Flanders: Race schedules

(All times local CEST, approximate after race start. Assumes an average race speed of 44km/h for men and 40km/h for women)

10:00 – Men's race unofficial start in Bruges/Brugge (-8.3km)
10:16 – Men's race official start in Beernem (0.0km)
12:45 – Men's race reaches first cobbled sector at Huisepontweg (109.0km)
13:22 – Men's race reaches first ascent of Oude Kwaremont (climb 2, 136.8km)
13:30 – Women's race unofficial start in Oudenaarde (-2.7km)
13:35 – Women's race official start in Oudenaarde (0.0km)
13:50 – Women's race reaches first climb at Tiegemberg (climb 1, 10.0km)
14:49 – Women's race reaches first cobbled sector at Huisepontweg (49.5km)
15:14 – Men's race reaches second ascent of Oude Kwaremont (climb 12, 218.8km)
15:19 – Men's race reaches first ascent of Paterberg (climb 13, 222.3km)
15:28 – Men's race reaches Koppenberg (climb 14, 228.8km)
16:06 – Men's race reaches third ascent of Oude Kwaremont (climb 18, 256.7km)
16:11 – Men's race reaches second ascent of Paterberg (climb 19, 260.1km)
16:23 – Women's race reaches Koppenberg (climb 8, 112.0km)
16:29 – Men's leaders arrive at finish line in Oudenaarde (273.4km)
17:05 – Women's race reaches Oude Kwaremont (climb 12, 139.9km)
17:10 – Women's race reaches Paterberg (climb 13, 143.3km)
17:30 – Women's leaders arrive at finish line in Oudenaarde (156.6km)

Tour of Flanders: Last five winners

2022: Mathieu van der Poel (NED/Alpecin-Fenix)
2021: Kasper Asgreen (DEN/Deceuninck-Quick-Step)
2020: Mathieu van der Poel (NED/Alpecin-Fenix)
2019: Alberto Bettiol (ITA/EF Educational First)
2018: Niki Terpstra (NED/Quick-Step Floors)
2022: Lotte Kopecky (BEL/SD Worx)
2021: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED/Movistar Team)
2020: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (NED/Boels-Dolmans)
2019: Marta Bastianelli (ITA/Team Virtu Cycling)
2018: Anna van der Breggen (NED/Boels-Dolmans)

How to watch 2023 Tour of Flanders - Ronde van Vlaanderen

List of regional broadcasters (TV / online):

Belgium – RTBF
Czechia – Czech TV
Denmark – TV2
France – France TV
Italy – RAI
Netherlands – NOS
Norway – TV2
Slovenia – JOJ
Spain – Enjoy
Switzerland – SRG SSR
Pan-Europe – Eurosport, GCN
Canada – Flobikes
United States – Flobikes
Australia – Flobikes, SBS
New Zealand – SKY Sport
Central and South America and the Caribbean – ESPN
Sub-Saharan Africa – Supersport

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One day race

Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres ME

Race information.

Date: 02 April 2023
Start time: 10:16
Avg. speed winner: 44.083 km/h
Race category: ME - Men Elite
Distance: 273.4 km
Points scale: 1.WT.A
UCI scale: UCI.WR.Monument
Parcours type:
ProfileScore: 76
Vert. meters: 2185
Departure: Brugge
Arrival: Oudenaarde
Race ranking: 11
Startlist quality score: 918
Won how: 17 km solo
Avg. temperature: 6 °C

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Spring Classics

Tour of Flanders 2024

The most iconic climbs and cobbles of Belgium will crown the next Monument winner

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Ronde van Vlaanderen

Dates 31 Mar
Race Length 270 kms
Start Antwerp
Finish Oudenaarde
Race Category Elite Men

Tour of Flanders: Mathieu van der Poel makes it a hattrick

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took his record-tying third Tour of Flanders title in a dominant ride on a rain-soaked day in Belgium.

The Dutch rider was flawless on the Koppenberg with 46km to go when most riders were forced to get off their bikes and walk to the fearsome climb. From that point, Van der Poel did not look back and clinched his third win solo with enough of a gap to get off his bike and hoist it into the air to celebrate his triumph.

From the Koppenberg until the finish, it was a battle for seconds amongst the remaining peloton behind. Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) mounted a spirited rider for the remaining podium places, but the two riders were brought back in the final hundred metres by a strong group of nine. In the end, Luca Mozzato (Arkeá-B&B) finished second and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) finished third after Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla) was relegated for a sprint deviation.

Tour of Flanders: Mathieu van der Poel claims record third title with 45km solo
Michael Matthews relegated from Tour of Flanders podium for sprint deviation
Resilience, patience and power take Mathieu van der Poel to Tour of Flanders greatness
Matteo Jorgenson: I just ran out of talent trying to follow Mathieu van der Poel at the Tour of Flanders
Adrie van der Poel: Flanders is in Mathieu's top-3 all-time victorie s

Tour of Flanders 2024 overview

The Tour of Flanders will run on Sunday, 31 March and marks the crown jewel of the Belgian Classics and one of the most important race days in cycling.

The Ronde van Vlaanderen, or simply De Ronde as it is called in Flanders, is known for its cobbled climbs and for the rabid atmosphere that comes from the hundreds of thousands of Belgian fans that make their way to the side of the road for the biggest Sunday in Belgium’s sporting calendar.

The Tour of Flanders is the second of cycling’s five Monuments and has been run for over a hundred years, with the only interruption coming during World War I. Not even World War II could stop De Ronde from crowing a winner as the race has endured in the memory of cycling fans since it began in 1913.

While last year’s winner Tadej Pogačar will be at an altitude camp rather than defending his crown in Flanders - as he prepares for his attempt at the Giro-Tour double this summer - the startlist will be stacked with some of cycling’s biggest names regardless.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) looks to add his name to the rare three-time winners club, while his victor from last week’s Gent-Wevelgem, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), is in search of his first Monument win. They will square off against the strength of Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) and Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) among many others who will have had the Tour of Flanders circled on their calendar since last November.

Read more: A beginner’s guide to the Tour of Flanders

Tour of Flanders 2024 key information

When is the Tour of Flanders 2024? The Tour of Flanders will start on Sunday, 31 March.

Where does the 2024 Tour of Flanders take place? The Tour of Flanders takes place in Flanders, Belgium, starting in Antwerp and finishing in Oudenaarde.

Who won the Tour of Flanders in 2023? Tadej Pogačar soloed to victory in the 2023 edition, finishing ahead of Mathieu van der Poel who was also solo. Mads Pederson won the sprint for third behind.

When did the Tour of Flanders start? The first edition of the Tour of Flanders was run in 1913. The race has run every year since, with the only exception coming during World War I when Flanders was the epicentre of the fighting.

Who won the first Tour of Flanders? Paul Deman won the first edition of the Tour of Flanders ahead of Joseph Van Daele and Victor Doms. All three riders were Belgians.

Who has the most wins at the Tour of Flanders? Six riders have won the Tour of Flanders three times, including most recently Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw.

Tour of Flanders 2024 route: the pinnacle of the Belgian Classics

The route of the Tour of Flanders changes often, however, the ending generally has stayed the same as the race has found its formula with the shift to the Oudenaarde finish in 2012.

The 271km race, starting in Antwerp and ending in Oudenaarde, has only 2,172 metres but the riders feel every one of those metres as the climbs are all packed in the back half of the race and many of them are accompanied by tough cobblestones. In total, there are 16 cobblestone sectors and 17 climbs.

While the action comes thick and fast at the end of the race, the parcours takes its time getting to the action with the first climb of the Oude Kwaremont coming after 135km of racing. The long, flat prelude to the climbs provides a big opportunity for domestiques and opportunists to get up the road early, ahead of the action. While the breakaway will undoubtedly be brought back by the favourites towards the end of the race, it is not uncommon for riders in the early breakaway to hang around and play some type of role in the finale.

After the preamble, the race begins the climbs and doesn’t return to flat roads until the final 11km flat run to the line once all the climbs and cobbles are done and dusted. From the first climb up the Oude Kwaremont through the finish, the race packs in all 16 of the climbs into 137km. The first ride up the Kwaremont is followed by the first lap around the Flemish Ardense and climbs like the Kappelberg, Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Bendries, Valkenberg and Berg Ten Haut before the race returns to the base of the Oude Kwaremont for the crucial second lap around the most famous climbs of Flanders.

The second of three times of asking on the Oude Kwaremont comes with 57km to go before it is followed by the first ascent of the Paterberg, the Koppenberg, Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg and Kruisberg which mark the start of the crucial endgame at the Tour of Flanders. The Koppenberg, Taaienberg and Kruisberg especially are the climbs where the race will often kick off as the big contenders begin to manoeuvre before the final few climbs.

All of this leads to the final crescendo of the final two climbs of the day which will ultimately decide the result of the stage. The Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg combo comes in the final 20km and sets the table for the final attacks before the flat run to the finish. The two final climbs have shown to be selective enough with six solo winners and a four-up sprint being the biggest group to contest for the win at the new finishing circuit.

Which teams are racing the Tour of Flanders 2024?

The Tour of Flanders is a WorldTour race and will see the full collection of 18 WorldTour teams take on the race. Seven ProTour teams will also be at the race making up the full 25-team peloton of 175 riders.

WorldTour teams:

Alpecin-Deceuninck
Arkéa-B&B Hotels
Astana Qazaqstan
Bahrain Victorious
Bora-Hansgrohe
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
EF Education-EasyPost
Groupama-FDJ
Ineos Grenadiers
Intermarché-Wanty
Movistar Team
Soudal Quick-Step
dsm-firmenich PostNL
Jayco AlUla
Visma-Lease a Bike
UAE Team Emirates

ProTour teams:

Lotto Dstny
Israel-Premier Tech
Uno-X Mobility
Flanders-Baloise
Tudor Pro Cycling
Q36.5 Pro Cycling

What happened at the Tour of Flanders 2023?

Tadej Pogačar stormed to victory in the 2023 Tour of Flanders after an attacking ride saw him dispense Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel from his wheel after a long battle that saw the trio start the crux of the race on the back foot before they worked their way through the early attackers until it was just Pogačar and Van der Poel racing to the finish in a one-on-one drag race along the flat run to Oudenaard. The two matched each other the whole day with Van der Poel only trailing the Slovenian of the Oude Kwaremont the last time of asking. Mads Pedersen won the sprint from the select group of seven behind.

Tour of Flanders history

While the Tour of Flanders might not be the longest, the oldest, the hilliest or the roughest of the Monuments, it is Belgium’s biggest race and perhaps the race that is the hardest to win. Even the specialists who have dedicated their careers to the Classics have found it a difficult crown to take, as the likes of Roger De Vlaeminck and Peter Sagan only took one win each at the race. Famously, Sean Kelly never managed to win the race, even though he won all of the other monuments and countless other Classics. Flanders, in all its challenges, was his white whale.

Recently, Flanders have been defined by a couple of true rivalries. In the 2000s and first half of the 2010’s the race was dominated by Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara. The two Classics stars traded blows in all of the Classics, but Flanders was where they seemed to trade wins. All said and done, the two riders accounted for six victories out of ten editions from 2005 to 2014.

While Boonen and Cancellara are now out of the picture, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel have taken on the role of central casting at Flanders in the 2020s. While one Tadej Pogačar has interrupted that rivalry on a few occasions, Van Aert and Van der Poel have been consistent as the furniture for the past few years at Flanders and are likely to continue turning up the race for the foreseeable future.

Tour of Flanders' previous winners

2023 Tadej Pogačar (Slo) 2022 Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) 2021 Kasper Asgreen (Den) 2020 Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) 2019 Alberto Bettiol (Ita) 2018 Niki Terpstra (Ned) 2017 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) 2016 Peter Sagan (Svk) 2015 Alexander Kristoff (Nor) 2014 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) 2013 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) 2012 Tom Boonen (Bel) 2011 Nick Nuyens (Bel) 2010 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) 2009 Stijn Devolder (Bel) 2008 Stijn Devolder (Bel) 2007 Alessandro Ballan (Ita) 2006 Tom Boonen (Bel) 2005 Tom Boonen (Bel) 2004 Steffen Wesemann (Ger) 2003 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) 2002 Andrea Tafi (Ita) 2001 Gianluca Bortolami (Ita) 2000 Andrei Tchmil (Bel) 1999 Peter Van Petegem (Bel) 1998 Johan Museeuw (Bel) 1997 Rolf Sörensen (Den) 1996 Michele Bartoli (Ita) 1995 Johan Museeuw (Bel) 1994 Gianni Bugno (Ita) 1993 Johan Museeuw (Bel) 1992 Jacky Durand (Fra) 1991 Edwig Van Hooydonck (Bel) 1990 Moreno Argentin (Ita) 1989 Edwig Van Hooydonck (Bel) 1988 Eddy Planckaert (Bel) 1987 Claude Criquielion (Bel) 1986 Adri Van Der Poel (Ned) 1985 Eric Vanderaerden (Bel) 1984 Johan Lammerts (Ned) 1983 Jan Raas (Ned) 1982 Rene Martens (Bel) 1981 Hennie Kuiper (Ned) 1980 Michel Pollentier (Bel) 1979 Jan Raas (Ned) 1978 Walter Godefroot (Bel) 1977 Roger De Vlaeminck (Bel) 1976 Walter Planckaert (Bel) 1975 Eddy Merckx (Bel) 1974 Cees Bal (Ned) 1973 Eric Leman (Bel) 1972 Eric Leman (Bel) 1971 Evert Dolman (Ned) 1970 Eric Leman (Bel) 1969 Eddy Merckx (Bel) 1968 Walter Godefroot (Bel) 1967 Dino Zandegu (Ita) 1966 Ward Sels (Bel) 1965 Jo De Roo (Ned) 1964 Rudi Altig (Ger) 1963 Noél Foré (Bel) 1962 Rik Van Looy (Bel) 1961 Tom Simpson (GB) 1960 Arthur De Cabooter (Bel) 1959 Rik Van Looy (Bel) 1958 Germain Derijcke (Bel) 1957 Fred De Bruyne (Bel) 1956 Jean Forestier (Fra) 1955 Louison Bobet (Fra) 1954 Raymond Impanis (Bel) 1953 Wim Van Est (Ned) 1952 Roger Decock (Bel) 1951 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) 1950 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) 1949 Fiorenzo Magni (Ita) 1948 Briek Schotte (Bel) 1947 Emiel Faignaert (Bel) 1946 Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) 1945 Sylvain Grysolle (Bel) 1944 Rik Van Steenbergen (Bel) 1943 Achiel Buysse (Bel) 1942 Briek Schotte (Bel) 1941 Achiel Buysse (Bel) 1940 Achiel Buysse (Bel) 1939 Karel Kaers (Bel) 1938 Edgard De Caluwe (Bel) 1937 Michel D'Hooghe (Bel) 1936 Louis Hardiquest (Bel) 1935 Louis Duerloo (Bel) 1934 Gaston Rebry (Bel) 1933 Alfons Schepers (Bel) 1932 Romain Gijssels (Bel) 1931 Romain Gijssels (Bel) 1930 Frans Bonduel (Bel) 1929 Jef Dervaes (Bel) 1928 Jan Mertens (Bel) 1927 Gerard Debaets (Bel) 1926 Denis Verschueren (Bel) 1925 Julien Delbecque (Bel) 1924 Gerard Debaets (Bel) 1923 Henri Suter (Swi) 1922 Leon Devos (Bel) 1921 Rene Vermandel (Bel) 1920 Jules Van Hevel (Bel) 1919 Henri Van Lerberghe (Bel) 1915-1918 The race was not held due to WWI 1914 Marcel Buysse (Bel) 1913 Paul Deman (Bel)

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The cobbled climbs of the Tour of Flanders, Ronde’s epic soul

At only 694 meters above sea level, Signal de Botrange, near Liège, is the highest point in Belgium – in fact, the highest in all of the Benelux. There are no mountains in the country, but cycling enthusiasts know that there is nothing more wrong than considering Belgium as just flat land. And the reason is very simple, the cobbled climbs.

An iconic, immediate image of the Tour of Flanders, these short but extremely steep paved ascents are brutal. That they can easily go beyond 20% gradients, accumulating considerable altitude gain in a few hundred meters. The 2020 edition of Ronde van Vlaanderen will offer seventeen climbs over a 243.3km course for the men’s race and eleven climbs over 135.6km for the women’s. Why and how they are made in this specific way and which are the most famous ones?

To better understand the deep meaning of the Flanders’ orography, our journey starts more than 250 millions years ago, at the end of the Paleozoic period, the era when ancient mountain chains started to heavily erode and get leveled thanks to the rivers. Through the millennia, the powerful actions of water dug deep short valleys on average gentle plans. The resulting landscape has a continuous series of depressions and ridges; between one and the other there are small plateaus, usually covered by woods – and that’s the typical panorama of the Tour of Flanders!

Cobblestones, or koppen, are part of daily life in Flanders and in Dutch slang language they’re called kinderkoppen – meaning "children's heads" – because of their shape. Paving roads with cobblestones was a good compromise between efficiency and cost in the past because it let the path be used all year long from the dry summer to the snowy winter, preventing the build-up of mud since it could better drain the water falling from the frequent rain in Belgium. They also created better traction for horses to climb the steep ascends.

So, good for horses, but what about bikes? The cobbled climbs are known for their variety of shapes and surfaces ranging from gently square and rectangular to the fearsome triangular with sharp sides, which are no friend to bicycle tyres!

But what may seem an unsuitable environment has become the perfect terrain for epic races, over the years. Cobblestones are an impressive additional difficulty for the riders, requiring specific skill to ride efficiently, avoiding falling or punctures. A challenge which calls out the strongest women and men of the group. Reading through the race’s rolls of honour you won’t find lucky and undeserved winners.

Ronde van Vlaanderen is the cycling race with the record of most consecutive editions taking place continuously since 1919; it didn’t stop even during WWII. As a Monument Classic, it’s also one of the most charming appointments of the UCI World Tour and has become synonymous with the combination of steep hills and cobblestones throughout its valleys and villages. The 2020 Tour of Flanders will offer some of the most iconic cobbled climbs.

Following their departure in Antwerp the riders will get a first taste of cobbles at around 85km with the pavé on the Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat, and will face the famous Kortekeer after 131km. This cobbled climb comes at a crucial point in the race because it’s when usually the pace intensifies: that’s because of his maximum gradient of 17.1% and because it opens a quick succession of climbs with Eikenberg, the cobbled Holleweg, Wolvenberg, the cobbled Haaghoek, Leberg, Berendries and Valkenberg within just 29 kilometres.

The Oude Kwaremont is not so steep, averaging just 4% (11% max), but it’s feared because of its length: 2.2 kilometers on the cobblestones never end. After an easier first 600 metres, the next 500 are tougher with a maximum gradient of 11% and uneven surface which can make a lot of trouble for the less skilled riders. The ascent passes near the church of Kwaremont village and becomes almost flat, reaching the altitude of 111 metres (93 of which are gained on the climb) on the top. The Slovakian Peter Sagan attacked there wearing the rainbow jersey in 2016.

In the 2020 edition, the Oude Kwaremont will be climbed twice – with 55 and 17km remaining – in a combination with another legendary ascend, the Paterberg, which offers the opposite character: only 360 metres long with an average slope of 12.9% and maximum of 20.3%. The climb was unpaved and just used by tractors until 1986: the town council of Kluisbergen decided to cover it up with asphalt, but a local farmer, a big fan of the Ronde, suggested retaining and using the cobblestones. Curiously, Greg Van Avermaet (CCC) attacked on the Paterberg to win the virtual Tour of Flanders last April.

The legendary and brutal Koppenberg (600 metres at an average 11.6%) reaches the incredible maximum gradient of 22% and is often the decisive climb. Originally it was placed very far from the finish line (at 185km to go in 2006) but recently it was moved to the last section. Recommended to the organization by the Flandrien Walter Godefroot who discovered this really demanding climb while training, the Koppenberg debuted in 1976 and claimed a high profile victim, Eddy Merckx. Only the first five riders managed to ride all the way up, but the Cannibal got in trouble on the steepest part and had to walk to the top like a cyclo-cross specialist. At the end of the race he described the climb as: “A nightmare, one of the worst of my life”.

Riders fight against gravity and sometimes surrender and start walking. There are painful crashes, and only the toughest competitors are able to accelerate when the gradient becomes insane: De Ronde created immortal memories and smiled upon home champions from the first winner Paul Deman (1913) to Merckx but also for Rik Van Steenbergen, who became the youngest winner ever at 19 years old in 1944, and to Andrei Tchmil who was the oldest, at 37, in the 2000 edition. In 2012, Tom Boonen became the last Belgian and in 2014 the Swiss Fabian Cancellara the last foreigner to win three times, while the Italian Fiorenzo Magni is the only rider who have won three times in a row (1949 to 1951). The Tour of Flanders for Women was established in 2004 with the Russian Zoulfia Zabirova celebrating the inaugural victory, the last edition went to Italian Marta Bastianelli, who won wearing the European Champion’s jersey.

Who will follow the Italians Bastianelli (Alé BTC Ljubljana) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Pro Cycling) into the Ronde’s rolls of honour?

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Tour of Flanders Men 2024 Result: Mathieu Van Der Poel blows the field away for historic De Ronde hat-trick

Updated 31/03/2024 at 15:15 GMT

Tour of Flanders 2024: When is it? Who is riding? How to watch

28/03/2024 at 09:28

'What a rider!' - Van der Poel lands dominant solo victory in Flanders

Unstoppable Van der Poel conquers cobbles to claim third Flanders crown

31/03/2024 at 17:55

Riders forced to WALK up Koppenberg as Van der Poel blasts clear

10 TIPS TO WATCH THE RONDE

CUT THE RONDE OFF AT THE CHASE If you want to cheer on your favourite cyclists in various locations, then hop on your bike. The website www.derondeinoudenaarde.be lists several suggested routes for people who like to see the pack race by in a blur in various locations. Depending on your condition you can easily see them live up to seven times! So keep checking this page when the route of the Ronde is published.
HAVE SOMEONE DRIVE YOU The Tour of Flanders attracts 750,000 people every year. Have someone drive you if you prefer a stress-free experience. Every year the Ronde organisers have a number of shuttle services that bring fans to and from the route. The Province of East Flanders offers this free service! If you want to make sure that you do not run into traffic queues anywhere then take the train. The station of Oudenaarde is easy to reach and from there you can take a direct train to Ghent.
HANG AROUND IN THE MARKET SQUARE Did you know you can see the race live four times and still be in the centre of the action? If you walk up and down between the market square of Oudenaarde and the arrival area you will see the race pass by and be able to witness two finishes (men and women). And what's more, you can enjoy some entertainment thanks to the many street artists and cycling collectives. Hungry or thirsty? Enjoy a drink or a snack on one of the many terraces or pubs around the market square. You can also buy a cap of your favourite cycling hero in the merchandising and entertainment area. If you're up for even more entertainment then pop into the public tent near the finish line.
VISIT A "PUBLIC" VILLAGE Do you want to get a taste of the unique race atmosphere along the route of the race but are you not necessarily interested in pitching your own tent? Then check out the public areas on Koppenberg, Paterberg, Kruisberg and Oude Kwaremont. The fields on either side of the hill are reserved for the public during Flanders' Most Beautiful Race. Besides sanitary facilities there are also various stands here where you can have something to eat or drink. And after the race this is definitely the place to be if you want to experience the frenetic and joyous atmosphere!
FIND A HIDDEN GEM If you like straying off the beaten track then we have some hidden gems to recommend. In the centre of the picturesque village of Mater you will run in to the cobblestones of Kerkgate. Find a seat on one of the terraces along this section and watch your heroes come charging by. Haaghoek and Mariaborrestraat are also good places to enjoy a stunning view of the pack as it advances. Supporters of Tom Boonen will tell you however that there is only one place to go, namely Taaienberg. Here Tornado Tom always tests his legs (and those of his competitors) in the gutter. Steenbeekdries is another lesser-known hill that is nearby and also worth the effort.
VISIT A REAL FLEMISH CYCLING PUB In the Flemish Ardennes bike races are a part of life. And what better place to go and discuss the upcoming race or chat about the most recent Tour of Flanders and other spring races than in one of the local pubs? So, why not visit one of the many pubs, in the hills of the landscape of Flanders' most beautiful race in the run-up to or after the Tour weekend. No idea where to go? Order the free "Plan Bier" map to explore 72 of the best pubs in the Flemish Ardennes.
GET SOME HELP FROM ABOVE If you really want to go all out to make sure your favourite cyclist becomes the champion and takes home the trophy, then visit the Tour of Flanders chapel! Say a prayer to Saint Daniel, the patron saint of all cyclists, or light a candle near the stylised cyclist fresco. The names of past Tour of Flanders winners have been carved into the floor. In short, a really unique experience.
BRUSH UP ON YOUR KNOWLEDGE While you may think you know everything there is to know about the Ronde, you may still be surprised. Pop into the Tour of Flanders Experience Centre in Oudenaarde. This is the place to go to learn more about Flanders' favourite cycling race. Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the olden days, watch videos, follow Peter Van Petegem up Oude Kwaremont, experience what it feels like to drive on cobblestones on a specially designed bike, test your knowledge of the Ronde in a quiz and finally, get up on the podium yourself, flanked by your cycling heroes!
POSITION YOURSELF STRATEGICALLY NEAR THE TOUR OF FLANDERS MONUMENT Just like there are any number of cycling races in Flanders, there are countless cycling monuments in the Flemish Ardennes. If you want to see the Tour of Flanders race pass by in a special location, then why not pick one of the many Ronde monuments along the course? There is a special monument, dedicated to the memory of Karel Van Wijnendaele, the Ronde 's spiritual father, in the village of Kwaremont. Other monuments can be found in Brakel (the roundabout of the N48 and the N8), at the top of Paddestraat and next to the church in Meerbeke (Ninove). And don't forget about the cycling poem by Willy Verhegghe on the Wall of Geraardsbergen.
BECOME A VIP Do you want to experience the hectic atmosphere of the Tour of Flanders first-hand from start to finish? The race organiser Flanders Classics has several special packages which offer a different experience of the race. You can choose from one of several VIP packages to turn this major sporting event into an unforgettable experience. Further information at: www.rondevanvlaanderen.be .

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Tour of Flanders Sportive (Ronde van Vlaanderen) 2025

05 apr 2025 - antwerp.

2025 sees the 188th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen (or Tour of Flanders in English), one of cycling's legendary Spring Classics.

Each year the day before the pros battle it out a sportive is held to allow the public to share the experience of riding the famous cobbles of Flanders in one of the highlights of the sportive calendar.

Four distances are on offer ranging from 75km to 257km. The longest distance (257 km) will start from Antwerp and finish in Oudenaarde. All other routes start and finish in Oudenaarde.

Tour of Flanders

Those thinking of riding the original, Spring edition of Vlaanderens mooiste ("Flanders' finest") had best be prepared for some serious endurance riding.

There are typically four distances on offer, and the exact distance varies depending on the start locatio. For 2024 you can choose from 257km, 179km, 144km, and 75km.

Each route features a generous helping of the trademark Belgian cobblestones to tackle. How tough the route is depends largely on the weather - it can be anywhere from close to freezing to 18 degrees in Belgium in early April and bad weather can make the Tour of Flanders pretty tough for even highly experienced riders.

There are feed stations roughly every 30km along the route, stocked with energy bars, waffles and fruit (mainly bananas and orange segments).

You may want to fit new bottle cages to your bike that will hold your bottles tightly over the cobbled sections - although it is nothing like Paris Roubaix in terms of roughness of surface plenty of riders in previous years have said they lost bottles thanks to having plastic lightweight bottle holders or carbon ones that simply didn't grip tightly enough.

Cobbled highlights to look forward to include:

Molenberg: Molenberg, Zwalm. Climbs 32m from 24m to 56m. Maximum 17 per cent.
Oude Kwaremont: Broekstraat, Kwaremontplein, Schilderstraat, Kluisbergen. Climbs 93m from 18m to 111m. Maximum 11 per cent.
Koppenberg: Steengat, Koppenberg, Oudenaarde-Melden. Climbs 64m from 13m to 77m; Maximum 25 per cent at inside of bend, otherwise 22 per cent.
Taaienberg: Taaienberg, Maarkedal-Etikhove. Climbs 45m from 37m to 82m. Maximum 18 per cent.
Berg ter Stene: Stene, Horebeke. Climbs 68m from 32m to 100m. Maximum 9 per cent.
Leberg: Leberg, Brakel-Zegelsem. Climbs 39m from 60m to 9m. Maximum 15 per cent.
Berendries: Berendries, Brakel-Sint-Maria-Oudenhove. Climbs 65m from 33m to 98m. Maximum 14 per cent.
Valkenberg: Valkenbergstraat, Brakel-Nederbrakel. Climbs 53m from 45m to 98m. Maximum 15 per cent.
Muur-Kapelmuur: Abdijstraat, Ouderbergstraat, Oudeberg, Gerardsbergen. Climbs 77m from 33m to 110m. Maximum 20 per cent.
Bosberg: Kapellestraat, Geraardsbergen-Moerbeke. Climbs 40m from 65m to 105m. Maximum 11 per cent.
Tenbosse: Olifantstraat, Brakel. Climbs 28m from 45m to 73m. Maximum 14 per cent.

If you go to ride this event make sure you book yourself into the hotel long enough to experience the pro riders in the actual Tour of Flanders the next day. This is the race that stops Belgium...when Fabian Cancellara won in 2014, 85.7% of the population of the country watched his victory either live or on television!

Check out some more information on riding the Tour of Flanders:

Louise Bell rides the 2023 edition of the Ronde
Keith Gilks' 2016 Tour of Flanders ride report
Oisin Sands' 2014 Tour of Flanders ride report
Tips for riding the Tour of Flanders for the first time
05 Apr 2025 7:00am Up to 257 km (160 miles)
Tickets Not On Sale From 70.00 EUR
Tour of Flanders Sportive (Ronde van Vlaanderen) 2025 Tour of Flanders Sportive (Ronde van Vlaanderen) 2025 Antwerp , Belgium 16000 Riders
Up to 257 km (160 miles)
From 70.00 EUR
16000 Riders

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2024 FLANDERS Preview: Who Will Be Victor in Vlaanderen?

'flanders' most beautiful'.

Ronde van Vlaanderen Race Preview: The Tour of Flanders is biggest and best one-day race in the World, if you ask any Flemish cycling fan. It has everything that a Belgian race can offer for excitement and drama – cobbles and climbs – De Ronde never disappoints. Here’s our Flanders Preview of the race route and the favourites for Sunday’s Vlaanderens Mooiste (Flanders’ Most Beautiful).

A little bit of De Ronde history: This is the holy Flemish cycling week (really two weeks) and the 107th edition of the Tour of Flanders is on Sunday, following the Three Days of De Panne (now the Classic Brugge – De Panne), E3 Saxo Classic, Gent–Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen. The ‘Flemish World Championships’ are always hard fought for, whoever crosses that finish line first in Oudenaarde will be a star for the rest of his life.

The first Tour of Flanders was on May 23, 1913. There were only 37 riders in that first event, which was run over 324 kilometres. After twelve hours, Paul Deman was the first to cross the line in Mariakerke. Karel Van Wijnendaele was the man behind the race, he was a journalist and was looking for something new to publicise his newspaper De Sportwereld , so organising the Tour of Flanders was perfect. The early editions were all on the exceptionally bad Flemish cobbles, which the organisers have tried to keep in the race as much as possible. In those early years, De Ronde was occasionally held on the same day as Milano-Sanremo.

Later the organisers wanted to make changes and moved towards the Flemish Ardennes for the climbs of the Kluisberg, Kwaremont and the Kruisberg. In 1950, after the dominance of Achiel Buysse, Briek Schotte and Fiorenzo Magni, the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen added to the course. In the 1970s, the Oude Kwaremont and the Koppenberg were also added. These two climbs are still important. During that time Buysse and Magni both won the race three times and are joint record holders.

Obviously, Belgians have won the Tour of Flanders the most times, sixty-nine. Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen, just like Buysse and Magni, have won three times. Fabian Cancellara joined the record holders list in 2014 after his wins in 2010 and 2013. The first Dutch victory came in 1953, when Wim van Est was the winner. He was joined by other men from the Netherlands: Jo de Roo, Evert Dolman, Cees Bal, Jan Raas (twice), Hennie Kuiper, Johan Lammerts, Adrie van der Poel, Niki Terpstra and Mathieu van der Poel (twice). The winners over the last ten years have all been top names: Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, Kasper Asgreen, Alberto Bettiol, Niki Terpstra, Philippe Gilbert, Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff and Fabian Cancellara.

In the 2022 Tour of Flanders the race exploded on the Berendries. A counter-attack including Alberto Bettiol, Mads Pedersen and Ben Turner shook the race up. Then Tadej Pogačar came into action on the Berg Ten Houte, but it was on the Oude Kwaremont that Pogačar attacked for the first time. Kasper Asgreen was on his wheel, while Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock had to chase from further back. After the Oude Kwaremont, Dylan van Baarle escaped with Fred Wright, they were joined on the Koppenberg by Pogačar, Van der Poel and the Frenchman, Valentin Madouas. On the next climb of the Oude Kwaremont, Pogačar gave it another go. Van Baarle and Wright couldn’t hold on, Madouas followed not much later. On the Paterberg, Van der Poel had to grit his teeth to hold the Slovenian. The two raced on together to the finish in Oudenaarde, but Van der Poel and Pogačar started to play games in the last kilometre and Van Baarle and Madouas returned to the front from nowhere. Madouas and Van Baarle passed Pogačar in the sprint, behind second-time winner Van der Poel.

In 2023 Tadej Pogačar made up for the previous year. The Slovenian rode away from Mathieu van der Poel the last time up the Oude Kwaremont. He caught and passed Mads Pedersen and then soloed to his first victory in Flanders. A strong Van der Poel was second and Pedersen edged out Wout van Aert for third.

On the Oude Kwaremont, Pogačar decided to put in his last attack. The Slovenian set a hellish pace, which was too much for Van der Poel, who lost ground to an impressively strong Pogačar. The UAE rider had 10 seconds after the Oude Kwaremont, but a tough Van der Poel didn’t give up easily and remained at 15 seconds for a long time. At the top of the Paterberg, the difference had shrunk to 12 seconds, but Pogačar was in time trial mode and wasn’t going to be caught. There was now only two riders who could win the race, the chasers could only have 3rd place. Van der Poel tried everything to get to Pogačar, but couldn’t get any closer to the Slovenian. In fact, Pogačar was getting further ahead of Van der Poel. In the last kilometres it was hard work for Pogačar, but the win was certain. Pogačar was the third rider to have won the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France along with Louison Bobet and Eddy Merckx. Van der Poel had to settle for second place, his fourth podium place in five participations. The sprint for third place was won by Pedersen, just ahead of Van Aert and Powless.

2023 Tour of Flanders Result: 1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates in 6:12:07 2. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:16 3. Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo at 1:12 4. Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma 5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost 6. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ 7. Kasper Asgreen (Den) Soudal Quick-Step 8. Fred Wright (GB) Bahrain Victorious 9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Movistar at 1:19 10. Matteo Trentin (Ita) UAE Team Emirates at 2:49.

Parcours The start of the Tour of Flanders is in Antwerp this year. After staging the start in Bruggge in 2023, the organisers have chosen to return to the port city. Obviously that makes changes the first 100 kilometres of the route. “These are choices based on safety. We are looking even more on the main roads so that the peloton has room to gain speed,” said race director Scott Sunderland on the race website. Also the Kortekeer and the Kanarieberg are not included in the route this year, but the Kapelleberg is.

After the start in Antwerp, the first 100 kilometres of the 270.8 kilometres race, the peloton passes through Sint-Niklaas, Hamme, Haaltert, Herzele and Zottegem to reach the Flemish Ardennes, where the race will really start. The Lippenhovestraat and the Paddestraat are the first difficulties of the day after 104 kilometres of racing.

The riders will then race over the usual finale of the Ronde van Vlaanderen. After 136 kilometres they take on the first passage of the Oude Kwaremont. From then on the climbs and cobbles come one after the other in quick succession. The Kapelleberg, the cobbles of the Holleweg, the Wolvenberg, the cobbles of the Kerkgate and the Jagerij, the climb of the Molenberg, the Marlboroughstraat, the Berendries and finally the Valkenberg all within 30 kilometres.

Any race in Belgium is a fight to get to the front before every cobbled climb. The Driedaagse De Panne - Koksijde is the best practice for Sunday's Ronde van Vlaanderen. See the 'PEZ Flanders Preview' HERE. Pic:CorVos/PezCyclingNews.

The top of the Valkenberg is just under 90 kilometres from the finish. At that point the riders have completed 180 kilometres. After the Valkenberg, if you are still there, there is time to attack. This is possible on the Berg Ten Houte or the Hotond. After the Hotond it’s the Oude Kwaremont for the second time and then to the Paterberg. The first passage of the Paterberg always causes action as the Koppenberg is next on the horizon. “We have made the run-up to the Koppenberg more straight forward and we have eliminated the descent and sharp bend just before the ascent,” the organisers explained. The tough Koppenberg is the place where the favourites will make their mark. The Mariaborrestraat, Steenbeekdries and Traaiberg are another opportunity for attacks. Traaiberg is followed by the Hotond, then there are 10 kilometres to the Oude Kwaremont for the last time.

The Oude Kwaremont is 16.7 kilometres from the finish. The cream should have already come to the top of the milk by this point and now is the time for them to make life hard for each other before their final chance, 13.2 kilometres from the finish on the Paterberg. The Paterberg is short at less than 400 metres and ideal for the more explosive riders. From the summit there are 13 flat kilometres to Oudenaarde. The wind can be strong on the run-in to the finish, tough for a solo rider, but if there is a group, then tactics will come into play for a sprint on the wide Minderbroedersstraat in Oudenaarde.

The Climbs: 1. Oude Kwaremont (2.200 metres at 4%) 2. Kapelleberg (1.100 metres at 5,9%) 3. Wolvenberg (645 metres at 7,9%) 4. Molenberg (463 metres at 7%) 5. Marlboroughstraat (2.000 metres at 3%) 6. Berendries (940 metres at 7%) 7. Valkenberg (540 metres at 8,1%) 8. Berg Ten Houte (1.100 metres at 6%) 9. Hotond/Nieuwe Kruisberg (2500 metres at 5%) 10. Oude Kwaremont (2.200 metres at 4%) 11. Paterberg (360 metres at 12,9%) 12. Koppenberg (600 metres at 11,6%) 13. Steenbeekdries (700 metres at 5,3%) 14. Taaienberg (530 metres at 6,6%) 15. Hotond/Nieuwe Kruisberg (2.500 metres at 5%) 16. Oude Kwaremont (2.200 metres at 4%) 17. Paterberg (360 metres at 12,9%).

The Cobbled Sections: 1. Lippenhovestraat (1.100 metres) 2. Paddestraat (2.300 metres) 3. Holleweg (900 metres) 4. Kerkgate (2.500 metres) 5. Jagerij (800 metres) 6. Mariaborrestraat (2.400 metres) 7. Stationsberg (600 metres).

The Favourites: Mathieu van der Poel is the top favourite for the Tour of Flanders again. The World champion won the E3 Saxo Classic last Friday. He made his move on the Paterberg and then soloed 40 kilometres to the finish. Jasper Stuyven and Wout van Aert were over a minute down, although Van Aert had crashed. “After the World championships in Glasgow, this is my best level ever,” Van der Poel said after the E3 Saxo Classic. In Gent-Wevelgem, Van der Poel was beaten in the sprint by Mads Pedersen, but he had done a lot of work chasing down Pedersen’s teammate, Jonathan Milan, and also he seemed to be riding in the wind more than he would in De Ronde. The World champion also has a tough E3 in his legs. However, we have seen it before that the Dutchman is not 100% in his last race for the Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel already has an impressive Flanders palmarès: In his first Tour of Flanders in 2029 he was 4th, he won in 2020, 2nd in 2021, won in 2022 and 2nd in 2023. If he wins for a third time, he will be an equal record holder. Van der Poel will have Søren Kragh Andersen , Gianni Vermeersch and, for the first time in Flanders, Jasper Philipsen . The Milano-Sanremo winner could pull off another big win, but more likely a top-10 as the climbs and cobbles will take their toll.

Wout van Aert , would have been one of the top favourites, but the Belgian of Visma | Lease a Bike crashed in Wednesday’s Dwars Door Vlaanderen and broke a collar bone and ribs, he wont be riding on Sunday, or for the next few weeks. The Dutch team is also weak due to injuries and sickness, Christophe Laporte is unsure due to on going problems and Dylan van Baarle and Jan Tratnik are all suffering from injuries. The team is certainly not as strong as last year, but Matteo Jorgenson , the winner of Dwars Door Vlaanderen is now the man to watch. The American won Paris-Nice, 3rd in the points, 5th in the KOM and best young rider, he followed that up with 5th in the E3 Saxo Classic. Tiesj Benoot also looked good on Wednesday, maybe all is not lost for the men in yellow.

Lidl-Trek has been the most noticeable team in the Classics so far. In the E3 Saxo Classic they had four riders in the top 11, with Jasper Stuyven taking second place after a good Milan-San Remo, but he was in the same crash as Van Aert and wont be on the start line. Mads Pedersen was also good in the E3 Saxo Classic, but only finished 11th. He had a great season start with wins in the Etoile de Bessèges and Tour de Provence, plus a very good Paris-Nice and 4th in Milano-Sanremo, then he won Gent-Wevelgem last week. He looked stronger than Van der Poel at times and beat him in the sprint. With these results, Pedersen has moved himself up into the top favourite for Sunday, along with Van der Poel and Van Aert.

Tim Wellens takes the leadership of the UAE Team Emirates from last year’s winner, Tadej Pogačar. The Flemish rider has been quite successful in recent races, he was second in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and fourth in the E3 Saxo Classic. Wellens has the form, but the win would be difficult. He will undoubtably he a strong-man in the race and could make the difference in the finale.

Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) will also be seen at the front in the Tour of Flanders. Both have been racing well, but maybe not at their full potential. Both teams also have back-up men in Fred Wright and Valentin Madouas , they could split the race or make a late move.

Biniam Girmay looked to be back to his old form in E3 Saxo Classic. The Intermarché-Wanty rider has been quiet, but last Friday he was amongst the action. He was lacking a little at the finish and was 19th, then in Gent-Wevelgem he took 7th. Spanish champion, Oier Lazkano , is still young at 24 and needs more Classic experience. This year he has already won the Clásica Jaén and was third in Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. Jhonatan Narváez took sixth place in the E3 and the Ecuadorian will be the leader of INEOS Grenadiers, but he crashed out of Gent-Wevelgem and was suffering from concussion, so he has a question mark next to his name at the moment.

Patrick Lefevere has not been impressed by his Soudal Quick-Step men in the Classics so far this season. His riders were invisible in The E3 Saxo Classic, they were a bit better in Gent-Wevelgem, but the Belgian team are not the powerhouse they were, for many different reasons. Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen ave both been seen, but for little result. The French double World champion has said that De Ronde is his favourite race and he has to take his revenge for his crash into a moto back in 2020.

2019 winner, Alberto Bettiol , has won Milano–Torino, third Overall in the Étoile de Bessèges and fifth Milano–Sanremo, but didn’t finish the E3 Saxo Classic after a crash, so he is another favourite rider with a question mark.

Then there are the outsiders: Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility), Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech), Matteo Trentin (Tudor), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) and Vincenzo Albanese (Arkéa-B&B Hotels). Trentin is probably the most likely rider to do something on Sunday, he has the form and always performs well in Flanders.

So, who are the favourites? Top: Mathieu van der Poel Maybe: Mads Pedersen Possibly: Matteo Jorgenson, Tiesj Benoot, Tim Wellens Outside: Matej Mohorič, Stefan Küng, Jhonatan Narváez(?), Jasper Philipsen. * The start line-up might change before Sunday. *

# Stay PEZ for the ‘Race Report’ on Sunday and all the news in ‘EUROTRASH’ Monday. #

Alastair Hamilton has been a pro team mechanic on the road, track and mountain bike and worked for the Great Britain team at the World championships in all disciplines. Since moving to Spain and finding out how to use a computer, he has gone from contributor of Daily Distractions at the 2002 Vuelta a España to editor at PezCyclingNews.

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How to Watch Dwars door Vlaanderen, a Fun Midweek Semi-Classic

W ednesday brings the final dress rehearsal for riders hoping to win Sunday’s Tour of Flanders: Dwars door Vlaanderen. With races for both men and women, this midweek semi-classic with a misleading and hard-to-pronounce name (we just call it “Dwars”) is worth carving out some time to watch.

First raced in 1945, Dwars door Vlaanderen (which translates to “across Flanders”) was originally called Dwars door België (“across Belgium”), because it went from Sint Truiden (in eastern Belgium) to Waregem (in western Belgium). From 1946 until 1964 it became a two-day stage race, with the first stage starting in Waregem and finishing in Sint Truiden or Liège, and the second stage taking the riders back “across” to Waregem. In 1999 the name changed to Dwars door Vlaanderen, perhaps to reflect the fact that the race didn’t really cut across the entire country anymore. (It doesn’t even cross Flanders.)

For decades, the race was held on the Wednesday after Milan-Sanremo and two days before the E3 Classic, making it the first Flemish race after the Italian Monument and a bit of a soft-opener for many riders building up for the cobbled classics. But in 2017 the event was added to the WorldTour calendar, and in 2018 it moved back one week, putting it right between Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders and making it the final chance for riders hoping to test themselves before Sunday’s Flemish Monument.

That’s put the semi-classic right in the crosshairs of some of the sport’s best cobbled classic specialists, and several of them have won Dwars (which still finishes in Waregem) and then the Tour of Flanders four days later. The Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel was the last to do so. The Dutchman made Dwars the first race of his cobbled classics campaign in 2022, winning in Waregem four days before winning his second Tour of Flanders. Overall, Belgians have won 54 of the event’s 77 men’s editions, and no one has won the race more than twice in his career.

A women’s race was added in 2012, and—as is the case with most of the spring classics (and heck, just about any race on the women’s calendar these days)—the Dutch have dominated the event, winning 9 of its 11 editions. Amy Pieters holds the record with three victories.

Here’s everything else you need to know about Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen semi-classic:

The 188K men’s race begins in Roeselare and takes a jagged southwestern route toward the first of the race’s eight cobbled sectors and twelve climbs. THings get harder once the race passes Oudenaarde, home of the Tour of Flanders museum and the finish of the Flemish Monument. From here the race covers two circuits of hills and cobbled sectors that usually break the race wide open.

After passing over the Knokteberg and the Hotond for the second time, the course heads back toward Oudenaarde, then keeps going northwest as the race makes its way toward Waregem. At this point the riders will pass over the Nokereberg twice as they complete a local finishing circuit that brings them through Waregem once before the finish.

The 130K women’s race begins in Waregem, then quickly joins the route taken by the men earlier in the day. After passing through Oudenaarde, the women complete one loop through the hills south of the famous city, then head back north toward Waregem, where they’ll complete the same finishing circuit as the men. Overall the women will cover seven sections of cobbles and twelve hills on the day.

Like Friday’s E3 Saxo Classic, the course of Dwars door Vlaanderen lends itself to aggressive racing–especially during the portion of the race that loops through the Flemish hills south of Oudenaarde. These roads are home to some of the toughest hills in Flanders, and while Dwars omits many of the key climbs from Sunday’s Monument, there’s no shortage of opportunities for riders and teams hoping to blow the race apart.

How to Watch

If you signed up for FloBikes ($150/year or $30/month) before Ghent-Wevelgem, then you’ve also bought yourself access to Dwars door Vlaanderen (and Sunday’s Tour of Flanders). Both the men’s and women’s events will be available live and on-demand via FloBikes.com, the FloSports IOS app, and the FloSports app for Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Apple TV.

In Europe, clocks won’t spring ahead until Sunday, so fans on the east coast are still five hours behind the race’s local time. We’ll probably tune-in around 9:30 a.m. EDT–just as the men hit the hills on their first loop south of Oudenaarde. The men’s race is expected to end around two hours later, and the women’s race should wrap-up by about 12:45 p.m. EDT.

What Happened Last Year

Taking advantage of a chance to lead the team himself, France’s Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) attacked out of a breakaway 4K from the finish line in Waregem to win Dwars door Vlaanderen just four days after being”gifted” Ghent-Wevelgem by his teammate, Belgium’s Wout van Aert.

There were no gifts in Dwars, though. Laporte won the race with a mix of strength and tactical savvy. After spending much of the day on the attack, Spain’s Oier Lazkano (Movistar) took second. American Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) was third.

In the women’s event, after a series of attacks inside the final 20K, the Netherland’s Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) finally escaped from a select group of favorites. Initially, Vollering’s compatriot, Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma), followed the move, but she proved unable to stay with Vollering all the way to the finish. The defending champion, Italy’s Chairra Consonni (UAE Team ADQ), was second and Vos finished third.

Riders to Watch

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)

Still trying to win the Tour of Flanders or Paris-Roubaix, Van Aert has taken an unconventional approach to preparing for the cobbled classics by skipping stage races like Paris-Nice or Tirreno-Adriatico and the season’s first Monument, Milano-Sanremo. Instead the Belgian and several teammates went to Mount Teide on the Canary Islands to train at altitude.

Time will tell if it was the right decision. Van Aert looked good at Friday’s E3 Saxo Classic , but he crashed on the Paterberg just as van der Poel attacked. The Belgian then skipped Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem to give his body a chance to continue adjusting to being back at sea level. Dwars will be his final test before Sunday’s Tour of Flanders.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Pedersen has been scoring victories since early February, but in winning Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem–by defeating none other than van der Poel in a two-up sprint–he’s shown no signs of fading. If Pedersen, who finished fifth here last year, takes a back seat in order to stay fresh for Flanders, look for teammates like Belgium’s Jasper Stuyven, Latvia’s Toms Skujins, or Italy’s Jonathan Milan to lead the way instead, perhaps profiting from the fact that Pedersen will be heavily marked after Sunday’s win.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Philipsen was a victim of tactics in Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem. With van der Poel off the front for much of the second half of the race, there was little he could do other than sit in the peloton and wait to sprint for whatever spots were left by the end of the afternoon. He ended the day fourth. But van der Poel isn’t racing Wednesday, so Philipsen can ride for himself in Dwars. Fourth in Waregem last year, it will be interesting to see if he follows attacks or asks his team to try and bring the race back together for a field sprint.

Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx-Protime)

The defending champion, Vollering is making her Belgian classics debut in Dwars–just as she did last year. Her presence gives SD Worx–who already has no shortage of cards to play–another ace. She and her teammates–like Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky and Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser–can take turns attacking, using their collective strength to wear out the competition. And if the race comes back together–like it did at the end of Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem–they have one of the fastest sprinters in the world–the Netherland’s Lorena Wiebes–for a possible field sprint.

Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ)

Consonni clearly likes Dwars door Vlaanderen: she won the race in 2022 and was last year’s runner-up. Fourth in Thursday’s Classic Brugge-De Panne and third in Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem, she looks ready to score another high finish in Waregem but will need to find a way to overcome the strength of SD Worx-Protime to take her first classic victory.

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma)

Vos has won just about every race on the women’s calendar, but surprisingly, she’s never won Dwars door Vlaanderen. In fact, last year was the first time she’s taken the start, and she ended the day third. The midweek semi-classic is the Dutchwoman’s first race since Strade Bianche in early March, and she’s hoping it kicks-off a successful ten-day run, one that ends with a victory in Paris-Roubaix two Saturdays from now.

Other Riders to Watch

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Oier Lazkano (Movistar), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), Jhonatan Narváez (INEOS Grenadiers), Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl - Trek)

It’s time for the final test before the Tour of Flanders.

Wout van Aert Is Officially Out of the 2024 Giro d’Italia

The Belgian cycling star puts health first after Dwars door Vlaanderen crash, and Visma announces his replacement.

“A lot of injuries are quite good at the moment, but my ribs are still a limiting factor. At this point, I cannot train at all,” said Van Aert in the video. “I’m trying to do my first pedal strokes on the bike, but [it is] not enough to be able to train. That’s why we made the decision not to start the Giro d’Italia.”

“I’m really disappointed to miss my second big goal of the season. But I need to prioritize my health and give my body the time to recover,” Van Aert added.

So far this season, Laporte , the current European Road Race Champion, has placed 5th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 4th at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, and 10th at Strade Bianche. His all-time top results include wins at 2023’s Ghent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen and a stage win at the 2022 Tour de France.

Van Aert has already missed the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix . He will also be missing at the start line of the Amstel Gold Race this Sunday, April 14. His appearance at Dwars door Vlaanderen was his first since racing it in 2018—a change to his usual Classics build-up to the Tour of Flanders.

The crash, which happened with 67 kilometers left in the Belgian semi-classic, also affected Biniam Girmay (Intermaché-Wanty), Jasper Stuyven, and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek). However, it seems Van Aert suffered the most brutal of injuries (Stuyven also broke a collarbone and underwent surgery). Those injuries included a broken sternum, several broken ribs, and a broken collarbone.

The day after the crash, his team tweeted that Van Aert underwent successful surgery. The tweet also said what everyone feared: Wout van Aert’s spring season was finished.

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Tour of Flanders 2024 – Analysing the contenders

Update: Van der Poel's rivals start falling by wayside before race day as Dwars door Vlaanderen crash wreaks havoc

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Matteo Jorgenson (Jumbo-Visma)

The second Monument of the year is nearly here and at this year's Tour of Flanders the scene is set for an intriguing battle over the 270km from Antwerp to Oudenaarde.

There has been a reshuffling of the contenders list after the testing of the waters at the run-in races. Some potential favourites have dropped down, or even off, the list while others have made it clear that their rightful place is near the very top. Mads Pedersen and his Lidl-Trek team, for one, delivered a reminder of the power in team strength after an impressive Gent-Wevelgem victory over Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

Still up until mid-week the spotlight was largely focussed on the regular rivals of Van der Poel and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) as they looked set to face off for only the second time this road season at the cobbled Classic. Then Wednesday's Dwars door Vlaanderen changed all that, when Van Aert came crashing down and fractured his collarbone and ribs.

What's more, he wasn't the only contender involved, with Pedersen and his teammate Jasper Stuyven as well as Biniam Girmay all hitting the deck. It was a day that will leave an indelible mark on the Tour of Flanders, between the riders that are out and those not at their best because of the injuries they are carrying.

There will be plenty of others, though, that are ready to step into any gaps as the lure of the Tour of Flanders means many have named it as a key focus for the year. Though do they have what it takes to land a shot in the centre of the target? Cyclingnews runs the ruler over key favourites for the 2024 edition of the eagerly anticipated cobbled Classic.

Get unlimited access to all of our coverage of the Spring Classics- including reporting, breaking news and analysis from the Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and more. Find out more .

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

World champion Mathieu van der Poel is the top favourite in Flanders

The world champion has a record at the Tour of Flanders that makes him the most clear-cut of favourites plus he has delivered a run in that has done plenty to bolster his claim. Indeed, on the days ahead of the Ronde it's become clear that Mathieu van der Poel is in a world of his own .

The 29-year-old may have just started his road season in mid-March but it began on a strong note with a powerful showing at Milan San-Remo , where he may have come tenth but had utilised his clear strength to shepherd teammate Jasper Philipsen toward a sprint victory.

Then there was a win at E3 Saxo Classic – a key pre-Flanders test given it uses many of the same climbs and cobbles – and a second at Gent-Wevelgem so there is no doubt he has already built back to formidable form after his post-cyclocross season break. Still, the fact that he didn't win in Wevelgem, admitting he was still paying for the efforts at E3, has left his rivals with at least a glimmer of hope.

Still, a reminder of his history at the race could quickly dull that glimmer. His worst result from five starts is a fourth in his debut year, 2019. Since then Van der Poel hasn’t once budged from the top two steps of the podium. Wins came in 2020 and 2022, with the rider who kept him out of the top spot most recently – Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) – not taking to the start line on Sunday while 2021 winner Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep) hasn’t exactly had flying form so far this season. Plus, if Van der Poel keeps up his pattern of the last four years – alternating second place and first – 2024 is the year he will celebrate his third victory.

Matteo Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Benoot and Jorgenson among the lead group late on at Dwars door Vlaanderen

The expectations of yet another intriguing showdown between Van der Poel and Van Aert came crashing down on Wednesday at Dwars door Vlaanderen when the Belgian hit the deck and fractured his collarbone and ribs . The absence of Van Aert has confirmed Van der Poel's status as the clear-cut favourite but Visma-Lease a Bike's win yielding focus even after Wednesday's crash demonstrates that they will not give up their Tour of Flanders ambitions easily.

The team, which already had Christophe Laporte out with illness and 2022 runner-up Dylan van Baarle out for the run up races, may have lost plan A but its solid options run far further through the alphabet. Matteo Jorgenson perhaps put himself at the head of that pile with his winning effort at Dwars door Vlaanderen, particularly as he had already come ninth on his debut at Tour of Flanders last year, won Paris-Nice in February and came fifth at E3 last week. There's also Tiesj Benoot, who has been in the top ten at the race three times and – with the exception of a couple of DNFs – in his nine times lining up at the race has at worst finished 13th. A fourth on Wednesday from among the group of four that came in behind his winning teammate, Jorgenson, was also a promising sign particularly as it erased some of the doubts about his condition given he abandoned the E3 Saxo Classic after a crash.

What's more, it was clear from the interviews after Dwars door Vlaanderen that the 30-year-old Belgian felt rotten about Van Aert's crash and was concerned about the part he played , saying that he thought his teammate hit his rear wheel. Helping the team win at the Ronde even without Van Aert, may at least provide some consolation.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Pedersen celebrated the win at Gent-Wevelgem

Mads Pedersen may have given every single one of Van der Poel's rivals hope as he proved the world champion was beatable at Gent-Wevelgem , but perhaps also at the same time instilled a little concern as the Lidl-Trek rider simultaneously proved just how big a challenge it may be to beat him. The cleverly played two-way duel with Van der Poel on the road to Wevelgem certainly showcased the power of Pedersen but also, once again, the Lidl-Trek team.

“You know Mathieu is one of the biggest stars in cycling. Without criticising my own team, none of us is on that level,” Pedersen said after the race. “If we want to beat guys like him or Wout [van Aert] or even [Tadej] Pogačar, we have to be with numbers and put pressure on them."

At the E3 Saxo Classic Lidl-Trek ended up with four riders in the top 11 and Jasper Stuyven in second before Pedersen worked his way up to the top step following the same strength-in-numbers battle plan at Gent-Wevelgem.

Given the success of the powerful teamwork – also often a winning difference in the women's squad – applying the pressure would seem likely to once again be a crucial component of the team plan. With riders like Stuyven, Jonathan Milan and Toms Skujins expected to be on the squad alongside Pedersen, they had the cards to play that could help them deliver another successful hand.

Though Dwars door Vlaanderen threw a spanner in the works. Pedersen, Alex Kirsch and Stuyven all crashed, with Stuyven immediately taken to hospital for checks and the team confirming that he had broken his collarbone and would require surgery.

Kirsch fractured a metacarpal on the right hand and will also require surgery while Pedersen, who initially returned to the bike but was ultimately recorded as a DNF on the results sheet "escaped with just abrasions and contusions". Lidl-Trek said the plan remains that he will race on Sunday.

Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost)

Italian contender Bettiol is a former race winner

There is only one rider on the EF Education-EasyPost line-up who, based on experience, knows exactly what it takes to win the Tour of Flanders, and that is Alberto Bettiol.

The Italian soloed to a victory in the 2019 edition after he surprised his rivals by riding away on the final climb of the Oude Kwaremont with 17km and then holding off all the big-name chasers. He has had a run of success this early season with a win at Milano-Torino and fifth place at Milan-San Remo, results that could bode well for him at the Tour of Flanders.

The latest test, Dwars door Vlaanderen, delivered both good and bad signs, as while he did make a key move before cramps at 19km to go took him out of contention.

Still, the team managed to find a spot not too far from the top of the lead places as Michael Valgren came over the line in eighth after having been on the move with Bettiol earlier in the race. He may well prove a valuable teammate for Bettiol again come Sunday.

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty)

Biniam Girmay took a different approach to his season this year, starting in Australia to see if it would be a better run toward his key Classics goals. He hasn't had a lot to show for it so far in terms of spring results but last weekend's Gent-Wevelgem did deliver some hope that the Classics form he was hoping for is starting to show.

The 23-year-old Intermarché-Wanty rider came seventh at the race where he won the title in 2022 , finishing near the front of the reduced peloton that came over the line behind the break of Pedersen and Van der Poel.

Girmay made his Tour of Flanders debut last season but a heavy crash and a concussion put an end to his chances. Hopefully, the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen hasn't taken him out of contention at an even earlier juncture this year. The Eritrean came down in the same fall as Van Aert and was taken to hospital for checks, with the team later saying that neither he nor his teammate Laurenz Rex, sustained any fractures.

Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious)

Mohoric leads Bahrain Victorious into the race

Ever since that spectacular Milan-San Remo victory in 2022, aided by a dropper post descent, Mohorič is a name that regularly pops up as one to consider in the favourites list. Still, longshot is definitely a fitting description for the rider at Tour of Flanders as it isn't exactly a race where he has form, still his record on the long race to the Ligurian coastal town wasn't staggering either in the editions before he went on to take victory.

Milan-San Remo is just one example of just what the rider can deliver at high-stakes priority events and on the run into this season the current Gravel World Champion had slated Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix as two targets he had his mind set on for 2024.

The Slovenian's best finish at Ronde van Vlaanderen from his three participations has been 21st. However, he has come closer to the podium in the race which has much in common with Sunday's event, the E3 Saxo Classic, where he came fourth in 2022 and seventh last year.

That said, he was 15th this time in what turned out to be a chaotic crash-heavy edition. That was followed by a 13th at Gent-Wevelgem, so the build-up hasn't been spectacular but the spark of a fifth at Strade Bianche and sixth at Milan-San Remo may yet be rekindled.

Tim Wellens and Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates)

Wellens is a co-leader at UAE in Tadej Pogacar's absence

Off to a strong season's start, Tim Wellens has two podiums and five top-five finishes since he began racing at Vuelta a Murcia in early February. It is his second place at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, fourth at this week's E3 Classic and even his 12th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and 13th at Strade Bianche that show his ability to contest the biggest one-day races with the best.

Racing on home soil during Belgium's cobbled Classics, Wellens has never quite pulled it together for the big show at the Tour of Flanders. His best finish in the 2021 edition was 25th. That's not to say he won't be among the contenders this year, even if he is among the second-tier behind the outright favourites such as Van der Poel, and Pedersen.

He lines up with Marc Hirschi , who, like himself, tends to favour the other Monuments: Milan-San-Remo, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Il Lombardia. The team also has a powerful rider in Mikkel Berg, António Morgado, who was recently second at Le Samyn. Of course, there is also Nils Politt , who has already performed well this spring, with a second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and seventh at E3 Classic.

Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling)

Trentin in action on the cobbles of Gent-Wevelgem

Matteo Trentin gives the second-tier Tudor Pro Cycling team a real contender at the Tour of Flanders. Last year, he finished in the top 10, his highest-placed finish of the 11 editions he has raced.

Signing with Tudor through 2026 , Trentin is a mentor and leader of the team but still brings his ambition to every race. During the Classics campaign, he finished ninth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and, more recently, tenth at Gent-Wevelgem.

The challenging terrain moves up a notch at the Tour of Flanders, but Trentin has never shied away from difficult one-day races. More often than not, these routes are where he has shown his best career performances. Look no further than his fifth place at the Wollongong Worlds , second place at the Yorkshire Worlds, and fourth place at the Bergen Worlds.

He appears to be performing stronger as he races into the later years of his career, and he is the type of rider who can use his strength and experience to land on the podium in a race like the Tour of Flanders.

Kasper Asgreen and Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep)

Asgreen is a co-leader of Soudal-QuickStep's Classics hopes

Soudal-QuickStep – the Wolfpack – was once the ruler of the Classics, and now steps into Tour of Flanders with some possibilities, but it's certainly no longer the stand-out option.

Still, it's hard to write off riders like Kasper Asgreen , even when he has had a so-so run into the race with his best result of the season so far a 16th at Milan-San Remo – he hadn't exactly lit up the early season leaderboard either in 2021, before taking the top step at both E3 and Flanders. Even while still on the build after injury he came seventh in Oudenaarde last year too.

Asgreen, as a former winner, may have a strong claim but Julian Alaphilippe has unfinished business. The two-time world champion hit a motorbike on his debut while out front with Van Aert and Van der Poel in 2020.

Since then, he has raced the Belgian Monument twice, finishing 42nd in 2021 and 51st in 2023 after being caught up in a massive crash. This year he has put a big target on the race and his recent ninth at Milan-San Remo will provide some encouragement as he strives to turn his record at the race, along with his season, around.

Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla)

Matthews on the podium at Milan-San Remo

Tour of Flanders last year was a race better forgotten for Michael Matthews, as while he entered with hope after coming back with building form following COVID-19 he was quickly out of the action again due to crashes at the cobbled Classic. After that, the Australian commented on social media "Tour of Flanders I love you but sometimes you can be brutal, but I'll be back."

Now he is returning in 2024 with a far more promising spring and plenty of incentive to grasp a top result, having missed out by the narrowest of margins at Milan-San Remo in his photo finish sprint with Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

Matthews' best result at the race so far is in the year of his debut, with sixth, but his performance at Milan-San Remo indicates that if things fall his way in 2024 the podium could perhaps be within grasp.

Honorable mentions

Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ)
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility)
Brent van Moer (Lotto-Dstny)

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Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg . Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2024 - Analysing the contenders

La Flèche Wallonne 2024 - Analysing the contenders

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Tadej Pogačar missing Evenepoel as he prepares to battle Van der Poel at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

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Tour of Flanders 2023 route
Tour of Flanders 2021: everything you need to know
How to watch the 2023 Tour of Flanders
Tour of Flanders preview: Date, time, route, odds and TV schedule for
Le parcours du Tour des Flandres 2022 sur Open Street Maps et dans
Tour De Flanders 2024

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5 STAGE ITZULIA BASQUE COUNTRY 2024 🔴 5 ETAPA VUELTA al PAIS VASCO
DE RONDE VAN VLAANDEREN 2024
2023 UCIWWT Ronde van Vlaanderen
1994 Tour of Flanders
Ronde van Vlaanderen 2023
COBBLED SPRINT 💨

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Tour of Flanders
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took an astounding solo victory at the Tour of Flanders 2024 when he rode away from the field with 45km remaining to stretch out to a winning margin of 1: ...
Tour of Flanders
Ronde van Vlaanderen is part of Flanders Classics. To access this content, you need to be logged in with your free Flanders Classics profile. Sprint quickly to your Flanders Classics profile and sign in. New to our peloton? Then register for free in the next step.
Tour of Flanders
Call it the Tour of Flanders, the Ronde van Vlaanderen or 'De Ronde' for short, Tour des Flandres, Giro delle Fiandre, or Flandern Rundfahrt, the Vlaanderens Mooiste is the pinnacle of one-day ...
Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders (Dutch: Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as De Ronde ("The Tour"), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics.Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste (Dutch for "Flanders' Finest"). First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in ...
2023 Tour of Flanders: Preview, schedule, how to watch both men's and
2023 Tour of Flanders course routes. Welcome back to Bruges/Brugge. That's the main headline from this year's men's Ronde van Vlaanderen course, as the race returns to the same UNESCO World Heritage Site start town it had from 1998 through 2016.. The Grote Markt in Bruges/Brugge is where the peloton will start from; the change in start city from Antwerp means the route south to Oudenaard is ...
Ronde van Vlaanderen 2024
Course map of the 2024 women's Tour of Flanders. The 156km women's race begins and ends in Oudenaarde. The course resembles a mutated clover leaf, and the women's peloton crosses twelve of ...
Tour of Flanders: Mathieu van der Poel smashes Monument with massive
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took an astounding solo victory at the Tour of Flanders 2024 when he rode away from the field with 45km remaining to stretch out to a winning margin of 1:02.
How to Watch Tour of Flanders
The men's and women's races for the Ronde van Vlaanderen will air on FloBikes on Sunday, April 2. Search. ... he lost last Friday's E3 Saxo Bank Classic (a mini-Tour of Flanders) to van Aert ...
Ronde van Vlaanderen
DNF=Did not finish / DNS=Did not start / OTL = Outside time limit / DF=Did finish, no result / NR=No result Rider wearing the jersey >50% of race distance in group before peloton. Timelimit 8%, or 6:41:53 (+29:46) Tadej Pogačar is the winner of Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres ME 2023, before Mathieu van der Poel and Mads Pedersen.
Tour of Flanders 2024
The Tour of Flanders will run on Sunday, 31 March and marks the crown jewel of the Belgian Classics and one of the most important race days in cycling. The Ronde van Vlaanderen, or simply De Ronde as it is called in Flanders, is known for its cobbled climbs and for the rabid atmosphere that comes from the hundreds of thousands of Belgian fans ...
Tour of Flanders
The route of the 2023 Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Ronde van Vlaaderen). In 2023, the Tour of Flanders route returns to Brugge for the first time since 2016. The race will wind for 273km around ...
Tour of Flanders 2023: TV and live stream details ...
Tour of Flanders 2023: The second Monument of the season arrives on Sunday as Ronde van Vlaanderen takes centre stage. Both the men's and women's fields are stacked with the likes of Mathieu ...
The cobbled climbs of the Tour of Flanders, Ronde's epic soul
The 2020 edition of Ronde van Vlaanderen will offer seventeen climbs over a 243.3km course for the men's race and eleven climbs over 135.6km for the women's. ... (1949 to 1951). The Tour of Flanders for Women was established in 2004 with the Russian Zoulfia Zabirova celebrating the inaugural victory, the last edition went to Italian Marta ...
Breathtaking Racing Over The Climbs & Cobbles!
The Tour of Flanders, or De Ronde van Vlaanderen, marks the grand finale of Flemish spring classics. The second Monument of the season is 273.3 km long, star...
Tour of Flanders Men 2024 Result: Mathieu Van Der Poel ...
Follow Road race Men at Tour of Flanders Men with live commentary on Eurosport. ... van Aert ruled out after a nasty crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen, Van der Poel was the overwhelming favourite ...
10 TIPS TO WATCH THE RONDE
Want to experience the Ronde van Vlaanderen first-hand? Plan carefully. ... The Tour of Flanders attracts 750,000 people every year. Have someone drive you if you prefer a stress-free experience. Every year the Ronde organisers have a number of shuttle services that bring fans to and from the route. The Province of East Flanders offers this ...
Tour of Flanders Sportive (Ronde van Vlaanderen) 2025
05 Apr 2025 - Antwerp. 2025 sees the 188th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen (or Tour of Flanders in English), one of cycling's legendary Spring Classics. Each year the day before the pros battle it out a sportive is held to allow the public to share the experience of riding the famous cobbles of Flanders in one of the highlights of the ...
2024 FLANDERS Preview: Who Will Be Victor in Vlaanderen?
Ronde van Vlaanderen Race Preview: The Tour of Flanders is biggest and best one-day race in the World, if you ask any Flemish cycling fan. It has everything that a Belgian race can offer for excitement and drama - cobbles and climbs - De Ronde never disappoints. Here's our Flanders Preview of the race route and the favourites for Sunday ...
How to Watch Dwars door Vlaanderen, a Fun Midweek Semi-Classic
FloBikes. ($150/year or $30/month) before Ghent-Wevelgem, then you've also bought yourself access to Dwars door Vlaanderen (and Sunday's Tour of Flanders). Both the men's and women's ...
2024 Giro d'Italia
His all-time top results include wins at 2023's Ghent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen and a stage win at the 2022 Tour de France. Van Aert has already missed the Tour of Flanders and Paris ...
2024 UCI World Tour
The 2024 UCI World Tour is a series of races that include thirty-five road cycling events throughout the 2024 cycling season. ... UAE Tour: 19-25 February Lennert Van Eetvelt ... Dwars door Vlaanderen: 27 March
Arts & Culture Tours by Moscow Guide and Driver
Moscow City Center - Tour Duration: 1 hour. The Art Gallery is a section of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. It's rooms contain the artworks by masters of the 19th and 20th centuries: Art of Romanticism, Realism, Academic and Salon Art, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, Avant-garde and artistic trends of the 19th century as well as the paintings of Ingres, Delacroix, Corot ...
Moscow
Price per person. 641,69. View details. About the tour Reviews 10. 8 days / 7 nights. St. Petersburg Moscow. We offer you a unique opportunity to visit Russia's two largest cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg. This fascinating, week-long tour will take you to the historic Russian capitals that have always played the most important part in the ...
Tour of Flanders 2024
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) World champion Mathieu van der Poel is the top favourite in Flanders (Image credit: Getty Images) The world champion has a record at the Tour of Flanders ...
Tour & Travel Agency in Moscow
In addition to our standard services, Grand Russia offers tours packages to Moscow and St Petersburg. You cannot resist our Two Hearts of Russia (7 Days &6 Nights), Golden Moscow (4 Days &3 Nights), Sochi (3 Days & 2 Nights), Golden Ring (1 Day & 2 Days), and many more. As a leading travel agency specializing in the tour to Russia and Former ...
Exploring Moscow
I've been living in central Moscow for just over a week now so I thought it was about time for me show you around this beautiful city! My original plan for t...

Ronde van Vlaanderen

2023 Tour of Flanders: Preview, schedule, how to watch both men's and women's classic races live

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2023 Tour of Flanders riders to watch

Women's race - 2023 riders to watch

2023 Tour of Flanders: Race schedules

Tour of Flanders: Last five winners

How to watch 2023 Tour of Flanders - Ronde van Vlaanderen

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The cobbled climbs of the Tour of Flanders, Ronde’s epic soul

Tour of Flanders Men 2024 Result: Mathieu Van Der Poel blows the field away for historic De Ronde hat-trick

Tour of Flanders 2024: When is it? Who is riding? How to watch

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Tour of Flanders 2024 – Analysing the contenders

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Matteo Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

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Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling)

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Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla)