tour of flanders favourites

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

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.

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Who's hot and who's not ahead of Tour of Flanders? We pick apart E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem to dissect the top dogs for De Ronde.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

Who’s poised to pound the pavé and who might be gobbled by the cobbles of the Tour of Flanders ?

From Mathieu van der Poel ‘s sledgehammer on Harelbeke to Lidl-Trek’s lockdown on Wevelgem, racing at the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem gave crucial insight into the favorites for De Ronde .

Will one of the “Big Three” of Van der Poel, Wout van Aert , and Mads Pedersen triumph in Oudenaarde this weekend?

Or will a wiley wildcard be consecrated on Belgian cycling’s “Holy Sunday”?

• ‘Three grand tours and no monument – It’s like something’s missing’: Van Aert under spotlight
• Van der Poel: ‘Everybody is beatable’

Dwars door Vlaanderen this week may reveal a little more, but the cobblestone scene has largely been set.

Here’s the pre- Ronde report card:

Mathieu van der Poel:

• E3 Saxo Classic: 1st
• Gent-Wevelgem: 2nd
• Flanders pedigree, 2020-2023: 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd

Mathieu van der Poel will gallop into Antwerp on Sunday morning with fresh legs and fire in his heels.

The rainbow-clad crusher dominated E3 Saxo Classic and was protagonist again at Gent-Wevelgem. Van der Poel is on the form of his life and the undoubted reference point for Flanders.

“My level today was very high, maybe my best level ever in a classic,” he said after steamrollered E3 on Friday. “I’m close to the level I had in Glasgow at road worlds.”

But like Lidl-Trek revealed Sunday at Gent-Wevlgem, MVDP can be hotter than even he can handle.

Van der Poel was happy doing all the work tagging Lidl-Trek’s multi-rider assault Sunday and ended up too gassed to go better than Mads Pedersen in the sprint.

“Mathieu could perhaps have been less generous with his efforts today, but that doesn’t mean the result would have been different,” team boss Philip Roohooft told Wielerlits after Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday.

“I think he rode a good race, but he could have been a little less exuberant,” Roodhooft said. “But we shouldn’t necessarily see that as something negative – he also made a big effort at E3 on Friday.”

Checklist time for van der Poel: ✅Worlds RR ✅Paris-Roubaix ✅Ronde v Vlaanderen ✅Milano-Sanremo ✅Strade Bianche ✅Amstel Gold Race ✅E3-Classic Olympics RR Liège-Bastogne-Liège Gent-Wevelgem Omloop Het Nieuwsblad La Flèche Wallonne … — Cycling Statistics (@StatsOnCycling) March 22, 2024

Van der Poel will have learned his lesson from Sunday’s over-enthusiasm and return to De Ronde wiser and bolstered by a full Alpecin-Deceninck back bench.

The two-time Flanders winner will line out with Milan-San Remo champion Jasper Philipsen and one of the best classics team in the peloton at his back, and the intimate understanding of what it takes to top the podium in Oudenaarde.

And unlike Pedersen, Wout van Aert, and almost all the rest of the top-tier favorites, Van der Poel sits out Dwars door Vlaanderen this week, safe in the knowledge he’s at his absolute peak.

MVDP will be fully fresh, full of carbs, and with a status that will see the whole peloton chasing for his wheel on Sunday.

With 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd in his past four appearances, Van der Poel’s Tour of Flanders pedigree says it all – and the pattern in that palmarès points to 2024 being his year.

Mads Pedersen … and the Lidl-Trek massive:

• E3 Saxo Classic: 11th
• Gent-Wevelgem: 1st
• Flanders pedigree, 2020-2023: 59th, DNF, 8th, 3rd

Forget Visma-Lease a Bike. Lidl-Trek is the best classics team in the world right now.

Perennial monument nearly-man Mads Pedersen finished a team masterclass at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday and elevated the U.S.-based squad toward the very top of the Tour of Flanders betting-odds.

The modern peloton’s “Wolf Pack” flooded the zone at both E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem and the strategy payed big both times.

If Lidl-Trek can pull the same stunt next Sunday, the squad could be on track for its first monument win since Jasper Stuyven surprised Milan-San Remo in 2021.

“Mathieu is one of the biggest stars in the race. And without criticizing my own team, none of us are at that level,” Pedersen said after he beat Van der Poel on Sunday.

“If we want to beat riders like him or Wout van Aert or Tadej Pogačar , we have to do that with several teammates,” Pedersen said. “We have to put pressure on them, and I think in Gent-Wevelgem we saw a way how we can do that.”

Mads does it again!! What a team today https://t.co/BxZgWuP9vH — Jasper Stuyven (@Jasperstuyven) March 24, 2024

Lidl-Trek takes a luxury of options into the Tour of Flanders.

E3 Saxo Classic podium finisher Stuyven and the on-form Jonathan Milan and Toms Skujins are all slated to sign-on alongside Captain Mads at De Ronde ‘s pre-race ceremony.

It’s a cobblestone collective with the muscle of Visma-Lease a Bike, and the brain of golden era Quick-Step.

And what of Pedersen himself?

He plays down his status as one of the “Bigs”, but his ride to third place behind Pogačar and Van der Poel at De Ronde last year showed he maybe shouldn’t be so hard on himself.

“A win always gives confidence, that’s for sure,” Pedersen said after he won in Wevelgem on Sunday.

“But I also know that the Tour of Flanders is a completely different race. And a very tough one for me because of all the elevation. Of all the classics, Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Roubaix suit me best,” he said.

“But this does give the necessary confidence. I really hope for a good result.”

Wout van Aert:

• E3 Saxo Classic: 3rd
• Gent-Wevelgem: N/A
• Flanders pedigree, 2020-2023: 2nd, 6th, DNS (COVID), 4th

What to say about Wout van Aert? It’s hard to know as he only raced E3 Saxo Classic and chose to sit out Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem.

WVA’s ride at E3 Saxo Classic on Friday was derailed by a cobblestone crash , but he was still able to come back strong with his bullish individual pursuit to a spot on Harelbeke’s podium.

Yet before that, Van Aert looked no match for his nemesis MVDP.

“Mathieu was super strong. He really hurt me with his attacks today,” Van Aert admitted after the race Friday.

Van Aert played defense at E3 Saxo Classic. Wherever Van der Poel went, Wout was on the wheel, and he was never seen to make his own moves.

Was the Belgian race-rusty after three weeks at altitude, wary of MVDP, or something in between?

A second shake-out at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday should put the oil back into Van Aert’s racing legs and bring out the gains from Teide.

“Everything went super well in training, that gives confidence,” Van Aert said least week. “The past has shown that I always come good from altitude.”

Chute de Wva #LesRp #E3SaxoClassic pic.twitter.com/TiqEoozPGf — Marc (@marcrp) March 22, 2024

Van Aert’s form shouldn’t be a problem for Flanders. But Visma-Lease a Bike does have a few things to worry about.

Van Aert’s cobblestone collaborator Christophe Laporte is sick, and it’s unknown whether he’ll race.

Tiesj Benoot and Jan Tratnik will both be beat up before they even start the Tour of Flanders after crashes at E3 and Wevelgem respectively, and rising powerhouse Per Strand Hagenes is out of action after be broke his nose Friday.

But it’s not all bad on the Visma Lease a Bike bus.

Matteo Jorgenson is on the form of his life, and – say it quietly U.S. fans – could be on course for a podium finish should the race shake his way.

Laurence Pithie and the best of De Ronde ‘s rest:

Laurence Pithie, Matej Mohorič, Dylan van Baarle, Oier Lazkano, Jasper Philipsen, Matteo Jorgenson, Jasper Stuyven, Stefan Küng, Jhonatan Nárveaez

Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Mads Pedersen no doubt lead the pavé pack on the roads into Flanders.

But behind them, there’s a whole echelon of chasers, and unlike previous seasons, there’s no clear second-tier of cobblestone champions.

Laurence Pithie is the revelation of the spring and has nothing to lose after a string of stunner performances. Oier Lazkano and Jhonatan Nárveaez aren’t scared of throwing haymakers at the top of the classics hierarchy and join Pithie as the wildest of wildcards for De Ronde .

Matteo Jorgenson is red hot, relishing life at Visma-Lease a Bike, and poised to better his ninth-place from De Ronde 2023.

Meanwhile, cobblestone stalwarts like Matej Mohorič, Stefan Küng, and Dylan van Baarle haven’t shown too much yet this spring – but there’s always the chance for miracles in the bergs and bumps of Belgian cycling’s “Holy Day”.

« I’m proud with how I rode today. » – Laurence Pithie, Gent-Wevelgem pic.twitter.com/o9Fak3SrFH — Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ (@GroupamaFDJ) March 24, 2024

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• Spring Classics

A beginner’s guide to the Tour of Flanders

All you need to know about the men’s and women’s editions of one of cycling’s biggest and toughest one-day races

The GCN team

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Mathieu Van der Poel attacks the cobblestones of the Paterberg in the 2023 edition

For one Sunday each Spring, the narrow roads around the sleepy towns of Flanders wake up to see one of the biggest races of the year thunder over them. Fans turn out in their thousands to line the course, flags flying in one hand and beers sloshing in the other as they cheer on their favourites during one of cycling’s most iconic events.

This race is the Tour of Flanders , or as it’s known in Flemish, ‘ De Ronde van Vlaanderen ’, and its men’s and women’s races will take place on Sunday 31 March.

The Tour of Flanders marks the grand finale of a series of Flandrian Classics that fall in the weeks before, starting with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and building through the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem a week before Flanders.

Read more: Spring Classics 2024: Essential guide to the races and riders

Taking on a long, winding series of laps around the Flanders region that visits multiple steep cobbled climbs – most of them more than once – over a challenging, Monument-worthy distance, Flanders is one of the toughest races on the calendar and is always won by the strongest of Classics riders.

With winners like Eddy Merckx, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen in its history books, and more recently victories for Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky, it’s easy to see that Flanders is a prestigious jewel in cycling’s crown, and a race steeped in legend.

• Tour of Flanders Women 2024 startlist
• Tour of Flanders Men 2024 startlist

Tour of Flanders history

The inaugural edition of the men’s race took place back in 1913, making it the youngest of the five Monuments. The women’s race, on the other hand, started in 2004, which makes it one of the longest-running one-day races on the current calendar, as well as one of the most prestigious.

The fact that the men’s race is younger than the other four Monuments doesn’t make it any less respected, and it easily sits alongside Paris-Roubaix , and the World Championships in terms of racing importance. Win here even once and you’re guaranteed to earn yourself a spot in cycling’s Hall of Fame.

Unlike some of the other Monuments and Classics, the Tour of Flanders route has changed countless times throughout its history, with the start and finishing towns often changing and the roll call of climbs being tweaked slightly for each edition.

Two-time winner Peter Van Petegem famously said this about the race’s route: “It doesn’t really matter where the race goes. You have cobblestones, climbs and small roads, and that provides the character of the race.”

Read more: 66 years marshalling at the Tour of Flanders: Meet Lucien De Schepper

Tour of Flanders tactics and winners

The Tour of Flanders is ultimately a race of survival and to win, a rider must abandon all sense of foresight and attack purely on instinct. Fortune definitely favours the brave in Flanders.

Tadej Pogačar was reward for his solo attack in last year's Tour of Flanders

The notion of a big group coming to the finish of Flanders is essentially unheard of. There will be attacks, the race will be attritional, and it almost comes down to the last rider standing, who has seen all their competitors fall away over the gruelling climbs. Any sprint at the finish will be between tired legs, as a handful of riders battle for one of cycling’s biggest prizes.

Read more: The Van der Poel rules: How to beat cycling's best Classics rider at the Tour of Flanders

Over 107 editions of the men’s race, the home nation of Belgium has taken 69 wins, the most of any country, perhaps unsurprisingly. Six riders sit on top of the individual winners list with a hat-trick of titles to their name: Belgians Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman, Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw, Italian Fiorenzo Magni and Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara.

All six of these riders are Flandriens to the core, even those born outside of Belgium, and are revered as gods amongst the local people - none more so than the ‘Lion of Flanders’ himself, Johan Museeuw.

The women’s race has seen much less Belgian success, but perhaps largely to do with its relative youth. Over its 20 editions so far, two Belgian riders have taken Flandrian titles: Grace Verbeke in 2010, and Lotte Kopecky in 2022 and 2023. The nation that stands proud atop the winners' list in the women’s race is the Netherlands, who’ve won eight editions and podiumed a further 19 times.

With two wins, Lotte Kopecky is joint-top of the list of repeat winners at Flanders. Dutch women also join that list with two wins apiece, Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel and Annemiek van Vleuten. The German rider, Judith Ardnt, has also won two editions of the women’s Tour of Flanders. Both Arndt and Van Vleuten have won this race on the old finish into Ninove and the new finish into Oudenaarde.

Tour of Flanders route: Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg headline a cobbled climb-packed course

The cobbled bergs, or ‘Hellingen’, are the Tour of Flanders’ focal points and where the race is won or lost. They are steep, tricky to ride with the cobbles, and the back-to-back nature of the race’s climbs means they are severely leg-sapping. None of the climbs are particularly long, but that doesn’t matter when you’re going up and down them, constantly, at full race speed.

Read more: Average Joe vs Tour of Flanders: Can Cillian Kelly conquer the cobbles of Belgium?

The current finale of the race takes in the Kruisberg, the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg before a flat finish into Oudenaarde. These climbs often prove decisive in the outcome of the race, but what comes before this final trio of bergs is just as important. Climbs like the Koppenberg, Taaienberg and Berendries all feature in this race, serving not only to chip away at a rider’s legs, but their morale too.

Tour of Flanders climbs:

• Oude Kwaremont
• Kapelleberg
• Marlboroughstaat
• Berg Ten Houte
• Nieuwe Kruisberg/Hotond
• Steenbeekdries
• Oude Kruisberg/Hotond

Recent history of the Tour of Flanders

Since 2012 and the implementation of the new finish in Oudenaarde, the men’s race has seen six solo winners, with the largest group ever reaching the finish only consisting of four riders, which happened in 2014 and 2022.

Lotte Kopecky has made a habit of winning 'De Ronde,' and will be back to defend her title this time around

The women’s race has also seen six solo winners in that time and, like the men’s, has tended to be decided by small groups of riders at the finish. One edition of the women’s race has come down to a sprint, however: the 2017 edition which was won by Coryn Rivera (now Labecki) in a reduced bunch finish between 16 riders.

In 2023, Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky were crowned champions in Oudenaarde, but only Kopecky will be back to defend her title – in fact to try to make it three in a row – whilst Pogačar is skipping Flanders with an eye towards the Giro d’Italia.

The big favourites in the men’s race will be Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, with the Belgian still chasing a maiden win here, whilst Kopecky will be up against riders like Marianne Vos, Elisa Balsamo and perhaps even her own teammate, Demi Vollering.

For the latest news, interviews and analysis from the world of professional cycling, be sure to check out the Racing tab on the GCN website and visit our essential guide to The Spring Classics to stay up to date with all of the action from cycling's most exciting season.

Lotte Kopecky

• Team Team SD Worx-Protime
• Nationality Belgium
• UCI Wins 41
• Height 1.71m

Coryn Labecki

• Team EF Education-Cannondale
• Nationality United States of America
• UCI Wins 20
• Height 1.55m

Tadej Pogacar

• Team UAE Team Emirates
• Nationality Slovenia
• UCI Wins 73
• Height 1.76m

Mathieu van der Poel

• Team Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Nationality Netherlands
• UCI Wins 53
• Height 1.84m

Annemiek van Vleuten

• Team Movistar Team
• UCI Wins 104
• Height 1.68m

Ronde van Vlaanderen

• Dates 31 Mar
• Race Length 163 kms
• Start Oudenaarde
• Finish Oudenaarde
• Race Category Elite Women

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Tour of Flanders 2024 men: preview, contenders and prediction

We look at the favourites for De Ronde this upcoming Sunday

Words: Stephen Puddicombe

Photos: SWPix.com

Of the five races that make up cycling’s established ‘Monument’ Classics, the Tour of Flanders is arguably the most open and unpredictable. It’s the only one that no rider has ever won more than three times, and the last ten editions has only seen one repeat winner.

That sole rider is Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), who has a chance to join the six riders on the record list with three career wins here. At last week’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic he looked untouchable, making a strong case for outright favourites status for this Sunday’s big race, but the build-up this spring has been full of twists and ever-developing narratives.

At opening weekend, Visma-Lease a Bike looked capable of battering all other teams into submission through sheer strength of numbers, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad with Jan Tratnik and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne with Wout van Aert. But then injury and fitness problems ravaged the team, clearing the way for Alpecin-Deceuninck to dominate, with Jasper Philipsen taking Milan-Sanremo and Brugge-De Panne, and Van der Poel at E3 Saxo Bank; only for Van der Poel’s unbeatable status to be immediately demolished two days later at Gent-Wevelgem by a resurgent Lidl-Trek, who worked him over to set their Mads Pedersen up for victory at Gent-Wevelgem . 

A crash yesterday at Dwars Doors Vlaanderen provided another dramatic, and unwanted, twist in the pre-Flanders build-up, ruling out star rider and home favourite Wout van Aert from competing in the race he has spent all spring building up towards. That crash has thrown many other teams’ plans up in the air, too, with several of the riders who had established themselves over the course of the spring as among the top favourites for Flanders all also falling: Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty) and Jasper Stuyven, the latter. Stuyven is, like Van Aert, out for sure and the others’ participation is in doubt, but there will still be plenty of big names on the startlist worthy of the biggest Belgian race of the year. 

The route: 

Route map sourced via Tour of Flanders website

As ever, the Tour of Flanders takes in many of the steep hills, twisting roads, cobbled stretches and viscous bergs made famous by the races held in this cycling-mad part of the world. It is essentially a greatest hits of the landmarks we’ve already seen tackled earlier in the spring, from climbs like Berendries, Molenberg and Valkenberg tackled earlier in the race, to key cobbled climbs such as Berg Ten Houte, Kruisberg and Taaienberg that play such a key role during the race’s dramatic endgame.

Most crucial of all will, as ever, be the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg circuit that has been the race’s pièce de résistance since 2012. This year, we’ve already seen huge drama on both at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, where Van der Poel and Wout van Aert respectively attacked and crashed on the latter, and Van Aert attempted his ultimately futile chase of his rival on the former, highlighting just how much damage these two particular bergs can do. And at the Tour of Flanders, they will pose even more of a challenge; the Paterberg will here be tackled twice and the Kwaremont three times, while the huge crowds sure to swarm both climbs will force the riders to climb via the cobbles, with the guttering at the side of the road the gravitated towards at E3 Saxo Bank covered by fans. By the time they reach the summit of the Paterberg for the final 13km run-in to the finish, the riders will be in ones and twos. 

And whereas these climbs have been seen before this spring, there is one special landmark that’s reserved just for the Tour of Flanders: The Koppenberg, the impossibly steep berg with sadistically nasty cobblestones that’s like no other used in cycling. Watching the riders climb this berg is one of the highlights of the season, and one of the reasons the Ronde is such a special race that will split the race into pieces, and ensure only the very strongest will be in contention for the win. 

Mathieu van der Poel

This is the chance for Mathieu van der Poel to confirm himself as one of, if not the, greatest ever competitors at the Tour of Flanders. A third career victory would put him joint-top of the all-time list of most wins in the race’s history, which is especially remarkable when you remember that he is still only 29-years-old, and has finished 2nd, 2nd, and 4th on his only other appearances here. 

The Dutchman has enjoyed a near-perfect spring so far, guiding Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Jasper Philipsen to victory at Milan-Sanremo before claiming a resounding victory for himself at E3 Saxo Bank when he rode everyone off his wheel as early as 44km from the finish. His only setback was at Gent-Wevelgem, where he was beaten by Mads Pedersen in a two-up sprint, but since then his status as favourite has solidified as many of his top rivals have either been hurt or ruled out all-together at the crash during Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen. Add to that the absence of the man who beat him last year, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), and it’s clear that this race is his to lose. 

Matteo Jorgenson

It’s hard to see Wednesday's Dwars door Vlaanderen as anything other than a disaster for Visma-Lease a Bike, a race that made headlines not for the result, but for the crash that brought a devastating end to Wout van Aert’s hopes of competing at the cobbled Monuments he has spent months carefully preparing for. Yet it shouldn’t be overlooked that they did actually end up winning the race, through the rider who has arguably been their star of the season so far: Matteo Jorgenson. 

Given the form and injury problems suffered by Visma-Lease a Bike’s Classics squad as a whole at the moment, Jorgenson is the man now expected to step up and claim leadership status at the Tour of Flanders, and there are reasons to believe he could be in the mix for victory — wins at Paris-Nice and now Dwars door Vlaanderen show he is a rounded and immensely talented young rider, and he’s already proven he can handle the longer distance of the Ronde with a top ten finish on debut last year. All hope is not yet lost for Visma-Lease a Bike. 

Mads Pedersen

For a while Mads Pedersen has been the best of the rest behind the peloton’s elite Classics riders, finishing in fourth-place at the most recent editions of Paris-Roubaix , the World Championships and Milan-Sanremo, and third at last year’s Tour of Flanders. At Gent-Wevelgem last weekend, he finally found a way to get the better of them, combining brilliantly with his Lidl-Trek teammates to put Van der Poel under pressure, and subsequently outsprint him for victory at the finish. With such a strong team supporting him, a first ever Monument victory had looked on the cards this weekend, however his fitness is now a huge doubt following his involvement at the Dwars door Vlaanderen crash — even if he is able to ride, can he possibly have the best legs needed to win such a tough and competitive race, and will his team be strong enough now Jasper Stuyven is also out?

Jasper Philipsen

Given his form this spring, which has seen him take successive victories at Milan-Sanremo and Brugge-De Panne before claiming fourth place at Gent-Wevelgem, it’s impossible to ignore Jasper Philipsen as a candidate for the Tour of Flanders. But in reality, the extra climbs of the Tour of Flanders (a race he has never before managed to finish) is likely to be too much even for a sprinter with climbing legs as strong as his, and means the roles between himself and Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Van der Poel is set to be reversed from those at Milan-Sanremo, with Philipsen playing domestique this time. Still, he has surprised us before to finish second place at last year’s Paris-Roubaix, and would be a potential benefactor in a tactical, less selective race that ends in a group finish. 

Alberto Bettiol

You can never be sure what you’re going to get with Alberto Bettiol. The EF Education-EasyPost rider can often be anonymous, as evidenced by the three DNFs and finishes of 16th, 24th and 28th that make up six of his seven career Tour of Flanders appearances; but he can also astound with the occasional electric ride, as he did most notably here in 2019 when he escaped late on to take a surprise victory. So far this spring we’ve since more examples than usual of that top-for Bettiol, including a mighty 30km solo attack to win Milan-Torino, a fifth-place finish at Milan-Sanremo, and some very powerful attacks at Dwars door Vlaanderen before cramp put paid to his chances. There are many other more consistent riders who can be better depended on to bank top ten finishes, but few with the x-factor Bettiol possesses to potentially win.  

Other contenders 

Despite losing some of their top riders, Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike will still hope they have the strength in numbers to unsettle Van der Poel. For the former, Jonathan Milan has been a revelation this spring, proving he can ride over the cobbles as well as being one of quickest sprinters in the world, while Toms Skujiņš will have a more senior role now.

While these riders have upped their game, Visma-Lease a Bike’s squad have been hampered by all manner of problems, with Christophe Laporte ruled out as well as Van Aert, but Tiesj Benoot , Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Jan Tratnik and former Flanders runner-up Dylan van Baarle all have the pedigree to be involved in the fight for victory. 

Stefan Küng is a reliable performer at the Tour of Flanders, finishing fifth and sixth here in the last two editions, but his lack of a killer instinct was painfully clear in the finale of Dwars door Vlaanderen, where he settled for third-place having been unable to drop the other riders in the final selection. He’ll be part of a strong Groupama-FDJ team also featuring former podium finisher Valentin Madouas and young breakthrough talent Laurence Pithie . They even look stronger than Soudal–Quick-Step, the former kings of the cobbles who have toiled all spring. They’ll be hoping Julian Alaphilippe or 2021 winner Kasper Asgreen made an unlikely late discovery of form.

In the absence of Van Aert and Stuyven, home Belgium hopes look unusually slim. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) is probably their best hope aside from Jasper Philipsen , especially after his fourth-place finish at E3 Saxo Classic, but he’s never finished inside the top 20 at the Ronde. From the other side of the w orld, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché–Wanty) had been showing promising form prior to the Dwars door Vlaanderen crash, and would be a danger in a sprint; as would Michael Matthews (Jayco-Alula), particularly on the back of his runner-up finish at Milan-Sanremo. By contrast, Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) and young Oier Lazkano (Movistar) would look to win from attacking rather than sprinting, though it’s doubtful they have the legs to do so following a slight diminishing of form from strong starts to the spring. 

He was already the favourite even before the dramatic crashes at Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, but the loss of Wout van Aert and diminishing of Lidl-Trek’s squad now makes  Mathieu van der Poel the overwhelming favourite. Having such a status can be a hindrance to even the best of riders, but he has a strong Alpecin-Deceuninck team to support him, and alone has the strength to launch attacks that not even the smartest tactical ploys can overcome. 

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2024 Tour of Flanders Preview: Route, Favorites & History Highlights

The Tour of Flanders, the pinnacle of Flemish cycling, is set to take place with a strong lineup and a challenging course filled with iconic climbs and cobbled sections.

The Tour of Flanders, known as "Flanders' Most Beautiful," holds a rich history and is a prestigious event in the cycling world, showcasing the best of Belgian racing.

• 69 - Number of times Belgians have won the Tour of Flanders, with Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, and Tom Boonen all securing the victory three times.
• 1.100 - Length in meters of the Kapelleberg, one of the challenging climbs in the race route.
• Mathieu van der Poel is a top favorite after impressive performances in previous editions.
• Wout van Aert's absence due to injuries shakes up the predictions for the race.
• Mads Pedersen, Tim Wellens, and Matteo Jorgenson emerge as strong contenders to watch out for.
• The race will cover 270.8 kilometers, starting in Antwerp and featuring famous climbs like the Oude Kwaremont and the Koppenberg.

The Tour of Flanders promises an exciting showdown between top favorites, potentially setting the stage for a thrilling and unpredictable race outcome.

With a mix of seasoned champions and rising talents, the Tour of Flanders 2024 is poised to deliver another epic display of cycling prowess amidst the backdrop of Flandrian history and challenging terrain.

The summary of the linked article was generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI

PezCycling News • Alastair Hamilton

FLANDERS'24 Preview: Who Will Be Victor in Vlaanderen? - PezCycling News

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Tour of Flanders 2023: TV and live stream details, favourites, route map, Mathieu van der Poel defends title

Updated 29/03/2023 at 15:39 GMT

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 van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, Lotte Kopecky and Annemiek van Vleuten set to take to the Flemish cobbles. So how can you watch on Eurosport and discovery+? Look no further…

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13/04/2024 at 15:00

When is Tour of Flanders 2023?

How can i watch tour of flanders 2023 live stream details.

• Van Aert will 'regret' letting team-mate win – Merckx and Boonen wade in

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Tour of flanders 2023 men's route.

Tour of Flanders 2023 women's route

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11/04/2024 at 14:29

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07/04/2024 at 21:06

Van der Poel says long-range attack 'not really' planned, admits being 'lost for words'

07/04/2024 at 16:37

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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.

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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PREVIEW | Tour of Flanders 2024 - Mathieu van der Poel overwhelming favourite following van Aert and Pedersen's suffer injuries

The big one! The Tour of Flanders is the second monument of the season and the queen of all Flandrien classics. It is one of the most important and exciting days of the season, where the biggest classics specialists face off on the steep cobbled climbs to fight for a prestigious win. We preview the race ahead of us.

270 kilometers on the menu this year. The distance will make for a brutal race, the Tour of Flanders has always been a race for the riders who are capable of performing on a bike at top level for a large number of hours and this year that capacity will be put to the limit. The start at Antwerpen will then see just a bit over 130 kilometers that are mostly set to be calm, approximately half of the race. However in the second half everything changes, as the Oude Kwaremont will open things up.

Profile & Route Tour of Flanders 2024

From 1375to 84 kilometers to go there will be a long succession of bergs and cobbled sectors that will thin down the peloton. Big attacks will no happen here, as the main favourites need to save their bullets wisely, however set-up attacks, split attempts and a lot of fatigue buildup may happen here.

Click here to play along with our Fantasy Tour of Flanders. At least $2710/€2,500/£2,145 in prizes!

The crucial section of the race starts with the second passage over the Oude Kwaremont. Kwaremont, Koppenberg and Paterberg come in quick succession and this trio of ascents will not only destroy the peloton, it will also provide opportunities to launch potentially decisive attacks. They come with 54.5, 51 and 44.5 kilometers to go. Not many riders will survive the peloton afterwards, and with a thinned down group decisive attacks can also come after as the chasing power will not be so meaningful.

Steenbeekdries (39Km to go), Taaienberg (37Km to go) and Oude Kruisberg (28Km to go) follow afterwards and provide further launching pads for dangerous attacks. After a small descent the race will enter it’s final sectors.

For the third and last time, the Oude Kwaremont. A grueling berg with inconsistent gradients, it summits with 16.5Km to go.

Final startlist Tour of Flanders with Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, Michael Matthews, Matteo Jorgenson, and Tim Wellens

And after a short section, the final berg of the race is always one that may see the differences, the Paterberg. Short but sharp, essentially a one-minute all-out effort after around 6:30h of hard racing where slipstreaming is not a thing. A climb most will know like the back of their hand, it will summit with 13 kilometers to go.

As every year, the run-up to Oudenaarde then is quite excruciating. Pan-flat after the small descent from the Paterberg, it is a place where attacks can still happen, but whatever happens depends on what will happen over the ascents.

No rain, we may have slick roads as throughout the week it will certainly fall, however on the day the wind will come from the southeast. A crosswind in the kilometers leading up to the finish, whilst the start we've got some sections of crosswind but also headwind which should make it difficult for echelons to really settle.

2024 Tour of Flanders Prize Money Distribution - €50.000 in total

Will Mathieu van der Poel have competition?

Ultimately, I'm not positive on that. Visma looked incredibly strong on the opening weekend but throughout the spring they have gradually lost riders from their block and will arrive to Flanders stripped of their depth, whilst after Dwars door Vlaanderen's crash, the same applies to Lidl-Trek. This was already a race where depth is not crucial as it's so hard, but the main teams are almost entering on an equal level and directly, nothing points towards someone being able to match Mathieu van der Poel. Wout van Aert was the one rider who succeeded at E3, but he has lost another spring due to bad luck. Pedersen crashed hard at DDV where Jasper Stuyven was injured and after he already admitted this race was the one that suited him the least, it's hard to imagine him matching the World Champion.

Mathieu Van der Poel in the meantime avoided the disastrous Dwars door Vlaanderen and trained throughout the week, he should arrive as sharp as in the last two weeks. I have little doubt that when he decides to attack no-one will be able to follow, and I believe he will do so early to avoid possibly being attacked by other teams. All in all the ultimate favourite for Flanders with the new circumstances. Soren Kragh Andersen can also certainly aim for a result.

Matteo Jorgenson - The team is down to one leader, in comparison with the five it hoped to bring. Van Aert injured, Laporte ill, Tratnik injured and Dylan van Baarle (who will start) nowhere near his best, it is down to Jorgenson and Tiesj Benoot to fight for a podium. For the Belgian - who was also injured earlier in the spring - this will be hard but Jorgenson is in my eyes the closest competitor to van der Poel. This is a race that suits climbers, the American has just won Dwars door Vlaanderen and is the best combination of climber and classics specialist around, with great form. He's going to lead the team by himself, a podium is definitely possible and a victory is not impossible but will depend on him dropping van der Poel. He has performed as I expected so far this spring, but here I don't expected him to win - although I definitely would not be shocked, he is the number 2 figure into the race.

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Lidl - Trek - Lidl looked so incredibly good at Gent - Wevelgem but they simply cannot repeat the same strategy. Jasper Stuyven and Alex Kirsch are injured an out of the running, Mads Pedersen won't likely be at his best and the heavyweight Jonathan Milan will not be able to handle this amount of climbing. Toms Skujins is going to be an interesting figure but when it comes to winning ambitions it will be hard to imagine. Nevertheless the team has good options to ride into a podium.

Groupama - Perhaps the "underdog" team, as others are mentioned more as van der Poel's rivals, but the new best team in terms of depth. But there are a lot of ifs... Laurence Pithie is as astonishing puncheur and should be able to match the Dutchman for a while, but judging by Kuurne and Gent - Wevelgem, he will likely struggle with the distance of the race which will make it hard for him. The team have Valentin Madouas in rising form and this is a rider who has finished second here in the past, whilst the ever consistent Stefan Küng has just finished on the podium of Dwars door Vlaanderen and will be a strong candidate for the podium.

In the fight for the podium I envision Matej Mohoric, Tim Wellens and possibly Oier Lazkano if he can handle the distances; and Alberto Bettiol if he can avoid the mishaps. Matteo Trentin, Rasmus Tiller, Jonas Abrahamsen, Krists Neilands, Nils Politt, Victor Campenaerts, Fred Wright, Oliver Naesen and INEOS trio of Laurens de Plus, Ben Turner and Magnus Sheffield will also be in the fight for the main spots, mostly as riders who will not want to wait for a sprint. Also can Quick-Step actually be in contention? Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen will hope so but it's honestly not likely.

2024 Tour of Flanders Race Center - TV, Startlist, Profile, Prize Money and Preview

There will be other contenders certainly with Biniam Girmay as another contender for the podium, so as long as he has recovered from the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen. As I expect van der Poel to soar to victory alone, I think behind there won't be gaps as large if the riders understand the victory is unachievable. A sprint may decide many places in the Top10 I reckon. Michael Matthews, Vincenzo Albanese, Pierre Gautherat and Uno-X duo Alexander Kristoff and Soren Waerenskjold will be riders who will hope for such a scenario to have a good outcome on the day.

Prediction Tour of Flanders 2024:

*** Mathieu van der Poel ** Matteo Jorgenson, Tim Wellens, Stefan Küng * Laurence Pithie, Jonathan Milan, Toms Skujins, Matej Mohoric, Mads Pedersen, Oier Lazkano, Alberto Bettiol, Matteo Trentin, Rasmus Tiller

Pick : Mathieu van der Poel

Wout van Aert's absence "won't make it any easier" Mathieu van der Poel states ahead of Tour of Flanders

Brutally honest mads pedersen races tour of flanders but not for victory: " to win flanders you have to be 100 percent and that's not me", read more about:, place comments.

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CW Live: Tour of Flanders updates as Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky convincingly win; Mathieu van der Poel finishes second; Mads Pedersen beats Wout van Aert to fourth; SD Worx continue dominant spring; Bahrain-Victorious rider apologises for crash;

Join us for live updates from the Tour of Flanders as Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky win the men's and women's editions

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Hello, cycling fans. The wait is over. It's Flanders day. De Ronde . The hilly cobbled Classic we've building up to ever since Opening Weekend at the end of February.

Join us throughout the day as we provide you with live updates from Belgium, where Mathieu van der Poel goes in search of his third victory in the last four years in the men's race, while SD Worx will look to continue their dominant spring form, boasting the defending champion Lotte Kopecky among their talented ranks.

If you want to get in touch with me, Chris Marshall-Bell, then you can send me a message on Twitter @cmbell310

Timings: 

Men's race (273km) began at 9:00 (BST) and will finish around 3:30 (BST)

Women's race (157km) will begin at 12:30 (BST) and finish around 4:30 (BST)

Updates (BST time)

10:45: Both Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar rejoin peloton after frantic salvation jobs 11:30 : Five-man breakaway finally forms ahead of first berg 12:00 : Peter Sagan and Tim Wellens abandon after huge crash also takes out Julian Alaphilippe 13:00 : Jumbo-Visma, Soudal-QuickStep and UAE-Team Emirates represented in strong leading group 14:30: Pogačar, van der Poel and Wout van Aert reduce leaders' lead after a series of ferocious attacks  14:50: Wout van Aert is dropped by van der Poel and Pogačar as Mads Pedersen tries solo attack 15:05: Pogačar goes solo over the Kwaremont, passes Pedersen, and closes in on win 15:25 : Pogačar wins men's race as Annemiek van Vlueten crashes in the women's race 16:15 : Lotte Kopecky attacks solo as she looks to defend her title 16:45 : Lotte Kopecky wins her second successive Flanders with teammate Demi Vollering in second.

Men's race flag drops in Bruges with the Big Three the favourites

All the talk pre-race has been about the Big Three : defending champion Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar. Who can stop them?

Tom Pidcock will certainly try but for the Briton, winner of Strade Bianche four weeks ago, to triumph, he will require Jumbo-Visma, Pogačar and Van der Poel all to have an off-day.

There are, of course, plenty more riders than just the Big Three: Trek-Segafredo's Mads Pedersen, Groupama-FDJ's Valentin Madouas and EF Education-EasyPost's Neilson Powless will all fancy their chances.

Windy, windy, windy

There is no rain forecast for either the men's or women's races today, but it's a cold start to the day - 6°C is what the thermometers are registering. There is also a brisk headwind blowing through Flanders, and most concerningly for Tadej Pogačar, a medium-strength gust is expected in the final hour of racing when they ascend the Paterberg for the final time.

How will that affect the day?

Van der Poel caught out by crosswinds after just 40km of racing

After an hour of racing in the men's race, we have our first act of drama. Strong crosswinds have caused a split in the pack and, crucially, Mathieu van der Poel is caught in the second group. The group ahead, which contains the other favourites, has a lead of more than 30 seconds and has the firepower to power away from Van der Poel's group. His teammates are pulling hard but it's proving in vein.

Forming a breakaway has proven incredibly difficult so far, despite plenty of attempts. Among those to have tried since the neutral start is everyone's new cult hero: Oier Lazkano of Movistar (second at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday).

Van der Poel back in the peloton

Situation saved for the defending champion: after a stressful 20km, Mathieu Van der Poel has returned to the main peloton, thanks to the work of his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates who closed a gap that at one point was at 40 seconds. What will the effect of that chase have on the race's final outcome?

Meanwhile, we're still waiting for the first break to form. It's been a relentless start to the racing.

And now it's Tadej Pogačar trapped behind

The drama is not abating. While many riders still try to jump clear, a crash at the back of the peloton caught Tadej Pogačar out. Although the two-time Tour de France champion did not fall, he and his UAE-Team Emirates teammates were more than 30 seconds behind the peloton. Thanks to some intense work, Pogačar and co. rejoined the peloton after a few kilometres.

We've had 100 minutes of racing and it's been full-on action. 

Slip and sliding expected on the cobbles

Oude Kwaremont.Very slippery and muddy.#RVV23Photo: @BeelWout pic.twitter.com/MlXdwkZ3UB April 2, 2023

90km of racing and still no breakaway

The opening two hours of the season's second Monument have been intense, characterised by a rapid pace, crosswinds and a crash.

As we approach 100km, the race is, remarkably, still waiting for its first breakaway to form. No one can get away. There have been plenty of attempts but the elastic will just not stretch further than 100 metres.

The fastest Ronde ever?

We are on course for the fastest ever men's edition of De Ronde. The first two hours of racing were completed at an average speed of 48.7kph, a massive 5kph faster than the 2001 edition which averaged 43.6kph. That remains the fastest-ever Tour of Flanders.

Of course, there are the bergs, cobbles and headwinds to come that will slow down the speed, but those figures highlight just how quick the opening few hours has been.

Do we have a confirmed breakaway?

It looks like it: Jasper De Buyst (Lotto-Dstny), Daan Hoole (Trek-Segafredo), Elmar Reinders (Jayco-AlUla), Filippo van Colombo (Q36.5) and Guillaume Keirsbulck (Bingoal WB) have been given a lead of around 20 seconds and the peloton behind - already significantly smaller thanks to an incessantly-fast first two hours - seems willing to permit them an advantage. It only took 110km of racing.

How long will this break last? 

Update at 11:40 (BST) : the break now have a lead of 1-40, with Jumbo-Visma manning the front of the peloton.

This is really interesting... Tim Merlier of Soudal-QuickStep has accelerated from the front of the peloton, bringing with him Jonas Rutsch of EF Education-EasyPost. The pair have bridged across to the break of five, ensuring that Soudal-QuickStep have presence in the breakaway. Soudal-QuickStep  have had a torturous spring Classics campaign and they are desperate to be involved today.

Read more: Forget the Classics, Soudal-Quick Step are a GC team: 'We have shown that we're strong enough'

The women's race is getting underway soon 

2013 winner Marianne Vos looking focused at the start of the women's race.

The escape builds a sizeable lead as the Kwaremont approaches

Men's race - 145km to go : It took forever for the breakaway to form, but now it has the seven men up front have a lead approaching five minutes. The first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont is looming, and behind the peloton is being led by Jumbo-Visma and UAE-Team Emirates.

Huge crash affects scores of riders

Men's race - 141km to go: A huge crash has taken out dozens of riders at the front of the peloton, including Soudal-QuickStep's Julian Alaphilippe, Trek-Segafredo's Jasper Stuyven, Peter Sagan of TotalEnergies and Tim Wellens of UAE-Team Emirates.

It all happened because Filip Maciejuk, a Bahrain-Victorious rider, sprinting to get to the front, abruptly rejoined the road after careering into a deep puddle to the side of the peloton. Riding out of control, the rider veered straight into the front of the bunch, upending several riders and thus created a domino effect that caused many to fall. 

Wellens was subsequently forced to abandon, along with Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers). 

Filip Maciejuk disqualified for causing crash

Filip Maciejuk of Bahrain-Victorious before he was thrown off the race.

Men's race - 133km to go: Filip Maciejuk, the Bahrain-Victorious rider who was responsible for bringing down several riders at the front of the peloton, has been disqualified by the race jury. The Pole, 23, was riding his second  Ronde .

Meanwhile, the break of seven continue to enjoy a lead in excess of five minutes. The  peloton have just ridden up and over the Oude Kwaremont where the crowds are spectacular. No one creates noise like the Belgians do.

Men's race - 117km to go : A few more crashes have brought down yet more riders, including Soudal-QuickStep's Davide Ballerini. DSM have tried a curious tactic of slowing the pace down to a crawl before then accelerating, while Israel-Premier Tech are now at the front of proceedings. The break continue to hold an advantage of just over five minutes.

Women's race - 155km to go : the women have just got underway in Oudenaarde.

Yet more crashes in the men's race as Pedersen attacks

Men's race - 113km to go : Today's race has developed into a crash-fest. The latest has involved Magnus Sheffield of Ineos Grenadiers, Dries Van Gestel of TotalEnergies and Tim van Dijke (Jumbo-Visma).

Mads Pedersen has started the attacks from the peloton with a move that seemed to catch many by surprise. Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar) jumped straight onto the former world champion's wheel, with Matteo Trenton of UAE-Team Emirates also shadowing. The first big move to pay attention to.

Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies) has abandoned the race as a result of the earlier crash that led to the withdrawal of the Bahrain-Victorious rider who caused it.

Men's race - 105km to go: the peloton have chalked off two minutes of the breakaway's lead, and the action behind is hotting up. Tadej Pogačar is attentive to the attacks, the first of which was from Mads Pedersen, but Wout van Aert is not near the very front.

Women's race - 140km to go: We're still waiting for the first breakaway to form.

Attacks, attacks, attacks

Men's race - 99km to go: A strong-looking group of nine has clipped off the front after the ascent of the Molenberg. It includes Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and former winner Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep). They are two minutes off the breakaway and have a small advantage over the peloton.

Most notably, UAE-Team Emirates are represented by Matteo Trentin and Jumbo-Visma by Nathan van Hooydonck. That means it's Alpecin-Decuninck who will have to chase.

Is the winner in this chase group?

Men's race  - 89km to go : This 11-strong group led by Mads Pedersen now has a minute's lead over the peloton, and is closing in on the breakaway up ahead. This has the feel of the winning move.

Included alongside Pedersen is: Matteo Jorgensen (Movistar), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep), Jhonatan Narváez (Ineos Grenadiers), Florian Vermeersch (Lotto-Dstny), Benoît Cosnefroy (AG2R-Citröen), Matteo Trentin (UAE-Team Emirates) and Nathan Van Hooydonck (Jumbo-Visma).

Women's race - 130km to go : Despite a few attacks, no-one has been able to build a significant lead and the peloton remain grouped together.

Men's race - 75km to go : the breakaway and the chasers have joined forces to create a mega-group of 19 riders, with Soudal-QuickStep represented by both Kasper Asgreen and Tim Merlier. The peloton are 1-50 behind, with Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock all sitting at the front.

Women's race - 115km to go: no change, with the peloton still all together. 

Men's race - 71km to go: Another crash brings down Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious), while the peloton is now led by Jumbo-Visma. With the Dutch team having Nathan van Hooydonck up front, they have slowed down the speed. Does that mean Wout van Aert's chances are evaporating? 

The attack that forced what looks like the race-winning move

Bahrain-Victorious rider apologises for causing pile-up

I’m really sorry for my mistake and causing the crash today. I hope all those involved are in good health and safe.This should not happen and was a big error in my judgement. April 2, 2023

Men's race - 59km to go: It looks increasingly unlikely that one of the Big Three will triumph today, and instead the winner will come from the 19-strong group at the head of proceedings. But one of them must attack soon because if not Tim Merlier of Soudal-QuickStep will fancy his chances of winning the bunch sprint.

Women's race - 99km to go: Just like the men's race before it, the women are reluctant to let a break form. 

Men's race - 55km to go : Now they've gone! Tadej Pogačar's teammates have set the Slovenian up for a monstrous attack and no-one can follow him! But he still has two minutes to make up to the leading group.

Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert were unable to follow the two-time Tour de France champion's attack, but they, Tom Pidcock, Nils Politt and Christophe Laporte are just 15 seconds behind, working together to try and bridge across to the Slovenian.

Men's race - 51km to go : Kasper Asgreen, winner of this race in 2021, attacked solo from the front of the leading group but was quickly caught. Tadej Pogačar has cut the gap by 30 seconds in just a few kilometres, but the Van Aert-Pidcock-Van der Poel group are just behind.

Men's race - 49km to go: Christophe Laporte has jumped clear from the group of five and has joined forces with Tadej Pogačar who appeared to be slowing down, whether through fatigue or on purpose. It means that Jumbo-Visma now have one rider in the leading group, Laporte with Pogačar and then Wout van Aert just a few seconds adrift. 

Women's race - 89km to go: There was a split in the peloton but they are back together. Still a break has not formed. It has been a fast first two hours.

Men's race - 44km to go: The Koppenberg always delivers, and Pogačar, Van Aert and Van der Poel all fly up the steep, cobbled climb as one, putting serious distance into Pidcock and Laporte behind. The trio are just over one minute behind the front group that now numbers 12.

Men's race - 37km to go : The trio of Pogačar, Van der Poel and van Aert are now just 40 seconds behind the lead group of 12, and with the Taaienberg, Kwaremont and Paterberg on the horizon, attacks are going to come from the leading dozen.

Women's race - 80km to go : Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance - Soudal Quick-Step) has enjoyed a solo lead for the past 15km, but it looks likely that her slender lead of 15 seconds will soon be wiped away with the bergs starting to bite.

Men's race - 35km to go : Van der Poel briefly lost ground on the Taaienberg, but the cobbled berg did not produce any further attacks from the trio. 

Big attacks with van Aert struggling

Men's race - 28km to go: Mads Pedersen doesn't want to wait and he has gone. He has a small gap of around six or seven seconds and is climbing well on the Kruisberg.  His former breakaway companions don't seem too bothered about the former world champion's attack.

Van der Poel, meanwhile, attacks on the same stretch of cobbles and while Pogačar is able to follow, Van Aert is not. Van der Poel and Pogačar have 30 seconds to make up to Pedersen with eight riders sandwiched between.

Women's race - 72km to go: Against expectation, Ally Wollaston's lead has increased from 15 seconds to 50 seconds.  

Men's race - 20km to go : Van Hooydonck has dropped from the second group on the road to help pace van Aert back to the front of the race.  Van der Poel and Pogačar - who have now caught the remnants of the original lead group - are looking good but Pedersen's lead is remaining stable. He has around 35 seconds to the group behind.

Pogačar attacks and leads after Kwaremont

Men's race - 17km to go : The Kwaremont comes for the final time and Pogačar attacks with fury, finishing off a grand job by his teammate Matteo Trentin who was setting the pace in the chase group. Crucially, van der Poel cannot follow, and within a minute Pogačar catches and passes Pedersen. Wout van Aert, meanwhile, is out of the equation. Pedersen and van der Poel are 11 seconds behind. Just the Paterberg to come.

Men's race - 13km to go: Van Aert has impressively regained touch with the chasing group, but he is some 40 seconds behind Pogačar. Van der Poel is chasing hard after the UAE-Team Emirates rider, but it was going to require a huge collapse from Pogačar on the Paterberg to give van der Poel a chance of the win in Oudenaarde. That did not happen, and with 13km to go it looks increasingly certain that Pogačar will add the cobbled Monument to his collection.

Men's race - 4km to go: Pogačar is going to win. Van der Poel has accepted that second will be his, and the small group behind him will fight it out in the bunch sprint for third.

Women's race - 50km to go : Elinor Barker and Elise Chabbey have joined Wollaston up front. They have a lead of 45 seconds.

Tadej Pogačar wins Tour of Flanders

Men's race - 0km to go : Pogačar triumphs with Van der Poel behind him, and Pedersen gets his reward for a superb ride by winning the sprint for third. 

Read our race report here

Women's race -  38km to go: The front of the race is packed out by three riders from SD Worx - defending champion Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes and Marlen Reusser. They are joined by Silvia Persico (UAE-Team ADQ). 

The chase group of 10 is 20 seconds behind, while Annemiek van Vleuten is chasing hard a minute behind after a crash with 50km to go.

One final line to bring you from the men's race: at 44.09kph, it was the fastest ever Ronde . So much for those headwinds, huh!

Women's race - 35km to go : Lorena Wiebes is dropped from the leading group, meaning that Silivia Persico is not so outnumbered now, just having two SD Worx riders (Lotte Kopecky and Marlen Reusser) alongside her.

The chase group, which now numbers 10, is around 20 seconds behind. 

Women's race - 30km to go: We still have the Kwaremont and Paterberg to come one final time, and the leading trio's lead has been cut to 10 seconds. SD Worx has two more riders present in the chase group: Lorena Wiebes and Demi Vollering. Former winner Elisa Longo Borginhi is one of three Trek-Segafredo riders.

Women's race - 28km to go: Kopecky flies up the Kruisberg and only Persico is able to keep pace. Reusser is dropped, and all of a sudden the chase group behind is in pieces.

Women's race - 20km to go: Kopecky and Persico continue with a lead of 25 seconds, and behind the chase group has regrouped. Trek-Segafredo are driving the pace hard, but it will come down to the Kwaremont and the Paterberg.

Women's race - 18km to go: Kopecky goes! She attacked at the bottom of the Kwaremont and Persico could do nothing. Kopecky is powering up the climb with apparent ease. Who would bet against a second consecutive title now?

Women's race - 13km to go : Kopecky cruises up and over the Paterberg and now has a lead in excess of 40 seconds. But Persico is battling hard: she will not catch Kopecky, but she is desperate to hold onto second place. Unfortunately for the Italian, she is caught by the chase group on the Paterberg.

Fighting it out for second and third will be the SD Worx duo of Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser, as well as Persico, Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo) and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-Sram)

Women's race - 8km to go : Kopecky's lead has been reduced a little, but with two SD Worx teammates behind in the chase group it seems inconceivable that the Belgian will not win.

Interestingly, Elisa Longo Borghini has caught the second group on the road, meaning we look set for a six-way bunch sprint to determine second and third. 

Lotte Kopecky defends title to win Tour of Flanders yet again

Women's race - 0km to go : Kopecky wins her second De Ronde in as many editions, while the fight for second and third goes to Demi Vollering (SD Worx) and Silvia Persico (UAE-Team ADQ), respectively.

It has been a truly extraordinary spring for SD Worx.

Read our full report here .

Well, that's it for the live blog today. I do hope you've enjoyed watching and reading  the unfolding drama. We'll do it all again next weekend for Paris-Roubaix. Bring it on!

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Five things to look out for ahead of the Tour of Flanders

A fter his display of supreme dominance at the E3 Classic on Friday , much of the talk going into Gent-Wevelgem was around whether or not Mathieu van der Poel was beatable. Last year, the question was how do you disrupt the winning machine that was Visma-Lease a Bike. This year, it's the Classics winning double act of Jasper Philipsen and the reigning world champion. 

Mads Pedersen and his teammates answered that question in some style last weekend. It had been evident that Lidl-Trek had a battle plan in place for the Classics. Signs of it coming to life were clear at Milan-San Remo, it was fine tuned at E3, and it came together perfectly on Sunday . 

One rider's, or team’s, dominance in any field of racing can make for a somewhat dull affair for those watching on. Fortunately, Lidl-Trek seem to have grabbed their newfound status with both hands and look capable of upsetting the proverbial apple cart in both the men’s and women’s pelotons in the weeks and races to come. 

Elisa Balsamo has already underlined her status as chief SD Worx disruptor and it looks like Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven are set to follow suit in the men’s field in the coming weeks too. 

As well as this, we have picked out some other plotlines to follow in the coming fortnight once the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix arrive. 

Visma-Lease a Bike weakened by Laporte absence

The reigning European champion, Christophe Laporte, proved himself to be instrumental in much of his team’s Classic success last year. Since joining from Cofidis, Laporte has become a vital cog in the Visma-Lease a Bike machine and a key ally to the likes of Wout van Aert as they go in search of Flanders and Roubaix victory. 

The team announced on Monday that Laporte has been ruled out of Dwars door Vlaanderen, a race he won last year, and the Tour of Flanders this week in what will come as a hammer blow to Van Aert’s big plans. 

According to Visma-Lease a Bike, Laporte is suffering with a stomach bug as well as a problematic saddle sore. 

Since winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Opening Weekend , the team has struggled to reassert its dominance in the races that followed. A spate of illness and injury affecting key riders has been the main issue and Laporte’s condition will only add to their woes. 

The Frenchman will have been one rider earmarked to be last man standing alongside Van Aert in terms of teammates when the sharp end of both upcoming Monuments arrives. 

Laporte’s absence will only add to the expectation already on the shoulders of recently crowned Paris-Nice champion, Matteo Jorgenson . He’s the man that we predict will be highlighted as Van Aert's potential right hand man instead. 

Lidl-Trek continue to flex their tactical muscles

Numbers is the key, according to Lidl-Trek, combined with experience if you want to isolate and ultimately beat Van der Poel in his own backyard this Spring. 

The American team had both in abundance last weekend and the core of the squad will almost certainly stay the same for both Flanders and Roubaix. 

In Stuyven and Pedersen, Trek have two riders as in sync as Alpecin-Deceuninck's Van der Poel and Philipsen and who are both just as willing as the Alpecin duo to bury themselves for one another, a quality not all teams are lucky to possess. 

Expect to see their tactical plan continue to gather momentum as the Classics roll on. It was evident that it was starting to build at San Remo, and has all the qualities to reach the perfect crescendo in the Roubaix velodrome soon. 

FDJ-Suez and Movistar look to upset the favourites

After watching Lidl-Trek of late in the women’s peloton, Sunday showed that other teams are starting to take note of where the likes of SD Worx-Protime may be fallible. 

The general consensus seems to be to go long in order to put them under pressure, or ignite the final kilometres as SD Worx look to assemble their sprint train for Lorena Wiebes. Both Movistar and FDJ-Suez threw caution to the wind and did just that in the closing stages of Sunday’s women’s edition of Gent-Wevelgem. 

Wiebes got the win, but ultimately she was made to work for it. Firstly Emma Norsgaard and Floortje Mackaij got up the road in a bid to shake things up and force some of the favourites teams to chase. Once they were brought back in, FDJ did similar and launched Grace Brown on the attack with just under three kilometres to the line.  

Brown is a strong time triallist, capable of going early and making a move stick. Her attack will have set alarm bells ringing amongst the SD Worx leadout train. Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, but even if it's not Brown, others will have been buoyed by Movistar and FDJ’s tactics last weekend and may try similar to stop Kopecky in both Flanders and Roubaix. 

Laurence Pithie continues to grow in confidence

Even before he pulled on the race leader’s yellow jersey at Paris-Nice , Kiwi Laurence Pithie was already being talked up as a potential Classics future star. 

At the race to the sun, the Groupama-FDJ rider backed up his abilities on the bike with his eloquence off it and similarly to the likes of Remco Evenepoel at an early age, he already seemed perfectly comfortable in the spotlight of elite level bike racing. 

Pithie backed that up last weekend at Gent-Wevelgem, getting amongst it and chucking his weight around against the likes of Van der Poel and Pedersen as they looked to contest the win. He looked right at home too and not at all fazed by the calibre of rider he was up against. 

The New Zealander faded as the race reached its conclusion but will be high on confidence after such a performance. Groupama FDJ appear to have found their ideal Classics man to sit alongside Stefan Küng as their best hope of victory in these settings on the cobbles. 

Alongside up and coming British pro Sam Watson, the French team could have quite some firepower in the races to come. 

Puck Pieterse takes aim at Monument victory

Off-road star Puck Pieterse is still relatively new to road racing, but is already showing herself to be quite the match for some of the disciplines biggest names. 

The Dutch rider finished seventh at Gent-Wevelgem, her longest road race to date, and has already started to talk herself up as a potential Flanders winner. Pieterse has already podiumed this season against Lotte Kopecky, Elisa Balsamo and Wiebes and shown that she is well at home on the WorldTour. 

Flanders is set to be her last appearance of the Classics season before she switches her focus to the Paris Olympics and she told Cyclingnews that she has her eye on the top step of the podium for her final outing this year. 

“With how it’s going now, of course, you have to dream of the highest and I think we have a really good team,” she said. 

“We worked really well together here at Gent-Wevelgem, so I think even winning is possible.”

Results and Highlights from the Tour of Flanders

Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky captured the wins at another thrilling edition of the Tour of Flanders.

The Tour of Flanders is always one of the most thrilling of the Monuments and this year’s edition was no different. Both the men’s and women’s races brought some great excitement to the Belgian cobbles.

Men’s Race Recap

At 273.4 kilometers with six cobble segments and 19 climbs, the men’s Tour of Flanders—the second Monument race of the season—runs from Brugge to Oudenaarde in Belgium. This year was the fastest iteration of the race ever run, with strong tailwinds (and headwinds) breaking up the peloton from the start. The race was marred by many crashes, and the racing was some of the most exciting we’ve seen all season.

As usual, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the mix, those were the riders to watch, but there were quite a few other contenders on the start line. Teams like Ineos-Grenadiers and Movistar made some early attacks, trying to test the peloton, but the early kilometers of the race were marked by small attacks that the peloton swallowed up. The wind also played a part, splitting the peloton and forcing top riders like Van der Poel to work at the front.

At 70 kilometers into the race, a crash took out several riders and split the newly-reformed peloton—but that wouldn’t be the only crash of the day. At 140 kilometers to go, a huge crash in the peloton took out many riders including Peter Sagan—racing his last Tour of Flanders before his upcoming retirement—and Tim Wellens. The crash was caused by a Bahrain rider who went onto the grass, then swung back onto the road into the peloton. Wellens was unfortunately forced to pull out of the race, as was Sagan. The Bahrain Victorious rider Filip Maciejuk was disqualified for causing the crash. (Sadly, another Bahrain rider caused other crash a while later, though with less catastrophic results—all bad news for another race favorite, Bahrain’s Matej Mohorič.)

You can watch the domino effect of the crash here:

Meanwhile, the crashes allowed a group of eight to continue to grow their advantage in a breakaway. Jasper De Buyst, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Daan Hoole, Elmar Reinders, Filippo Colombo, Jonas Rutsch, Tim Merlier and Hugo Houle. The group didn’t contain riders from Van der Poel, Van Aert or Pogacar’s teams—which means there was a lot of firepower in the peloton working to close that gap, though with eight big teams including Loton Dsny, Trek Segafredo and EF up in the lead, there were also plenty of teams who had no reason to work. The leaders grew their advantage to four minutes, but by 100 kilometers to go, the gap was closing, down to two minutes.

A smaller attack group with Mads Peterson and dark horse race favorite Stephan Küng along with seven others went after the leaders, splitting from the peloton and closing the gap to under a minute with 90 kilometers to go—a minute ahead of the peloton. By 77 kilometers to go, the chase group made contact with the breakaway, creating a 19-rider strong lead group, nearly two minutes ahead of the peloton containing many of the race favorites.

Another huge crash in the peloton at 70 kilometers to go took out Mohorič as well as Binian Girmay and Aime De Gendt.

With 55 kilometers to go, attacks began to bring the big three—Van der Poel, Van Aert or Pogačar—back to the front of the race. UAE launched the attack, with Pogačar riding up the steep cobbled climb, riding Tom Pidcock off his wheel as Van Aert gritted his way up the hill, chasing hard. Pidcock and teammate Magnus Sheffield led Van Aert up the climb as Pogacar appeared to pretty much sprint away from the peloton, looking entirely unbothered by his monumental effort. As the climbs came fast and furious, he seemed comfortable attacking the narrow climbs alone.

Behind them, Van Aert and Pidcock were joined by Van der Poel, essentially creating a cyclocross superstar chase group. It wasn’t a surprise when they caught Pogačar and LaPorte, who had eased up slightly.

The lead groups hit the famed Koppenburg climb—but the real camera view was Pogačar, Van Aert and Van der Poel smashing the pedals together surging up the classic climb. Ahead of them, the lead group of 11 worked hard to maintain their lead on the three superpowers of cycling, with Neilson Powless, one of the few Americans in the race, in the mix in the lead group. The lead group continued to dwindle as the ‘big three’ powered up the climbs, picking up riders who’d been dropped from the lead group as they went. At 28 kilometers to go, Van der Poel attacked hard and Pogačar just barely made it on his wheel as Van Aert struggled to hang on and began to fall behind as more climbs loomed ahead.

Pogačar surged again, catching and riding through Pederson, who was caught by a chasing Van der Poel. With 17 kilometers to go, Pogačar was finally in the lead, opening a 13 second gap, though Van der Poel refused to give up while Pederson tried to hang on. A chase group with many of the original attackers along with Van Aert followed 40 seconds back.

While Pogačar was utterly uncatchable, Van der Poel never gave up the chase, stretching to 30 second behind Pogačar. Behind him, the large chase group with Van Aert, Pederson, Kasper Asgreen, Neilson Poless, Kung, Matteo Jorgensen and Fred Wright were a minute back, all in contention for the final spot on the podium.

It was no surprise when Pogačar sailed in for the win—in the fastest race time ever recorded—with Van der Poel smoothly coming in for second place. The real sprint came under a minute later, led out by Pederson, with Van Aert right on his wheel. The two finished in a photo finish, with Pederson just inching out Van Aert for third place.

“I could retire after today and be proud of my career, ” Pogačar said after the race. But thankfully, the young rider has no intention of retiring anytime soon.

Tour of Flanders Results - Men’s Top 10

• Tadej Pogačar (Team UAE Emirates)
• Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
• Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafedo)
• Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
• Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost
• Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ)
• Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-Quick-Step)
• Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious)
• Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar)
• Matteo Trentin (Team UAE Emirates)

Women’s Race Recap

The women’s iteration of the Tour of Flanders is slightly shorter, with only five cobbled sections and 13 climbs over 156 kilometers. Favorites included last year’s winner Lotte Kopecky along with two of her other SD Worx teammates, Demi Vollering and Marlyn Reusser. But it was Trek Segafredo that kept the race interesting, as did the Movistar squad led by Annemiek van Vleuten.

Unlike the men’s version of the Tour, the climbs start early on the women’s route, but the peloton managed to stay together early on. For the first 60 kilometers, the peloton largely stayed together, and was relatively calm. But similar to the men’s race, a big crash as riders came into Oudenaarde took out quite a few riders in the main peloton.

At around the halfway mark, Ally Wollaston of AG Insurance made the first effective attack of the day, creating a gap of 30 seconds. After another crash for the peloton, though, the SD Worx team started making moves towards the front of the race in order to protect their riders and start to lead the race. UAE Team ADQ and Trek Segafredo also started moving riders towards the front, anticipating SD Worx going on the attack.

With two-thirds of the race completed, Elise Chabbey went on the attack, and Van Vleuten unfortunately had a crash from the back of the peloton. She got back up, but had to fix her chain and chase back on. Meanwhile, SD Worx, Trek Segafredo and UAE all sent riders up the road to chase the leaders.

Hitting the steep cobbled Koppenburg climb, the leaders were absorbed by the chasers, and the groups all shattered on the climb. Only two riders were able to get over the climb without dismounting—race favorite Marlyn Reusser along with UAE’s Silvia Persico—while Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky had to remount and run. Leanne Lipert dropped a chain and had to stop to fix it, forcing her to mount an inspired chase.

But by the top of the climb, only four riders remained at the front, all race favorites: SD Worx’ Wiebes, Reusser and Kopecky with Persico hanging on. Trek Segafredo, UAE, Canyon SRAM, Jumbo Visma, and SD Worx all had riders in the chase group, just 22 seconds down. The peloton behind them was shattered on the climb, and small groups were strung out across the course.

Wiebes was the first rider to drop from the lead group as they hit one of the several climbs left in the race. Reusser also dropped off the back, and Persico hung onto Kopecky’s wheel, avoiding her time at the front. Behind them, Kopecky’s teammates Vollering and Reuser with Shirin van Anrooij of Trek Segafredo and Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon SRAM chased at 20 seconds down with 27 kilometers to go. They were joined by Juliette Labous and Elisa Longo-Borghini.

On the muddy, slippery climb at 18 kilometers to go, Kopecky attacked and dropped Persico, while the now seven-woman chase group fought their way up the slippery cobbles. From there, she was unstoppable, growing her gap quickly as she worked her way up the final climbs of the day. The chase group surged behind Persico, struggling to catch her on the climb, reabsorbing her on the tight cobbled ascent.

As the kilometers clicked down, the chasers became more chaotic. In the chase group, the SD Worx riders clearly irritated the small chase group by refusing to do any work in order to protect the lead Kopecky had, while riders like Labous tried to close the gap.

Kopecky powered to the finish line as the six-woman chase group 45 seconds back started to set up for the sprint for the final two podium positions.

It has to be said: There’s something kind of awesome about hearing a remixed version of All I Do Is Win from a bystander as Kopecky sailed by just meters from the finish. And she had plenty of time to celebrate her win.

Behind her, the chase group began the long sprint to the finish line, led out by Vollering. Longo-Borghini came up the side, but it was Vollering who snapped up second place with Longo-Borghini in third.

It’s worth noting: The women’s Tour of Flanders race overlapped with the men’s race if you were trying to watch live, so if you did miss it while you were watching the men’s, definitely go back and watch the replay!

Tour of Flanders Results - Women’s Top 10

• Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx)
• Demi Vollering (SD Worx)
• Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo)
• Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ)
• Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM)
• Juliette Labous (Team DSM)
• Marlen Reusser (SD Worx)
• Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo)
• Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma)
• Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Movistar)

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Mathieu van der Poel will be the one to watch this Sunday in the 2024 Tour of Flanders. The race is sure to produce all sorts of story lines and unpredictability as one of the hardest classics on the cycling calendar.

2024 Men's Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen)

The Tour of Flanders or Ronde van Vlaanderen, as they say here in Belgium, covers some of the most difficult cobbled stretches and climbs throughout the Flemish countryside. It is legendary, one of cycling's five monuments, and as always, should produce edge of the seat action.

We are going to preview the course, the favorites, and why Wout van Aert is not racing, and yes, forecast the weather for Sunday.

Why Wout Van Aert Is Not Racing The 2024 Tour of Flanders

Wout van Aert of Team Visma-Lease a Bike fell in a massive incident with 67 kilometers remaining in the 2024 Dwars door Vlaanderen. He sat on the side of the road, and already you could tell that his chances of racing four days later in Flanders looked slim. The team confirmed later that he had broken his collarbone, and four ribs.

Due to his crash in Dwars, Van Aert will not only miss the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix – races he planned his season around – and the Amstel Gold Race, but is likely to miss the Giro d'Italia in May. We will probably see him race the Tour de France in July which was not originally on his schedule. The incident was a serious blow and setback for the Belgian.

The 2024 Tour of Flanders Course

The 108th Tour of Flanders course winds 270 kilometers (about 168 miles) through the Flemish countryside. Starting from the North in Antwerp, heading south to Oudenaarde, racing on cement motorways and cutting through farms that were once ravaged in World War I on small lanes.

The cobbled sectors like Paddestraat and Stationsberg will rip apart the group of nearly 200 cyclists and the climbs – like the Molenberg, Koppenberg, Kwaremont, Paterberg – will produce the 2024 victor. It's the final two circuits that cover the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, with just around 12 kilometers to race, that are so crucial – just ask 2023 winner Tadej Pogacar.

The Tour of Flanders Favorites

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) will not be back to defend his title in the 2024 Tour of Flanders. The Slovenian has other goals, like winning the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, so had to cut some things from his schedule. We just saw him beating up on the competition in the Volta a Catalunya, and he'll next race in Liège-Bastogne-Liège before the Giro d'Italia.

Wout van Aert re-tooled his entire winter and spring to be ready for the two big cobbled classics: Flanders and Roubaix. He's devastated, with broken bones and for sure spirit after everything he sacrificed to be ready.

Mathieu Van Der Poel Leads The Flanders Favorites

Dutch star Mathieu van der Poel is a two-time Flanders winner in 2020 and 2022 and the current world champion wearing the rainbow stripes. He was already the favorite and now stands heads and shoulders above the rest after Van Aert's Dwars crash. He debuted in Milano-Sanremo by helping Jasper Philipsen win, won E3 Saxo Classic over Van Aert, and placed second to Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) in Ghent-Wevelgem.

After seeing the crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen, Van der Poel will surely be happy he skipped the race ahead of Flanders. He will go in as captain, but can play heavily on Philipsen as the team's B-Plan.

Matteo Jorgenson Heads Mighty Visma Squad

Visma-Lease a Bike wanted to do the same with Van Aert and Matteo Jorgenson sitting shotgun. Jorgenson, however, has entered a new dimension after his win in Paris-Nice and of course, Dwars door Vlaanderen. Not only is he a back-up plan, but he's a leader. The American from Idaho will lead the super team into one of the biggest races on the calendar with support from Tiesj Benoot and Dylan Van Baarle.

Mads Pedersen and Lidl-Trek were definitely shaken with the Dwars door Vlaanderen crash. Pedersen could continue after falling, but his right-hand man Jasper Stuyven is out with a broken collarbone. Lidl-Trek will be tested as it tries to rebound, still with a strong team that includes Jonathan Milan, Toms Skujins, Ed Theuns, and Tim Declercq.

Other favorites for Sunday's race include Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious) along with teammate Fred Wright. Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) if he is not feeling too much pain from the Dwars crash. UAE Team Emirates with Tim Wellens and Marc Hirschi. Stefan Küng and Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ). And Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost).

Maybe I'm leaving someone out, a surprise winner like Bettiol a few years ago. If you have other names we should watch on the day, let us know.

How To Watch The 2024 Tour of Flanders

FloBikes will show the Tour of Flanders live for all of our viewers in Canada, the United States, and Australia. Highlights, interviews, and on the ground coverage for everyone.

Weather Forecast For The Tour of Flanders

After a few sunny days, more nasty Belgian weather is predicted for the Tour of Flanders this Sunday. Rain clouds are rolling in, all day Saturday and carrying over through Sunday. Expect a wet start to the race as the riders depart from Antwerp. Cold, around 7°C or 44°F, and not improving much during the day with more rain and 14°C or 58°F in the afternoon in Oudenaarde.

It will make the going tough on some of the sectors and climbs, with already bad traction becoming worse. Maybe we'll see less echelons, though, with winds not as high as what we saw in Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, but still windy from the east, 18kph or 11mph.

We will miss Wout van Aert, but with an American hope, the world champion at his peak, and many others, you won't want to miss the 2024 Tour of Flanders.

• Mathieu van der Poel

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Gent-Wevelgem 2024 Preview

• Mar 24 2024
• Length: 18 mins

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Spencer and Johan review the startlist, course, and weather in detail to predict who will win the critical pre-Tour of Flanders dress rehearsal, Gent-Wevelgem. They reveal their favorites, wildcards, and ultra-value long shots, so make sure to listen in to see how the duo sees the race playing out.

To get access to OŪTCOMES before the race, go to https://access.wedu.team to become a WEDŪ member!

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Tour of Flanders 2024: Riders

World Tour Teams

Alpecin – Deceuninck Mathieu van der Poel, Søren Kragh Andersen, Oscar Riesebeek, Gianni Vermeersch, Silvan Dillier, Xandro Meurisse, Axel Laurance

Arkéa – B&B Hotels David Dekker, Florian Sénéchal, Donavan Grondin, Vincenzo Albanese, Daniel McLay, Luca Mozzato, Miles Scotson

Astana Qazaqstan Team Cees Bol, Michael Mørkøv, Rüdiger Selig, Yevgeniy Fedorov, Yevgeniy Gidich, Dmitriy Gruzdev, Gleb Syritsa

Bahrain Victorious Matej Mohoric, Fred Wright, Matevz Govekar, Kamil Gradek, Fran Miholjevic, Andrea Pasqualon, Dusan Rajovic

BORA – hansgrohe Marco Haller, Jordi Meeus, Luis-Joe Lührs, Emil Herzog, Nico Denz, Ryan Mullen, Filip Maciejuk

Cofidis Alexi Gougeard, Ludovic Robeet, Alexis Renard, Piet Allegaert, Nicolas Debeaumarché, Aimé De Gendt, Stanisław Aniołkowski

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Oliver Naesen, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Sander De Pestel, Dries De Bondt, Pierre Gautherat, Damien Touzé, Bastien Tronchon

EF Education – EasyPost Alberto Bettiol, Michael Valgren, Stefan Bissegger, Marijn van den Berg, Owain Doull, Jonas Rutsch, Harry Sweeny

Groupama – FDJ Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, Laurence Pithie, Sven Erik Bystrøm, Lewis Askey, Olivier Le Gac, Fabian Lienhard

INEOS Grenadiers Laurens De Plus, Ben Swift, Elia Viviani, Joshua Tarling, Magnus Sheffield, Connor Swift, Ben Turner

Intermarché – Wanty Biniam Girmay, Mike Teunissen, Laurenz Rex, Hugo Page, Dries De Pooter, Adrien Petit, Georg Zimmermann

Lidl – Trek Mads Pedersen, Jonathan Milan, Edward Theuns, Daan Hoole, Tim Declercq, Toms Skujins, Otto Vergaerde

Movistar Iván García, Rémi Cavagna, Oier Lazkano, Carlos Canal, Johan Jacobs, Lorenzo Milesi, Albert Torres

Soudal – QuickStep Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen, Yves Lampaert, Gianni Moscon, Tim Merlier, Casper Pedersen, Bert Vanlerberghe

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL John Degenkolb, Nils Eekhoff, Pavel Bittner, Niklas Märkl, Patrick Eddy, Frank van den Broek, Tim Naberman

Team Jayco AlUla Michael Matthews, Luke Durbridge, Elmar Reinders, Amund Grøndahl Jansen, Luka Mezgec, Kelland O’Brien, Max Walscheid

UAE Emirates Tim Wellens, Marc Hirschi, Nils Politt, António Morgado, Alessandro Covi, Mikkel Bjerg, Vegard Stake Laengen

Visma | Lease a Bike Dylan van Baarle, Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Jorgenson, Per Strand Hagenes, Edoardo Affini, Tim van Dijke, Mick van Dijke

ProTeams Bingoal Loïc Vliegen, Luca De Meester, Floris De Tier, Luca Van Boven, Aaron Van der Beken, Jelle Vermoote, Aaron Van der Beken

Flanders Baloise Lars Craps, Jules Hesters, Yentl Vandevelde, Victor Vercouillie, Dylan Vandenstorme, Ward VanHoof, Siebe Deweirdt

Israel – Premier Tech Dylan Teuns, Riley Sheehan, Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands, Tom Van Asbroeck, Corbin Strong

Lotto Dstny Victor Campenaerts, Brent Van Moer, Cedric Beullens, Sébastien Grignard, Jenno Berckmoes, Lionel Taminiaux, Liam Stock

Q36.5 Fabio Christen, Tom Devriendt, Tobias Ludvigsson, Jannik Steimle, Kamil Malecki, Cyrus Monk, Szymon Sajnok

Tudor Matteo Trentin, Marius Mayrhofer, Petr Kelemen, Jacob Eriksson, Alexander Krieger, Rick Pluimers, Sebastian Kolze Changizi

Uno-X Alexander Kristoff, Rasmus Tiller, Søren Wærenskjold, Jonas Abrahamsen, Markus Hoelgaard, William Blume Levy, Erik Nordsæter Resell

i am really looking forward to the ronde I would really like john Degenkolb to win, I don’t suppose he will, but he is a truly great rider, and missed out on a Roubaix win last year when knocked off his bike by Van der Poel.

Pogačar beats Van der Poel in a dominant win at Liège–Bastogne–Liège classic

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar of the UAE Emirates team crosses the finish line to win the Belgian cycling classic and UCI World Tour race Liege Bastogne Liege, in Liege, Belgium, Sunday, April 21, 2024. Credit: AP/Geert Vanden Wijngaert

LIEGE, Belgium — Tadej Pogačar proved too strong for Mathieu Van der Poel as he won the Liège–Bastogne–Liège cycling classic with a solo breakaway on Sunday.

Pogačar attacked 35 kilometers (22 miles) out to win cycling’s oldest classic for the second time, after victory in 2021, and made up for last year when he broke his left wrist in a crash.

“I'm happy that I can finally win this race again,” the 25-year-old Slovenian said. “It's beautiful to finish like this."

The two-time Tour de France champion waved to the crowd as he approached the finish line well clear. French veteran Romain Bardet finished second and Van der Poel led a mass sprint to the line to finish third.

Liège–Bastogne–Liège is one of the five “monuments” in one-day cycling with the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Lombardy and Milan-San Remo. Van der Poel won Roubaix two weeks ago but has not won Liège and Lombardy.

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Pogačar beat Van der Poel last year to win the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) and they have won six monuments each.

The 254.5-kilometer (157.8-mile) trek, starting and finishing in the eastern Belgian city of Liège in chilly conditions, featured 11 small hills and played to Pogačar's elite climbing skills. He pulled ahead in a small group with Van der Poel one minute behind.

Van der Poel's group caught Pogačar with 70 kilometers remaining to form a main peloton. But with Pogačar's UAE Team Emirates setting a fast tempo at the front, Pogačar attacked again and no rival could catch him.

He clocked 6 hours, 13 minutes, 48 seconds with Bardet 1:39 behind and Van der Poel 2:02 back.

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Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024: Tadej Pogacar powers to second victory in Belgian monument classic road cycling race

Tadej Pogacar claimed his second win in the Liege-Bastogne-Liege road cycling spring classic on Sunday (21 April), winning the 2024 men's race.

The Slovenian star launched a solo attack 35km from the finish of the one-day monument race and, despite rain making conditions somewhat treacherous on the closing descents, managed to extend his lead to close to two minutes.

In the end, he was able to coast through the closing stages with his winning margin of a minute and 39 seconds the biggest since Bernard Hinault won in a snowstorm by over nine minutes in 1980.

French veteran Romain Bardet broke from the chase group to take second with Mathieu van der Poel winning the bunch sprint for third.

Pogacar now has six career wins in cycling's monument races, putting him level with van der Poel for the most among active active riders.

• Amstel Gold Race 2024: Tom Pidcock claims victory after Marianne Vos takes women's race
• Il Lombardia 2023: Tadej Pogacar solos to third consecutive victory

Pogacar solos to sixth monument triumph

Bad luck befell Pogacar last year when he fractured his wrist in a crash, with home favourite Remco Evenepoel securing a second successive win .

This time, he would not be stopped with Evenepoel absent following his spill in the Tour of the Basque Country earlier this month.

With 100km to go in the 110th men's Liege-Bastogne-Liege, there was a crash in the peloton as it closed in on an early nine-man breakaway.

A number of riders, including van der Poel, fell behind the main group with the Dutchman needing the help of his Alpecin-Deceunick team-mates to regain contact.

Just after the breakaway was caught with 90km to go, last Sunday's Amstel Gold Race hero Tom Pidcock had to change his bike due to a mechanical issue.

Both men were able to return to the peloton but, with 35km to go, Pogacar launched his attack on the ascent of the Côte de le Redoute.

He quickly put daylight between himself and the pack, going on to regain the title he last won in 2021.

Bardet attacked 10km from home to take second place with van der Poel taking the last spot on the podium.

Results from Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2024 (top six):

• Tadej Pogacar (SLO, UAE Team Emirates) 6:13:48
• Romain Bardet (FRA, Team DSM) +1'39"
• Mathieu van der Poel (NED, Alpecin-Deceunick) +2'02"
• Maim van Gils (BEL, Lotto-Dstny) +2'02"
• Aurelien Paret-Peintre (FRA, DAT Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +2'02"
• Mauri Vansevenant (BEL, Soudal-QuickStep) +2'02"

Results from Amstel Gold Race 2024 women's race (top six):

• Marianne Vos (NED, Team Visma Lease A Bike) 2:35:02
• Lorena Wiebes (NED, Team SD Worx-Protime) +0"
• Ingvild Gåskjenn (NOR, Liv AlUla Jayco) +0"
• Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR, Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +0"
• Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA, Lidl-Trek) +0"
• Eleonora Gasparrini (ITA, UAE Team ADQ) +0"

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