average speed tour of flanders

2023 edition the fastest in Tour of Flanders history

The 2023 Tour of Flanders was incredibly fast. The race saw a very long battle for a breakaway to be formed, and the final 110 kilometers were attacked all-out by favourites. This has caused Tadej Pogacar to win what was the fastest ever edition of the Ronde.

The average speed for the first two hours was of almost 49 kilometer per hour, as shown by ProCyclingStats in a post during the race. As the riders headed into hilly terrain the average lowered, but at the finish line was of 44.083Km/h. The previous record had been of 43.576Km/h in 2021, but this performance further proves the evolution in the quality and aggressive type of racing seen in the peloton over the last years.

"Tadej was just too strong today" - Mathieu van der Poel best of the rest against unbeatable Pogacat at Tour of Flanders

"collarbone in 4 pieces" - tim wellens ends spring campaign following nasty tour of flanders crash, read more about:, place comments.

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Tour of Flanders Winners and Records (2023)

Widely known as the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch or De Ronde, the Tour of Flanders has a long and impressive history. Get to know stats and records of the most popular Belgian bike race.

As one of the five Monuments in professional cycling and the biggest race in Belgium , the Tour of Flanders has a long and impressive history. It’s widely known as the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch or De Ronde .

The Tour of Flanders started in 1913, making it one of the oldest one-day on the professional cycling calendar. It takes place annually in early April in the Flemish region of Belgium, except between 1915 to 1918 due to World War 1.

Several factors make the Tour of Flanders unique and special among cycling fans.

• First, it is one of the world’s oldest professional cycling races, having been running since 1913.
• Second, it takes place in a part of Belgium called Flanders , known for its rough and challenging terrain. This makes the race one of the most demanding one-day races on the professional cycling calendar.
• Third, it’s one of the five cycling monuments beside Milan-San Remo , Paris-Roubaix , Liège–Bastogne–Liège , and Giro di Lombardia .

Tour of Flanders route

The route of the Tour of Flanders race has changed over the years, but it has always stayed in the Flemish area. In 2023, the race starts in Bruges and finishes at Oudenaarde.

The 2023 route is about 273.9km (170.2 mi ) long and includes famous climbs like the Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont, Koppenberg, and the Muur van Geraardsbergen. The longest Tour of Flanders was in the first edition (1913) at 324km (201 mi) long. The shortest Tour of Flanders was in 1941 at 198km (123 mi) long.

The Tour of Flanders had various starting and finishing lines in the past.

Tour of Flanders winners

The winner of the 2023 Tour of Flanders was Tadej Pogacar. He joins Eddy Merck and Louison Bobet as the only riders who have won the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders.

In recent years, many high-profile cyclists, such as Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Greg Van Avermaet, Peter Sagan, and Mathieu van der Poel, have won the Tour of Flanders. Philippe Gilbert was the last Belgian rider to win the Tour of Flanders race 2017.

The record for most wins is three, shared among six riders.

• Achiel Buysse (1940, 1941, 1943)
• Fiorenzo Magni (1949, 1950, 1951)
• Eric Leman (1970, 1972, 1973)
• Johan Museeuw (1993, 1995, 1998)
• Tom Boonen (2005, 2006, 2012)
• Fabian Cancellara (2010, 2013, 2014)

The table below lists all the past Tour of Flanders winners and their winning times.

Biggest winning margin at Tour of Flanders

The biggest winning margin was by Henri Van Lerberghe, who won in 1919 by 14 minutes over Léon Buysse.

This is followed by Frans Bonduel (1930, 9′ 15″) and Léon Devos (1922, 7′ 40″)

The table below shows the ten biggest winning margins at the Tour of Flanders.

Fastest Tour of Flanders average speed

The fastest Tour of Flanders was in 2001, won by Gianluca Bortolami with an average speed of 43.58km/h (27.08mph).

Slowest Tour of Flanders average speed

The slowest Tour of Flanders was in 1921, won by René Vermandel with an average speed of 25.17km/h (15.64mph).

More reading :

• Paris-Roubaix Winners (1896 to present)
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège Winners (1892 to present)
• Milan-San Remo Winners (1907 to present)
• Giro di Lombardia Winners (1905 to present)

Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.

He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.

Mr. Mamil's content is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content is not a substitute for official or professional advice. Please do your own due diligence.

Mr. Mamil participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We also participate in various other affiliate programs, and at times we earn a commission through purchases made through links on this website.

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How hard is it to win Tour of Flanders? Mathieu van der Poel uploads mind-boggling power data to Strava

As the saying goes: if it's not on Strava, it didn't happen. Thankfully, Mathieu van der Poel's Tour of Flanders-winning ride did  happen (and has since been uploaded with full power data), giving us all the pleasure of enjoying his cobble-smashing brilliance...

The Dutchman added a second Ronde title to his palmares on Sunday afternoon, dispatching double Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar, compatriot Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas in the pulse-raising sprint for the line.

> Two out of three ain’t bad: Mathieu van der Poel takes second Tour of Flanders win in thrilling finale

Van der Poel and Pogačar proved themselves to be the strongest on the climbs, breaking free on the Koppenberg before slugging it out up the remaining cobbled bergs.

Ultimately, however, the Alpecin-Fenix rider was the fastest of the four contesting the sprint, punching the air as he crossed the finish line in Oudenaarde, with a second Monument (and a hatful of KOMs) secured...

Have you 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 seen a cycling finish like this?! 🤯 Mathieu van der Poel wins the Tour of Flanders after a dramatic game of cat and mouse leaves a furious Tadej Pogacar without a place on the podium 🐱🐭 #RVV22 | @mathieuvdpoel | @AlpecinFenix pic.twitter.com/Xrms69bIWv — Eurosport (@eurosport) April 3, 2022

The pedal-smashing prodigy isn't afraid to show his key numbers to the world either — uploading his race-winning ride to Strava with  the all-important power data for us to marvel at.  

Van der Poel's weighted average power was an incredible 338w for the duration of the six hours and 34 minutes of racing.

His peak one-minute power came almost 80km from the finish, on the Berg ten Houte, where he hit 727w for 60 seconds. On the same climb, Van der Poel managed 618w for two minutes.

The second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont was Van der Poel's fastest of the race by some distance (15 seconds to be precise) as the 27-year-old bridged the gap to a rampaging Pogačar.

In the process, setting his peak five-minute power of the race (502w) and the joint second fastest time on Strava up the iconic cobbled climb...

It was a similar story up the Koppenberg where, pushed to the limit by the speedy Slovenian, Van der Poel took the KOM for the Koppenberg, Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg triple-header, ticking off the climbs in 13:10, at an average speed and power of 38.2km/h and 436w...

With the gap established early, Van der Poel and his UAE Team Emirates companion took the rest of the final ascent of the Kwaremont a touch easier than the previous time.

I say a touch, Van der Poel still smashed out 475w for 5:20, followed by 649w on the Paterberg as Pogačar did everything in his power to dislodge the Dutchman from his wheel.

We're just going to leave this here to brighten up your Monday morning 🤩 #RVV22 #MVDP pic.twitter.com/4ADsi6qJAG — Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinFenix) April 4, 2022

Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old's peak 15-second power came in the devastating kick for the line, unleashing 1,137w for 15 seconds, and 1,383w for five, bringing back shades of his famous 1,000w Strade Bianche attack .

Other stats from the day include an average heart rate of 141bpm, plus a max of 189bpm.

Van der Poel's average speed was 42.5km/h, top speed 84.9km/h, tapped out at a metronomic average cadence of 88.

Calories burned can be harder to pin down, Strava goes with 6,778 (or enough for 42 post-race beers) and a total work of 6,753kj, earning the newly-crowned two-time champ a historic relative effort score of 344. Go put your feet up, Mathieu. Chapeau.

Here's the link to the full Strava activity...

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Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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Almost 21mph up a 3.5% incline for 2.79km on cobbles!  Are you kidding?  All whilst racing 279km at an average 42.5km/h, oh and climbing almost 2.4km vertical.  Mindbending doesn't even come close. 

Pity those who didn't win and whose output will have been similar numbers.  Pogacar's numbers must have been even more amazing for 99.9% of that race. 

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Cycling Monuments Statistics: All Monuments Compared in Charts!

I gathered data from all five cycling Monuments and created unique statistics and charts to see how these classics developed over time.

In this article, you will see the comparisons of distances, winning times, and average speeds, as well as winners’ heights, weights, BMIs, and more.

If you are interested in a specific Monument only, you can also check out my separate articles:

• Milan–San Remo statistics
• Tour of Flanders statistics
• Paris–Roubaix statistics
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège statistics
• Giro di Lombardia statistics

Abbreviations used: MSR – Milan–San Remo, ToF – Tour of Flanders, PR – Paris–Roubaix, LBL – Liège-Bastogne-Liège, GdL – Giro di Lombardia, BMI – Body Mass Index

I used publicly available data from bikeraceinfo.com , wikipedia.org , procyclingstats.com , and the official websites of all Monuments as data sources.

Please also keep in mind the following:

• Milan–San Remo did not take place in 1916, 1944, and 1945.
• Tour of Flanders did not take place between 1914-1918.
• Paris–Roubaix did not take place between 1915-1918, 1940-1942, and in 2020.
• Liège-Bastogne-Liège did not take place between 1895-1907, in 1910, 1914-1918, 1940-1942, and in 1944.
• Giro di Lombardia did not take place in 1943 and 1944.
• The actual rider’s racing weight could vary.
• The heights and weight data are not available for all riders.

I update this article once a year once all the Monuments are finished.

Distance, Time, and Average Speed of Monuments

Let’s look at the ‘basic’ metrics such as the distance, time, and average speeds of all Monuments.

The general rule of thumb is that until 1950, the distance of most Monuments except for Milan–San Remo varied a lot.

Milan–San Remo is a monument with the most consistent route distance, which averages 288 km. The biggest change came in 2013 because the route had to be shortened to 249 km due to bad weather.

Tour of Flanders experienced a steep downward trend in route distance. After the first 324 km edition in 1913, organizers shortened it to 280 km. The third edition was only 230 km long. It took the organizers about 30 years to set a more or less consistent race length. In recent decades, it averaged around 260 km.

Paris–Roubaix is the second most consistent Monument. Its distance did not change much except for the editions between 1925 and 1955. These were about 10 km shorter on average than the other editions.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège experienced a trend similar to that of the Tour of Flanders. The race was getting shorter on average up to 1946. After this year, the average distance increased. The last 20 years or so remain relatively consistent.

The Giro di Lombardia route is another story. It seems like organizers couldn’t decide whether they want a long or short race. The race distance was inconsistent except for the 1964-1975 period when the distance was the same (266 km).

The average length of a Monument is 258 km .

NOTE : The average length of a Grand Tour stage, including time trials, is around 200 km . ( Source )

The longest Monument on average is Milan–San Remo . The average distance of all editions is 288 km .

The shortest Monument , on average, is Giro di Lombardia . The average distance of all editions is 243 km .

The shortest Monument edition was the 1942 Giro di Lombardia . This edition was only 184 km long.

The longest Monument edition was the 1913 Tour of Flanders . This edition was only 324 km long.

Winning Time

Winning times of all Monuments follow the same trend. Before the Second World War, they were in the range of about 7 to 11 hours (except for a few editions that were faster or slower). This was, among other things, caused by the variability of Monuments lengths described above.

After the Second World War, we can observe a significant reduction in the variance of winning times. These range from approx. 5h 30′ to 7h 45′.

The average winning time of all Monument editions is 7h 08′ 09″ .

The fastest Monument winning times on average 6h 49′ 38″ are reached on the Tour of Flanders.

The slowest Monument winning times on average 7h 48′ 41″ are reached on Milan–San Remo.

The fastest Monument winning time was 5h 06′ 03″ . This was the Giro di Lombardia, which took place in 1942 and was 184 km long.

The slowest Monument winning time was 12h 44′ 09″ . This was the Milan–San Remo, which took place in 1917 and was 286.5 km long.

Average Speed

The average speed chart almost looks like an inverted winning times chart. The average speeds started to rise steeply around the year 1925. They increased from about 28 km/h until 1925 to around 35 km/h until 1950. In the following decades (and especially in the past 20 years), they exceeded the mighty 40 km/h.

Interestingly, the average speeds of Milan–San Remo and Tour of Flanders regularly exceeded the 40 km/h mark already around 1960. This fact is very impressive considering the equipment the riders had.

The average speed of all Monuments is 36.95 km/h .

NOTE : The average speed of all Grand Tours is around 35.3 km/h ( source ).

The fastest Monument is Milan–San Remo . The average speed of all editions is 38.06 km/h .

The slowest Monument is Liège-Bastogne-Liège . The average speed of all editions is 35.62 km/h .

The slowest Monument edition took place in 1917 . The winner of this Milan–San Remo edition averaged 22.50 km/h for 286.5 km.

The fastest Monument edition took place in 1990 . The winner of this Milan–San Remo edition averaged 45.81 km/h for 294 km.

You might also be interested in

Height, Weight, and BMI of the Monuments Winners

The height, weight, and BMI data are possibly the most insightful of all the statistics in this article.

Although the data for riders before World War II are often unavailable, the heights and weights of winners from past decades provided enough data to visualize the trends.

Let’s dive in.

Height of the Winners

It is interesting to see that the winners of Paris–Roubaix are getting taller on average, but Giro di Lombardia winners are getting shorter.

There can be several explanations for this. While Paris-Roubaix is mostly flat, so it fits taller and stronger riders, the Giro di Lombardia is hilly and favors climbers. However, another explanation could be the increased average height in the population ( learn more here ).

Winners are getting taller on other Monuments too, not only on Paris–Roubaix. See the chart below.

The average height of a Monument winner is 1.78 kg .

NOTE : The average height of all Grand Tour winners is around 1.77 m ( source ).

The lowest average height of a Monument winner is 1.76 m . The shortest monument winners are the winners of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The highest average height of a Monument winner is 1.81 m . The tallest monument winners are the winners of the Tour of Flanders.

The shortest Monument winner ever was Maurice Garin (PR 1897 and 1898). He was 1.62 m tall.

The tallest Monument winner ever was Johan Van Summeren (PR 2011). He is 1.97 m tall.

Weight of the Winners

The weight chart shows that Paris–Roubaix winners are getting heavier on average. The heaviest rider who won a Monument was Magnus Bäckstedt, weighing 94 kg. He was an exception because most PR and ToF winners weighed between 70 and 80 kg.

On the other hand, riders weighing 60-70 kg have the highest probability of winning Liège-Bastogne-Liège or Giro di Lombardia.

Winners of Milan–San Remo have more diverse characteristics. The trend shows that their average weight remains more or less the same. However, it fluctuated between 58 and 83 kg almost every year.

The average weight of a Monument winner is 71.0 kg .

NOTE : The average weight of all Grand Tour winners is around 65 kg ( source ).

The lowest average weight of a Monument winner is 67 kg . The lightest monument winners are the winners of Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

The highest average weight of a Monument winner is 74.7 kg . The heaviest monument winners are the winners of Paris–Roubaix.

The lightest Monument winner ever was Esteban Chaves . He won the 2016 Giro di Lombardia, weighing just 55 kg .

• The heaviest Monument winner ever was Magnus Bäckstedt . He won the 2004 Paris–Roubaix, weighing 94 kg .

BMI of the Winners

The BMI chart and trend are this article’s most interesting and unique parts. As a reminder, here is an explanation of BMI:

NOTE: BMI (Body Mass Index) uses your height and weight to work out if your weight is healthy. ( Source )

You can interpret the BMI values using the following key:

• Below 18.5 – underweight,
• 18.5-24.9 – normal,
• 25.0-29.9 – overweight,
• 30.0 and above – obese.

Yes, BMI has limitations because it doesn’t consider body composition. But, as you will see below, it reflects reality to a certain extent.

The BMI of winners from all Monuments is getting lower on average. The following chart shows the trends clearly.

NOTE : The BMI of Grand Tour winners also declines. Learn more .

The fastest declining trend is visible among Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro di Lombardia winners. It is no surprise because these two Monuments are hilly and highly demanding. Riders have to climb around 4000m, so these races favor climbers.

On the other hand, classicists have a better chance to win Milan–San Remo, Tour of Flanders, or Paris–Roubaix because these races don’t have as demanding profiles.

The average BMI of all Monument winners is 22.35 .

NOTE : The average BMI of all Grand Tour winners is around 21.63 ( source ).

The winners of Liège-Bastogne-Liège have the lowest average BMI of all Monuments (21.65).

The winners of Paris–Roubaix have the highest average BMI of all Monuments (23.05).

The Monument winner with the lowest BMI ever was Bauke Mollema . He won the 2019 Giro Di Lombardia with a BMI of 19.12 (1.83 m, 64 kg).

The Monument winner with the highest BMI ever was François Faber . He won the 1908 Giro di Lombardia and 1913 Paris–Roubaix with a BMI of 27.79 (1.78 m, 88 kg). Yes, he was overweight.

Compare yourself with pro riders. Calculate your BMI using the calculator below.

BMI CALCULATOR

Monuments Victories

The 1st successful Monument rider is Eddy Merckx . He won 19 Monuments (7× Milan–San Remo, 2× Tour of Flanders, 3× Paris–Roubaix, 5× Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and 2× Giro di Lombardia).

The 2nd most successful Monument rider is Roger De Vlaeminck . He won 11 Monuments (3× Milan–San Remo, 1× Tour of Flanders, 4× Paris–Roubaix, 1× Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and 2× Giro di Lombardia).

The 3rd most successful Monument rider is Sean Kelly . He won 9 Monuments (2× Milan–San Remo, 2× Paris–Roubaix, 2× Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and 3× Giro di Lombardia).

NOTE : Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, and Rik Van Looy are the only three riders who won all Monuments at least once.

The 1st most successful country is Belgium (221 Monument wins).

The 2nd most successful country is Italy (157 Monument wins).

The 3rd most successful country is France (62 Monument wins).

Italy has more than twice as many wins as 2 nd -place Belgium and three times more than 3 rd -place France.

The following Monuments’ stats are my favorite:

• The winning times of all Monuments before World War II ranged from about 7 to 11 hours. After WWII, they shortened to around 5h 30′ – 7h 45′.
• The average speeds started to rise steeply around the year 1925. They increased from about 28 km/h in 1925 to around 35 km/h in 1950. In the following decades (and especially in the past 20 years), they exceeded the mighty 40 km/h.
• The average speeds of Monuments Milan–San Remo and Tour of Flanders regularly exceeded the 40 km/h mark already around 1960. This fact is very impressive considering the equipment the riders had.
• The BMI of winners from all Monuments is getting lower on average.

What are your thoughts on the Monuments’ statistics? What stats do you find the most mind-blowing? Let me know in the comments section below.

If you have any suggestions to improve this article, feel free to contact me .

Monuments Statistics FAQ

Each cycling Monument is challenging in a way… Milan-San Remo is the longest Monument ever. Its editions have exceeded 7 hours of racing in recent years. This is, on average, one hour longer than the other Monuments. The Tour of Flanders challenges riders both tactically and physically. This race is hard to predict, and the iconic Koppenberg can shuffle the cards. Paris – Roubaix is demanding because of its cobblestone sections. The riders’ handling skills come in handy, especially if it rains. Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Giro di Lombardia both have very demanding profiles. From the heights, weights, and BMI data of the winners, we can see that these races favor climbers. Learn more about cycling Monuments.

The 1st successful Monument rider is Eddy Merckx . He won 19 Monuments (7× Milan–San Remo, 2× Tour of Flanders, 3× Paris–Roubaix, 5× Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and 2× Giro di Lombardia). The 2nd most successful Monument rider is Roger De Vlaeminck . He won 11 Monuments (3× Milan–San Remo, 1× Tour of Flanders, 4× Paris–Roubaix, 1× Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and 2× Giro di Lombardia). The 3rd most successful Monument rider is Sean Kelly . He won 9 Monuments (2× Milan–San Remo, 2× Paris–Roubaix, 2× Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and 3× Giro di Lombardia).

Only three riders won all 5 Monuments at least once: Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, and Rik Van Looy.

Milan–San Remo Tour of Flanders Paris–Roubaix Liège-Bastogne-Liège Giro di Lombardia

bikeraceinfo.com (MSR) bikeraceinfo.com (ToF) bikeraceinfo.com (PR) bikeraceinfo.com (LBL) bikeraceinfo.com (GdL) procyclingstats.com

wikipedia.org (MSR) wikipedia.org (ToF) wikipedia.org (PR) wikipedia.org (LBL) wikipedia.org (GdL)

milanosanremo.it rondevanvlaanderen.be paris-roubaix.fr liege-bastogne-liege.be ilombardia.it

Preview picture: © A.S.O. / Pauline Ballet (cropped)

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Niki Terpstra uploads Tour of Flanders ride to Strava, revealing the stats behind his stunning victory

No KOMs, but we don't think he'll mind

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Niki Terpstra drops Mads Pedersen on his way to Tour of Flanders victory

Niki Terpstra's attack from 27km out to win the Tour of Flanders may not have been quite as spectacular as Philippe Gilbert's 55km solo move from 2017, but it was still a great victory which is now preserved on Strava for all to see.

Unfortunately Terpstra's Strava activity , which he has given the straightforward and understated title "De Ronde Van Vlaanderen", doesn't include either his heart rate or power data, but still gives an insight into a brutal race.

The headline stats and numbers tell the story of the race, with the opening couple of hours on flat roads as the peloton made its way south-west from Antwerp being run at a pretty steady speed of slightly over 40kmh for the first three hours before the first climb of the Oude Kwaremont.

>>> FDJ riders round on Tony Martin to accuse him of causing massive Tour of Fladners crash (video)

From thereon in, Terpstra's speed graph reflected the race profile with the constant hills and descents mirrored in the peaks and troughs of the Dutchman's speed.

Terpstra reached his highest speed of the race, 79.9kmh, on the descent of the Berendries with 109km remaining, before an absolutely rapid approach to the Muur van Geraardsbergen as the riders jostled for position and averaged 56.5kmh for the 5.6km prior to the climb.

Watch: Tour of Flanders 2018 highlights

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However Terpstra bided his time before making the decisive move shortly after the top of the Kruisberg, which the group climbed at a fast pace coming close to the KOM.

Terpstra made his attack through a left-hand turn at the top of the climb, quickly accelerating up to 53kmh to bridge across to Vincenzo Nibali , before keeping the pressure on and keeping his speed at around 32kmh as the road rose up to 10 per cent to ride the Italian off his wheel.

The effect of more than 200km of racing is shown in Terpstra's times up the final two climbs of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg where his relatively slow times reflect the state of his legs

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Terpstra climbed the Oude Kwaremont in 3-31, nearly 15 seconds slower than his KOM effort from E3 Harelbeke in 2016, and ascended the Paterberg in 1-22, a couple of seconds slower than earlier in the race and more than half a minute off the KOM. However the time was still pretty good for the day, with only a handful of riders ascending the final climb faster than Terpstra in the race itself.

Those of us watching on TV could see that the race already appeared to be won, but Terpstra took no risks on the final few kilometres to the finish in Oudenaarde, maintaining the pressure and holding an average speed of more than 46kmh for the flat final 7.5km towards the finish.

If this average speed wasn't impressive enough in itself, then bear in mind that this was completed after 260km of racing, with Terpstra only completing the final few kilometres a couple of seconds slower than Greg Van Avermaet and Wout Van Aert riding in a decent-sized chasing group behind.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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2023 tour of flanders course routes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2023 Tour of Flanders riders to watch

Men's race - 2023 riders to watch.

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

Women's race - 2023 riders to watch

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

2023 Tour of Flanders: Race schedules

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

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

Tour of Flanders: Last five winners

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

How to watch 2023 Tour of Flanders - Ronde van Vlaanderen

List of regional broadcasters (TV / online):

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

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How to Watch the Tour of Flanders

The fields for Sunday are absolutely stacked for one of the most exciting races on the spring calendar.

This season’s second Monument just might be the best.

The warm-up races with names we can barely pronounce wrapped-up with Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, which means it’s time for the biggest race in Belgium and one of the hardest races on the men’s and women’s calendars: the Tour of Flanders (known locally as the Ronde van Vlaanderen , or more simply as the Ronde ). Here’s everything you need to know about the season’s second Monument.

For the first time since 2016, the 273K men’s race begins in Bruges. The course then zig-zags its way southeast toward the hills of the Flemish Ardennes, a region packed with short, steep (often cobbled) climbs which the locals call bergs . Once the race passes through Oudenaarde (home to the Tour of Flanders Museum), the action centers around two big loops, each featuring two climbs—the Oude Kwaremont (long, steady, and cobbled) and the Paterberg (short, steep, and cobbled)—that often determine the outcome of the race.

Filled with narrow farm roads (more like bike paths) that seem to wind endlessly around the Flemish countryside, it often takes years for riders to master the nuances of the course. And it’s early April, which means weather can be a factor as well (there’s nothing more slippery than cobblestones covered in wet manure). No wonder Belgians have won the race 69 times.

Of the 19 climbs in this year’s men’s race, the Koppenberg (44K from the finish line) is probably the most famous. Super-steep, cobbled, and narrow, this is where the race’s final phase begins. Riders who don’t hit the climb at the front of the peloton are often forced to get off their bikes and walk as the sudden deceleration caused by the abrupt change in terrain ripples backwards through the pack. The race is essentially over for anyone who doesn’t make it over the top in the top-25.

After the Koppenberg, five climbs remain, and recent editions of the Ronde have seen race-winning attacks launched on just about all of them. Lately it’s all come down to the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg combo, with special attention often given to the rolling road in between as riders try and surprise their rivals while they recover from the Kwaremont and prepare for the Paterberg.

Leaving out the portion from Bruges, the 156K women’s race begins and ends in Oudenaarde, with 13 of the bergs featured in the men’s event including–for the first time last year–the Koppenberg. In fact, the women’s and men’s finales are identical, with the Kruisberg, the Oude Kwaremont, and the Paterberg coming in quick succession providing the final launchpad for riders hoping to escape.

From the top of the final ascent of the Paterberg it’s only 13K to the finish line in Oudenaarde, a distance that several riders have covered alone in recent years. Sprints are rare in the Ronde–the race is too hard to see large groups make it to the finish line still in contention for the win–so if they happen they only happen in groups of 3 or 4.

How to Watch

We’ll be up early on Sunday, April 2 to watch the men as they hit the Oude Kwaremont for the first time (about 7:30 a.m. EDT). If that’s too early for you, set an alarm for about 9:30 a.m. EDT, the second passage over the cobbled ascent on the first of the Ronde’s two final circuits.

The men’s race should finish around 10:45 a.m. EDT, at which point the women (depending on their average speed) should be nearing or just over the Koppenberg. Their race should finish around 11:45 a.m. EDT, which means you’re in for at least 2+ hours of fantastic racing.

What Happened Last Year

With Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) out after testing positive for COVID-19, the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) entered the day as the top favorite. But van der Poel had a new foe: Slovenia’s Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who was making his Flanders debut 1) to get a taste of the cobblestones in preparation for July’s Tour de France, and 2) because he’s Tadej Pogačar and he can pretty much be a contender in any race he enters.

And that proved to be the case as the two-time Tour de France champion attacked on the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, then again on the Koppenberg, and finally on the last ascent of the Oude Kwaremont–with van der Poel the only rider able to follow him. The duo worked well together until the final kilometer, when van der Poel slowed, almost daring Pogačar to start the sprint. His deceleration allowed a small group of chasers to rejoin the duo, at which point the Dutchman accelerated, winning the race for the second time in three years. His compatriot Dylan van Baarle (INEOS Grenadiers) finished second, and France’s Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ) took third. After botching the sprint, Pogačar was forced to settle for a disappointing fourth-place finish.

About an hour later, Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx) saved the day for the home fans, winning the women’s Tour of Flanders in the black-yellow-red jersey of the Belgian national champion.

An elite group of six came together after the final ascent of the Paterberg, including Kopecky, her teammates Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (who won the Ronde in 2021) and Marlen Reusser, and Movistar’s Annemiek van Vleuten (the defending champion).

With strength in numbers, SD Worx played its cards well. Reusser was the first to attack, a move quickly countered by van Vleuten. Then van den Broek-Blaak went, initially catching van Vleuten off-guard. The two-time Ronde winner recovered though, chasing down van den Broek-Blaak–but bringing Kopecky along for the ride. Once caught, van den Broek-Blaak rode for her teammate, leading out the sprint for the Belgian champion. She’s only the second Belgian to win the women’s Ronde.

Riders to Watch

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

Winner of two of the last three editions–and Milan-Sanremo two weeks ago–van der Poel is the top favorite heading into Sunday’s men’s event. Yes, he lost last Friday’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic (a mini-Tour of Flanders) to van Aert, but he was clearly the strongest rider in the race and would have won had van Aert not (wisely) opted for a long-distance sprint (the Dutchman prefers shorter, more sudden accelerations). A win Sunday would put van der Poel alongside some of the sport’s greatest Classics riders atop the Ronde’s record books with an incredible three wins in five starts.

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)

Van Aert missed last year’s race after testing positive for COVID-19 a few days before the event, a big shame since the Belgian was in the form of his life and looked ready to avenge his narrow loss to van der Poel in 2020. Belgian seems to have timed his form just right again: he won Friday’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic and finished second after giving the win to his teammate, France’s Christophe Laporte , in Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem.

Van Aert seems to have finally learned to play a bit more poker, saving his energy for well-timed attacks and forcing other riders to share the responsibility of chasing other moves and driving key breakaways. If all goes as planned, on Sunday he’ll win his first cobbled Monument, becoming the first Belgian to win the Ronde since 2017.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

Pogačar raced in two of last year’s cobbled Classics–Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders–seemingly just as preparation for the cobbled stage of July’s Tour de France. But Pog doesn’t start races for training: he finished 10th in Dwars door Vlaanderen and 4th in Flanders. Well, after messing up last year, he’s back and committed to winning it. Forming the third piece of a star-studded breakaway in Friday’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic, the Slovenian joined van der Poel and van Aert in the winning move. But winning Flanders is a tall order for the Slovenian: the climbs in Flanders aren’t long enough for him to drop the other two–and he can’t outsprint them. Watching Pogačar try and figure out a way to win could be this year’s most exciting storyline.

Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious) and Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ)

We won’t be surprised if this plays out in a way similar to the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, with van der Poel, van Aert, and Pogačar breaking away to hog all the glory for themselves. But if there is an “upset,” we won’t be shocked if Mohorič or Küng is the rider to pull it off. Over the past two seasons they’ve put themselves firmly on a tier right below the “Big Three” in the cobbled Classics. Their teams are deep and experienced, and they both could profit should there be a stalemate among the top three contenders. Mohorič is an opportunist and will likely try and escape earlier than the others might expect; Küng is a time trialist and could prove hard to catch if he gets a gap late in the race.

Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx)

Team SD Worx is far and away the strongest in the race, and as they showed last year, they have several cards to play. Their captain will likely be Kopecky , the defending champion. Able to win alone or in a small group sprint, she should be the focal point of the team’s plans.

Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx)

Kopecky’s toughest competition might come from within her own team, most likely in the form of a rider who played a big role in helping her win last year: Reusser. The Swiss time trialist scored an amazing solo victory in Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem . A strong time trialist, if she gets away late in the race and other teams refuse to chase her (for fear of giving Kopecky a free ride to the finish line) they may never see her again.

Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx)

A stark contrast to Laporte and van Aert’s 1-2 finish in Ghent-Wevelgem (in which van Aert openly gifted the win to his teammate), Vollering outsprinted Kopecky to win Strade Bianche in March, a result that certainly made for some awkward post-race comments. Well, we could be in for a repeat: Vollering won Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen , and we’re wondering how she and Kopecky will coexist on Sunday. Will Vollering ride for her Belgian teammate? Will Kopecky chase her if she doesn’t? The race within this team will go a long way toward determining the Ronde’s final outcome.

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar)

Racing her final season as a professional, van Vleuten has had a relatively quiet spring thus far: she hasn’t competed since Strade Bianche (in early March) and shockingly hasn’t won a race yet this year. That said, we’ve learned to never discount the current world champion, who had a quiet spring in 2021 but then won both Dwars door Vlaanderen and Flanders in the same week. Overlooking her could prove fatal for the opposition.

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma)

Vos has only raced twice so far this season, but the Dutch rider finished third in Dwars door Vlaanderen, a result that shows she’s right where she needs to be to add another Tour of Flanders to her resume (she won the race way back in 2013). She could be using Flanders to put the finishing touches on her form for next weekend’s Paris-Roubaix (one of the only major races missing from her palmares), but if a large group hits the finish line in Oudenaarde, she’s a good bet to win the field sprint.

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Mathieu van der Poel retains Paris-Roubaix crown with stunning 60km solo attack

Sport Mathieu van der Poel retains Paris-Roubaix crown with stunning 60km solo attack

Mathieu van der Poel has stormed to a second victory in the Paris-Roubaix after the Dutchman launched a stunning solo attack 60 kilometres from the finish line to win his second monument of the year following his Tour of Flanders victory the previous weekend.

On the 260km "Hell of the North" route, which had 29 cobblestone sectors, Van der Poel's victory by three minutes on Sunday local time was the largest winning margin in 22 years as he rode to his sixth monuments victory.

As he crossed the line with his arms outstretched, soaking in the crowd's applause, his time of five hours, 25 minutes and 58 seconds was recorded as the quickest Paris-Roubaix in history.

Van der Poel became only the 10th rider to win both cobbled monuments — the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix — in the same season and only the second rider to do it with the rainbow jersey — worn by the current world champion — after Rik van Looy in 1962.

"I wanted to make the race hard from there (60km out) on because I know that's my strength. I felt super good today and when I had the gap, I knew (I could win) with a tailwind to the finish line for the most part," Van der Poel said.

"Of course, you always know in Roubaix that there's the possibility of a puncture. But I had the team car with me and I was quite confident.

"I could really enjoy the moment more than last week (at Flanders) because then I was on my limit. This time, I could really enjoy the last part."

Van der Poel launched his solo attack on sector 13 and quickly built up a huge gap.

Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen were among those who gave pursuit but the pack failed to organise quickly, looking to each other to seize the initiative as Van der Poel disappeared into the distance.

Van der Poel also had his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammates behind him to thank as they disrupted the chasing pack and looked to deny riders any breakaway attempts.

As Van der Poel rode towards victory, Philipsen decided to accelerate with 14km to go to seal second place while Pedersen and Nils Politt joined him in a three-way battle for the last two podium spots.

When they entered the Roubaix Velodrome, UAE Team Emirates' Politt went for it early but it was Philipsen who finished second for an Alpecin-Deceuninck one-two while Pedersen was third for Lidl-Trek.

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The top 10 cycling climbs in Flanders

From the vicious Paterberg and Koppenberg, to the legendary Muur de Geraardsbergen and the epic Oude Kwaremont, here's our guide to the most popular climbs in northern Belgium

Patrick Fletcher

Deputy editor.

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Flanders is host to an array of short but spectacular climbs

Flanders is one of the best places you could wish to ride a bike. This portion of northern Belgium is bejewelled with short climbs, sharp cobblestones, and a richer cycling culture than you’ll find anywhere else in the world.

Flanders is the northernmost region of Belgium, stretching from the French border in the west, over to the Dutch border in the east. Flemish is the language spoken here, unlike French in the Wallonia region to the south, but cycling is the unofficial second language. Cycling, and bike racing, are deeply entwined in Flemish culture, with an astonishing array of junior kermesse races all the way up to the legendary Tour of Flanders , one of pro cycling’s oldest and most prestigious events.

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The beauty of cycling, of course, is that anyone and everyone can ride on the same roads as the pros, and the Flemish Ardennes in particular offer an endless array of ‘ hellingen ’ - small hills, many of which are still paved with ‘ kasseien ’ - cobblestones.

We’ve picked out the top 10 climbs in Flanders, ranking them by popularity according to Strava - taking the number of people on the leaderboard for each. The segments we're using come from the Cycling in Flanders ' Flandrien Challenge , a collection of 59 climbs, which GCN ’s Ollie Bridgewood ticked off in one go a couple of years ago.

1. Paterberg

• Strava footfall: 106,017
• Stats: 0.35km / 11.7%
• KOM: Jens Vanden Heede - 0:44
• QOM: Lorena Wiebes - 1:08

The Paterberg climb

The most popular climb in Flanders is the mighty Paterberg, a short but oh-so-sharp beast made famous by the Tour of Flanders. In fact, it’s the steepest climb, in terms of average gradient, of all the climbs on this list and, at barely 300 metres long, it’s also one of the shortest.

The Paterberg juts straight up a farming hillside in a straight line and seemingly ratchets up to the point where most of us are grinding the smallest gear, gritting our teeth, and hoping for the best. Legend has it that a local farmer paved it with cobblestones in a bid to have it included in the Tour of Flanders. It worked, and it now plays a starring role as the final climb in the beloved ‘Ronde’, ahead of the run-in to Oudenaarde. In fact, it’s tackled twice in combination with the Oude Kwaremont, a longer, more irregular beast lined with VIP tents on race day.

It’s surprising, then, that the Paterberg has so much more footfall than the Kwaremont, given the two are separated by only a few kilometres and given the opportunity to recreate the entire finale of one the sport’s greatest races.

© Getty Images

Mathieu van der Poel climbs the Paterberg in the 2023 Tour of Flanders

The KOM and QOM here are not from the Tour of Flanders. The men’s comes from a local KOM hunter, in a 60km ride titled with a crown emoji, while the women’s comes from a leading pro but actually from a reconnaissance ride. There are two key factors at play here. First of all, the Paterberg comes so deep into the Tour of Flanders that legs are severely dulled by that point, and secondly, on race day the smooth strip of concrete ‘gutter’ is fenced off by the barriers keeping the fans at bay, giving day-trippers an advantage over the pros who are forced onto the roughest surface.

In any case, anyone who makes it up the Paterberg is a winner and will have lasting memories of one of the best things you can do on a bike.

Pair it with: Turn left at the top, like the pros do, and tick off the 10km run-in to Oudenaarde for a coffee or a beer. The main road has space for bikes but the dedicated bike path is a nicer experience - just don’t accidentally turn onto the Koppenberg.

2. Koppenberg

• Strava footfall: 95,213
• Stats: 0.55km / 11.1%
• KOM: Lance Decabooter - 1:39
• QOM: Luce Feder - 2:00

The Koppenberg is a spectacular climb

Speaking of the Koppenberg, cycling’s most walked climb is the second most popular in Flanders, and arguably the hardest. The average gradient is not quite as severe as the Paterberg but then it’s nearly twice as long and, after a shallower start, it certainly matches it on the maximum gradient front.

What sets this apart from Paterberg and everything else, though, are the cobblestones themselves. Put simply, they are a nightmare. They seem to be bigger, dirtier, and rougher than anything else around, draining your momentum with every bump. And that’s just in the dry. In the wet, they take on a new dimension, seemingly bringing out a perma-grease that wipes away all traction.

Many, even pros, have to step off – if they can avoid falling over completely, that is. Once off the bike, there’s little chance of getting going again from a standing start, so riders can regularly be seen proceeding on foot. There are bragging rights for anyone who crests it under two wheels, and the sheer difficulty of this climb is underlined by the fact that the Strava KOM is at an average speed of 20.3km/h - itself a full 1.2km/h faster than the second-best time. For reference, that speed wouldn’t land you in the top 100 on the Paterberg, where the best speeds are above 25km/h.

Even the pros have to walk up the Koppenberg sometimes

In spite of this difficulty, or perhaps because of it, the Koppenberg is a cherished icon of the Flemish Ardennes. Its nickname, De Bult van Melden (The Bump of Melden) might be a cruel misrepresentation of its severity but its status as a protected national monument is a testament to the locals’ love for it, as it is to Belgium’s love for cycling.

Pair it with: You’re within striking distance of Oudenaarde if you need to go and recover, but you’re also well placed to head over to the Steenbeekdries/Stationsberg and the Taaienberg.

3. Taaienberg

• Strava footfall: 93,358
• Stats: 0.53km / 6.3%
• KOM: Wesley Van Dyck - 1:01
• QOM: Carina Schrempf - 1:26

The Taaienberg cobbles

We wonder how much Tom Boonen has to do with the Taaienberg’s podium position. It’s probably the most ‘ordinary’ climb in the top five, and yet it beats out two very big hitters indeed. The Taaienberg, though, goes by another name, and that’s ‘Boonenberg’. This was the favourite climb and regular launchpad for Tom Boonen, three-time winner of the Tour of Flanders and not only one of Belgian cycling’s all-time greats but a rider who transcended his sport and became a national celebrity. ‘Tommeke’ would attack on the Taaienberg with such regularity and to such great effect that the climb was essentially rebadged in his honour. There’s even a very weird bronze statue of his legs at the top.

The Taaienberg measures barely 500 metres and rises steeply in a straight line, beneath an arch of trees, before bending slightly to the right and shallowing off. The cobbles are harsh at the bottom but if you’re doing your best Tom Boonen impression you won’t even be touching them. On the right-hand side lies a dipped strip of concrete, known as the gutter. It’s astonishing to watch the pros attack all-out on such a narrow section of uphill road, so close to the fans and the grass on one side, and the cobblestones on the other. It’s a lot harder when you’re not pulling 25km/h and you’re swinging both body and bike.

Tom Boonen ripping it up the Taaienberg back in the day

It would only seem right that the fastest time on the Taaienberg would belong to Boonen, but he’s not on Strava so we can’t be sure. The course record is held by a local KOM hunter who also has the Berendries from the same ride, while the QOM comes from a pro doing a recon ride of the Tour of Flanders.

While the top two climbs on this list are masochistic suffer-fests, the Taaienberg feels more like a climb you can actually ride , rather than merely survive.

Pair it with: At the top of the Taaienberg you’re surrounded by options and you can’t really go wrong, but why not head over to the Kaperij cobblestones, where you’ll also find a few more climbs like Forrest and Steenbeekberg.

4. De Vesten & De Muur

• Strava footfall: 80,573
• Stats: 0.91km / 6.8%
• KOM: Fred Wright - 2:15
• QOM: Demi Vollering - 2:48

The Muur van Geraardsbergen features a stunning chapel at the top

That name might not sound too familiar but what we’re talking about here is the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Other names include the Kapelmuur – in reference to the chapel at the top – or simply the Muur. If you can’t picture it by now, there’s no helping you, as it’s one of the most iconic climbs not just in Belgium but in all of cycling.

De Vesten is essentially the climb out of Geraardsbergen, to the foot of the Muur proper. It’s nowhere near as steep but it’s all part of the experience as you twist up out of the town on the cobbles, and onto the steep slopes of the Muur, which by the way means ‘wall’.

The Muur has it all. It’s difficult, it’s cobbled, it’s in a stunning setting, and it comes with bags of history.

Let’s start with that first aspect. At around 100 metres of elevation, this stakes a claim to being the hardest climb in the Flemish Ardennes. What’s more, the 20% pitches come on a snaking section towards the top. As for the cobbles, they were relaid several years ago, and while a little of the old sting might have been taken out of them, they are still anything but smooth.

The setting comes courtesy of a magnificent chapel that looks over the hillside. Cycling is often spoken about in religious terms in this part of the world and riding up to the chapel is a pilgrimage of sorts for many cyclists. Then there’s the small wall and the giant bank of earth on the final bend towards the top, which acts as a de facto stadium and provides one of the most atmospheric backdrops to bike racing anywhere in the world.

Fans used to pack the Muur van Geraardsbergen for the Tour of Flanders

As for that racing, the Muur is a giant of the Tour of Flanders, even if it has been demoted in recent years. First introduced in 1950, and consistently from 1970, when it was given the hallowed slot of the final climb of the course. It later became the penultimate climb in a partnership with the Bosberg, but when the organisers remodelled the course in 2012 around the more lucrative Oude Kwaremont, where they could erect their sweeping VIP tents, the Muur was left in the lurch. It was still included, but early in the race, which many saw as a token gesture after selling off some of the soul of the race. In any case, the Muur still remains a mythical part of the cycling fabric.

Pair it with: The Bosberg, keeping that much-loved old Flanders finale alive and kicking.

5. Oude Kwaremont

• Strava footfall: 80,483
• Stats: 2.11km / 4.3%
• KOM: Tadej Pogačar - 3:52
• QOM: Annemiek van Vleuten - 5:07

The Oude Kwaremont is serene when the races aren't in town

The Oude Kwaremont may have snatched the Muur’s slot in the Tour of Flanders, but it will never take its slot in the Strava popularity stakes. Well, that’s probably not true, as it’s snapping at the heels already, but for now, the Muur still retains a degree of pride.

Anyway, the Kwaremont, though not quite as spiritually pure, is actually a belter of a climb. It’s quite unlike anything else, as it’s significantly longer than any of the other climbs, at 2.2km. The thing about those 2,200 metres is that they contain pretty much every gradient between 0 and 13% You start out on tarmac and the gradient ramps up and up, and just when it’s getting painful you’re hit with some horrific cobblestones, before the gradient reaches its steepest at the mid-section. There’s some respite at a village square that seemingly comes from nowhere, and the gradient flattens out as you head out onto the open hillside again. You can really get your speed up there, but it then kicks up again for a short while before the final narrow stretch at the top.

Even Muur enthusiasts will concede that the Kwaremont makes for a thrilling spectacle, even if most are watching from those vast white VIP tents we’ve mentioned above. Like it or not, the Oude Kwaremont has become the central climb of the Tour of Flanders, tackled three times - once as a wake-up call for the champagne swiggers, then twice in combination with the Paterberg deep into the finale.

Riders on the middle part of the Oude Kwaremont during the Tour of Flanders

It’s seen many memorable moments already, not least the infamous stray jacket that took out Peter Sagan while in hot pursuit of long-range attacker Philippe Gilbert - would he have won without that stroke of misfortune? More recently, two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar effectively remodelled the Tour of Flanders with a trio of assaults on the Kwaremont in 2023, using its sheer length to effectively take the race away from the traditional Classics riders.

Pair it with: The Paterberg, obviously. Pretend you’re alone out front on the cusp of winning the Tour of Flanders.

6. Berendries

• Strava footfall: 79,878
• Stats: 0.87 km / 7.6%
• KOM: Wesley Van Dyck - 1:27
• QOM: Liane Lippert - 2:00

The Berendries is a tarmac ramp lined by suburban houses

There’s not much room for argument when it comes to our top 5. They have the most renown and would be first to people’s lips if you asked them to start naming climbs in Flanders. The iconic Kemmelberg could have a say but it lies out west in Heuvelland, way away from the concentration of climbs in the Flemish Ardennes, and as such doesn’t get anywhere near the top 10 in the popularity stakes.

As for the rest of the climbs that make up that top 10, we start with the Berendries, a curious climb that always looks fairly benign but actually turns out to be a bit of a brute.

Compared to the climbs above it on this list, the Berendries has a completely different feel to it. For starters, it’s not cobbled. Quite the opposite; the tarmac is super smooth. It also lacks the gritty farmyard vibe, lined not by trees but by medium-sized suburban houses on either side. The road is sort of sunken, first beneath grassy banks and then those houses, which represent the steepest part of the climb in the middle, at 10%.

The Berendries has a rich history, part of the medieval highway between Oudenaard and Ninove, and marked on the maps made by Joseph de Ferraris in the 1700s. It’s famously Greg Van Avermaet’s favourite climb and it’s a hotspot for fans on race day.

Pair it with: You’ve got a couple of cycling-themed bars at the top for a pitstop, but you can also hop over to the Haaghoek-Leberg, and/or the Pottenberg.

7. Kanarieberg

• Strava footfall: 76,162
• Stats: 0.92km / 9.2%
• KOM: Quinten Hermans - 1:50
• QOM: Anna Zita Maria Stricker - 2:24

© Too Soon Too Late

The Kanarieberg takes you up into the woods

The Kanarieberg takes its name from the Flemish for ‘canary’ but there’s nothing sweet about this. With an average gradient of nearly 10%, and running almost a kilometre, this is one of the toughest climbs you’re going to face in this area. It’s not cobbled, but it’s hard enough not to need to be. In fact, in terms of elevation gained (85 metres), it’s topped only by De Vesten & De Muur.

The appeal of the Kanarieberg may lie in its stats but also its setting, rising up into the Muziekbos - the ‘music woods’. In fact, the top of this hill is surrounded by woods, with lanes running through them. 

The appeal certainly doesn’t come from the racing. The Kanarieberg was only introduced to the Tour of Flanders in 2014, and it’s now being taken out. “The riders took risks in the run-up to it, there were crashes, only to see that the climb was done at a slow pace,” bemoaned the organisers.

Pair it with: Get lost in the woods. If you’re on a gravel bike, even better. Alternatively, it’s a short cruise into Ronse for the Oude Kruisberg.

8. Valkenberg

• Strava footfall: 74,430
• Stats: 0.58km / 6.9%
• KOM: Jenna Berckmoes - 00:58
• QOM: Katrien Maes - 1:22

The Valkenberg used to be cobbled, but is now an asphalt climb

The Valkenberg is a historic climb, but carries a sense of shame; it was cobbled, but now it’s not. It used to be one of the great cobbled bergs of the region and was introduced to the Tour of Flanders way back in 1959. However, in 1973 the authorities removed the cobblestones, levelled it off, and poured a load of tarmac into it. From a transport perspective, it perhaps made sense. From a cycling perspective, a legendary climb has become something rather ordinary.

Following its tarmacking, it was banished by the Tour of Flanders and made to endure an exile of 23 years before its return in 1996. It has been used on and off in recent years and is consistently visited by the smaller Classics, but it’s never the sort of climb that generates much excitement or drama.

That said, it has enough about it to keep riders coming here to test themselves on its slopes. The Flandrien Challenge segment of the climb measures 0.58km but the hill as a whole is nearer 900 metres. You’ll be climbing out of Brakel and it’ll continue to drag beyond the summit of the segment, so as a whole it feels harder than its stats suggest.

The climb is well placed very near Brakel, which is a good central base for exploring the Flemish Ardennes and offers views over the town from the top. Another one with a bird in the name, Valk means Falcon in Flemish.

Pair it with: The Berendries is the shortest of hops away, if you can bear to do two asphalted climbs in a row.

• Strava footfall: 70,484
• Stats: 0.86km / 3.8%
• KOM: Jonas Volkaert - 1:09
• QOM: Sofie De Vuyst - 1:32

The Leberg is a gentle climb but comes straight after the Haaghoek cobblestones

The Leberg isn’t much of a destination in its own right, but its appeal is enhanced by its proximity to Haaghoek, which is perhaps the biggest and best strip of flat cobblestones to be found in Flanders. There aren’t all that many of these non-climbing sectors of ‘kasseien’, as the cobbles are known, and to be fair this one does undulate rather than being a pan-flat thunderer à la Paris-Roubaix, but at 1.85km it’s a beast that has built a strong reputation.

Anyway, enough about Haaghoek. The Leberg itself is a deceptive climb in two parts. At the bottom, you have the steep gradients, which kick up almost as soon as you’ve turned your bike onto it. You quickly rise out into the open countryside and the gradient tails off dramatically. However, you’re exposed to the wind. In the races, it’s one of those climbs where riders don’t blast away on the steep stuff, but the group can stretch and split ‘over the top’.

For the rest of us, it can be a real grind in the wind, when you feel like the hardest part should be behind you and your speed should be higher. 

Pair it with: The Haaghoek cobblestones are the only acceptable approach to this climb. You can then descend the Pottenberg and you’re not far from the Molenberg.

10. Mariaborrestraat-Steenbeekdries

• Strava footfall: 70,374
• Stats: 1.23km / 1.9%
• KOM: Marco Haller - 1:39
• QOM: Demi Vollering - 2:16

The Mariaborrestraat cobbles drag up and onto the Steenbeekdries climb

With an average gradient that doesn’t even scratch 2%, you’re probably wondering, ‘what is this doing in the top 10 best climbs in Flanders?’ Well, what’s happened here is Cycling in Flanders have essentially smashed two segments into one.

For many, the Mariaborrestraat and Steenbeekdries are separate entities, the latter being the climb proper. In the races, for instance, you’ll often find the former listed as a ‘flat’ sector of cobblestones. Still, it’s more of a grinding false flat, and it does bleed straight into the Steenbeekdries, so we reckon it’s fully justified to treat them as one long test. Also, the cobbles here are rattly as anything, so it’s certainly a slog. The Steenbeekdries itself measures around 750 metres, winding up through the trees at a gradient of closer to 5%.

At the top, the Steenbeekdries itself bleeds straight into the Stationsberg, the other side of the hill, which in this case runs downhill. Now there aren’t too many of these cobbled climbs you’re going to want to descend but the Stationsberg, named after the train station at the bottom where you have to cross the tracks, is gentle enough to be fun - just about. Your hands will ache from holding on so tight and you’re bound to catch sight of a stray bidon that’s jumped out of its cage.

Pair it with: There’s only one thing to do here really - down the Stationsberg and up the Taaienberg.

Have you ridden any of these climbs? Which is your favourite? Let us know your experiences in the comments below.

Strava is an online app that allows users to track their activities and share them with others. It connects over 100 million athletes across a global online community.

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'I knew the Koppenberg would be chaos' – Mathieu van der Poel conquers Tour of Flanders on toughest climb

Dutchman solo for 44km as he claims record-equalling third Ronde win

The Koppenberg hasn’t always smiled on Mathieu van der Poel . In November 2018, still a few months away from transferring his cyclocross talents to top-level racing on the road, the Dutchman endured a torrid afternoon on its slopes at the Koppenbergcross.

After lumbering home in 21st place, an almost unthinkable four minutes down on the day’s winner, Van der Poel could only shake his head in resignation. Even though he had won the race the year before, his relationship with the steep cobbled climb at its heart was always an uneasy one. “No,” Van der Poel said that afternoon. “This is not my climb.”

At the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, by contrast, the Koppenberg, like the race itself, belonged to Van der Poel alone. The combination of vertiginous gradient and rain-slicked cobbles forced almost the entire field to unclip and walk, but Van der Poel, inevitably, made light of the climb and the conditions, forging his record-equalling third Ronde victory on its slopes.

With a shade over 44km remaining, the world champion made what proved to be the race-winning attack by launching a seated acceleration on the steepest pitches of the Koppenberg. Behind, only Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease A Bike) and Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) made it up the climb without unclipping, but they were already competing in a different race to Van der Poel.

Tour of Flanders: Mathieu van der Poel smashes Monument with massive solo victory As it happened: Mathieu van der Poel makes history with record-equalling Flanders win Michael Matthews relegated from third place at Tour of Flanders for dangerous sprinting

“I knew once it started raining that the Koppenberg would be chaos,” Van der Poel explained when he took a seat in the press conference afterwards. “When all the other teams started attacking us, I asked my team to create a controllable situation until the Koppenberg, because I knew from there I would be alone anyway. I think they did an amazing job.”

By his telling, Van der Poel hadn’t even intended to attack on the Koppenberg. But these days, in the midst of his imperial phase on the road, the Dutchman gives the disquieting impression that he is able to ride away from his rivals without even realising it. Once he glanced over his shoulder at the summit and saw he had a 10-second buffer over Jorgenson, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider seemed to figure he might as well win it there and then.

“We’ve all seen the images of the Koppenberg from the past and what a chaos it is when it’s wet. And I also knew from cyclocross what it’s like when it’s a bit muddy there, so I knew it would be a crucial point,” Van der Poel said.

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“I started in front at the steepest part of Koppenberg just to stay out of trouble. It was super slippery and really difficult to get traction there. It was not really the plan to be alone from there on, but yeah, there was no way back.”

Seemingly condemned by his raw strength to attack from distance, Van der Poel quickly established an insurmountable lead over his pursuers. He had 24 seconds by the time he crested the Steenbeekdries, and that gap yawned out to a minute atop the Taaienberg. By that point, Van der Poel was no longer racing against his contemporaries, but against history itself as his lead inched towards the two-minute mark, a margin unseen since the days of Eddy Merckx.

There was, however, a mild sting in the tail for Van der Poel, whose efforts finally began to take their toll after he had hauled himself up the Kwaremont and Paterberg for the final time. For a moment, he even feared a hunger flat of the kind that saw his challenge unravel in the rain at the Yorkshire Worlds in 2019, but he righted himself beneath the deluge to reach Oudenaarde more than a minute clear.

“I was crawling towards the finish, I wasn’t even close to the powers I normally ride in the end,” Van der Poel said. “It makes me think a bit of Harrogate, to be honest. The circumstances were a bit the same. I was quite empty and that was maybe the hardest Ronde I’ve ever done.

“There were attacks from far, the first hour was quite fast, there were rainy conditions, we had to go full on every climb… It was a really hard one. I don’t think I was ever so happy to see the last kilometre.”

As well as the lingering threat of a  fringale , Van der Poel had to negotiate an unruly home crowd on the Kwaremont, where he was doused in beer and jeered by some spectators, as he had been at the cyclocross in Hulst last winter. He shook off the incident when asked about it afterwards. “I was busy with winning the race,” he said, “so I couldn’t care less, to be honest.”

Van der Poel lined up at this Tour of Flanders as the overwhelming favourite for victory, but the absence of the injured Wout van Aert arguably complicated his task here, given that the weight of controlling the peloton fell entirely on his Alpecin-Deceuninck team.

It proved to be a most unruly race, with contenders Jorgenson and Pedersen already tested the waters with 110km remaining, but the world champion never really looked like being outflanked. His flex on the Valkenberg, when he stitched the race back together with a solo effort, had the feel of an early admonishment to his rivals.

“We knew already other teams would start attacking from super far away,” Van der Poel said. “My team did a super job keeping it under control. That’s all I asked for today, because I knew at a certain point the strongest would have to battle it out.”

Van der Poel’s third Tour of Flanders victory sees him equal the record jointly held by Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara. The outright record looks firmly within the grasp of a man who has now placed on the Ronde podium five years in succession, and never finished lower than fourth. Next Sunday, meanwhile, Van der Poel has the chance to complete a Ronde-Roubaix double in the rainbow jersey, like Rik Van Looy in 1962.

“Records are not something that keep me occupied, my career is already way more than I would have expected,” Van der Poel said. “I’m really fucked right now, so it will take time to realise what I’ve done. It’s something I could never have dreamed, to win the Ronde as world champion. That’s something special.”

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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

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Tour of Flanders Tech Gallery: What We Found Today in Belgium

Take a look at a newly painted bike for mads pedersen as well as the tricks that keep bikes working in tip top shape on the cobbles..

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The spring classics, once a driver of tech innovation — or maybe better put a test lab for wacky or downright insane ideas — are no longer quite the showcase of interesting tech they once were. (Stick around, though, there’s good stuff to come, I promise.)

Bike tech has generally reached a point where comfort on the cobbles can co-exist with performance without drawbacks to speed, weight, or ride quality. More and more off the shelf bikes, especially aero models, can take on the cobbles without a problem. Deep section carbon rims are ubiquitous.

But while there is less specialized tech at the Belgian classics, some classics-only gear and good-old-fashioned tricks of the trade from seasoned mechanics still have a place here.

We took a look around the start line of the Tour of Flanders , the biggest day of bike racing of the year in Belgium, to find some of the interesting tech bits out on display, all shiny before heading straight into a muddy, rainy day on the cobbles.

Gallery: Tour of Flanders Tech

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Singing in the rain: Untouchable Van der Poel wins Tour of Flanders for record-equaling 3rd time

Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team holds his bike up at the finish line after taking first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Elisa Longo-Borghini of the Lidl-Trek team, center, crosses the finish line to take first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team, center, is congratulated after taking first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Netherland’s Mathieu van der Poel of the Alpecin-Deceuninck team reacts after crossing the finish line to take first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Netherland’s Mathieu Van Der Poel, center left, rides with the pack through the historical center of Oudenaarde, Belgium, during the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Norway’s Jonas Abrahamson of the Uno-X Mobility team, center, and Serbia’s Dusan Rajovic of the Bahrain Victorious team, center right, ride with the pack through the historical center of Oudenaarde, Belgium, during the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Netherland’s Mathieu Van Der Poel, center, rides with the pack through the historical center of Oudenaarde, Belgium, during the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Elisa Longo-Borghini of the Lidl-Trek team, center, speaks with the media after crossing the finish line to take first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Elisa Longo-Borghini of the Lidl-Trek team crosses the finish line to take first place in the Tour of Flanders in Oudenaarde, Belgium on Sunday, March 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

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OUDENAARDE, Belgium (AP) — World champion Mathieu van der Poel was untouchable in tough, rainy conditions on Sunday as the Dutch rider claimed a record-equaling third win at the Tour of Flanders cobbled classic, one of cycling’s most challenging one-day races.

In the absence of several rivals, Van der Poel was the favorite from the start. He met expectations in style with a long-range attack in a brutal climb.

The Tour of Flanders is one of the “monuments” of cycling — the five most prestigious one-day events in the sport — along with Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia.

First held in 1913, the race is also known as De Ronde (The Tour). It features multiple short but punishing climbs and is one of the two classics with cobblestone sections along with Paris-Roubaix.

Elisa Longo Borghini won the women’s race to claim a second title following her 2015 victory in Flanders. She won a sprint ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma and Shirin van Anrooij.

Van der Poel attacked from a group of contenders in the ascent of the Koppenberg, with about 45 kilometers (28 miles) left in the race.

Ivan Garcia Cortina, the lone remaining breakaway rider, had a mechanical problem and was swallowed on the cobbles made slippery by the rain. Most of the riders had to dismount and walk up the iconic climb while Van der Poel, sitting firmly on his saddle, used his immense power to reach the top of the hill first, and then destroyed the field.

Spurred on by thousands of vociferous fans lining the roads, Van der Poel did not look back afterward and opened a huge gap as he continued his amazing solo effort in the remaining climbs. Van der Poel slowed down near the finish and, once he crossed the line, held up his bike in triumph.

Van der Poel joined a group of riders with the most Tour of Flanders wins (3), along with Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara.

Luca Mozzato was the best of the chasers to clinch second place, ahead of Nils Politt after Michael Matthews was relegated from third to 11th following a jury decision.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar skipped the race this year, focusing instead on his preparations for Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 21 and the Giro d’Italia in May. Other big names missing included Wout van Aert and fellow Belgian rider Jasper Stuyven, who were both ruled out after crashing at high speed during a preparation event last week.

Cycling: https://apnews.com/hub/cycling

Van der Poel retains Paris Roubaix crown with stunning 60km solo attack

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Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon

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