tour of flanders trophy

Skoda Tour du Luxembourg

Kampioenschap van vlaanderen, tour of gatineau, uci road world championships, super 8 classic, uci mtb lake placid usa, tour de l'eurometropole, uci mtb canada, giro dell'emilia - men, giro dell'emilia - women, coppa agostoni - giro delle brianze, paris-tours, coppa bernocchi - gp banco bpm, exact cross beringen, tour of flanders winners and records, the tour of flanders is the biggest day in of the year in belgian cycling. among the five cycling monuments, its history rich, dating back to 1913..

The Tour of Flanders or what the Flemish call the Ronde van Vlaanderen is the biggest day in of the year in Belgian cycling, and perhaps in all of Belgium. 

The cycling one-day classic counts among the five cycling monuments and has a rich history dating back to 1913.

2023 Men's Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen)

Mathieu van der Poel conquered the recent editions, but early on it was for the home riders, a tour of the northern part Dutch speaking part of Belgium, or Flanders.

That first edition was 330 kilometres long, won by Paul Deman after 12 hours. But the distance has now averaged out to around 260km – which is still a long day out on the bike and worth of it status as a monument with Milano-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Lombardia.

Flanders is live on Flo in Canada, the USA, and Australia this Sunday. 

Belgians won the race 69 times. The first "international" star was Fiorenzo Magni - winning three straight editions. Now there are six riders who count a record three wins including most recently Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara.

Sean Kelly and Leif Hoste, unfortunately, have the most second places without ever winning Flanders. Each finished second on three times.

American George Hincapie, also not a winner, holds the record number of finishes at 17. Belgian Briek Schotte has the record number of participations, at 20, having won two of those times.

Gianluca Bortolami holds the record for the fastest pace, 43.5kph, in 2001, which was something considering the race takes in some of the worst cobbled paths and climbs around the Flemish hills near Oudenaarde.

For 2023, the race begins again in Bruges, which hosted the start from 1998 to 2016 before Antwerp did so. Before, it started in Sint-Niklaas from 1977 to 1997, and in Ghent from 1913 to 1976.

Oudenaarde took over as the finishing town in 2012, with a route change that took out the famous Muur and Bosberg finish to Ninove for the circuits around the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. Some hated this move, but the organizers and fans benefited with a spot that allowed for a spot to view the riders multiple times.

The route varies slightly each year but some of the other notable climbs are the Koppenberg, which was cut for many years because it was "too tough" and was where in 1987 the organiser's car ran over Jesper Skibby's bike after he crashed. Even today, you'll see riders in the back forced to walk up the climb once the group bottle necks and slows on the climb.

Notable cobbled sectors are the Paddestraat (2400m), Mater-Kerkgate (3000m), Haaghoek (2000m), and the Stationsberg, which comes off the Steenbeekdries climb. The cobbles are hard riding, but are like smooth highways compared to the nastier cobbles found in Paris-Roubaix.

Andrei Tchmil was the oldest to conquer the roads at 37 in 2000 and Rik Van Steenbergen the youngest at 19 in 1944.

Some find it best to go away alone to succeed. Henri Vanlerberghe won with a solo escape starting at 120km from the finish. He came to a train crossing, where a train blocked the path, he dismounted, climb through one of its cars and continued to the finish to win by 14 minutes over his nearest rival. Also the biggest winning time gap.

One of the longest escapes in recent history goes to Philippe Gilbert, who rode solo with 55km to race in 2017. Making it more special, he was racing in his home country, in the national championship jersey on a day that comes once a year like Christmas and honored and celebrated even more by Belgians.

• Feature Story
• Mathieu van der Poel
• Peter Sagan
• Philippe Gilbert

Related Content

Aug 1, 2024

Jul 24, 2024

Jul 16, 2024

Jul 9, 2024

Jul 4, 2024

Jun 28, 2024

Jun 27, 2024

Apr 20, 2024

Apr 11, 2024

Advantage Mathieu van der Poel and Lotte Kopecky at the Tour of Flanders

All the information you need ahead of the biggest Belgian Classic of the year

• Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

• Riders to watch
• Men's start list
• Women's start list

Fans of the Tour of Flanders will be denied another showdown between Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease A Bike) this year, after the Belgian sustained multiple fractures in a heavy crash during Dwars door Vlaanderen.

It leaves Van der Poel as the clear favourite, with on-song Dane Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) stepping into the breach as the rider most likely to challenge the imperious Dutchman.

With reigning champion Tadej Pogačar from this year's startlist, the two men will feel more confident. But a Classics win is always reliant on a certain amount of luck, and Van der Poel and Pedersen certainly won't have it all their own way.

Meanwhile the women's race is also something of a clash of the titans, with two-time winner and defending champion Lotte Kopecky and her SD Worx-Protime team-mate forming a potent pairing who will nevertheless have to contend with the likes of Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease A Bike) and British hopeful Pfeiffer Georgi (dsm-firmenich PostNL) among others.

This year sees Antwerp take over from Bruges as the alternating host city of the race. The route remains broadly similar to previous years, with greater use of wider roads early on to help prevent crashes being the only change.

For the men, the first berg of 17 will be the Oude Kwaremont, tackled after 137km of racing, while the Wolvenberg at the 72km point is the first of 12 such tests in the women’s race. The Wolvenberg is where both men's and women's races converge, after which the climbs come thick and fast.

It's the final one-two punch of Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg that often proves the most decisive. Controversial when first devised in 2012, particularly as it meant the omission of the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen, this finale has since won fans over with its own unique character, which is also influenced by the double punch of the long, gradual Kwaremont and the short yet ultra-steep Paterberg.

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Tour of Flanders 2024 Key Info

Date: March 31 2024 Location: Antwerp 2023 winners: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates, men); Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx, women) TV: Discovery+ / Eurosport Distance: 270km (men); 163km (women)

Tour of Flanders 2024 route

This year's men's race continues the annual trading game between Bruges and Antwerp, with the latter hosting the start on Sunday. Riders will find bigger roads than before waiting for them as they begin the long haul south-west towards berg country.

The fun begins with the first of three passes of the Oude Kwaremont, and the climbs come thick and fast after that as the race follows a spaghetti-like parcours around the hills of Flanders just south-east of the finish town of Oudenaarde. On the way they take in famous climbs including the Wolvenberg, Molenberg, Berendries and the Koppenberg on the way to a total 17 climbs, finishing with the one-two of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg with 13 flat kilometres to the line.

The women begin in Oudenaarde, where both races finish. They first head north-east away from the city to complete a circuit of the flatter terrain around Zottegem, looping back towards Oudenaarde to begin the day's climbing at 72km with the Wolvenberg. A similarly serpentine route to that of the men sees them tackle a total 12 classified climbs, including the Molenberg, Berendries and the Koppenberg, along with that final Kwaremont/Paterberg one-two at the end.

Tour of Flanders 2024: Riders to watch

Mathieu van der Poel Alpecin-Deceuninck ***** The Dutch rider looks imperious this season – always at or near the head of affairs in every race he has ridden and with a win at the E3 Saxo Classic and second at Gent-Wevelgem under his belt already. He's had a mercurial last couple of seasons, but covered himself in glory in the Classics last year and seems to be set to repeat the feat this time around. The fact that Wout van Aert has now been ruled out – albeit in very unfortunate circumstances that VDP would not have wished for – won't exactly hurt his chances either.

Tiesj Benoot Visma-Lease A Bike *** With Benoot's team-mate and compatriot Wout van Aert recovering from a nasty crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen and other team-mates like Dylan Van Baarle having been ill, this could be Benoot's opportunity to step up from nearly man to winner at Flanders. He has been fifth here before – back in 2015 – and won Strade Bianche in 2018 . With a following wind and a bit of luck a podium, or even a win, here is not beyond him.

Mads Pedersen Lidl-Trek **** The Dane was third here last year and eighth the year before that. Considering that he seems to be in the form of his life – and the absence of one of his main Classics rivals, Wout van Aert – what's to say that Pedersen cannot finally achieve victory in what is one of the most revered one-day races of the season. Pedersen proves himself to be ever-more versatile, with overall wins in the Etoile de Bessèges and Tour de la Provence stage races, plus the more recent Gent-Wevelgem already this season.

Lotte Kopecky SD Worx-Protime ***** Of all the cards the Belgian team could play, right now Kopecky looks like the most likely to bring them success. She has been a playmaker in pretty much every race she has entered this season and already has four wins under her belt, including Strade Bianche . Riding alongside her, and even for her, will be at least four other potential victors – Demi Vollering, Marlen Reusser and Lorena Wiebes – ready to take over if Kopecky falters.

Elisa Longo Borghini Lidl-Trek **** The Italian has amassed a huge palmarès across Classics and stage races alike, despite spending most of her career riding in the company (under the shadow?) of greats like Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen. She has Lotte Kopecky to deal with these days, but that hasn't stopped the 32-year-old from putting in a solid shift so far this season already, with podiums at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche, and a win at Trofeo Oro in Euro.

Kasia Niewiadoma Canyon-SRAM **** The reigning gravel world champion was left heartbroken after missing out on a podium spot at Strade Bianche earlier this month. That was her most recent result, and one she may be eager to atone for at the Tour of Flanders this weekend. She was fifth here last year – the latest in a litany of top-10s stretching back 10 years. The Polish rider looks to be on form, with five top-seven finishes out of six race days this season, though there is of course the small matter of the SD Worx team standing between her and a win at Flanders.

Tour of Flanders 2024 men's start list

Alpecin-Deceuninck VAN DER POEL Mathieu PHILIPSEN Jasper BALLERSTEDT Maurice GROVES Kaden KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren DILLIER Silvan VERMEERSCH Gianni

Intermarché-Wanty GIRMAY Biniam DE POOTER Dries PAGE Hugo PETIT Adrien REX Laurenz TEUNISSEN Mike ZIMMERMANN Georg

Soudal Quick-Step ALAPHILIPPE Julian ASGREEN Kasper LAMPAERT Yves MOSCON Gianni PEDERSEN Casper VANGHELUWE Warre WARLOP Jordi

Team Visma-Lease a Bike AFFINI Edoardo BENOOT Tiesj JORGENSON Matteo VAN DIJKE Mick VAN DIJKE Tim TRATNIK Jan VAN BAARLE Dylan

Arkéa-B&B Hotels SÉNÉCHAL Florian GRONDIN Donavan ALBANESE Vincenzo MCLAY Daniel MOZZATO Luca SCOTSON Miles

Astana Qazaqstan Team BOL Cees BRUSSENSKIY Gleb FEDOROV Yevgeniy GAZZOLI Michele GIDICH Yevgeniy GRUZDEV Dmitriy SYRITSA Gleb

Bahrain-Victorious MOHORIČ Matej GOVEKAR Matevž GRADEK Kamil MIHOLJEVIĆ Fran PASQUALON Andrea WRIGHT Fred BURATTI Nicolò

BORA-Hansgrohe KOCH Jonas MEEUS Jordi HALLER Marco HERZOG Emil LÜHRS Luis-Joe DENZ Nico MULLEN Ryan VAN POPPEL Danny

Cofidis ALLEGAERT Piet DE GENDT Aimé DEBEAUMARCHÉ Nicolas MAHOUDO Nolann NOPPE Christophe RENARD Alexis ZINGLE Axel

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale GAUTHERAT Pierre BOASSON HAGEN Edvald NAESEN Oliver DE BONDT Dries DE PESTEL Sander POLLEFLIET Gianluca TOUZÉ Damien TRONCHON Bastien

EF Education-EasyPost BETTIOL Alberto BISSEGGER Stefan DOULL Owain HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich POWLESS Neilson RUTSCH Jonas VALGREN Michael

Groupama-FDJ KÜNG Stefan ASKEY Lewis BYSTRØM Sven Erik LE GAC Olivier MADOUAS Valentin RUSSO Clément WATSON Samuel

INEOS Grenadiers TARLING Joshua NARVÁEZ Jhonatan ROWE Luke SHEFFIELD Magnus SWIFT Ben SWIFT Connor TURNER Ben

Lidl-Trek HOOLE Daan PEDERSEN Mads DECLERCQ Tim KIRSCH Alex MILAN Jonathan SKUJIŅŠ Toms STUYVEN Jasper THEUNS Edward

Movistar LAZKANO Oier CANAL Carlos CAVAGNA Rémi GARCÍA CORTINA Iván JACOBS Johan MILESI Lorenzo ROMEO Iván

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL DEGENKOLB John BEVIN Patrick BITTNER Pavel EDDY Patrick EEKHOFF Nils FLYNN Sean MÄRKL Niklas

Team Jayco AlUla MATTHEWS Michael DURBRIDGE Luke JANSEN Amund Grøndahl MEZGEC Luka O'BRIEN Kelland REINDERS Elmar WALSCHEID Max

UAE Team Emirates WELLENS Tim OLIVEIRA Ivo BJERG Mikkel COVI Alessandro HIRSCHI Marc MORGADO António POLITT Nils

Israel-Premier Tech FUGLSANG Jakob BOIVIN Guillaume HOULE Hugo NEILANDS Krists STEWART Jake TEUNS Dylan VAN ASBROECK Tom

Lotto-Dstny BEULLENS Cedric CAMPENAERTS Victor DE BUYST Jasper EENKHOORN Pascal GRIGNARD Sébastien VAN MOER Brent BERCKMOES Jenno

Uno-X Mobility KRISTOFF Alexander ABRAHAMSEN Jonas HOELGAARD Markus BLUME LEVY William RESELL Erik Nordsæter TILLER Rasmus WÆRENSKJOLD Søren

Bingoal-WB DE MEESTER Luca DE TIER Floris DESAL Ceriel VAN BOVEN Luca VAN ROOY Kenneth VAN DER BEKEN Aaron VERMOOTE Jelle

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team CHRISTEN Fabio DEVRIENDT Tom LUDVIGSSON Tobias STEIMLE Jannik ZUKOWSKY Nickolas

Team Flanders-Baloise CLAEYS Arno COLMAN Alex DE VYLDER Lindsay DE WILDE Gilles DEWEIRDT Siebe VAN HEMELEN Vincent VANHOOF Ward VANDENSTORME Dylan

Tudor Pro Cycling Team TRENTIN Matteo BOHLI Tom ERIKSSON Jacob KELEMEN Petr KRIEGER Alexander MAYRHOFER Marius PLUIMERS Rick

Tour of Flanders 2024 women's start list

Team SD Worx-Protime VOLLERING Demi KOPECKY Lotte BREDEWOLD Mischa REUSSER Marlen MAJERUS Christine WIEBES Lorena

AG Insurance-Soudal Team BOOGAARD Maaike BORGSTRÖM Julia GOOSSENS Marthe (LE COURT) PIENAAR Kimberley PLUIMERS Ilse RIJNBEEK Maud

Canyon//SRAM Racing NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna CROMWELL Tiffany CHABBEY Elise DYGERT Chloe PALADIN Soraya TOWERS Alice

CERATIZIT-WNT Pro Cycling Team ARZUFFI Alice Maria BERTON Nina FIDANZA Arianna JASKULSKA Marta KERBAOL Cédrine LACH Marta

FDJ-SUEZ GUAZZINI Vittoria ADEGEEST Loes CURINIER Léa KRAAK Amber VERHULST-WILD Gladys WIEL Jade

Fenix-Deceuninck PIETERSE Puck CANT Sanne COUZENS Millie DE WILDE Julie KASTELIJN Yara KUIJPERS Evy SCHWEINBERGER Christina

Human Powered Health CORDON-RAGOT Audrey EDWARDS Ruth GROSSETÊTE Maëlle KASPER Romy WILLIAMS Lily RAGUSA Katia

Lidl-Trek LONGO BORGHINI Elisa BALSAMO Elisa BRAND Lucinda DEIGNAN Elizabeth HANSON Lauretta VAN ANROOIJ Shirin

Liv AlUla Jayco HOWE Georgie KOREVAAR Jeanne MANLY Alexandra PATE Amber PATERNOSTER Letizia SMULDERS Silke

Movistar SIERRA Arlenis BIANNIC Aude NORSGAARD Emma GUTIÉRREZ Sheyla MACKAIJ Floortje RUIZ PÉREZ Lucía

Roland CHRISTOFOROU Antri COLES-LYSTER Maggie COLLINELLI Sofia DRONOVA-BALABOLINA Tamara NGUYỄN Thị Thật PIRRONE Elena

Team dsm-firmenich PostNL GEORGI Pfeiffer BARALE Francesca KOCH Franziska NELSON Josie SMITH Abi CIABOCCO Eleonora

Team Visma-Lease a Bike VOS Marianne ACHTEREEKTE Carlijn NOOIJEN Lieke RIEDMANN Linda VAN EMPEL Fem VIGIE Margaux

Uno-X Mobility CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia ANDERSEN Susanne BARKER Elinor BERG EDSETH Marte BOILARD Simone KOSTER Anouska 

Cofidis ALZINI Martina BERTEAU Victoire FORTIN Valentine KERN Špela ROY Sarah VAN HAAFTEN Kirstie

Arkéa-B&B Hotels CLAES Lotte COLJÉ Maaike DRUMMOND Michaela FAHLIN Emilia MORICHON Anais SQUIBAN Maëva

Chevalmeire BEX Nathalie ERIKSEN Malin DOBBELAERE Jana KIEKENS Cleo NILSSON Hanna WATTS Emily

EF Education-Cannondale KESSLER Nina BORGHESI Letizia JACKSON Alison LABECKI Coryn RÜEGG Noemi FAULKNER Kristen

Lifeplus-Wahoo BURLOVÁ Kristýna FRANZ Heidi GONZÁLEZ Alicia HARRIS Ella RICHARDSON Kate RYSZ Kaja

Lotto Dstny Ladies DE JONG Thalita AINTILA Wilma DE KEERSMAEKER Audrey BASTIAENSSEN Fauve DOCX Mieke VAN DE GUCHTE Quinty

Proximus-Cyclis CT AERNOUTS Amber BOSKAMP Lente DE GROOT Marieke LÓPEZ Marga MEERTENS Lone VEERMAN Deborah

Team Coop-Repsol RÅNES BYE Camilla GRANGIER India GREENWOOD Monica HAUGSET Sigrid Ytterhus JØRGENSEN Tiril TACEY April

VolkerWessels DEMEY Valerie DIJKSTRA Anneke JANSEN Eline MEERT Marieke SOUREN Scarlett VANPACHTENBEKE Margot

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields. 

Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.

A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.

The charity proposes a voucher scheme for those on low incomes and out of employment

By James Shrubsall Published 19 September 24

We asked someone to ride 100 miles for us, and uncovered a network of moral dilemmas

By Tom Davidson Published 19 September 24

Useful links

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• Vuelta a España

buyers-guides

• Best road bikes
• Best gravel bikes
• Best smart turbo trainers
• Best cycling computers
• Editor's Choice
• Bike Reviews
• Component Reviews
• Clothing Reviews
• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Advertise with us

Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Powered by Outside

World champions Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel headline the Belgian monument with some key route alterations: 'The Kortekeer and the Kanarieberg will not be included in the course this year.'

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Reddit

Don't miss a moment of the 2024 Tour de France! Get recaps, insights, and exclusive takes with Velo's daily newsletter. >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Sign up today! .

The Tour of Flanders brings the northern monuments to warp speed Sunday with arguably the greatest one-day race of the season.

Mathieu van der Poel and Lotte Kopecky line up in the rainbow bands as the five-star favorites in what will set the tone for two spectacular races.

Perhaps only Paris-Roubaix can surpass De Ronde for pure racing action, ultra-prestige, and high-level competition.

This year’s editions saw some late-hour drama, especially on the men’s side, with Wout van Aert set to miss the big date. On the women’s side, the unfolding contract talks about the future of Demi Vollering could play out on the roads this weekend.

Date : Sunday, March 31, 2024 Editions: 108th men, 21st women Start : Antwerp (men), Oudenaarde (women) Finish : Oudenaarde, both races Distance : 270.8km (men), 163km (women) Weather : 7C for start, 17C for finish. Slight chance of showers in morning, otherwise mostly cloudy. Easterly, southeasterly winds, 7 to 19km/h, with gusts up to 40km/h. Defending champions : Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

TV listings: Plenty of options

USA : FloBikes will livestream the Tour of Flanders via its app for paid subscribers. Coverage starts for the men’s race at 03h55 EST and the women’s race at 09h00 EST.

Europe : Eurosport and Discovery+ will broadcast De Ronde via its app for paid subscribers. Some European nations will also pick up the broadcast, including RTBF, NOS, and RAI, and others.

Australia : SBS will be covering both the women’s and men’s races. Check local listings for times.

Favorites men’s race: No Wout, no Pogačar

Two big names are missing, and their collective absences will mark the outcome of the race.

Van Aert crashed so heavily at Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen that the Belgian superstar saw his entire spring campaign, including Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, and Amstel Gold, over in an instant.

Other injuries and illness on the super squad could see Matteo Jorgenson, already on a hot streak this spring, emerging as the leader at Visma-Lease a Bike.

The other missing star is defending champion Tadej Pogačar, who is bypassing Flanders altogether. After ripping across the Volta a Catalunya , he races next at Liège-Bastogne-Liège before heading to the Giro d’Italia.

That puts Van der Poel, already on a tear so far in 2024, firmly in the driver’s seat as the five-star favorite.

The reigning world champion can also match a record. A third win would put him on the same number of wins as Buysse, Magni, Leman, Museeuw, Boonen, and Cancellara.

Right behind him will be banged up Mads Pedersen. The big Dane also crashed Wednesday, but wasn’t nearly as bad as his teammate Jasper Stuyven, who’s out with a broke clavicle.

Other big names include Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Matej Mohorič (Bahrain Victorious), Alberto Bettiol (EF Education – EasyPost), Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility), and Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling Team).

Who will win? Without Van Aert or Pogačar to complicate things, Van der Poel is the odds-on favorite.

Top-10 in 2023

Favorites women’s race: SD Worx the favorites

Lotte Kopecky currently shares the record of most wins in Flanders’ Finest with Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel, Judith Arndt, and Annemiek van Vleuten

Joining Kopecky in Team SD Worx-Protime in Oudenaarde will be Marlen Reusser, Demi Vollering, and Lorena Wiebes, by far the deepest and strongest team in the race.

Lidl-Trek will be banging on the door, with Elisa Longo Borghini, Elisa Balsamo, Lizzie Deignan and Shirin Van Anrooij.

Marianne Vos is hot off a win at Dwars, with Canyon/SRAM Racing lining up with Katia Niewiadoma and Chloé Dygert bringing on the heat .

Kopecky has nearly been perfect so far this spring, and will be hard to beat.

Top 10 in 2023

A few key course changes for safety

There are a few significant changes for both courses.

After starting in Bruges last year, Antwerp will host the rollout Sunday, and the bunch will plow south straight toward the Flemish Ardennes. The finish of both races remains on the Minderbroedersstraat in Oudenaarde.

The modern classic finales of the Paterberg-Oude Kwaremont combo remains unchanged for both the men’s and women’s races, but there are a few tweaks for safety reasons, with wider and faster roads.

“The changes in the first 100 km are safety-related choices. We have been looking even further for wide roads so that the peloton has more space in which to build up speed,” said race director Scott Sunderland. “The edition from Bruges, where we carried out a similar exercise for the opening hours of the race, showed how these wide roads led to high averages in the opening hours. That speed ultimately helped to determine the shape of the race and the strategic choices of the teams.”

As everyone saw with the tragic consequences in the men’s Dwars door Vlaanderen , the Kanarieberg and Kortekeer have been removed from the route.

“On the way to Kortekeer, the speed is high and the pressure within the peloton is very high,” Sunderland said. “But then we have also seen in the past two years that a few teams decide to quietly ride up the Kortekeer. The question then is: why should we want such a narrow climb on the course so early in the race? Isn’t it better to take out the Kortekeer and keep the race open?”

The organization also took out the Kanarieberg and the high-speed approach that provoked the horrific crash Wednesday that took down Van Aert and a host of others.

“There is a direction along which we have to go to the Kanarieberg. That goes downhill and the peloton reaches a speed of 90 km/h. Whereupon the road narrows from three lanes to one,” he said. “When you talk about safety, you have to look at it seriously.

“We have analyzed the editions of recent years. We looked at whether someone who attacked on the Kanarieberg or the Kortekeer ever stayed ahead. So no one.”

The race really starts to kick off at the Koppenberg, about 45km from the finish.

Unlike in previous years, the men and women will be taking the same route to the Bult van Melden this year.

“We have opted to change the approach for the men and to make it the same as the one for the women,” Sunderland said. “A choice for equality, but above all for reasons of safety. To be specific, this change means that after the first climb of the Paterberg, the riders will cycle on roads where it is easier to keep track of things. We are making the approach to the Koppenberg more straightforward and are taking out the descent and sharp bend just before the climb.”

With this change, the cars in the women’s race can follow the same detour as for the men’s race and team leaders can assist their riders all the way to the foot of the Koppenberg. With this change, the organization is eliminating a few points where the race had threatened to stall in recent years, something that caused a race stoppage in Wednesday’s Dwars race for the women.

“These situations were becoming too dangerous,” Sunderland said. “Safety is our highest priority. Furthermore, we also want to adapt our course to the way in which the peloton races. We want to anticipate and continue to develop the Tour to better serve the riders. And that is what we are doing with this change, but it does mean that both the Kortekeer and the Kanarieberg will not be included in the course this year. But we are adding the Kapelleberg.”

Americans in Flanders: A rare presence

Here’s a good trivia question for your next group ride: name the only U.S. rider to win the Tour of Flanders.

The answer is only one: Coryn Labecki in 2017, when she out-kicked Gracie Elvin and Chantal Van den Broek-Blaak in a reduced bunch sprint with Team DSM.

Kristin Armstrong was twice second (2008 and 2012) as the only other U.S. women to hit the prestigious podium.

On the men’s side, no American has ever won De Ronde, and George Hincapie finished third in the 2006 edition as the only U.S. men’s podium in race history.

Expected U.S. starters Sunday include Chloé Dygert (Canyon-SRAM), Ruth Edwards and Lily Williams (Human Powered Health), Labecki and Kristin Faulkner (EF Education-Cannondale), and Heidi Franz (Lifeplus Wahoo).

Men’s starters Sunday include Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), and Riley Sheehan (Israel Premier Tech). Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), fifth last year in a breakout ride, is sidelined with injury .

Can one of them break through?

All in a day’s fun: Timeline from start to finish

08h15: Men’s team presentation, Antwerp Grote Markt 10h00: Start of the Men Elite, Ernest Van Dijckkaai Antwerp 11h45: Women’s team presentation, Markt Oudenaarde 13h05: Passage of the Men Elite, Markt Oudenaarde 13h25: Start of the Women Elite and first passage, Markt Oudenaarde 15h15: Passage of the Women Elite, Markt Oudenaarde 16h30: Finish of the men’s race, Minderbroedersstraat Oudenaarde 17h45: Finish of the women’s race, Minderbroedersstraat Oudenaarde

Women’s start list: Kopecky tops the charts

Women’s race map and profile

Men’s start list: Van Aert KO’d

Men’s race route and profile

Ranking the favorites: Kopecky and Van der Poel

Women’s race: 4 stars: Kopecky 3 stars: Vollering, Longo Borghini 2 stars: Niewiadoma, Reusser, Persico 1 star: Dygert, Vos, Van Anrooij

Men’s race: 4 stars: Van der Poel 3 stars: Pedersen, Jorgenson, Küng 2 stars: Skujiņš, Wellens, Mohorič, Benoot 1 star: Trentin, Bettiol, Merlier, Alaphilippe

Popular on Velo

What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France? Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view.

Related content from the Outside Network

One way south, mountain bikers react to their first taste of non-alcoholic craft beer, video review: bmc urs 01 two gravel bike, kiel reijnen vuelta video diary: the painful decision to abandon.

Van der Poel wins Tour of Flanders for third time

W orld road race champion Mathieu van der Poel produced a stunning long-range attack to win the Tour of Flanders for a record-equalling third time.

The Dutchman accelerated away from his rivals on the cobbles with 45km to go to became only the seventh rider to complete the hat-trick of victories.

The 29-year-old also became the first person to make the podium of the Monument in five consecutive seasons.

Along with wins in 2020 and 2022, Van der Poel was second in 2021 and 2023.

The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider used all his experience to navigate the 270km route in Belgium, made even more difficult by damp conditions, as he finished more than a minute ahead of the chasing pack.

Italian Luca Mozzato claimed second following a thrilling finish for the remaining podium places while German Nils Politt was given third after Australian Michael Matthews was demoted following an irregular sprint.

• Philipsen wins fastest Milan-San Remo

But there was no questioning Van der Poel's dominance in what was the second of the spring's Monuments - five classic one-day races that also include Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Giro di Lombardia.

He benefited from the absence of local favourite Wout van Aert , who was ruled out through injury, while defending champion Tadej Pogacar did not take part in the race as he is focusing on a Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double this season.

Van der Poel will now be favourite for the Paris-Roubaix, which takes place next Sunday.

10 TIPS TO WATCH THE RONDE

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

Upcoming events

Wielerflits

Best of Limburg

2024 UEC Road European Championships

Pajot Gravel

Bram De Vrind

Super 8 sportive

David Stockman

PlugPlug Zoniënwoud

You may also like these stories.

Ronde facts & figures

Flanders’ Sacred Sunday: Tour of Flanders

5 reasons to go on a cycling trip to Flanders

Share this page on, cycling day trips, cycling holiday.

• Reset Password

Riding the Tour of Flanders sportive: tips for first-time Flandriens

• Related Articles

If watching Ian Stannard and Mark Cavendish win this year's opening Spring Classics has inspired you to have a go at the famous cobbles yourself, the good news is that most of the classics have a sportive the day before the pro race. Each year hundreds of amateur cyclists from the UK travel over to ride the fabled Flanders roads, and soak in the festival atmosphere as the locals roar on their favourites.

The Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege all have their own sportives. First up is the Tour of Flanders - or Ronde van Vlaanderen, as it's known locally - on 4 April. If you fancy giving it a go, here's some information and advice to help you plan your weekend.

REGISTRATION

Place booked? All that's left to do is print off your entry and take it with you to registration on the morning of the sportive.

GETTING THERE

Ferry:  If you're based in the south of England then the ferry is a great option, especially if you're happy to drive. Taking your own car means you can pack your bike, together with all the kit you'll need, without worries over baggage restrictions or weight limits. (You can also fill the boot with booze and chocolate on your way home, should you so wish.)

Ferries leave from Dover to Dunkirk or Calais, both of which are an easy hour or so drive from Bruges. At time of writing, a return ferry from Dover to Dunkirk/Calais for a car and two passengers on the Monday and Friday around the Ronde is available from £148 with DFDS Ferries .

There are also regular sailings from Hull to Zeebrugge. At 13 hours and around £350 it's the hardcore option - although you do get your own cabin on the ferry.

Train:  Can't drive/won't drive? Eurostar run a service from London to Brussels (2 hours), where you can connect for trains to your Flanders base. A return ticket from London to any Belgian station will currently set you back £160.

You can take your bike on the Eurostar, with the price depending on how small it packs down: a bike bag under 85cm is free, 85cm-120cm is £10 each way, and bikes up to 2m (whether in a case or not) are £25 each way if you book ahead.

Flying: For the jetset, flying to Brussels is probably the best choice, although you'll need to arrange onward travel to Bruges or Oudenaarde. BMI Regional fly to Brussels from Nottingham, Easyjet and Ryanair offer services from London, while Brussels Airlines offer connections from various locations across the UK. They also have an offer of 20% discount on fares to anyone riding the Tour of Flanders sportive, plus free bike transport. For more details see the 'Practical info' section of the event website .

WHAT TO BRING

Your bike, of course - although rentals are available in Oudenaarde, for example from rent-a-road-bike.com . In terms of prepping your bike for Flanders, there are plenty of opinions on ways to mitigate the effects of the dreaded cobbles. Advice essentially boils down to running wider tyres (e.g. 25mm) and double-wrapping your handlebars. Make sure to tighten any nuts and bolts beforehand, especially on bottle cages.

Realistically though, unless you're riding a full-suspension MTB you are going to be severely shaken no matter how you prepare your bike. Instead, the best tip is to mimic the pros and avoid the cobbles where possible by riding in gutters (not pavements!). Spectators do tend to frown on this as 'cheating', but it's not their rear end being pounded to a mush so do what you have to.

What you wear on the day will depend on the weather, which is pretty changeable at this time of year. No surprises for riders from these islands in that respect: basically, be prepared for relatively mild temperatures with possible showers, sunshine, snow and gales. Last year the weather on the day of the sportive was lovely - warm and sunny. But the next day, for the pro race, it was overcast, a bit colder, and rained a bit at the end. Check the forecast before you leave, and take a few medium layers so you're prepared whatever the conditions.

As with any ride, bring a couple of spare tubes, and your puncture repair kit just in case. If you're driving, you have the luxury of packing a track pump in the car which is handy to get tyre pressures sorted before the ride. Get your bike built up the night before, and maybe have a quick trial spin up and down the road around the hotel, to make sure a wheel doesn't fall off when you hit the first berg.

WHERE TO STAY

The two obvious places to set up camp for the Tour of Flanders are at the start in Bruges and the end, in Oudenaarde. The medium and short routes of the sportive start in Oudenaarde, while the full length route - and the pro race on Sunday - both start in Bruges.

Bruges: If you're doing the long route it makes sense to stay in Bruges, at least on the night before. It's a beautiful city with plenty to see and do apart from cycling. There are loads of accommodation options too - and if you're struggling to find an hotel, there are some excellent places on AirBnB that offer a chance to get some local knowledge at a range of budgets.

If you're doing one of the shorter routes it's also perfectly feasible to stay in Bruges and take the train to Oudenaarde on the morning of the sportive. The journey takes about an hour and costs €10.40 return. Bikes are subject to an additional €5 fee, which you should pay in advance - although the ticket inspector will sell you a permit on the train if you forget/plead ignorance.

Oudenaarde itself is a charming small town with a handful of hotels, and is an ideal base for both the sportive and viewing the pro race. As you might imagine, choice hotel rooms are snapped up early for the biggest weekend in the town's calendar, but if you find everywhere booked up then don't panic. Many riders, including several of the pro teams, choose to stay in nearby Kortrijk instead, which has a half dozen hotels including an Ibis.

Kortrijk: You can't miss the sleek and garishly decorated team buses lined up outside Kortrijk's hotels over Flanders weekend; Tinkoff-Saxo are known to frequent the Parkhotel opposite the train station, for example. Pro-spotting aside, Kortrijk is a practical choice as it's just 19 minutes by train from Oudenaarde. Trains leave hourly. Of course, you could cycle from Kortrijk to Oudenaarde instead - the 30km spin is an ideal warm up.

For such a huge event - up to 16,000 cyclists on the day - the Ronde sportive is a remarkably laid-back and hassle-free experience.

If you're doing the 239km distance that starts from Bruges, your first port of call is the Jan Breydel Stadium to collect your race pack. Registration is open on Saturday morning from 7:00-8:00 am. The stadium is located roughly 5km to the west of the official start at Bruges Markt. Don't worry about getting lost though - you'll be able to follow the steady stream of cyclists making their way to the starting line.

For riders on the two shorter distances, registration is not in Bruges but in Oudenaarde. You'll find the start point located at de Qubus, right next to Oudenaarde train station - it's well signposted. The registration desks are open on Friday evening, and from 7:00-10:00 am on Saturday. You'll be handed a pack with your numbers and a timing chip which you have to return at the end. Once stickered up, you're free to roll off under the starting arch in your own time.

There's a bustling event village at the start in Oudenaarde, with an array of stands selling merchandise, last-minute cycling gear and food (some of dubious nutritional value). Top tip: try to avoid overdoing it on the beer and sausages before the ride. Bumping over Flanders cobbles isn't great for the digestion.

Afterwards, of course, it's a different story. As you roll back into Oudenaarde, having survived a beating from the bergs and pavé, that first sip of Kwaremont will never have tasted so good.

If you start in Bruges then you have a lengthy stretch of main road to start with - the real fun (read: cobbles) begins once you reach Oudenaarde. While much is made of the cobbles - and rightly so - the majority of the route is on smooth tarmac or concrete roads as the course winds around the mostly rural lanes near Oudenaarde.

As for the notorious bergs, or cobbled climbs, if you've trained on your local legbreakers then you may actually find Flanders' hills less fearsome than you expected. Yes, they are steep - and the uneven surface can be treacherous - but they are all of the short, sharp variety rather than long drags. Helpfully, each climb is signed at the bottom with length and gradient so that you know what you're in for.

The main challenge is picking a line through the cobbles and your fellow Flandriens - it's worth shouting ahead if you're coming up fast behind riders walking their bikes uphill. Remember that overtaking, or the "fast lane", is on the left side, rather than the right.

 AND FINALLY...

The Tour of Flanders sportive is among the most memorable days you will have on a bike. It's an incredibly welcoming and inclusive event, with all sorts taking to the roads on everything from the latest carbon to vintage steel delivery bikes. The Flanders locals are passionate about their cycling and will line the course to cheer you on - while the chance to watch the pros ride the same course the following day is the icing on the Belgian bun.

Whatever your sportive experience, cycling the Tour of Flanders is an experience you don't want to miss. It's only a month away, so why not sign up... The cobbles are waiting.

• Tour of Flanders

• Training and Health
• How To…
• Live Streaming

Preview of the 2023 Tour of Flanders

The Tour of Flanders will be one of the early major races in 2023 and next year’s contest will be the 107th edition in history. Some of the world’s best riders are expected to feature in the event which will end in Oudenaarde once again.

Here is a look at the leading contenders for the most prestigious cycling race in Flanders.

Mathieu van der Poel

Dutch cyclist Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders for the second time in his career in 2022. He has been installed as the +450 favorite to defend his crown next year. Those looking to back the market leader should consider the  Betfair welcome offer bet 10 get 30  which can be used on the event. Placing a £10 bet on this race will see you pick up £30 to be used on any other cycling competition or event in their sportsbook.

It is easy to see why the bookmakers have made van der Poel their favorite. He was first successful in this event in 2020. He then regained his trophy back in April. Victory in 2023 will see him tie the record for the most wins.

Dream’s don’t work unless you do ?? WORLDCHAMPION ? pic.twitter.com/fxaX18hdry — Mathieu Van der Poel (@mathieuvdpoel) February 2, 2020

Van der Poel has had a lot of success throughout his career. He is a four-time winner at the World Championship in cyclo-cross, while he has stage wins at the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

The UCI ProTeam Alpecin-Deceuninck rider finished with a time of 6h 18’ 30” in 2022. He will be aiming to improve on that in his next appearance and that is likely to be enough to see him lift the trophy.

Wout Van Aert

Not since 2017 has a home rider won the Tour of Flanders. Philippe Gilbert gave the home crowd something to cheer about five years ago when he prevailed for Quick-Step Floors. Belgian Wout Van Aert will be hoping to add his name to the roll of honor next year.

The 28-year-old won the  points classification at the Tour de France  in 2022, the biggest achievement of his career so far. He has now claimed nine individual stages at the Grand Tour event.

I guess I never stopped smiling the past few days, with saturday’s ride in mind. We had some beautiful and easy days in Tuscany with @JumboVismaRoad which made everything even better. But today we head forward to the next races #MilanoTorino & #MilanoSanremo ! pic.twitter.com/iACJBdhwHz — Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) August 5, 2020

Van Aert is arguably in the best form of his career, so he goes into the 2023 renewal of the Tour of Flanders as the biggest threat to the defending champion.

Kasper Asgreen

Denmark’s Kasper Asgreen  won the Tour of Flanders in 2021 . He clocked an impressive winning time of 6h 02’ 12” that year, finishing ahead of van der Poel and Greg Van Avermaet respectively.

Since that win, he has been victorious in the 2021 Danish National Time Trial Championships. He was also third in the Strade Bianche earlier this year in Siena in the race which was won by Alexandr Kolobnev.

Asgreen rarely runs a bad race in the Tour of Flanders. He finished second in 2019 so he is very used to challenging for the major prizes in the event.

The 2023 Tour of Flanders will take place on April 2 and it is one of the highlights on the UCI World Tour calendar next year.

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

EDITOR PICKS

2024 Tour de Luxembourg LIVE STREAM

2024 Grand Prix de Wallonie LIVE STREAM

Jan Ullrich about doping: Sponsors knew everything

Popular posts.

Giro d’Italia, Milan-San Remo under threat of cancellation due to coronavirus

2020 UAE Tour LIVE STREAM

Ewan storms to victory on stage 2 of UAE Tour

Popular category.

• Results 1915
• Grand Tours 1710
• Tour de France 799
• POPULAR THIS WEEK 616
• Live Streaming 608
• Giro d'Italia 550
• Vuelta a Espana 430

As it happened: Mathieu van der Poel makes history with record-equalling Flanders win

Mads Pedersen and Mathieu van der Poel line up as favourites over 270.8km from Antwerp to Oudenaarde

Tour of Flanders - Everything you need to know Tour of Flanders favourites Cancellara's Tour of Flanders column How to watch the Tour of Flanders Tour of Flanders route

Race situation

Van der Poel clear after attack on the Koppenberg

100KM TO GO

110km to go, 120km to go, 130km to go, 140km to go, 150km to go, 160km to go, 170km to go, 180km to go, 190km to go, 210km to go, 210km to go, 220km to go, 230km to go, 240km to go, 250km to go, 271km to go.

Hello and welcome to Cyclingnews ' live coverage of the Tour of Flanders 2024!

The peloton is in Antwerp and awaiting the flag that signals the end of the neutralised zone and the start of the race proper.

Three riders attack right from the flag, involving riders from Astana, Jayco-AlUla and DSM rider.

Luke Durbridge, Dmitriy Gruzdev and Frank van den Broek are the three riders, and they’ve been joined by a Lotto-Dstny.

The peloton aren't happy with that group and they've been brought back.

Another small group briefly escaped and have been brought back. This could be a long battle for the definitive break to form.

Our first puncture of the day - Jules Hesters. That will the first of many!

A new group of six is now off the front, and are pushing hard.

Make that 8 riders, rather than 6. They're still only a few seconds ahead, and may be deemed too large by the peloton.

A second puncture now, and it's a big name - Dylan van Baarle. The Dutchman has already had hais fair share of bad luck this spring, with fitness issues.

20 seconds for the 8 leaders, but there's more activity at the front of the peloton with plenty of riders not ready to sit up yet.

Those riders in the break: Durbridge (again), Elmar Reinders, David Dekker, Bert Van Lerberghe, Jelle Vermoote, Lionel Taminaux, Stanisław Aniołkowski and Damien Touzé.

Attacks are still being made out the peloton in an attempt to join the 8 leaders, but to no avail so far. Jonas Rutsch was one such rider, adorning EF's new black kit, but was not allowed up the road.

Niklas Märkl of DSM has managed to get a gap on the peloton, but still has work to do to make it to the leaders. 

And he's unsuccessful - the peloton swallows him up.

Not that that has ended the action - more riders attack immediately as he is brought back. This is one of the race days of the season, and many riders want the kudos of spending much of it at the front.

Some of the big teams now showing themselves at the front of the peloton, perhaps trying to control things to calm this down. Visma-Lease a Bike, Bora-Hansgrohe, Soudal-QuickStep (if they can still be considered one of the big teams).

23 seconds now for the 8 leaders, and it's been a few minutes since the last counter-attacks. Could this be it?

Still the peloton aren't content, with Jonas Rutsch among those accelerating at the front. The 8 leaders advantage has ben halved to little more than ten minutes.

It seems some of the top teams have now had enough and are shutting down any attempts to join the leading 8. Visma-Lease a Bike and Alpecin-Deceuninck have both ensured would-be escapees haven't managed to get out the peloton. 

As a reault the leaders have grown their advantage again, back up to 23 seconds. It's still not enough to secure their place as the day's break, however. 

Just as it looked like the peloton might have sat up, Dusan Rajovic attacks. Again it's shut down, but the increase in pace means the race still hasn't been allowed to settle. 

Still plenty of short and unsuccessful attacks from riders attempting to get out of the peloton are coming every minute or so. This is turning into a tiring start to what is a very tiring day.

Cyrus Monk of Q36.5 Pro Cycling is the first for a while to succeed in getting a gap on the peloton, albeit it a small one. Still a long way to bridge up to the leaders, though.

Indeed, Monk too has now been brought back. 30 seconds now between the leaders and the peloton. 

Van der Poel is by his team car, taking off a layer in what are mild conditions. He looks very relaxed, despite all the expectations he carries on his shoulders today. 

Now a Team Flanders Baloise rider is the latest to jump out the peloton. But his chase is set to be even harder than Monk's, with the gap now up to 45 seconds.

Is this it? The pace is off with that Flanders-Baloise rider caught, and some have taken a comfort break.

That is it! The peloton have sat up, and are riding so slow that a spectator riding a penny-farthing at the side of the road is almost able to keep up. 

Lots of comfort breaks and conversations being had now. The gap is up to two minutes, and growing.

That fan on the penny-farthing one of the many weird and wonderful sights on the roadside, on what is the biggest party on the Belgian cycling calendar. This easter bunny at the start of the day easily the most nightmarish so far.  

In no time at all the gap is now up to over three minutes. We'll now have som downtime before the action kicks off later. 

Here's the day's break, who will now have the honour of leading the Tour of Flanders this morning. 

A reminder of the riders who make up the break:

Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal-QuickStep)

Luke Durbridge (Jayco AlUla)

Elmar Reinders (Jayco AlUla)

David Dekker (Arkéa - B&B Hotels)

Damien Touzé (Decathlon AG2R)

Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis)

Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto-Dstny)

Jelle Vermoote (Bingoal WB)

Over four minutes now for those 8 riders in the break. There is more organisation now in the peloton, which is being led by Alpecin-Deceuninck, but they're happy to let them have a big lead.

To whet the appetite for the action to come, make sure to have a read of our interview with Nick Nuyens , reflecting on winning one of the most memorable editions of the Tour of Flanders in 2011.

As you can see, it’s blue skies at the Tour of Flanders. There’s no threat of any rain for now, and there’s no wind to speak of either - to the relief of many.

The leaders had to stop briefly at a level crossing. Thankfully it's a much more orderly stoppage that than of a few years ago, when some riders dangerously crossed the barriers after they had come down.

Strangely, the organisers haven’t stopped the peloton to rebalance the race. That’s harsh on the break, who had to wait almost a minute at the level crossing.

The break has indeed seen the leaders' advantage come down quite a bit, from over four minutes to aout 3-30.

While we wait for the action to kick off, let's reflect on some of the favourites. 

It’s been a while since there was such an overwhelming favourite for a Tour of Flanders victory that Mathieu van der Poel. With Tadej Pogačar skipping the race this year, and Wout van Aert out injured, the way seems clear for the Dutchman to claim a third-career Ronde victory. So far this spring he has looked every bit as strong as during his history-making 2023 season, and the way he rode everyone off his wheel at E3 SaxoBank Classic was ominous. On the harder parcours of the Tour of Flanders, you’d expect him to be even harder to stop.

Van der Poel's one slip up this spring came at Gent-Wevelgem, where Mads Pedersen finished off great work from Lidl-Trek to beat him in a two-up sprint. Pedersen had been in stellar form, and established himself as perhaps the man most likely to beat Van der Poel, but is now an unknown quantity having gone down in the same crash that took out Wout van Aert on Wednesday. He’s a tough competitor though, and has made it to the start. Who knows what we can expect from him?

Van Aert and Christophe Laporte might both be missing, but Visma-Lease a Bike still has a quality line-up of riders capable of animating the race. Dylan van Baarle and Tiesj Benoot are their most experienced riders, but perhaps their best hope is Matteo Jorgenson, the young American who has not only won Paris-Nice, but also looked brilliant on the cobbles to win Dwars door Vlaanderen and finish fifth at E3 Saxo Classic. He’s one of very few riders with the raw talent to potentially compete against Van der Poel.

Alpecin-Deceuninck are embracing their status as overwhelming favourites, and are leading the peloton with no help from any other teams. They're keeping the break's lead stable at 3-45.

The absence of so many expected favourites, be it through injury, such as Van Aert and Stuyven, or through choice, like Pogačar and Philipsen, give other riders a better chance than usual to pull off a result. Could perennial high bridesmaids Matej Mohorič and Stefan Küng capitalise? Or perhaps Alberto Bettiol could repeat his victory from 2019, given that he’s looked in his best form since then?

Just 12km now until the first cobbled sector, the Lippenhovestraat. It's only a relatively mild one, though - the real action will get going in about 45km with the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. 

This is an unusual edition of the Tour of Flanders in that, in the list of pre-race favourites, there is nobody from Belgium’s leasing team Soudal-QuickStep. We’re used to seeing them control this early phase of the race by controlling the peloton, but this year they’re taking an opposite approach, having placed a rider up in the break in Bert Van Lerberghe. That’s the kind of tactic you associate with second tier, non-World Tour teams, not the most famous classics team in the world.

Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere, looking forlorn at his team’s chances - although he tends to wear the same expression even when they win.

Still about 4 minutes for the break. Alpecin continue to lead the peloton but we expect teams like Visma-Lease a Bike and Lidl-Trek to start putting them under pressure later. 

In fact, as we speak other teams have taken over from Alpecin at the front. They’re not attacking though, but rather positioning themselves ahead of the first cobbled sector of the day, coming upon a couple of kilometres.

The break are on the cobbles, where large crowds are there to greet them. If it's like that here, we can only imagine the atmosphere on the famous bergs!

Movistar is the team leading the peloton on the cobbles. Now they've arrived at the cobbled stretch and the fight for position over, the pace has calmed again. 

Now they're on the Paddestraat, a cobbled sector that comes immediately after the Lippenhovestraat. Everything's still relaxed - there still hasn't been a crash yet all day, mercifully. 

That's it for the cobbles for now, but less than 25km now until Oude Kwaremont. Anticipation is building!

One thing that isn't building though is the break's lead, which is now down to 3-30. That's likely to get much smaller once the pace really increases on the arrival to the Kwaremont. 

The first sight of cobblestones today, on the Lippenhovestraat.

The pace is calm for now - calm enough for Van der Poel to shed a gilet at the back of the peloton and have a talk with his team car. He’ll need to be back at the front in a few kilometres when the race for positioning onto the Oude Kwaremont begins.

Over four minutes again for the break. They've got a big enough lead to stay out for a while longer yet, even as the race is about to ignite soon. 

The riders are passing through the town of Oudenaarde, near where the race will finish in a few hour’s time. The long trek south-westwards from the start in Antwerp is over, and we’re now in the heart of the region of Flanders where all the action happens.

Bike change needed for Dekker in the break. If you're going to have a mechanical, now's the time, just before the climbs start to come thick and fast. 

Under 5km to go now until the Oude Kwaremont. Here's where the race proper begins.

The Oude Kwaremont has become one of the iconic climbs of the Tour of Flanders. You can read all about it here.

The break are on the Kwaremont now.

Meanwhile the pace is really up in the peloton. This is where things can get dangerous, and crashes a possibility. 

Huge roars are greeting the break on the Kwaremont. Every inch of the roadside has been filled.

Van Lerberghe is leading the break through a wall of noise on the Kwaremont. It really is something to see the roads lined for the entirity of the 2km climb. 

An issue for a a few riders in the peloton. It's not exactly a crash, as the pace was at virtually a standstill as they approached a corner, but they have had to climb off the saddle for a bit and have ground to make up.

That corner was leading into the Kwaremont, that the peloton is climbing now, with Alpecin back at the front. 

The riders involved in that mini-crash were Dylan Teuns, Cyrus Monk, Georg Zimmerman - and Matej Mohorič, whose among the favourites for the win. That's not ideal for the Slovenian, who is having to climb the Kwaremont somewhere towards the back. 

They've crested the Kwaremont, and the peloton remains all together. 

Despite the increase in pace before the Kwaremont, the riders in the break have still managed to maintain a sizable lead of 3-30. They've now got about 15km of respite before the next climb, Kapelleberg.

A crash in the peloton, and this time it's a more serious one. About four or five riders are down, none seriosuly hurt, but moving quite gingerly. 

No favourites involved in that crash, but some big names and important domestiques - Ineos’ Ben Swift, Bora’s Nico Denz, Israel-Premier Tech’s Guillaume Boivin and Riley Sheehan.

Now it’s confirmed that Boivin has abandoned - the second DNF of the day, following Edvald Boasson Hagen's withdrawal earlier.

The fight for position is really on in the peloton now, and the pace is up. The break's lead is down to 3 minutes as a result. 

Near miss for a few riders at the back of the peloton, who just about managed to stay upright after a tough of wheels. Things are getting tense.

Now there's a proper crash, with 4 riders down. It's at the back of the peloton so no favourites involved, and nobody appears too hurt.

That crash occurred on the run-in to the Kapelleberg, which the breakaway are climbing now.

Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike are at the front of the peloton as the climb approaches. These are the teams expected to take the race to Van der Poel - will they dare try anything this early?

An attack has been made over the top of the climb, but from an Uno-X rider rather than a representative of one of those teams.

Alpecin-Deceuninck regained control on the climb, and they have a rider on that Uno-X rider’s wheel.

Axel Laurance is the Alpecin rider, and Jonas Abrahamsen the Uno-X.

Interestingly, Laurence is working with Abrahamson. Alpecin are taking a pro-active approach to being the targetted team.

That pair have started climbing the Wolvenberg, while Visma-Lease a Bike lead the peloton a few seconds behind.

Matteo Jorgenson leads the peloton on the Wolvenberg, bringing the duo back and stringing the bunch out. It's an acceleration rather than an attack, but the American is forcing everyone to be watchful.

All this has seen the break's lead plummit to just 1-40.

They've done the climb but selections are already forming. The peloton is reduced already, to maybe about 60 or so riders.

The race is really on now! Accelerations are coming out of the front of the bunch, including one from Mads Pedersen. He's been marked, but Laurenz Rex now has a small gap.

Problem for Alpecin-Deceuninck as key domestique Søren Kragh Andersen has a mechanical, and another of their riders is delayed as they debate whether to swap bikes or wait for the team car. Alpecin have looked very controlled so far, but they don't want to lose two riders from the front of the peloton this early.

The pace has slackened, following what has been a frantic few minutes. Things will kick off again imminently as the Molenberg approaches, one of the toughest climbs of the race. 

Rex was caught, incidentally, and there are no riders between the peloton and the 8 escapees 1-50 up the road.

Søren Kragh Andersen is back in the bunch, in a relief for team leader Van der Poel.

Don’t forget that the women’s Tour of Flanders is taking place simultaneously. You can follow all the action with us here .

A few ominous drops of rain starting to fall. This could really throw a cat among the pigeons should the cobbles get wet.

Lots of Lidl-Trek and Visma-Lease a Bike assembling at the front of the peloton. The Molenberg might be where their first serious moves are made. 

The break are on the Molenberg now. The peloton are only about 1-30 behind so not long 'till they start climbing it too.

Lidl-Trek lead onto the climb with two riders.

Pedersen attacks!

Jorgenson and Van der Poel on his wheel.

Those three reach the top of the climb together.

Stefan Küng is the fourth rider to crest the climb, and is dragging a group to them.

We now have a group of 12 riders formed by that Pedersen attack.

Visma-Lease a Bike on the attack now, and have 2 riders in Benoot and Van Dijk with Pithie and a UAE rider off the front.

Those four have been brought back by a group much larger than it was over the top of the Molenberg.

More attacks as that quartet is caught, led by Alaphilippe.

Those riders have also been brought back, but there's no control at the moment. 

Dylan van Baarle is the latest rider to attack. He's not a man they can afford to let up the road.

Van Baarle has 9 riders with him, including a Visma-Lease a Bike teammate. They have a few seconds ahead of another group not much bigger, among them Van der Poel.

This Van Baarle group looks very strong. Also present in it is Tiesj Benoot, Ben Turner, Oliver Naesen and Nils Politt. 

The Van Baarle group looks set to catch the breakaway, as they approach the next climbs - the Marlboroughstraat.

Mads Pedersen is also in the Van Baarle group, rendering it even more dangerous.

The Van Baarle/Pedersen group has caught the break on the climb, and Benoot is leading them up it.

More attacks from the peloton behind, with Lazkano the instigator. Van der Poel isn't panicking just yet though. 

Lazkano and fellow attacker Fred Wright have been caught, but there's no organisation in this chase.

The lead group, by contrast, are working well. Visma are enthused by having two of their strongest riders in it, Benoot and Van Baarle, while Lidl-Trek have their leader Pedersen there. 

20 seconds between the lead group and the peloton. Van der Poel needs some teammates to control the race for him.

Now the rain starts to fall!

It's only a drizzle for now, but could spell danger if it keeps falling.

Van der Poel has three riders with him setting the pace in the peloton. That's a lot, but not enough if the lead group all work well together.

There are plenty of riders in the lead group with incentive to work, too. As well as Benoot, Van Baarle and Pedersen, favourites such as Nils Politt, Oliver Naesen, Tim Merlier, Ben Turner, and Laurenz Rex are also present.

Van der Poel attacks!

And he's bridged up to the lead group.

It seems the plan was for the Alpecin riders to up the pace to get Van der Poel close enough to bridge the gap up himself, which he did in a matter of moments after attacking.

While he's recovering though, Mads Pedersen attacks!

Fortunately for Van der Poel, he has Gianni Vermeersch on Pedersen’s wheel. Vermeersch was Alpecin’s sole representative in the break, and is now showing how useful a position that is.

Vermeersch isn't taking any turns, but that isn't stopping Pedersen from pressing on.

Pedersen and Vermeersch have a big gap of over ten minutes now, despite Pedersen doing all the work. He must be confidant that he can drop Vermeersch on the climbs - the next of which is Berg Ten Houte, in about 10km. 

Crash back in the peloton, and Stefan Küng is involved. He's up, but taking his time to get going again.

Vermeersch is now taking turns with Pedersen. That's interesting, as you would have assumed Pedersen would be deemded too much of a threat.

13 seconds now between Pedersen and Vermeersch up ahead, and the reduced peloton behind. 

One thing Vermeersch’s presence in the break has achieved is to force other teams to chase. There’s been a regrouping in the peloton behind, which is much bigger now than it was immediately after the previous flurry of climbs. Ineos Grenadiers are the team leading the chase.

Another group has now made contact with the peloton, which consequently swells to a considerable size now.

Pedersen and Vermeersh are on Berg Ten Houte now, with a lead of about 30 seconds.

Stefan Küng is trying to chase back to the peloton, all by himself. He's surely out of contention for the win.

Some riders trying to clip off the front of the peloton now the climb's summit has been crested, but none managing to go clear.

Vermeersch and Pedersen still out ahead with a lead of 18 seconds. The Kruisberg is the next climb in about 6km, after which is the Oude Kwaremont again and the beginning of the really serious business. 

Not only do Alpecin have Vermeersch out front, they also have two riders at the front of the peloton looking after Van der Poel. They might have been under pressure earlier on in the race, but they have things well under control for now.

Fabian Cancellara's been spotted on the road side at the feedzone, handing out bidons. Van der Poel is hoping to join him on three Flanders victories today - but not replicate what happened to him in 2011, when, as a similarly ret hot favourite, he was tactically outmanoeuvred to be defeated. You can read all about that terrific edition of the race here .

Talking of tactics, just what is Mads Pedersen up to here? Even with the assistance of Vermeersch, this is a big effort, and one that’s being made with a lot of racing still to do. Does he really believe he can win with such an early attack? Or has his crash earlier this week changed his approach, and leading him into more of a supplementary role in favour of teammates like Jonathan Milan and Toms Skujiņš?

Alpecin-Deceninck are hardly playing things by the tactical playbook, either, leading the peloton despite having Vermeersch. But there is a clear method here - Vermeersch is marking one of their main threats, Mads Pedersen, while the others are discouraging other attacks from the peloton by controlling things, while also keeping Van der Poel well positioned. 

Big increase in pace as the Kwaremont nears. The duo's lead dips beneath 30 seconds 

A few riders held up on one of the tight squeezes heading towards the Kwaremont. Nobody hit the deck though, thankfully.

The leading duo start the Kwaremont with a lead of only 10 seconds on the peloton, due to the pace increase ahead of the climb.

Lazkano leads the peloton on the climb, with Van der Poel on his wheel.

Lazkano's flying up this climb, and has caught the duo already

Now Van der Poel attacks!

Van der Poel has alead of a few seconds towards the summit.

Van der Poel's been joined by a few riders as he leads over the summit: Lazkano, Teuns, Pithie, Wellens and Pedersen.

That sextet has a handy lead already.

They don't look eager to press on though, and groups are coming back from behind.

The lead group is now about 20 riders big, as groups bridge up to those six riders.

They're on the Paterberg now, and Ben Turner is leading the peloton

Van der Poel is fourth in line.

Things haven't kicked off on the Paterberg as much as they did on the Oude Kwaremont. The peloton is strung out, but no groups have got away.

One rider has managed to slip clear - Ivan Garcia. The Spaniard was in good form earlier in the spring, but is racing for the first time since abandoning the Volta a Catalunya.

Pithie and Toms Skujiņš are having to do a bit of work to rejoin the group of favourites, which only has about a dozen riders left in it for now.

This is a good move from Garcia. He's been given ten seconds by the favourites group, who maybe don't consider him too much of a threat.

There aren't many riders in the group of favourites: just Van der Poel, Pedersen, Mohoric, Benoot, Skujiņš, Pithie, Jorgensen, Rex, Lazkano, Turner, Politt, Teuns, Wellens, Naesen.

A few more riders have joined on the approach to the climb: Mozzato, Van der Berg, and one of the pre-race favourites Michael Matthews.

They're on the Koppenberg now!

Garcia's had a problem and has dropped his chain

Van der Poel attacks on the Koppenberg!

Amazing images here that only the Koppenberg can provide: even riders in the front group are having to dismount on walk up it!

Not Van der Poel though, who is flying up it. Jorgenson is in sol pursuit but there's daylight between them.

Even further back is Mads Pedersen - but this is still some ride from the Dane given his earlier efforts.

After Pedersen is Teuns, then Garcia, but there's seconds between them

Then Bettiol, Rex and Wellens in a small group.

7 seconds between Van der Poel and Jorgenson. There are 43km to go, which is only slightly longer than where he attacked to win E3 last week. Will he think about sitting up, or is this the winning move already?

Behind Jorgensen, there's already a huge 25 seconds to the next man on the road, Mads Pedersen.

Jorgenson can see Van der Poel up the road on a long straight section of road, but isn't making any inroads. Van der Poel isn't looking back, and doesn't seem to have any intention of waiting for him.

Van der Poel is on the Mariaborrestraat cobbled sector now, and his lead's getting bigger - up to 15 seconds now.

Meanwhile Pedesen has company now, with Teuns joining him. That will be of great use as they try to bring back Jorgenson.

We're seeing a reply of Garcia on the Koppernberg, and it turns out it wasn't a mechanical - the cobbles were simply too hard. It seems slight rainfall we've had was enough to make the cobbles here slippy, and therefore even more difficult than usual.

Garcia, Wellens, Bettiol and Rex have now also joined Pedersen and Teuns. They currently occupy the places 3rd - sixth on the road, behind Van der Poel in first and Jorgenson in second. 

Van der Poel’s on the Taaienberg now, and his gap's getting bigger and bigger. Now over 40 seconds.

Jorgenson is experiencing similar to what his teammate Van Aert did at E3 Saxo Classic - he was agonisingly close a short while ago, but is now seeing the world champion jersey grow further and further into the distance. 

Pedersen appears to be suffering from his earlier efforts now. He’s been dropped by the chase group, along with Rex.

Not far behind them are no less than 3 Ineos riders in a chase group. If they can get organised then the riders behind Van der Poel are catchable.

Jorgenson has been swallowed up by the chase group, now consisting of just Bettiol, Teuns, Wellens and Garcia. 

They're all 1-15 behind Van der Poel, however. This could be another huge winning margin at this rate.

Rex and Pedersen hae managed to rejoin the chase group, swelling it to seven riders. These riders can all be pleased with how they've raced today - it's just that Van der Poel is on another planet.

Those seven chasers should be able to contest for the remaining podium places, as the next group on the road is almost a minute behind.

The chasers are racing each other rather than organise to try and bring back Van der Poel, suggesting that they've the podium spots in mind. Garcia has attacked and has a small gap.

Here's Van der Poel attacking on the Koppenberg, Jorgenson in the distance behind, in what looks sure to be the race-winning move.

Still three climbs left to ride up, the first of which, the Oude Kruisberg, Van der Poel is on now.

Teuns is leading the chasers on the Kruisberg. The Belgian hasn't shown much this spring, but often seems to raise his game for big monuments and has done so again today.

Bettiol accelerates, and has split the group up. The riders who went deepest to try and chase Van der Poel initially, Jorgenson and Pedersen, are first out the back, suggesting they’re paying for those efforts.

Only Teuns left with Bettiol now, with Wellens and Garcia a few seconds behind. 

Up ahead Van der Poel's lead is still growing. It's now 1-42, and he still has one more ascent up the Kwaremont and Paterberg to extend it. 

Here's a glimpse of some of the carnage on the Koppenberg. That's Tim Wellens and Dylan Teuns in the background having to dismount - two of the strongest riders in the break, who are now in the hunt for podium places.

This is shaping up to be an ecxciting battle for the podium places. Bettiol and Teuns only have a few seconds on Wellens and Garcia behind. The upcoming climbs will be decisive.

Further behind, Michael Matthews, Toms Skujiņš and Oliver Naesen have joined Pedersen, Rex and Jorgenson. Pedersen will be grateful for having a teammate with him. 

Van der Poel is on the Oude Kwaremont for one last time, and is been greeted by huge cheers.

Van der Poel has reached the top, and his lead is just short of two minutes! Even by the recent standards of huge solo wins from the likes of himself and Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, that's truly enormous.

Behind, Bettiol and Teuns appear to have increased their lead over the next chase group.

The make-up of the group behind Bettiol and Teuns has changed, with some including Pedersen and Jorgenson dropped, and others including Benoot now in it.

Now Van der Poel's on the Paterberg, the last climb of the race.

Now Teuns and Bettiol are on the Paterberg, and Teuns is dropping him.

Not far behind, the next chase group in full consists of: Benoot, Skujiņš, Wellens, Matthews, Tarling, Mozzato, Benoot, Hirschi, Mogrado and Politt.

Bettiol managed to limit his losses to Teuns on the Paterberg, and is back with him The pair have to work together though if they want podium spots, as the other group is bearing down on them.

It appears the Ineos rider was Magnus Sheffield rather than Josh Tarling, and the American has gone clear from the rest of the chasers with Oliver Naesen and Michael Matthews.

Puncture for Tiesj Benoot, one of several riders who is (or at least was) still in contention for a podium finish.

Sheffield, Matthews and Naesen have now been caught by six other chasers, most of them UAE riders: Wellens, Politt, Morgado and Bjerg (not Hirschi as earlier said), plus Mozzato and Skujiņš. 

Not present is Benoot, who had a slow bike chance and is out of contention.

Van der Poel is at least showing some signs of tiredness: his lead has dropped to 1-20, as chasers Bettiol and Teuns continue to ride hard But they're racing to fend off the chasers, rather than in any hope of bringing the world champion back.

Four of the nine riders in the chase group behind Bettiol and Teuns are UAE Team Emirates riders. If they're to make up the 10 seconds they need to bring that duo back and bring a podium position into play, it'll be up to them to do so.

Just 1,500 metres left for Van der Poel to complete.

Van der Poel might have already won the Tour of Flanders twice, but on both those occasions he took somebody with him to the finishing straight before outsprinting them - Wout van Aert in 2020, and Tadej Pogačar in 2022. This time, he’ll have the privilege of being able to soak up the atmosphere, and enjoy the feeling of knowing he’s won before he crosses the line. 

He is indeed making the most of it, slowing down and taking in the crowd's applause.

Mathieu van der Poel wins the Tour of Flanders!

He's had plenty of time to think of a celebration, and he's come up with a great one for the photographers - as he crosses the line, he lifts the bike up above his head

Menawhile there's an intense battle for the podium spots, as the chasers bear down on Teuns and Bettiol...

...they catch them just in time! Matthews and Mozzato take the podium spots.

It seems Mozzato edged out Matthews for second-place. That's a huge result for both the Italian, and his Arkéa - B&B Hotels team.

Not just a huge result for Mozzato, but surely the best of his career.

Meanwhile third-place for Michael Matthews is a first ever Tour of Flanders podium for the Australian, and follows his second-place finish at Milan-Sanremo. Whereas he was devastated to get so close to winning that time, surely he'll be delighted at this result given the impossibility of anybody stopping Van der Poel.

Plenty of other surprise names in the top ten as well as Mozzato: who would have predicted Bjerg, Morgado and Sheffield to also finish so highly?

But one thing that certainly was not a surprise was the winner. Van der Poel delivered everything that was expected of him and then some, not showing any signs of the pressure he was under. His eventual winning margin of 1-02 might not have been as big as it looked like being when he grew a lead of almost two minutes on the Oude Kwaremont, but it’s still huge.

To put Van der Poel’s win into perspective, it’s a considerably bigger margin than the 16 seconds Tadej Pogačar won by last year, which was the first time the Ronde had been won solo since 2019. 

As for wins bigger than his 1-02 margin, you have to go all the way back to Fabian Cancellara’s 2013 triumph for the last time someone won by more (on that occasion, 1-27).

An update on the podium finish - Michael Matthews has been relegated for dangerous sprinting, meaning that Nils Politt has instead been promoted to third-place.

The victory means Van der Poel draws level with Fabian Cancellara, Tom Boonen, Johan Museeuw, Eric Leman, Fiorenzo Magni and Achiel Buysse on the all-time list with three victories. At the age of just 31, he has plenty of time to do what none of those riders could, and become the first man in history to win a fourth title.

Regarding Matthews’ relegation, it seems he’s been punished for deviating from his line and not allowing Politt any room to pass him by the barrier. Politt was visibly incensed and believed his line had been unfairly blocked - and so to, it seems, did the commissaires.

A moment's thought for Teuns and Bettiol, who appeared to have podium places sewn up before being caught agonisingly on the finishing straight. Instead, they have to settle for eighth and nine respectively.

Here’s more images from the Kopenberg, which really was a throwback to the past with most riders resorting to walking up. It was also the moment where Van der Poel made his race-winning attack, not just staying on the bike all the way up, but flying up at a pace that even those who didn’t have to walk couldn’t get anywhere near matching.

Thanks for joining us today, for what must surely go down as one of the greatest rides to win the Tour of Flanders in the race’s history. 

Don’t forget also that the women’s race is still going - and it’s all kicking off! Be sure to follow our live report .

As it happened: Küng's victory and Roglič's coronation on Vuelta a España stage 21

As it happened: Delight for Dunbar, red for Roglič on Vuelta a España stage 20

Tom Pidcock to lead British team for UCI Road World Championships

Most popular, get the leadout newsletter.

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Latest on Cyclingnews

Il Lombardia Past Winners

Jan Tratnik reunites with Primož Roglič at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe for 2025

Northwave Hammer Plus review: Flexible gravel shoes for all-day comfort

'I'm only human' - Primož Roglič considered cycling future after latest Tour de France abandon

UCI Road World Championships 2024 - Junior Women ITT contenders

UCI Road World Championships 2024 - Junior Men ITT contenders

Brompton goes gravel-specific with larger wheels, disc brakes, and custom tyres

UCI Road World Championships 2024 - Elite women's individual time trial contenders