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2022 Tour of Flanders: Things to know, riders to watch, schedule for the men's and women's races on Sunday

Mathieu van der Poel is favourite for the iconic one-day men's classic race on the Belgian cobbles with Wout van Aert missing through COVID-19, while Olympic champion Annemiek van Vleuten chases a hat-trick of wins in the women's event.

The second road cycling 'Monument' classic race of 2022 is the 106th edition of the Tour de Flanders on Sunday (3 April).

First staged in 1913, 'De Ronde' has been held each year since 1919 and is the most prestigious of the six spring classics in the Belgian region. This year's race will start from the city of Antwerp, as it has since 2017, and will end in Oudenaarde after a total of 272.5 km, 20 more than in 2021.

Twelve months ago, Kasper Asgreen of Denmark took the biggest win of his career by upsetting defending champion Mathieu van der Poel in a two-man sprint. Rio 2016 gold medallist Greg van Avermaet completed the podium.

Over the past 105 editions of the men's race, a Belgian has won the 'Ronde van Vlaanderen' 69 times, the last one being 2012 road world champion Philippe Gilbert in 2017. Italy and the Netherlands are tied second with 11 wins each.

This time, the hopes of home fans had been with Wout van Aert , who was one of the favourites again after finishing second two years ago. But on Thursday it was announced that he would miss the event recon due to a sore throat.

And he withdrew on Friday morning after testing positive for COVID-19, telling his Jumbo-Visma team , "I immediately did two self-tests and they were both positive. I then did a PCR test, which showed that I tested strongly positive.

"The good news is that I only have mild symptoms, just a sore throat and a cold. My focus is on recovering now. I want to be fully recovered before thinking about the future again."

His withdrawal leaves arch-rival van der Poel and two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar leading the list of the contenders.

The women's race, held since 2004, is scheduled on the same day across a 158.5km route starting and ending in Oudenaarde. For the first time the female peloton will take the mighty Koppenberg, one of the most challenging climbs of the Flemish region.

Two-time Tokyo 2020 medallist Annemiek van Vleuten took a solo victory a year ago after a blistering attack on the Paterberg climb. The Dutch superstar, who also triumphed in 2011, will aim for a third success on the Flemish cobbles, but she will face a stiff competition from teammate Emma Norsgaard and 2012 Olympic champion Marianne Vos .

Read on to find out everything you need to know about the highlight of the Flanders classic series, including the riders to watch.

2022 Tour of Flanders men's route

Cobbled streets, narrow roads, and sharp climbs makes the Tour of Flanders one of the most exciting races of the year.

Riders will start from the Grote Markt in Antwerp before moving through various towns in the East Flanders region in Northern Belgium, including Sint-Niklas, Erpe-Mere and Zottegem.

After just over 100km the peloton will cross the first two cobbled sectors of Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat then a longer flat section leads to the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, where fans will be allowed for the first time after two years of Covid restrictions.

A total of 17 brutal climbs or cotes mark the looping route around Oudenaard, featuring five cobbled sections, and with the Paterberg representing the punishing final ascent of the day before the last flat 13km.

2022 Tour of Flanders - male riders to watch

Mathieu van der poel (ned).

A former winner of the Ronde (2020), the Dutchman returned to competition at the recent Milan-San Remo where he finished third and showed that he's recovered from the back injury suffered during the MTB event at the Tokyo 2020 Games last summer. One week later the multi-discipline rider claimed his first success of this 2022 on stage 4 of the Settimana Coppi and Bartali.

Tadej Pogacar (SLO)

The Slovenian phenom aims to ride four of the five cycling Monuments in 2022 and will make his debut in the Belgian classic race. The winner of last year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia started the season strong by impressing at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, and also triumphing at Strade Bianche after a long-range solo attack on the gravel roads of Tuscany.

Kasper Asgreen (DEN)

The defending champion, along with Yves Lampaert, leads a strong Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team, who has won three of the past five editions of the Flanders.

Anthony Turgis (FRA)

Second at the last Milan-San Remo, France's Total Energies rider has made the top ten for the past two years.

Alexander Kristoff (NOR)

The Norwegian veteran, now racing for Intermarch-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux, won the Flanders seven years ago and has made the top five three times in the past five years, coming third in 2019 and 2020

Mads Pedersen (DEN)

The 2019 World champion is a specialist of one-day races and can count on a strong Trek-Segafredo team, along with 2021 San Remo winner Jasper Stuyven and American rising star Quinn Simmons.

Tom Pidcock (GBR)

The MTB Olympic champion had a difficult start to the season on the road after stomach problems saw his skip Strade Bianche and abandon Milan-San Remo. After making a surprise recovery for Gent-Wevelgem, the Yorkshire-man is ready to lead the Ineos Grenadiers team along with fellow British rider Ethan Hayter.

2022 Tour of Flanders men's race: Schedule (all times local CEST, approximate after race start):

10:00 - Riders roll out from the Grote Markt Antwerp

10:18 - Official race start from Zwijndrecht

12:46 - Riders pass through first two cobbled sectors - Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat (168.8km to go)

13:33 - First ascent of the Oude Kwaremont (136.2km to go)

14:00 - Start of the second cobbled section in Holleweg (116.9km to go)

15:34 - First ascent of Paterberg (51.1km to go)

15:51 - Last cobbled section in Stationberg (38.7km to go)

16:23 - Third and final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont (16.7km to go)

16:47 - Finish in Oudenaarde

2022 Tour of Flanders women's route

The women's route starts at the Markt in Oudenaard with first cobbled sections after 45km.

A series of 11 short and steep climbs will follow in rapid succession: from the Wolvenberg (69km) to the Paterberg (145km), with the Kopperberg (114km) - the cobbled berg with a maximum gradient of 21.6%c - being the main ascent.

The 158.5km route will end with a final flat 12km section into the Minderbroedersstraat in Oudenaarde.

2022 Tour of Flanders - female riders to watch

Annemiek van vleuten (ned).

The two-time Olympic medallist at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 is the defending champion in this event. The Dutchwoman, who's started her season with a victory Omloop Her Nieuwsblad and a second place at Strade Bianche, is aiming for her third title on the Flemish cobbles.

Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA)

The Trek-Segafredo team leader, who won bronze in the last two Olympic road races, is a former winner of the event (2015) and will be supported by fellow Italian and reigning world champion Elisa Balsamo.

Emma Norsgaard (DEN)

The Movistar teammate of van Vleuten, Denmark's Emma Norsgaard recently won the one-day Le Samyn des Dames, which included a cobbled section, and is tipped to do well in Flanders, especially if the race should come down to a sprint.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL)

The new course featuring the Koppenberg suits the Polish rider, winner of the 2019 Amstel Gold Race, who is known for her wild explosive uphill attacks.

Marianne Vos (NED)

Never rule out 2012 Olympic champion Marianne Vos . Despite a lack of recent racing, the Dutch multi-discipline rider finished second at Gent-Wavelgem for Jumbo-Visma, after illness prevented her from competing in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Now over her cold symptoms, Vos will certainly be one to watch.

2022 Tour of Flanders women's race: Schedule (all times local CET, approximate after race start):

13:25 - Riders roll out from the Markt in Oudenaarde

13:35 - Official race start

14:46 - Riders pass through first two cobbled sectors - Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat (113.1km to go)

15:23 - Ascent of first climb, the Wolvenberg (89.6km to go)

16:34 - Ascent of the Koppenberg (44.6km to go)

17:17 - Ascent of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg (16.7km to go)

17:44 - Finish in Oudenaarde

Tour of Flanders previous winners

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)

2017: Philippe Gilbert (BEL/Quick-Step Floors)

2016: Peter Sagan (SVK/Tinkoff)

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)

2017: Coryn River (USA/Team Sunweb)

2016: Lizzie Armistead (GBR/Boels-Dolmans)

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Preview: The route and the favorites for the 2022 men’s Tour of Flanders

Van der poel, pogačar, and asgreen are just a few of the riders to watch at de ronde..

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After building the drama with plenty of action in some great run-up races, the Flemish Classics will reach a crescendo on Sunday at the Tour of Flanders.

De Ronde van Vlaanderen will host its 106th edition this weekend and, as ever, it should be a stirring show with some of the sport’s biggest names set to clash on the event’s iconic cobbled climbs.

If you haven’t already, you can get ready for the women’s race with Abby Mickey’s preview . As for the men’s race, here’s what you need to know…

The men will cover 273 km of racing at the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, starting in Antwerp and finishing in Oudenaarde. Along the way, they will take on 18 climbs and seven stretches of cobblestones, with some overlap there on those climbs that are cobbled.

The first 130 km or so, as the riders head southeast out of Antwerp, will be relatively gentle, featuring only two cobbled sectors and no official climbs. As the pack approaches Oudenaarde, however, things will immediately pick up in the first of what will ultimately be three trips up the Oude Kwaremont. The cobbled climb will herald the start of some serious challenges, with little respite for the riders from that point on.

Roads that loop back over themselves in the fields around Oudenaarde will take riders up and over nine more climbs and three cobbled sectors – including the cobbled Molenberg climb – before the next visit to the Oude Kwaremont. This time, the Kwaremont will be followed by its steep, cobbled neighbor, the Paterberg. With less than 60 km left by this point, we should start to see which riders are feeling strong and which riders are struggling on the tough terrain.

A final loop through the countryside near Oudenaarde should decide the race. First up is the brutally steep and cobbled Koppenberg, which is quickly followed by the Mariaborrestraat cobbles, the Steenbeekdries climb, the Stationsberg cobbles, and the punchy pavé of the Taaienberg. That flurry of challenges will almost certainly blow whatever is left of the pack to pieces. The Kruisberg, with 27 km to go, will provide a potential launching pad for a long-range move, and then the would-be aggressors will have their one final golden opportunity to get clear on the Kwaremont and the Paterberg.

Coming so soon after so many previous challenges, this last visit to the Kwaremont-Paterberg double will be a serious challenge for whomever is still in the mix.

From the top of the Paterberg, 14 km remain. The mostly flat finale into Oudenaarde will add a bit of final intrigue as any attackers try to hold off any chasers who are able to get organized as the road evens out.

As of Friday, there only a small chance that the weather will complicate matters at the Tour of Flanders, with a slight possibility of rain. The expected westerly wind will do the early break no favors as the race heads from Antwerp to Oudenaarde, but the way the route constantly changes direction and loops back onto itself in the second half of the race, it’s hard to make any definitive pronouncements on how a bit of wind would affect the finale.

The favorites

Even with just two days still to go, the Flanders start list remains unsettled at the top. That said, a few names already stand out as top favorites for De Ronde van Vlaanderen – although the rider who looked like the top favorite for the race just a few days ago is doubtful to start.

With Wout van Aert ill, it’s a bit harder to name a clear favorite for the race. As of Friday, the Belgian’s status for Flanders remains uncertain. Should he start, Van Aert has the versatility to win this race in practically any scenario. If Van Aert misses the race, however, Jumbo-Visma does still have strong cards to play in Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot , who complement each other quite well. Benoot can try to attack from afar, while Laporte has a fast finish.

If Van Aert does not race, favorite status probably falls to the 2020 winner and 2021 runner-up, Mathieu van der Poel .

His late start to the 2022 season does not seem to have hindered Van der Poel too dramatically, as he has already shown brilliant form in limited appearances this year. He took a big statement victory on Wednesday at Dwars door Vlaanderen. Van der Poel also already counts a Tour of Flanders win on his career palmares. He should be in the mix for the win, if his Alpecin-Fenix team can prove up to the task of taking on Jumbo and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. Jasper Philipsen will be a decent second option for the squad.

Defending champion Kasper Asgreen is probably the top name to watch on Quick-Step. The Belgian squad has been uncharacteristically quiet thus far this Classics campaign with little to show for their efforts thus far, but Asgreen and the likes of Yves Lampaert , Zdenek Štybar , and Florian Sénéchal are too good to ignore.

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is a bit of a wildcard on the start list. He’s obviously one of the sport’s most talented riders and seems capable of whatever he puts his mind to. That said, the Flemish cobblestones are not the terrain on which he tends to thrive, and he was solid but unspectacular at Dwars on Wednesday.

Count Pogačar out at your peril, but also don’t be surprised if the more specialized Classics stars outshine the Tour de France champ on Sunday. Matteo Trentin is another option for UAE.

Trek-Segafredo brings a powerful duo in Jasper Stuyven and Mads Pedersen to the Tour of Flanders. Both are capable on the cobbles and both have good finishing kicks. If the fast-finishing Van Aert misses the race, Trek-Segafredo’s ability to contest a reduced sprint will give the team a serious chance at coming away with a win.

Tom Pidcock of the Ineos Grenadiers showed at Dwars door Vlaanderen that he is in fine form ahead of his second career Flanders start. Dylan van Baarle , Jhonatan Narváez , and Ben Turner are other options for an Ineos team with surprising depth for the pavé.

Matej Mohorič will lead the way for Bahrain Victorious, hunting his second Monument title so far this season. Michael Matthews , who was sixth in the 2019 edition of this race and has made the Classics a priority in recent years, gives BikeExchange-Jayco a contender. Stefan Küng , with his huge engine, has quickly developed into strong option for the cobbled Classics at Groupama-FDJ, and the same is true for Victor Campenaerts at Lotto Soudal. Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen give AG2R Citroën a solid one-two punch. Anthony Turgis gives TotalEnergies a solid top option with former winner Niki Terpstra as another card to play.

Former winner Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux), former winner Alberto Bettiol , Nils Politt (Bora-Hansgrohe), John Degenkolb (DSM), and Gianni Moscon (Astana Qazaqstan) are others who could contend at the Tour of Flanders.

CyclingTips star ratings

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Van der Poel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Asgreen, Laporte, Pogačar ⭐️⭐️⭐️: Stuyven, Pedersen, Benoot, Pidcock ⭐️⭐️: Stybar, Van Avermaet, Turgis, Campenaerts, Küng, Mohorič ⭐️: Moscon, Kristoff, Van Baarle, Politt, Sénéchal, Bettiol, Lampaert, Matthews, Naesen

When to watch

The men’s race at the Tour of Flanders will roll out from Antwerp at 10 am local time (4 am ET/9 am BST/8 pm AEST). With so many challenges on the parcours, it’s tough to say where the big attacks will start to fly, but you’ll probably want to make sure you’re watching as the pack approaches the second trip up the Oude Kwaremont. That would mean tuning in by around 3:15 pm local time (9:15 am ET/2:15 pm BST/1:15 am AEST).

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FLANDERS’22 Preview: The Hellingen & Kasseien Contenders

De ronde preview.

Race Preview – De Ronde: This Sunday is the World road championships if you are flemish – The Tour of Flanders or de Ronde van Vlaanderen is as they say: ‘Flanders’ Most Beautiful’ Ed Hood looks at the history, course and who can win this year on the steep Flemish cobbled climbs.

Watch the most comprehensive live & ad-free coverage of the Tour of Flanders 2022 on GCN+ . Go deeper and get interactive with live polls & quizzes, plus rider profiles, race updates, results & more – plus stream original and exclusive cycling documentaries. Watch it all with GCN+ on any device.

If the Belgian Federation decided to leave the UCi tomorrow it wouldn’t really make much difference to their overall way of things; they would still have the best ‘cross scene on the planet, the only real six day race, the kermises, the Opening Weekend, the spring semi-classics, classics and what many believe to be the world’s greatest one day race – de Ronde. All that Milan-Sanremo and Lombardia scenery and glam stuff? – PAH!

So winning the Ronde Van Vlaanderen is the biggest deal to Belgian riders? This will be edition 106 of this Monument; of those, Belgian riders have won 69 times; the hellingen and kasseien were last tamed by a home boy in 2017 – Philippe Gilbert. Italy and The Netherlands are a joint, distant third on 11 wins – the most recent being respectively Alberto Bettiol in 2019 Mathieu Van Der Poel in 2020. And as for the Belgians; ask them for a straight choice – winning the Worlds or de Ronde and nine out of 10 will go for the latter; you’re Legend.

Does it really ‘tour Flanders?’ Not really; it starts up in Antwerp before a dash down to the hog’s back ridge of the Flemish Ardennes which broods above the finish town of Oudenaarde – home to the Tour of Flanders Museum – and around where the race is centred. The race approaches the ridge from multiple directions taking in some 18 ‘hellingen’ within the 272 kilometres parcours including the long, cobbled and often home to decisive splits if not race-winning moves, Oude Kwaremont three times; once early and twice late.

The short but savagely steep Paterberg is tackled twice as ascents 12 and 18 – with the latter almost certain to see the winning move consolidated or forged. There are two reasons for the ‘compressed’ parcours – firstly it ended the crazy driving perpetrated by those seeking to see the race as many times as possible at as many different places as possible. And, as AC/DC might say; ‘Listen to the Money Talk,’ – the finish circuit which takes in the Oude Kwaremont twice enables a huge hospitality village to be constructed there, pulling in crucial corporate revenue.

Give us some history? This will be edition 106, the first race being held in 1913; since then, six riders have won the race on three occasions, four of them Belgians. Home Boy, Achiel Buysse won in 1940, ‘41 and ‘43 – even PEZ soothsayer and mentor, Vik doesn’t remember that one. Nor does he remember Italian, ‘Lion of Flanders,’ Fiorenzo Magni’s wins in 1949, ‘50 and ‘51. However, both he and I do remember Belgian hard man, Eric Leman’s wins in 1970, ‘72 and ’73 though. And Tom Boonen’s three wins in 2005, ‘06 and ‘12 seem like yesterday; the Tornado also has a second place to his name. Switzerland’s Fabian Cancellara’s wins came in 2010, ‘13 and ‘14 with second and third places to boot. But the lion with the biggest teeth is Johan Museeuw, as well as wins in 1993, ’95 and ’98 he was second on three occasions and third twice to give him eight podiums – my head is bowed in respect as I type this.

Are there any previous winners riding and can they win again? The 2015 winner was Alex Kristoff [Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert & Norway] he’s also been twice third in 2019 and 2020, a repeat win is unlikely unless it’s a savage day.

The 2016 edition fell to Peter Sagan [TotalEnergies & Slovakia] who was initially down to ride but has withdrawn due to lack of form, perhaps as a result of his Covid infection?

The 2017 winner, Philippe Gilbert was not on the start list at time of writing. Dutchman Niki Terpstra [TotalEnergies] won in 2018 but since his horror high speed crash whilst training behind a motor bike two years ago has never really got back to the dominant form he used to enjoy – then there’s the fact that he’s 37 years-old. However, PEZ mentor and soothsayer, Vik reckons that Niki is ready to pull a rabbit from the hat. . .

And let’s not overlook Niki’s French team mate, Anthony Turgis , he’s in our, ‘due a big win soon’ file – second in the Primavera he’s been fourth and eighth in de Ronde in the past, so. . .

Italy’s Albert Bettiol [EF Education-EasyPost] won in 2019, a strong Tirreno and GP E3 gave us clues that year; this year he enjoyed a great start to this year with second on GC in the Étoile des Bessèges but has been quiet since then.

Mathieu Van Der Poel [Alpecin-Fenix] won the duel with eternal rival Wout Van Aert to take victory in 2021, can MVDP repeat the feat? With third in his first race back, the 300K epic that is the Primavera then a stage win in Coppi e Bartali – it’s certainly possible.

Kasper Asgreen [Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl] made it two victories for Denmark last year, adding to Rolf Sorensen’s 1997 beautiful win. He was also second to Bettiol in 2019 so the man knows his Ronde. This year? He was third in the Strade Bianche and in the winning move in the E3, a race which he won last year but seemed disinterested in the sprint for third spot – perhaps he’s happy with where his form is at? Aforementioned Vik and I are at loggerheads over Quick-Step; he’s all gloom and doom about the boys in blue. I had to remind him that they’ve won 17 races this season this far – however, he is correct in saying that they’ve not enjoyed their usual dominance over the cobbles this spring, ‘Tim Declerq, we miss you. . .

Who else can win? Three letters – ‘WVA’ . Home Boy, Wout Van Aert [Jumbo Visma] won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, was in imperious form in Paris-Nice, made winning the GP E3 look easy and was strong in Gent-Wevelgem – he has to be, ‘super favoriet,’ as they say in the Flatlands. BUT – no one, not even Eddy Merckx or Tom Boonen has won de Ronde in the same year as they won the Omloop. . .

Should The Three Fates or the stifling marking which WVA will have to endure prove too much, then the Dutch squad have, ‘Plan B’ – born again ‘Fransman,’ Christophe Laporte – but it’s a long was back to 1992 and the last French win – of which more in a moment. Laporte rode very strongly again in Gent-Wevelgem but got his final all wrong and had to settle for second place; with a historic victory going to Biniam Girmay [Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert & Eritrea] – who returns home and comes back for the Giro.

Conventional wisdom is that you have to ride Flanders at least several times to understand it before you can think about winning it – but Tadej Pogačar [UAE Emirates & Slovenia] consistently defies ‘conventional wisdom.’ His 2022 stats look like this: first UAE Tour, first Strade Bianche, first Tirreno-Adriatico, fifth Milano-Sanremo.

Can he win on his debut? As his Italian team mate and a man who won’t be far away himself, Matteo Trentin said; ‘it wouldn’t surprise me!’

And a man we have to mention, he won’t win but a podium is well possible – another three letters, ‘GVA’ this time. Greg Van Avermaet , [AG2R Citroën] in common with all Flandrians would make a tryst with Beelzebub himself to win this race – 14 starts, nine top 10 placings, twice second, twice third, it would be nice to see him ‘up there’ again.

Big Swiss rider, Stefan Küng [Groupama-FDJ] becomes more of a ‘Classicer’ as each year passes and if he gets the gap he’s very hard to retrieve.

Ineos have been riding well this season and have some strong young men showing, notably Ben Turner who was again solid in Gent-Wevelgem, he should offer great support to their man for this day – Dutch 2021 Dwars door winner, Dylan Van Baarle .

Then there’s ever-present past Omloop, Kuurne and Primavera winner, Jasper Stuyven [Trek-Segafredo & Belgium] he should be at the sharp end.

But have there ever been any ‘soft’ winners? You’re probably thinking about 1992 when France’s Jacky Durand was the triumphant last survivor of a 212 kilometre break after the peloton gave them a massive – and sorely misjudged – 24 minutes leeway. However, five hours in the break over all those cobbles and hills is perhaps stretching the definition of ‘soft’ .

Who should have won but didn’t?: The two that spring to mind are Freddy Maertens in 1977 and Sean Kelly in 1986.

Maertens was away with Roger De Vlaeminck but was told by a commissaire that he was disqualified for an illegal bike change but could keep riding – a very strange decision indeed – he kept pedalling and towing the man from Eeklo, allegedly spurred on by the promise of a ‘lucky penny’ from ‘Le Gitane’ . Freddy duly chaperoned Roger to the finish where winner De Vlaeminck was boo-ed on the podium. Roger, according to Freddy – and true to the Belgian interpretation of Machiavelli’s, ‘The Prince’ – welched on half the Belgian Francs agreed in the deal but there’s a little cobble above De Vlaeminck’s 1977 winner’s cobble in the display at the Ronde Museum with Freddy’s name on it as ‘moral victor’ .

Kelly was third three times in this race which was surely made for him with ’86 the biggest disappointment; the strongest all day, over-confident, he lead the sprint out too early with Mathieu’s dad pipping the Irishman on the line.

Give us ONE name then? Wout.

# It’s a long race so we have to be careful, I’ll be going for Belgium’s favourite beer, Jupiler – I know there are stronger, tastier and trendier options but I have to be there for the finale, not on the floor. . . And for more form clues, check out Dwars Door on Wednesday – the final ‘warm up.’ Stay PEZ for the race report on Sunday and all the news in EUROTRASH Monday. #

It was November 2005 when Ed Hood first penned a piece for PEZ, on US legend Mike Neel. Since then he's covered all of the Grand Tours and Monuments for PEZ and has an article count in excess of 2,150 in the archive. He was a Scottish champion cyclist himself - many years and kilograms ago - and still owns a Klein Attitude, Dura Ace carbon Giant and a Fixie. He and fellow Scot and PEZ contributor Martin Williamson run the Scottish site www.veloveritas.co.uk where more of his musings on our sport can be found.

BREAKDOWN: Flanders Podium is Wide Open

Gear Break: MAAP, Quick-Step Auction, Eurosport Nutrition, ABUS, TiltBikes & ROLL Recovery

Private: GIRO’24 Stage 9:

Private: GIRO’24 Stage 8:

Private: GIRO’24 Stage 7:

GIRO’24 Stage 6: Pelayo Sánchez King of the Giro Gravel!

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Tour of Flanders 2022: The Route

The Tour of Flanders sets off from Antwerp and the riders get a first taste of cobbles after roughly 100 kilometres. The pavé on the Lippenhovenstraat and Paddestraat appear in quick succession, but, to be frank, the first half of the race is nothing special. The eager anticipation of what’s in store gives the race its edge at this stage.

The riders tackle the first climb exactly halfway. After the Oude Kwaremont De Ronde intensifies with a new obstacle every 10 kilometres or so. Via climbs up the Kortekeer and the Achterberg the route continues to the cobbles of the Holleweg and onto Wolvenberg before Kerkgate and Jagerij serves yet more cobbled portions. And on it goes to the climbing combo Molenberg, Marlboroughstraat, Berendries and Valkenberg, all crammed together within 15 kilometres.

There is is still 88.5 kilometres to go after the Valkenberg. A relatively calm phase of 34 kilometres – with only Berg Ten Houte and Kanarieberg – makes way for a brutal finale.

The Tour of Flanders really is on fire when the riders tackle the Oude Kwaremont/Paterberg combo for the first time. This is an exciting phase with Koppenberg, the cobbled Mariaborrestraat, Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg in rapid succession. To be precise, within 10 kilometres.

With 30 kilometres left the riders tackle the Kruisberg/Hotond before the Oude Kwaremont makes its last appearance inside the final 20 kilometres. The cobbled climb is 2,200 metres long and averages 4%, while the Paterberg is quite the opposite. Only 360 metres long, but definitely a killer with its average gradient of 12.9% and steepest ramp of 20.3%.

The last 13.3 kilometres of the Tour of Flanders are flat.

The section after the Kruisberg/Hotond proved to be crucial last year. Kasper Asgreen attacked and only Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel were able to follow his move. The Dutchman then dropped his rivals on the steepest section of the Oude Kwaremont, but Asgreen regained contact just after the top. They crested the Paterberg together before the Dane outsprinted Van der Poel on the line.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX Tour of Flanders 2022 .

Other interesting reads: results and start list 2022 Tour of Flanders.

Tour of Flanders 2022: route, profiles, more

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- Tour of Flanders Videos from a variety of sources will be listed on this page, as available. See also: Tour of Flanders LIVE - Tour of Flanders Results - Tour of Flanders Photos - Tour of Flanders Art NOTE:   If you believe you may not be seeing the latest content on this page, try clearing your browser's cache (or try a different browser).

- See also:   2014 Tour of Flanders Videos

- See also:   2013 Tour of Flanders Videos

- See also:   2012 Tour of Flanders Videos

Vidéos du Tour des Flandres

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TOUR OF FLANDERS 2022 RESULTS

Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders in a four-up sprint to the line ahead of Dylan Van Baarle, Valentin Maduas and Tadej Pogacar. Van der Poel and Pogacar led the race together over the final 8 miles after shelling Maduas and Van Baarle on the ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. The chasers stayed within 30 seconds of the leaders until Van der Poel and Pogacar began to play an excruciating game of poker in the final 900 meters. The cat-and-mouse battle slowed the duo enough for the chasers to catch them with 400 meters to go. Van der Poel began his sprint with 150 meters remaining, Van Baarle and Maduas swarmed Pogacar to round out the Podium.

Photos: Sprint Cycling Agency

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EGAN BERNAL HINTS AT RETURN TO PRO CYCLING

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SEC T&F championships

🥎 DII softball regionals

⛳️ DII men's golf regionals

🎾 DIII men's tennis first round

DIII women's tennis first round

NCAA.com | May 9, 2024

• 2024 SEC softball: Bracket, schedule, scores, TV times for the tournament

The 2024 SEC softball conference tournament continues today and runs through Saturday, May 11 at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Alabama. Tennessee is the reigning SEC softball tournament champion.

The winner of the conference tournament will earn an automatic bid into the 2024 NCAA tournament bracket, which will be revealed Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2. We're tracking all the automatic DI softball qualifiers and conference tournaments here.  

2024 SEC conference tournament bracket

Click or tap here for a closer look at the bracket

2024 SEC conference tournament schedule

All times listed in ET. Times are subject to change.

• Game 6 – No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 8 LSU – 11 a.m. | SEC Network
• Game 7– No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 5 Missouri – approx. 35 minutes following Game 6 | SEC Network
• Game 8 – No. 2 Florida vs. No. 7 Georgia – 5 p.m. | SEC Network
• Game 9 – No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 11 South Carolina– approx. 35 minutes following Game 8| SEC Network
• Game 10 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 7 – 4 p.m. | ESPN2
• Game 11 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 – approx. 35 min. after Game 10 | ESPN2
• Game 12 – Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11 – 5 p.m. | ESPN2
• Game 1 - No. 13 Ole Miss 7,  No. 12 Kentucky 2
• Game 2 -  No. 8 LSU 3 , No. 9 Alabama 2 (14 innings)
• Game 3  -  No. 5 Missouri 3 , No. 13 Ole Miss 1
• Game 4 – No. 7 Georgia 6 , No. 10 Auburn 5
• Game 5 – No. 11 South Carolina 8 , No. 6 Mississippi State 4

SEC tournament championship history

• 2024 Big 12 softball: Bracket, schedule, scores, TV times for the tournament

2024 DII softball championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

This week in DII sports: Let's predict the DII softball championship final eight

• Championship Info
• Game Program

DI Softball News

• College softball power rankings: Tennessee rises to No. 2
• Missouri, Florida rejoin Power 10 college softball rankings before conference tournament week
• College softball power rankings: Florida State rejoins Power 10
• Florida State enters, Texas remains on top in new college softball Power 10 rankings
• College softball's top 10 home run hitters this season
• Top home run hitters in college softball this year

College softball's all-time home run leaders

• 2024 NCAA spring sports championship schedule

WCWS most outstanding players since 1982

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The 11 best NCAA softball pitchers of all time

• Giro d'Italia stage 5 Live - Will Jonathan Milan win again?

Tour of Flanders 2024

Latest news from the race.

Remco Evenepoel in line for Tour of Flanders debut in 2025

'I start to feel a little bit like myself again' says recovering Wout van Aert

Tour of Flanders gallery: Mathieu van der Poel and Elisa Longo Borghini's spectacular triumphs in pictures

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

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took an astounding solo victory at the Tour of Flanders 2024 when he rode away from the field with 45km remaining to stretch out to a winning margin of 1:02.

Behind him, a two-man breakaway of Alberto Bettiol (EF Education–EasyPost) and Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) was caught on the finish line by a chase group from which Luca Mozzato (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) sprinted to second place and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) took third.

Matthews was later relegated for dangerous sprinting, allegedly deviating from his line to not allow Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) to pass him, meaning that fourth-place finisher Pollit moved onto the podium.

Van der Poel was in a league of his own when he attacked on the Koppenberg ascent, with only Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) able to keep any semblance of pace with the World Champion. However, with 40km remaining, Van der Pel moved to a margin of over 30 seconds and was squeezing seconds out of Jorgenson every kilometre.

By the ascent of the Kwaremont, Van der Poel had extended his margin over Jorgenson, Pedersen, and the growing chase group, leaving the remaining 37km an informal victory procession.

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

Tour of Flanders route

In 2024, the 108th Tour of Flanders returns to Antwerp which hosts the Tour alternately with Bruges. This year, the 279.8km course underwent several changes for safety reasons , but the finale, featuring Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont, remains unchanged. The pairing is among 17 climbs on the route, which also includes seven cobbled stretches.

Data powered by FirstCycling

Tour of Flanders teams

• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Arkea-B&B Hotels
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Bahrain Victorious
• Bora - hansgrohe
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
• EF Education - EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Intermarché - Wanty
• Movistar Team
• Soudal Quick-Step
• Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL
• Team Jayco AlUla
• Team Visma - Lease a Bike
• UAE Team Emirates
• Israel - Premier Tech
• Lotto Dstny
• Uno-X Mobility
• Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
• Team Flanders - Baloise
• Tudor Pro Cycling Team

• Tour of Flanders 2024 route
• Tour of Flanders winners 1913-2023
• Tour of Flanders 2024 – Analysing the contenders

Latest Content on the Race

By Barry Ryan published 22 April 24

News Lefevere ponders sending Belgian to Milan-San Remo and the Ronde in reboot of Soudal-QuickStep's Classics squad

By Simone Giuliani published 7 April 24

News 'I never received more messages, presents, mails… This made me smile more and suffer less' says rider after Dwars door Vlaanderen crash

By Laura Weislo published 1 April 24

Premium Rain creates chaos on the Koppenberg as World Champion and Italian Champion fly to victory

Cancellara's Classics column: Mathieu van der Poel will break the Tour of Flanders record, it's just a matter of time

By Fabian Cancellara published 1 April 24

Analysis Alpecin-Deceuninck come up big for the world champion on the big occasion

Now for Paris-Roubaix: Flanders winner Mathieu van der Poel trains in Spain for Hell of the North

By Alasdair Fotheringham published 1 April 24

News World Champion could complete Classics campaign at Liège-Bastogne-Liège

Rebuilding a destroyed rider - Longo Borghini dedicates Tour of Flanders win to trainer

By James Moultrie published 1 April 24

News ‘He was the one that had faith in me, always believing that I could come back and come back strong’ says Italian champion

‘Hopefully I can fight for the win one day’ – Magnus Sheffield shows resolve at Tour of Flanders

By Barry Ryan published 1 April 24

News American takes sixth after a day chasing the ‘alien’ Mathieu van der Poel

'Immortalise this moment' – Mozzato's Tour of Flanders second gives Arkea B&B its first Monument podium

By Simone Giuliani published 31 March 24

News 'If someone had said to me this morning you’re going to be in the top 20 I’d have been happy' says race runner up

'A nightmare' – Koppenberg brings havoc to Tour of Flanders

By Barry Ryan published 31 March 24

News Ronde winner Van der Poel dismisses idea climb should be removed from race

'The lights went out' - Matteo Jorgenson fades behind Van der Poel at Tour of Flanders

By James Moultrie published 31 March 24

News Young American last to drop on the Koppenberg in brutal edition of De Ronde but falls to 31st by the line

Top News on the Race

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

Michael Matthews relegated from third place at Tour of Flanders for dangerous sprinting

‘We need to get in front of Van der Poel’ - Riders prepare to attack early at Tour of Flanders

‘I don’t care’ – Julian Alaphilippe downplays impact of Patrick Lefevere criticism

'You can never count us out' - Matteo Jorgenson warns against underestimating Visma in Tour of Flanders

Related features.

Cancellara’s Classics column: Attack might be Mathieu van der Poel’s best form of defence in chaotic Tour of Flanders

Mathieu van der Poel in a world of his own ahead of Tour of Flanders

'I'm the last of the romantic racers' - Alberto Bettiol returns to the Tour of Flanders with form and ambition

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‘I’ve got goosebumps’ – Incredible party atmosphere at Tour of Flanders

Is there a better atmosphere in cycling than at the Tour of Flanders?