Thousands of fans on the Belgian roads, a grand finale for a spectacular flamenco classics campaign and a stellar lineup of participants. This is how the Tour of Flanders will start (Eurosport 1, 10:30/TDP, 13:35), in its 107th edition and which was only stopped during the First World War. It is the second monument of the season and has all the ingredients to be one of those days that are marked in red on the calendar, mainly by the protagonists, who are the ones who make the races good. Van der Poel, Pogacar and Van Aert They shone a week ago in Harelbeke, with the latter’s victory, and the fact is that the Jumbo is being the great dominator of the Belgian classics in this period: Van Aert (the aforementioned Harelbeke) and Laporte (Ghent-Wevelgem and Through Flanders) the main conquests are shared.
“Winning the Tour of Flanders would be the icing on the cake. It gives us a lot of confidence that we have won all those previous races with different riders.”, Van Aert told in the preview, aware of the superiority of a Jumbo… that will not have one of its important assets: Van Baarle, winner of the Omloop in February, on sick leave. Precisely, Van Aert revealed that this past week while training he had a mishap with a truck that almost, and luckily, did not end in tragedy. On the other hand, there will be Van der Poel, who achieved the first monument of this campaign (Milan-San Remo) and also, of the current peloton, is the dominator of the Tour of Flanders: 4th in 2019, 1st in 2020, 2nd in 2021 and 1st in 2022. He comes from training in Spain during the week: “I am not going to lock myself in a three-way battle. It’s an unpredictable race there are riders who worked specifically for this day and it will not be easy for us to risk it among ourselves”.
The third in contention is Tadej Pogacar, who continues with his impetus and determination in the classics, this being one of his great challenges along with the Tour de France. In 2022, his premiere, his inexperience made him finish in fourth place when he was going to play the victory with Van der Poel. In this edition he arrives with more wisdom: “My strategy will be similar to last year. tire them (by Van der Poel and Van Aert) along the path. I think I would have to arrive alone to win”, revealed the one from the UAE after doing the reconnaissance prior to the tour in the rain, a few drops of water that accompanied the flamenco zone throughout the week but that, in principle, they will respect in the face of the career.
Six cobbled sections and nineteen levels
The route, not to vary, is extremely hard, both for its length (273 km) and for its ingredients. There will be six cobbled sections and up to nineteen levels will be part of the route. The famous Kapelmuur will not be there again, but other mythical ones such as Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg… and the race recovers the start of Bruges, in the Market Square, which will alternate with Antwerp in the next editions. What remains intact is the denouement in Oudenaarde. The first hundred kilometers will be through the western part of Flanders, on flat terrain where the leak is expected to form. It is from km 109 when the action ‘begins’, with the pavés, the walls…something that becomes more acute after 218 km, when the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg is done for the first time before the last pass, which concludes with 11 km to go.
“No, here it will not be like the Poggio, where if you arrive alone then you will be able to go well to the finish line,” Van der Poel stressed, an expert on the terrain who in fact prioritized training “in the great climate of Spain” than “re-recognizing” the terrain. However, they will not be the only ones present at the start, far from it. A total of 25 teams (with seven riders) with Movistar as the only Spanish representation. His brilliant performances in Harelbeke, with Jorgenson (4th) and Cortina (5th), and in Through Flanders with Lazkano (2nd), They make optimism grow in order to be close to the best. Pidcock, after shining on the Strade and with doubts after his fall on the Tirreno, is fighting to return to his best level and aims to be on a list along with riders like Alaphilippe (Quick Step is still not at its best), Mohoric, Madouas, Girmay, Stuyven, Pedersen, Küng, Kristoff (winner in 2015)… who will try to be more than just ‘spectators’ of the expected duel between the trio of favourites. Sagan, winner in 2016 and who will participate in the test for the last time, and Asrgeen (who won in 2021 after surprising Van der Poel), present. It is the most anticipated Tour of Flanders in the recent era.
Van Vleuten, rainbow farewell
Annemiek van Vleuten, double winner in the Tour of Flanders (2011 and 2021), will be Movistar’s great asset for the flamenco event. She already won dressed in blue in 2021, and now she will be at the start of Bruges with the rainbow jersey of the world champion in her last campaign as a professional at 40 years of age. The Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg loop is only passed once (the last two heights), which are crowned 11 km from the Ouudenarde finish line, as the men’s. In this case, there will be 156 kilometers in this 20th edition (from 1:30 p.m.). The main rivals and candidates for victory will be the defending champion, the Belgian Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), her Dutch colleagues Demi Vollering and Lorena Wiebes, on behalf of the Jumbo Marianne Vos and the Italians Chiara Consonni (UAE) and Elisa Balsamo (Trek).
