The first great Flandrian classic returns this Sunday March 31. After Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders is the second monument of the cycling season. It will start at 10 a.m. in Antwerp for a course of 270.8 kilometers. The runners will arrive in Oudernade around 4:30 p.m.
A big favorite emerges in the person of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix). The 29-year-old Dutchman has won two of the last four editions (2020 and 2022) and finished second in the other two. This season, Van der Poel finished second in Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday and won the E3 Grand Prix two days earlier.
Poulidor’s grandson has the opportunity to take advantage of the absence of several competitors. The title holder, Tadej Pogacar, will not be present, having chosen to skip the event to concentrate on the Giro (Italy) and the Tour de France.
Victim of a broken collarbone, sternum and several broken sides, Wout van Aert is logically out after his fall on Wednesday on Across Flanders. His French teammate, Christophe Laporte, will also not start due to a stomach flu.
The respective winners of the two Belgian Flanders classics, the American Matteo Jorgenson (Across Flanders) and the Dane Mads Pedersen (Ghent-Wevelgem), even if he fell on Wednesday, will be ones to watch for the final victory.
The men’s race of the Tour of Flanders will be followed this Sunday from 9:45 a.m. on Eurosport 1 as well as on France 3 at 1:35 p.m.
