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Tour of Flanders: Mathieu van der Poel claims record third title with 45km solo

World champion in a league of his own, attacking on the Koppenberg and turning the race into a one-man show

Patrick Fletcher

Deputy editor.

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Mathieu van der Poel celebrates his third victory at the Tour of Flanders

Mathieu van der Poel made history at the Tour of Flanders , taking a record-equalling third title and doing it in style, with a 45km solo show.

The world champion, who previously won the Ronde in 2020 and 2022, took flight on the super steep and super slippery slopes of the Koppenberg, where all but three of the favourites were forced to dismount and proceed on foot.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) was seven seconds in arrears after the Koppenberg but couldn’t shut the gap ahead of the Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg, where Van der Poel turned the race into a procession.

By the time he’d tamed the Oude Kruisberg and Hotond, he’d opened a lead of 1:45 over a ragged collection of chasers, and he made no mistake over the final climbs of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, before steadily ticking off the 13km run-in to Oudenaarde.

Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) and Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) appeared destined for the minor podium positions after going clear of the rest ahead of the Kwaremont and Paterberg but were agonisingly caught by a 10-man chasing group inside the final 100 metres.

Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) won the sprint from that group to claim the biggest result of his career to date, edging out Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla), who opened from range, faded and was eventually relegated for drifting too far from the left. Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates), unhappy at being impeded, was duly bumped up to the second Monument podium of his career.

It was a day to forget for Visma-Lease a Bike, who were forced to ride without Wout van Aert and had no riders in the top 10, despite Matteo Jorgenson initially appearing the best of the rest. Lidl-Trek did put Tom Skujins in 10th but burnt their best chance as Mads Pedersen embarked on a long-range foray that ultimately proved fruitless.

The race in a nutshell

Van der Poel takes flight

In the absence of Wout van Aert, Van der Poel was the outstanding favourite, and he duly delivered, making it look easy as he cruised clear and crushed the opposition.

It hadn't always looked that straightforward. Visma-Lease a Bike, defiant in the absence of their leader, looked to open the race early, with Matteo Jorgenson attacking on the Wolvenberg before Tiesj Benoot and Dylan van Baarle looked to open gaps in a chaotic phase of the race.

Lidl-Trek were similarly diminished but similarly keen to get involved, and Mads Pedersen, who beat Van der Poel at Gent-Wevelgem, launched a big attack on the Molenberg 100km from home. However, the former world champion ended up burning his own matches.

He then found himself in a dangerous group with Van Baarle and Benoot, but Van der Poel safely negotiated the conundrum, setting his team to reduce the gap before jumping across on the Valkenberg. As he did, Pedersen immediately attacked but was marked by Van der Poel's teammate Gianni Vermeersch. Alpecin encouraged Vermeersch to work with Pedersen, who spent the best part of 30km going all-in, to little reward.

Alpecin returned to control the race and reduce the gap by the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, and Van der Poel ripped past Pedersen in a statement of intent, as the group of favourites was whittled down into a selection for the first real time.

A group of around 15 formed beyond the first ascent of the Paterberg, but once they hit the Koppenberg, Van der Poel took flight and it became a one-sided exhibition.

The early phases and the early moves

The riders gathered in Antwerp for the atmospheric pre-race presentation in Antwerp, with crisp temperatures and blue in the sky. That would not last, however, with leaden skies starting to gather above the Flemish Ardennes. It only took a few kilometres for the days’ breakaway to form, but a lot longer for it to establish itself.

The riders who went clear were: Bert Van Lerberghe (Soudal Quick-Step), Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AlUla), Elmar Reinders (Jayco-AlUla), David Dekker (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Damien Touzé (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Stanisław Aniołkowski (Cofidis), Lionel Taminiaux (Lotto Dstny), and Jelle Vermoote (Bingoal WB). They only took several kilometres to get away, but it wasn’t until 45 were on the clock, and nearly an hour expired, that they were finally let off the leash following constant waves of accelerations off the front of the bunch.

The breakaway established a lead of four minutes, which could and perhaps should have been five, were it not for a hold-up at a level crossing. They took that lead over the cobbles of the Lippenhovestraat and Padestraaat - the first difficulties of the day - and then onto the first of the three ascents of the Oude Kwaremont.

A collision with a spectator held up several riders on the Hotond and there were tense moments on the wide downhill approach to the Kappelleberg, where riders were full-on sprinting in the fight for position. The first attacks came on that climb, as Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) went clear with Van der Poel’s teammate Axel Laurence, and on the subsequent climb of the Wolvenberg Visma surprisingly went on the front foot with arguably their number-one leader, Matteo Jorgenson.

Visma-Lease a Bike look to open the race and place Van der Poel on the back foot

The bunch did reform and calm down on the cobbles of Kerkgate and Jagerig but at the 100km-to-go mark, the Molenberg loomed as the first major flashpoint of the race. It didn’t disappoint, as Pedersen decided to open the race. His Lidl-Trek teammates rushed him to the front for the 90-degree entry, which always sees a bottleneck, and the Dane smashed the pedals on the cobbles. Jorgenson, Benoot, and Van der Poel were all there as a group of 12 formed. However, it signalled the start of an open and chaotic phase of the race, with constant attacks.

Visma briefly fired Benoot away with Tim Van Dyke, while Van der Poel himself was forced to close a potentially dangerous gap that opened under the impetus of Julian Alaphilippe on the Marlboroughstraat. However, the world champion was then caught out when Dylan van Baarle (Visma) accelerated and forced a dangerous 10-man move clear. Also in there were Benoot, Pedersen, Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers), Oliver Naesen (Decathlon AG2R), Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step), Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) Gianni Vermeersch (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Brent Van Moer (Lotto Dstny).

That group reached the break ahead of the Berendries, which saw another explosion before Alpecin rallied around their leader and mounted a proper chase. They reduced the gap from 25 seconds to 11 seconds between Berendries and Valkenberg, where Van der Poel calmly jumped across the gap.

As he made contact, Pedersen immediately attacked, keen to keep the pressure on. However, the former world champ found himself marked by Van der Poel’s teammate, Vermeersch. He decided to press on and soon enough Vermeersch got the orders from the team car to contribute, forcing Quick-Step and UAE to lead what was once again a large peloton.

Another crash with a spectator took at Stefan Kung (Groupama-FDJ) ahead of Berg Ten Houte with 75km to go, where Tim Wellens (UAE) went on the offensive. There were, however, no big splits there and Alpecin subsequently flipped their tactics to work in the bunch and have Vermeersch sit on Pedersen’s wheel up the Nieuwe Kruisberg and Hotond.

The Koppenberg decides the race

Even Van der Poel was weaving on the Koppenberg

The next phase of the race was signalled by the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, by which point Alpecin had brought Pedersen back to within touching distance. Van der Poel profited from an acceleration by Oier Lazkano (Movistar) on the cobblestones before taking charge and gapping the rest as he rounded Pedersen. A group of six formed on the upper slopes - Teuns, Wellens, and Pithie were also there, but no one from Visma.

However, Jorgenson was part of a group that came back ahead of the Paterberg, along with the likes of Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) and Toms Skujins (Lidl-Trek). On the run towards the Koppenberg, Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar) attacked but disaster struck when his wheel locked up on the double-digit gradients of the climb itself, which is slippery even in the dry but was turned into an ice rink by the rain.

As Cortina was left stranded trying to reattach his chain, Van der Poel stamped on the pedals and ground his way clear. Jorgenson was the next rider up, followed by Pedersen, but they were nursing their bikes up, all seated and simply trying to maintain purchase between tyre and cobble. Behind those three, the dozen or so riders who made up the rest of the group were all forced to dismount and walk up the middle portion of the climb.

Most riders had to dismount on the Koppenberg

Beyond the top of the Koppenberg, Van der Poel carried a lead of seven seconds over Jorgenson, who tried but failed to close the gap before the Steenbeekdries. That would turn out to be the last chance to make a race of it. Instead, he slipped to 20 seconds, then back into the chase group, and Van der Poel sailed into the distance.

By the top of the Taaeinberg, which came hot on the heels of the Steenbeekdries, Van der Poel was nearly a minute out front. Jorgenson was by then in a group with Bettiol, Teuns, Wellens, Cortina, Pedersen, and Rex.

The only faint chance that group had of competing for victory was working faultlessly together in pursuit of Van der Poel, but they immediately started bickering and it quickly became clear this was a race for the minor podium positions.

At the top of the Oude Kruisberg and going back over the Hotond, Bettiol and Teuns attacked from the chase, as Wellens and Cortina combined just behind. Jorgenson and Pedersen, meanwhile, were caught by a mini group containing Skujins, Naesen, Benoot, and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla).

Van der Poel solos home

Van der Poel swooped back to the foot of the Oude Kwaremont with 18km to go and 1:45 in hand, and was roared up by the Belgian fans, although there were reports of absue, and worse, being thrown. Behind, Bettiol and Teuns led the ‘chase’ as Wellens and Cortina were caught and several others came back into the equation after reaching out from the groups behind.

Van der Poel then calmly made his way up the double-digit gradients of the Paterberg, with time to burn. Teuns briefly dropped Bettiol on the Paterberg but the pair then combined on the run-in to keep at bay what had become a 10-man chase group with Jorgenson, Skujins, Naesen, Matthews, Wellens, Mozzato, Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers), and Antonio Morgado (UAE Team Emirates). Benoot was also there but punctured out of it.

Bettiol and Teuns gamely hung on but ran out of gas in agonising fashion within reach of the finish line. Matthews launched a huge long-range sprint, and it nearly paid off. However, Politt first came back, and then Mozzato used the slipstream to rip through and grab second place with a bike throw.

In the end, it turned out second place was safe, as Matthews was deemed to have deviated too far to the right, leaving Politt, who was infuriated by the Australian's sprinting line, to collect the second Monument podium of his career.

The bottom steps of that podium, however, rarely has seemed further away from the top step.

The Flanders podium

Ronde van Vlaanderen

• Dates 31 Mar
• Race Length 270 kms
• Start Antwerp
• Finish Oudenaarde
• Race Category Elite Men

Alpecin-Deceuninck

• Nationality Belgium
• Founded 2009
• Team Principal Christoph Roodhooft and Philip Roodhooft
• UCI Code ADC
• Bike Sponsor Canyon

Mathieu van der Poel

• Team Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Nationality Netherlands
• UCI Wins 53
• Height 1.84m

Canyon Bicycles GmbH is a German manufacturer of road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, triathlon bikes and e-bikes based in Koblenz, Germany.

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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

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• 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.

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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

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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.

SD Worx-Protime rider wins eight-day race by almost two minutes

By Tom Davidson Published 5 May 24

A GC battle is expected on the second day of the Giro, with the race's first summit finish

By Tom Davidson Last updated 5 May 24

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Tour of Flanders Men 2024 Result: Mathieu Van Der Poel blows the field away for historic De Ronde hat-trick

Updated 31/03/2024 at 15:15 GMT

Tour of Flanders 2024: When is it? Who is riding? How to watch

28/03/2024 at 09:28

'What a rider!' - Van der Poel lands dominant solo victory in Flanders

Unstoppable Van der Poel conquers cobbles to claim third Flanders crown

31/03/2024 at 17:55

Riders forced to WALK up Koppenberg as Van der Poel blasts clear

How to Watch the Tour of Flanders

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to Watch

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

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

What Happened Last Year

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

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

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

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

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

Riders to Watch

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

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

Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)

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

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

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates)

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

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

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

Lotte Kopecky (Team SD Worx)

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

Marlen Reusser (Team SD Worx)

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

Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx)

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

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar)

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

Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma)

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

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How to watch the 2024 Tour of Flanders | Global options for live TV, streaming and highlights

How to catch the women’s and men’s racing in the second monument of the season

POOL JAN DE MEULENEIR/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

The 2024 men's and women's Tour of Flanders takes place on Sunday 31 March.

The second monument of the season, the Ronde van Vlaanderen is defined by its steep cobbled climbs.

The 270.8km men's race starts in Antwerp and finishes in Oudenaarde, which has hosted the finish since Peter Sagan's win in 2016. The men's route features 17 cobbled climbs in total, including the Koppenberg, Valkenberg, Wolvenberg and others.

The women's race is 163km, starting and finishing in Oudenaarde. The women's route includes 12 bergs, finishing with a double-headed ascent of the Kwaremont and Paterberg.

Here's how to see the action live on TV, streaming online or on catch-up.

2024 Tour of Flanders race schedule

The women’s race starts in Oudenaarde at 1.24pm CEST and is expected to finish around 5.55pm.

The men's race starts at 10am CEST and is due to finish around 4:45pm.

How can I watch the 2024 Tour of Flanders live in the UK?

Eurosport 1 and Discovery+ will show live coverage of the men's and women's editions of the 2024 Tour of Flanders.

Discovery+ coverage of the men's race kicks off at 8.30am UK time, finishing up at 3.45pm. Eurosport 1 starts at 9.45am, wrapping up at 4.45pm.

For a full bumper day of racing viewing, you can tune in at 2pm on Discover+ for the women's race, or 4.45pm on Eurosport 1. Coverage ends at 5.50pm and 6.30pm respectively.

If you fancy a Sunday lie-in, don't forget the clocks change on Sunday 31 March.

A standard Eurosport/Discovery+ subscription costs £6.99 per month and is available on a range of platforms, including tablet, mobile, TV with Chromecast or AirPlay, Android TV and Apple TV.

How can I watch the 2024 Tour of Flanders live in the US?

FloBikes will show the Tour of Flanders in the US. Coverage starts for the men's race at 3.55am EST and the women's race at 9am EST. FloBikes requires a subscription.

How can I watch the 2024 Tour of Flanders live in Australia?

SBS will be covering the women’s and men’s racing live and on-demand. Coverage starts at 9.55am AEDT for the men's race and 3pm AEDT for the women's event.

How else can I watch the 2024 Tour of Flanders?

There’s live terrestrial coverage in many European countries.

Italian national broadcaster RAI will be broadcasting the race live and on-demand. RTBF and VRT will be showing the race in full in Belgium. ESPN will also show the event in many territories outside of Europe.

If you’ve got a VPN, you may be able to register, log in to its website and watch live.

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

E ven the longest races can be distilled to the shortest stretch of road. The Tour of Flanders of 2024 was defined by the wicked slopes of the Koppenberg. Already notorious in the lore of this event, the sharp wall of cobbles outside Oudenaarde added another line to its lengthy rap sheet in Sunday’s rain-soaked edition.

For most, the Koppenberg is a climb to be endured rather than attacked. Here, it was the launchpad for Mathieu van der Poel’s race-winning acceleration with 44km to go as well as the moment most of his rivals’ challenges ground literally to a halt.

There were already murmurs from various pre-race reconnaissance rides that the Koppenberg was liberally bathed in mud this Spring, and the situation wasn’t helped by the deluge that poured over Flanders for much of the afternoon. And besides, even at the best of times, the 20% gradients have been known to compel hardened professionals to dismount and walk.

The tone was set here by Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar), who led the race onto the 600m climb after slipping clear of the front group a few kilometres earlier. The Spaniard took on the lower slopes with gusto, only to come to a stop when his tyres lost traction on the steepest section. On dismounting, he tried to release some pressure from his tyres, fearful that the issue would repeat itself later in the race.

“I had no grip, nothing at all. I tried to lower my pressure a bit, but there was nothing I could do. It was impossible,” Garcia Cortina explained with a rueful shake of his head when he arrived in the mixed zone. “I said if I didn’t do that in the Koppenberg, I would probably have that same problem later in the Paterberg.”

As Garcia Cortina grappled with his tyre pressure in the gutter, Van der Poel was settling into the seated acceleration that would carry him to victory. The Koppenberg hasn’t always been to the world champion’s liking during his cyclocross career, but he made relative light of its vicious slopes here, maintaining as brisk a rhythm as the circumstances allowed.

The chasing Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease A Bike) also managed to ride all the way to the top as he battled gamely to limit his losses to Van der Poel, a feat also achieved by Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) despite his exertions off the front earlier in the race.

Behind them, however, came a litany of riders unclipping and walking their bikes up the hill in a desperate attempt to stay in the hunt for a podium spot. They must already have guessed, of course, that Van der Poel’s rainbow jersey would not be seen again before the finish in Oudenaarde.

Indeed, the vast majority of those hunting Van der Poel didn’t even catch sight of him on the climb itself. The Tour of Flanders tends to have that effect, and this was a particularly extreme edition, bedevilled by miserable conditions and constant attacking. By the last 100km here, most riders were wearily chasing the race rather than actively participating in it.

Matteo Trentin (Tudor), 19th, counted himself among their number when he reached the finish of what he cheerfully described as “a bit of a shit day.” Despite his chattering teeth, the Italian paused briefly in the mixed zone to talk reporters through the Koppenberg, though he was unaware at that point that anyone had managed to ride up it.

“With the rain and the mud, you can’t get up. There’s not much you could do,” Trentin said. “I don’t know if anybody managed to get up on their bike. With the mud there was nothing to do, and we were all exhausted by then too. I think everybody was. With the mud, there was nothing you could do. And to be honest, with a race as fast as this, the legs are what they are. Everything was slipping – even the shoes.”

The steepest pitches of the Koppenberg proved too much, too, for the tyres of Magnus Sheffield (Ineos), but the American reorganised himself well over the other side, picking his way through the carnage over the remainder of the race. He eventually battled his way up to the group chasing Van der Poel, helping himself to sixth in Oudenaarde.

Like everybody else who trudged muddied and dazed through the mixed zone afterwards, Sheffield recognised that the Koppenberg had been the turning point of the entire day. A Monument briefly became a footrace, and it was every man for himself.

“There’s the Koppenberg cyclocross race, I think that’s the best way you can describe it,” Sheffield smiled. “Honestly, with road shoes, they’re not meant to run up cobbles, and we were trying to get up as quickly as possible. As soon as I saw guys remount, I tried to do the same. I think at that point Mathieu had already attacked, and from there, we were just trying to chase as best as possible.”

Van der Poel

The Koppenberg didn’t wreak quite as much havoc in the women’s race, won by Elisa Longo Borghini , as it did last year when only two riders rode all the way up. This time, the first ten or so riders managed to grind their way to the top aboard their bikes, though a crash involving Chloé Dygert forced most of the rest of the field out of the saddle and onto their feet, including world champion Lotte Kopecky .

“Koppenberg, we knew we going to be a nightmare,” said Pfeiffer Georgi. “Unfortunately, my running isn’t as good as I’d like. This is only the second year we’ve had it in our race. It's not nice, like when, like last year, only two people didn’t walk up it. It’s obviously an iconic climb, but it’s not the nicest for us when we have to run.”

 The Koppenberg was first introduced in the men’s race in 1976, though it was removed from the route again after the 1987 edition when Jesper Skibby fell on the climb and suffered the indignity of having a race commissaire’s car run over his rear wheel. That incident saw the Koppenberg banished from the Ronde for the next fifteen years, returning only after it had been widened and repaved.

It spent another year on the sidelines in 2007, but it has enjoyed an unbroken run in the Ronde ever since. It remains to be seen if Sunday’s scenes will prompt Flanders Classics to rethink its inclusion in the years ahead, given that the race organiser had already seen fit to remove the Kanariebeg and Kortekeer from the 2024 edition due to safety concerns.

Garcia Cortina, the first man to put his foot down, shook his head when the idea was to put to him in the mixed zone. “No, it’s just like this, it’s the same for everyone,” he said. “I think it’s part of the history of the sport.”

Hardly surprisingly, the thought was echoed by Van der Poel when he sat down with reporters after landing his record-equalling third Ronde victory. He has had a sometimes-vexed rapport with the Koppenberg throughout his cyclocross career, but he was in a race of his own once the gradient bit here.

 “It was super slippery on the Koppenberg, I also had difficulty to get the power down,” Van der Poel said, before dismissing the idea that its place in the Ronde should be scrutinised.

 “I don’t think so. I mean, after a while you can get rid of everything. The road to the new climb, the Kappelleberg, was maybe more dangerous that the roads we did last year. The problem is the riders, not the roads, in my opinion.”

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Are your legs raring to go now that spring is in the air in Flanders? With the Tour of Flanders Challenge, it’s your turn to shine on the final roads of the ultimate Flemish spring classic: the Tour of Flanders. From 9 to 20 March inclusive, ride as many cobbled kilometres as possible and win amazing prizes in our last virtual challenge of the season!

The aim is to cover as many kilometres as possible on the cobbles of Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. These two gruelling cobbled climbs are the decisive points in the finale of the Tour of Flanders. One lap of these virtual roads is good for 1,771 metres of cobblestones. It’s up to you to cycle this circuit as many times as possible and by doing so rack up as many cobbled kilometres as you can.

A formidable challenge, don’t you think? That’s for sure! But now that spring is in full swing, we are sure you’ll be thrilled to conquer these virtual sacred roads one more time! Find out the prizes to be won here .