PezCycling News

  • Subscribers

Publisher

PEZ Preview FLANDERS’23: The Big Three Battle Again!

Who will win de ronde van vlaanderen.

'  src=

Race Preview: This Sunday is the Tour of Flanders, De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Vlaanderens Mooiste (Flanders’ Most Beautiful), one of the five Monuments and, if you are Belgian or more precise, Flemish, it is the biggest race of the season. We have a look at the history, course and the possible winner.

Watch the SPRING CLASSICS on GCN+ You can watch the most comprehensive live & ad-free coverage of the Spring Classics 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 .

flanders22

This is the holy Flemish cycling week (really two weeks) and the 107th edition of the Tour of Flanders is on Sunday, following the Three Days of De Panne (now the Classic Brugge – De Panne), E3 Saxo Classic, Gent–Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen. The ‘Flemish World Championships’ are always hard fought for, whoever crosses that finish line first in Oudenaarde will be a star for the rest of his life.

museeuw

The History of De Ronde The first Tour of Flanders was on May 23, 1913. There were only 37 riders in that first event, which was run over 324 kilometres. After twelve hours, Paul Deman was the first to cross the line in Mariakerke. Karel Van Wijnendaele was the man behind the race, he was a journalist and was looking for something new to publicise his newspaper De Sportwereld, so organising the Tour of Flanders was perfect. The early editions were all on the exceptionally bad Flemish cobbles, which the organisers have tried to keep in the race as much as possible. In those early years, De Ronde was occasionally held on the same day as Milano-Sanremo.

Paul Deman

Later the organisers wanted to make changes and moved towards the Flemish Ardennes for the climbs of the Kluisberg, Kwaremont and the Kruisberg. In 1950, after the dominance of Achiel Buysse, Briek Schotte and Fiorenzo Magni, the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen added to the course. In the 1970s, the Oude Kwaremont and the Koppenberg were also added. These two climbs are still important. During that time Buysse and Magni both won the race three times and are joint record holders.

magni

Obviously, Belgians have won the Tour of Flanders the most times, sixty-nine. Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen, just like Buysse and Magni, have won three times. Fabian Cancellara joined the record holders list in 2014 after his wins in 2010 and 2013. The first Dutch victory came in 1953, when Wim van Est was the winner. He was joined by other men from the Netherlands: Jo de Roo, Evert Dolman, Cees Bal, Jan Raas (twice), Hennie Kuiper, Johan Lammerts, Adrie van der Poel, Niki Terpstra and Mathieu van der Poel (twice). The winners over the last ten years have all been top names: Mathieu van der Poel, Kasper Asgreen, Alberto Bettiol, Niki Terpstra, Philippe Gilbert, Peter Sagan, Alexander Kristoff and Fabian Cancellara.

flanders86

In last year’s Tour of Flanders the race exploded on the Berendries. A counter-attack including Alberto Bettiol, Mads Pedersen and Ben Turner shook the race up. Then Tadej Pogačar came into action on the Berg Ten Houte, but it was on the Oude Kwaremont that Pogačar attacked for the first time. Kasper Asgreen was on his wheel, while Mathieu van der Poel and Tom Pidcock had to chase from further back. After the Oude Kwaremont, Dylan van Baarle escaped with Fred Wright, they were joined on the Koppenberg by Pogačar, Van der Poel and the Frenchman, Valentin Madouas. On the next climb of the Oude Kwaremont, Pogačar gave it another go. Van Baarle and Wright couldn’t hold on, Madouas followed not much later. On the Paterberg, Van der Poel had to grit his teeth to hold the Slovenian. The two raced on together to the finish in Oudenaarde, but Van der Poel and Pogačar started to play games in the last kilometre and Van Baarle and Madouas returned to the front from nowhere. Madouas and Van Baarle passed Pogačar in the sprint, behind second-time winner Van der Poel.

2022 Tour of Flanders Result: 1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix 2. Dylan van Baarle (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers 3. Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ) 4. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates.

Parcours The start of the 2023 Tour of Flanders is in Brugge, not in Antwerp this year, for 273.4 kilometres, the longest Ronde for 25 years, from Brugge to Oudenaarde. The official start, after the neutralised zone is in Beernem. The peloton then goes via Aalter, Tielt and Meulebeke in the direction of Izegem. The race then goes to Harelbeke, Waregem, Deinze and Kruisem, where they will hit the first cobbles of the day, the Huisepontweg, after almost 110 kilometres of racing. Next up is the Korte Ast.

flanders 23

The peloton then starts the usual final of De Ronde. After 136 kilometres of racing comes the Oude Kwaremont for the first time. The race should be ‘full on’ from there, as the climbs follow each other one after the other. The Kortekeer, the Achterberg, the cobbles of the Holleweg, Wolvenberg, Karel Martelstraat and the Jagerij. Plus the climbs of the Molenberg, Marlboroughstraat, the Berendries and finally the Valkenberg all within 35 kilometres.

flanders 23

The top of the Valkenberg is less than 90 kilometres from the finish line. At that point, the riders will have covered almost 200 kilometres. After the Valkenberg it is a good time to attack, but it is also possible on the Berg Ten Houte or the Kanarieberg. After the Kanarieberg it is the second time for the Oude Kwaremont and then the Paterberg.

flanders22

The first passage of the Paterberg should see more action as the Koppenberg is on the horizon. The Koppenberg is where the favourites will make their move. After Koppenberg, the Mariaborrestraat, Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg come next. Then the Kruisberg, followed 10 kilometres later by the last passage of the Oude Kwaremont.

Oudenaarde - Belgium - wielrennen - cycling - cyclisme - radsport - Crash with SAGAN Peter (SVK) Rider of TINKOFF & VAN AVERMAET Greg (BEL) Rider of BMC RACING TEAM & NAESEN Oliver (BEL) Rider of AG2R LA MONDIALE in the Oude Kwaremont pictured during the of Flanders Classics UCI WorldTour 101st Ronde van Vlaanderen cycling race with start in Antwerpen and finish in Oudenaarde on April 02, 2017 - foto PdV/PN/Cor Vos © 2017

The Oude Kwaremont for the final time is 16.7 kilometres from the line. The top men should have made the race by this point and will be trying to crack each other. The Paterberg comes as the final obstacle at 13.3 kilometres from the finish. That climb is less than 400 meters long and is perfect for an explosive rider. After the Paterberg the road is flat to Oudenaarde. The wind could make the last thirteen kilometres to the finish on the Minderbroedersstraat very hard for a solo rider.

alaphilippe

Climbs: 1. Korte Ast (500m at 4,3%) 2. Oude Kwaremont (2,200 meter at 4%) 3. Kortekeer (1,000m at 6,2%) 4. Achterberg (1,500m at 4,4%) 5. Wolvenberg (645m at 7,9%) 6. Molenberg (463m at 7%) 7. Marlboroughstraat (2,000m at 3%) 8. Berendries (940m at 7%) 9. Valkenberg (540m at 8,1%) 10. Berg Ten Houte (1,100m at 6%) 11. Kanarieberg (1,000m at 7,7%) 12. Oude Kwaremont (2,200m at 4%) 13. Paterberg (360m at 12,9%) 14. Koppenberg (600m at 11,6%) 15. Steenbeekdries (700m at 5,3%) 16. Taaienberg (530m at 6,6%) 17. Kruisberg/Hotond (2,500m at 5%) 18. Oude Kwaremont (2,200m at 4%) 19. Paterberg (360m at 12,9%).

Oudenaarde - Belgium - wielrennen - cycling - cyclisme - radsport - illustration - scenery - carte postal scenic shot - postcard sfeerfoto - sfeer - illustratie pictured during the Ronde Van Vlaanderen 2018 - Elite men - a one day UCI world tour race between Antwerpen and Oudenaarde - photo NV/PN/Cor Vos © 2018

Cobbles: 1. Huisepontweg (600m) 2. Holleweg (1,500m) 3. Kerkgate (2,500m) 4. Jagerij (800m) 6. Mariaborrestraat (2,400m) 7. Stationsberg (600m).

flaanders22

Who Will Win? The three big favourites for the 2023 Tour of Flanders are without a doubt Mathieu van der Poel , Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar . Those three have already come to blows this season in Milano-Sanremo and E3 Saxo Classic. Van der Poel and Van Aert took the wins, but Pogačar animated both races. The battle should come from them, but surprises can happen. By any chance there is only two of them together in the final, they might watch each other and someone else could upset the predictions, but with three…. attacks will come.

sanremo23

Mathieu van der Poel could join the three-time Flanders winner’s club on Sunday, he has one of the best records: Fourth in 2019, first in 2020, second in 2021 and first in 2022. The race is made for the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider. He could attack and win solo, or sprint to victory from a small group. Van der Poel is now in top form after a shaky start, but then he won Milano-Sanremo with aplomb and then in the E3 Saxo Classic, he was strong on the climbs. Van der Poel has a good team, Søren Kragh Andersen should be his right-hand man. The Dane finished in the top 10 in both Sanremo and E3. Alpecin-Deceuninck also has Dries De Bondt , he set things up for his leader in the E3 Classic.

sanremo23

Van der Poel’s life long nemesis is Wout van Aert . The Belgian won the E3 Saxo Classic, beating Van der Poel and Pogačar, then he was second to Christophe Laporte after dragging his teammate away for the victory. Van Aert did struggle a little on the Oude Kwaremont in the E3 Saxo Classic, although he did fight back and win. He did say after the race that he didn’t have the punch to follow Pogačar’s attack, but hopes to have that extra bit in the Tour of Flanders. The Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg are climbed several times and are closer to the finish. If Van Aert is with Van der Poel and Pogačar at the finish, then he has to be a favourite as long as he sprints like he did in the E3 and not in the Cyclocross World Championships. Jumbo-Visma also has Dylan van Baarle , last year’s second place and the winner of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Gent-Wevelgem winner, Christophe Laporte , Tiesj Benoot and Nathan Van Hooydonck will be in a very strong team to back Van Aert.

E· 2023

Last year Tadej Pogačar was one of the strongest, if not ‘the’ strongest rider in Flanders. He had Van der Poel in trouble on the cobbled climbs, but in the end, he and Van der Poel let a group come back and he finished fourth. Pogačar fell into a trap set by Van der Poel for the sprint, he shouldn’t let that happen again. Pogačar will need to attack on the Oude Kwaremont. The climb suits him best, it’s longer so he can use his Grand Tour rider climbing talent. A solo from there to the finish wouldn’t be out of the question. Tim Wellens will be there for Pogačar, he has been a good lead-out for Pogačar this year in the Ruta del Sol and on the Poggio in Milano-Sanremo. Also Matteo Trentin can be useful in the last part of the race.

kuurne23

Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pogačar are the top three favourites for Sunday. But in the Tour of Flanders there could be a surprise. Matej Mohorič has not finish outside the top 8 in the last four spring races. In the E3 Saxo Classic he managed to hold the ‘big three’ the longest. Together with Fred Wright , who finished 7th last year, they could put up a fight.

strade bianche23

Groupama-FDJ has been more noticeable in the Classics. Stefan Küng and Valentin Madouas are made for the spring races. Küng was 6th in the E3 Saxo Classic and 5th in last year’s Tour of Flanders. Madouas finished 3rd last year and has made Flanders his aim for 2023. It will be hard to follow the big three on the climbs, but if Küng and Madouas can handle the pace, they are very dangerous.

strade bianche23

Tom Pidcock is a possible, but he had a bad crash in Tirreno-Adriatico and concussion stopped him racing last week, so his form is unsure. He was impressive in the Strade Bianche and if there’s anyone who can follow Van der Poel, Van Aert and Pogacar, it’s Pidcock. The INEOS Grenadiers also have Magnus Sheffield , Jhonatan Narváez and Ben Turner . Turner started the season well, but a crash took him out. He has returned to racing, but is probably not in top form. Sheffield and Narváez have shown occasional flashes, but Flanders is probably a bit tough.

tirreno23

The Soudal Quick-Step team riders received the wrath of Patrick Lefevere’s tongue after the E3 Saxo Classic. They were a bit more visible in Gent-Wevelgem, but no top 10 finish. There will have to be some improvement in Flanders. Julian Alaphilippe was with Van der Poel and Van Aert in 2020, but he hit a parked moto and hasn’t really been the same since. Alaphilippe has had a win in 2023 and in Milan-Sanremo he finished 11th. Last week he had a mild fever and stomach pain, but the two-time World Champion could surprise. Kasper Asgreen , Yves Lampaert and Florian Sénéchal will also be there for Soudal Quick-Step, but they are not of the same quality. Asgreen showed some good form last weekend. On some of the climbs he was with the strongest riders, but after that he disappeared.

sanremo23

Trek-Segafredo will be looking to Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven . Stuyven crashed in the E3 Saxo Classic, but has been at the front in the other Classics. Pedersen has been very active; 6th in Milano-Sanremo and 5th in Gent-Wevelgem, he also had a victory in Paris-Nice. In 2018, Pedersen finished 2nd in the Tour of Flanders, behind Niki Terpstra. If Pedersen is in a finishing group, his sprint could be a winner.

oman23

Matteo Jorgenson is an unknown in Flanders. The young rider won the Tour of Oman and in Paris-Nice he was able to climb with the top men. In the E3 Saxo Classic he was the best behind Van Aert, Van der Poel and Pogacar. But the American is still very inexperienced in the Classics, especially in Flanders. This will be his first Tour of Flanders and its 270 kilometres of climbs and cobbles maybe too much.

besseges23

Dylan Teuns and Sep Vanmarcke are also possible outsiders. The Belgian riders of Israel-Premier Tech have the experience in the Classics and have had good results in the Tour of Flanders. Teuns was 6th last year and Vanmarcke has been 3rd twice. Vanmarcke was on the podium at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. Alexander Kristoff will be there for the Norwegian Uno-X team, he won the race in 2015.

gaerne

Biniam Girmay hasn’t had the same form as last year. He has been riding well, including a stage win in Valencia, but he has not yet achieved any results in the Classics yet this year. The Eritrean’s best was 18th in Milano-Sanremo. In the Ronde he will have Mike Teunissen with him in the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty team. Benoît Cosnefroy is also an outsider. The Frenchman has never ridden the Ronde, but will have Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen at his side with AG2R Citroën.

tdf22st15

BORA-hansgrohe has no real leader. Nils Politt rode well in the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem, but no top 10. Bob Jungels could ride well in Flanders, but hasn’t had his best form this year. BORA also has Jordi Meeus , but he also isn’t expected to do much.

paris-nice 2023 stage 4

Michael Matthews is the leader of the Jayco AlUla team. In 2019 he was 6th and last year he finished 11th, but the Australian has never really been close to the win. He will be joined by Zdeněk Štybar which could be a help. Florian Vermeersch is Lotto Dstny’s man, but will we see him at the front?

flanders22

Who does PEZ predict? It’s hard to see anyone except one of the ‘big three’ winning: Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert or Tadej Pogačar, but if we have to pick, then it’s MvdP.

Outside bets would be on: Matej Mohorič, Valentin Madouas, Mads Pedersen, Tom Pidcock, Christophe Laporte, Soren Kragh Andersen and Stefan Küng.

# At the time of publishing, the final start list of the Tour of Flanders is not yet available, so there will be changes to the above list of possible winner. ·

*** Stay PEZ for the ‘Race Report’ on Sunday and all the news in EUROTRASH Monday. ***

'  src=

Alastair Hamilton has been a pro team mechanic on the road, track and mountain bike and worked for the Great Britain team at the World championships in all disciplines. Since moving to Spain and finding out how to use a computer, he has gone from contributor of Daily Distractions at the 2002 Vuelta a España to editor at PezCyclingNews.

Race Wrap: Van Aert’s E3 & Eyes On Roglič Vs Evenepoel Giro Showdown

EUROTRASH Thursday: Vlaanderen build-Up and All the News!

Private: Review: PEZ ALÉ custom kit

Private: Gear Break:

Private: GENT-WEVELGEM’24:

Comments are closed.

  • LATEST NEWS
  • TECH N SPEC
  • READER’S RIGS
  • Training and Health
  • How To…
  • Live Streaming

Cycling Today

Preview of the 2023 Tour of Flanders

tour of flanders predictions 2023

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

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

Mathieu van der Poel

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

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

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

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

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

Wout Van Aert

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

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

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

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

Kasper Asgreen

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

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

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

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

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

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

EDITOR PICKS

tour of flanders predictions 2023

2024 Milano-Torino LIVE STREAM

tour of flanders predictions 2023

2024 Nokere Koerse LIVE STREAM

tour of flanders predictions 2023

2024 Tirreno-Adriatico LIVE STREAM

Popular posts.

Julian Alaphilippe wins Milano-Sanremo 2019

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

tour of flanders predictions 2023

2020 UAE Tour LIVE STREAM

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Ewan storms to victory on stage 2 of UAE Tour

Popular category.

  • Results 1805
  • Grand Tours 1566
  • Tour de France 707
  • POPULAR THIS WEEK 616
  • Live Streaming 550
  • Giro d'Italia 547
  • Interviews 382

Tour of Flanders 2023: Route and start list for the men's race

All the crucial information ahead of this year's Ronde van Vlaanderen

  • Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Tour of Flanders 2022

The stage is set for the first cobbled Monument of the year, the Tour of Flanders , scheduled for 2 April. 

This year's race marks the event's 107th edition, making it one of the oldest in the world. The riders have changed over the years, but many of the event's iconic climbs have stayed the same. 

The route stretches out over 270km between Bruges and Oudenaarde. Below you'll find details of the race parcours , together with a list of those who will tackle it.

Tour of Flanders 2023: route

This year’s Tour of Flanders counts 273.4 kilometres, almost one kilometre longer than the 2022 edition won by Mathieu van der Poel. 

After six years in Antwerp, the race returns to Bruges in 2023 to kick off proceedings. The riders will roll out for an easy first 100km, before they hit the first cobbled sector - Huisepontweg - on the approach into Oudenaarde. 

The race’s midway point is marked with the first of three drags up the 2.2km-long Oude Kwaremont. From there, the terrain becomes unforgiving, offering little recovery time between the hellingen that quickly rack up. Notable ascents here include the Holleweg, Molenberg and Valkenberg. 

With 55km to go, the riders will get a practice run at the finishing two climbs as they go over the iconic pair of the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. The duo return around 17km from the line, where the decisive attacks are likely to come. 

The flat run-in to Oudenaarde is uncomplicated, but will bring some of the day’s most dramatic racing. If a rider hasn’t already broken away solo, expect a desperate sprint to the line. 

Tour of Flanders 2023: Start list

Alpecin-Deceuninck

VAN DER POEL Mathieu DILLIER Silvan BALLERSTEDT Maurice GOGL Michael KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren VERMEERSCH Gianni MEURISSE Xandro

Jumbo-Visma

VAN AERT Wout AFFINI Edoardo BENOOT Tiesj LAPORTE Christophe VAN FIJKE Tim VAN DER SANDE Tosh VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan

UAE Team Emirates

POGAČAR Tadej OLIVEIRA Rui BAX Sjoerd BJERG Mikkel LAENGEN Vegard Stake TRENTIN Matteo WELLENS Tim

AG2R Citroën Team

VAN AVERMAET Greg COSNEFROY Benoît DEWULF Stan NAESEN Lawrence NAESEN Oliver GAUTHERAT Pierre TOUZÉ Damien

Lotto Dstny

EWAN Caleb DE BUYST Jasper FRISON Frederik GRIGNARD Sébastien VAN MOER Brent VERMEERSCH Florian LIVYNS Arjen

Trek-Segafredo

STUYVEN Jasper LIEPINS Emīls HOOLE Daan KIRSCH Alex PEDERSEN Mads THEUNS Edward VACEK Mathias

INEOS Grenadiers

PIDCOCK Thomas HEIDUK Kim KWIATKOWSKI Michał TURNER Ben ROWE Luke SHEFFIELD Magnus SWIFT Ben

Soudal Quick-Step

ALAPHILIPPE Julian ASGREEN Kasper BALLERINI Davide MERLIER Tim LAMPAERT Yves SÉNÉCHAL Florian DECLERCQ Tim

Team Jayco AlUla

MATTHEWS Michael DURBRIDGE Luke MEZGEC Luka O'BRIEN Kelland QUICK Blake REINDERS Elmar ŠTYBAR Zdeněk

EF Education-EasyPost

BETTIOL Alberto SCULLY Tom DOULL Owain HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich KEUKELEIRE Jens POWLESS Neilson RUTSCH Jonas

Bahrain Victorious

MOHORIČ Matej ARNDT Nikias GRADEK Kamil MACIEJUK Filip PASQUALON Andrea RAJOVIĆ Dušan WRIGHT Fred

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty

GIRMAY Biniam BYSTRØM Sven Erik DE GENDT Aimé DE POOTER Dries PLANCKAERT Baptiste TEUNISSEN Mike VAN DER HOORN Taco

DEGENKOLB John BEVIN Patrick EEKHOFF Nils HEINSCHKE Leon EDMONDSON Alex NABERMAN Tim VERMAERKE Kevin

BORA-Hansgrohe

ARCHBOLD Shane GAMPER Patrick HALLER Marco POLITT Nils MEEUS Jordi VAN POPPEL Danny KOCH Jonas

Astana Qazaqstan Team

CHZHAN Igo GIDICH Yevgeniy LAAS Martin FEDOROV Yevgeniy GRUZDEV Dmitriy NURLYKHASSYM Nurbergen SYRITSA Gleb

ALLEGAERT Piet KREDER Wesley NOPPE Christophe CARVALHO Andre RENARD Alexis ZINGLE Axel WALSCHEID Max

Israel - Premier Tech

VANMARCKE Sep BOIVIN Guillaume REYNDERS Jens HOULE Hugo NEILANDS Krists VAN ASBROECK Tom TEUNS Dylan

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

BAUER Jack DEVRIENDT Tom FEDELI Alessandro PARISINI Nicolò MAŁECKI Kamil PUPPIO Antonio ZUKOWSKY Nickolas

Team Arkéa Samsic

HOFSTETTER Hugo BIERMANS Jenthe DEKKER David LOUVEL Matis MCLAY Daniel LE BERRE Mathis RUSSO Clément

Groupama-FDJ

KÜNG Stefan ASKEY Lewis GENIETS Kevin LE GAC Olivier LIENHARD Fabian MADOUAS Valentin WATSON Samuel

Movistar Team

GARCÍA CORTINA Iván HOLLMAN Juri JACOBS Johan JORGENSON Matteo LAZKANO Oier ROMEO Iván NORSGAARD Mathias

TotalEnergies

SAGAN Peter BOASSON HAGEN Edvald DUJARDIN Sandy BONNET Thomas OURSELIN Paul TURGIS Anthony VAN GESTEL Dries

VAN KEIRSBULCK Guillaume BLOUWE Louis DESAL Ceriel GEURIN Alexis MERTENS Julian ROBEET Ludovic VAN BOVEN Luca

Team Flanders - Baloise

BRAET Vito COLMAN Alex DE PESTEL Sander DE VYLDER Lindsay BERCKMOES Jenno DE WILDE Gilles VANHOOF Ward

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team

KRISTOFF Alexander URIANSTAD Martin HALVORSEN Kristoffer BLUME LEVY William RESELL Erik Nordsæter BENDIXEN Louis TILLER Rasmus

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

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

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Get The Leadout Newsletter

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

Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.

The new Venta R features aero tubing and integrated technology but also more upright geometry and a friendlier price tag

By Luke Friend Published 14 March 24

The Dutch super team might be winning it all, but can they create a legacy?

By Adam Becket Published 14 March 24

Our writers pick their best moments from an enthralling 2023, what do you think?

By Adam Becket Published 30 December 23

Filip Maciejuk banned from racing for a month after careering into the front of the bunch after taking to the pavement

By Vern Pitt Published 26 July 23

Tadej Pogačar should be lining up a tilt at Paris-Roubaix, Mathieu van der Poel has won almost everything he can, and Ineos Grenadiers underwhelmed

By Adam Becket Published 13 April 23

Danish rider finished seventh for Soudal Quick-Step after Patrick Lefevere called for riders to ‘save team’s honour’

By Tom Thewlis Published 6 April 23

World governing body also investigating road-blocking team tactics used by DSM in the race as well as by Trek-Segafredo at Dwars door Vlaanderen

By Tom Thewlis Published 4 April 23

The rush to leave the Kwaremont after the men's race was depressing, and revealing. We all need to do more to support women's cycling

By Adam Becket Published 4 April 23

With Tour of Flanders victory ticked off, it’s hard to bet against him adding the two remaining Monuments to his palmarès in the years to come

By Tom Thewlis Published 3 April 23

Jumbo-Visma are fallible after all, and SD Worx's dominance continues with Roubaix in sight

Useful links

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

Buyer's Guides

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

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

tour of flanders predictions 2023

  • Gangwon 2024
  • Milano Cortina 2026
  • Brisbane 2032
  • Olympic Refuge Foundation
  • Olympic Games
  • Olympic Channel
  • Let's Move

2023 Tour of Flanders: Preview, schedule, how to watch both men's and women's classic races live

Mathieu van der Poel is favourite to defend his title at the iconic one-day men's classic race on the Belgian cobbles, while Annemiek van Vleuten chases a third women's crown in her final season.

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) on Stage 17 of 2022 Tour de France

The second road cycling one-day classic monument of the 2023 season is here.

On Sunday (2 April), the  Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen; Tour des Flandres) will celebrate its 107th men's and 20th women's editions as the first of two back-to-back cobbled monuments (Paris–Roubaix follows next week).

Men have raced 'De Ronde' annually uninterrupted since 1919. This year, for the first time since 2016, the race begins in Bruges/Brugge – the first year of an agreement that will see Bruges/Brugge and Antwerp alternate start-line duties. The race will end in Oudenaarde, as it has done every year since 2012, after 273.4km (169.9mi).

The women, meanwhile, face a 156.6km (97.3mi) course set around Oudenaarde but also encompassing swathes of the men's route.

Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands and Belgium's own  Lotte Kopecky are the respective defending champions. Van der Poel is looking for his third title in four races, having also triumphed in 2020.

  • How to qualify for road cycling at Paris 2024

GB's super cyclist Tom Pidcock lauded as potential world’s best but in which discipline will he shine brightest?

2023 tour of flanders course routes.

Welcome back to Bruges/Brugge. That's the main headline from this year's men's Ronde van Vlaanderen course , as the race returns to the same UNESCO World Heritage Site start town it had from 1998 through 2016.

The Grote Markt in Bruges/Brugge is where the peloton will start from; the change in start city from Antwerp means the route south to Oudenaard is also changing.

While the daunting Oude Kwaremont – Paterberg finale will still take pride of place, the course for the first 136km (84.5 miles) to the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont looks a little less heavy on the legs compared to last year, with only a single cobbled sector (down from two) at Huisepontweg and a generally flatter parcours, albeit with an additional côte.

However, the traditional loop around Oudenaard will again test the riders, with 18 climbs from the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont to the finish. Once more, the Paterberg is the last climb of the day with 13 km to go before a fast, flat finish. Across the day's 19 classified hills, the riders will climb 3,227m (10,587ft).

The women will ride a course very similar to the ones they are used to – a loop around Oudenaard, beginning at the Markt and ending on Minderbroedersstraat as the men do.

As with the men's race, Huisepontweg at 49.6km is the first cobbled sector; unlike the men, the women's peloton will already have had to climb their first test – the Tiegemberg.

Twelve further climbs await the women, who will face the same final 45km as the men, starting with the notoriously difficult cobbled climb up the Kopperberg (113.4km) and concluding with the Oude Kwaremont – Paterberg one-two to finish. A total elevation gain of 2,682m (8,799ft) awaits the peloton.

Men's Road Race - Cycling Road | Tokyo 2020 Replays

2023 tour of flanders riders to watch, men's race - 2023 riders to watch.

  • Mathieu van der Poel – the defending champion from the Netherlands. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider also triumphed in 2020 and was beaten into second place in 2021. He will aim for a fourth straight podium finish on the back of winning Milano-Sanremo two weeks ago.
  • Tadej Pogacar – the all-round phenomenon from Slovenia is looking for his fourth career monument win (2 at Il Lombardia, 1 at Liège-Bastogne-Liège). This is just his second appearance in De Ronde, having finished agonisingly off the podium in fourth last year.
  • Kasper Asgreen – the Dane was the surprise winner in 2021, knocking van der Poel into second place. His Soudal–Quick Step team can also count on…
  • Julian Alaphilippe – the two-time road race world champion, who looked set to challenge for the 2020 race before crashing into a motorcycle while in the winning breakaway.
  • Wout van Aert – Jumbo-Visma's leader in Flanders, who was forced to miss last year's race after catching Covid. Widely considered the biggest rival to Van der Poel, Van Aert will be hoping to upgrade his 2020 second place to the top step of the podium. Enters off the back of a second place at Gent-Wevelgem.
  • Greg van Avermaet – even aged 37, don't rule out the Belgian on his home roads. The 2016 Olympic road race champion is a specialist in the one-day classics, and has finished on the podium in Oudenaarde four times without ever winning the race.
  • Tom Pidcock – the Briton is, like Van der Poel and Van Aert, used to riding on different terrain as a cyclo-cross, mountain bike, and road rider. Pidcock claimed his first major one-day win earlier this year at Strade Bianche and has experience of winning on cobbles, triumphing in the 2021 Brabantse Pijl and 2019 Paris–Roubaix Espoirs junior race.

Women's race - 2023 riders to watch

  • Annemiek van Vleuten – the Dutch women's cycling legend has announced that 2023 will be her final season. A two-time winner of the women's Tour of Flanders (2011, 2021), Van Vleuten is no stranger to success in all forms of road cycling, from long stage races to one-day classics, and will hope to sign off from Oudenaarde with a third victory.
  • Lotte Kopecky – defending champion from 2022, Kopecky will have the home support behind her. A two-time national road race champion, she already has a pair of one-day classic race wins under her belt this season and will be one of the favourites for a third.
  • Marianne Vos – the London 2012 Olympic road race champion hasn't won in a one-day race since Gent-Wevelgem in 2021, but count Vos out at your peril. The vastly experienced Dutchwoman is still a force to be reckoned with on her day.
  • Elisa Longo Borghini – the Trek-Segafredo team leader, who won bronze in the last two Olympic road races, is a previous winner of the event (2015) and will be supported by fellow Italian and 2021 world champion Elisa Balsamo.

Women's Road Race - Cycling Road | Tokyo 2020 Replays

2023 tour of flanders: race schedules.

(All times local CEST, approximate after race start. Assumes an average race speed of 44km/h for men and 40km/h for women)

  • 10:00 – Men's race unofficial start in Bruges/Brugge (-8.3km)
  • 10:16 – Men's race official start in Beernem (0.0km)
  • 12:45 – Men's race reaches first cobbled sector at Huisepontweg (109.0km)
  • 13:22 – Men's race reaches first ascent of Oude Kwaremont (climb 2, 136.8km)
  • 13:30 – Women's race unofficial start in Oudenaarde (-2.7km)
  • 13:35 – Women's race official start in Oudenaarde (0.0km)
  • 13:50 – Women's race reaches first climb at Tiegemberg (climb 1, 10.0km)
  • 14:49 – Women's race reaches first cobbled sector at Huisepontweg (49.5km)
  • 15:14 – Men's race reaches second ascent of Oude Kwaremont (climb 12, 218.8km)
  • 15:19 – Men's race reaches first ascent of Paterberg (climb 13, 222.3km)
  • 15:28 – Men's race reaches Koppenberg (climb 14, 228.8km)
  • 16:06 – Men's race reaches third ascent of Oude Kwaremont (climb 18, 256.7km)
  • 16:11 – Men's race reaches second ascent of Paterberg (climb 19, 260.1km)
  • 16:23 – Women's race reaches Koppenberg (climb 8, 112.0km)
  • 16:29 – Men's leaders arrive at finish line in Oudenaarde (273.4km)
  • 17:05 – Women's race reaches Oude Kwaremont (climb 12, 139.9km)
  • 17:10 – Women's race reaches Paterberg (climb 13, 143.3km)
  • 17:30 – Women's leaders arrive at finish line in Oudenaarde (156.6km)

Tour of Flanders: Last five winners

  • 2022: Mathieu van der Poel (NED/Alpecin-Fenix)
  • 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)
  • 2022: Lotte Kopecky (BEL/SD Worx)
  • 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)

How to watch 2023 Tour of Flanders - Ronde van Vlaanderen

List of regional broadcasters (TV / online):

  • Belgium – RTBF
  • Czechia – Czech TV
  • Denmark – TV2
  • France – France TV
  • Italy – RAI
  • Netherlands – NOS
  • Norway – TV2
  • Slovenia – JOJ
  • Spain – Enjoy
  • Switzerland – SRG SSR
  • Pan-Europe – Eurosport, GCN
  • Canada – Flobikes
  • United States – Flobikes
  • Australia – Flobikes, SBS
  • New Zealand – SKY Sport
  • Central and South America and the Caribbean – ESPN
  • Sub-Saharan Africa – Supersport

Tadej POGACAR

Related content

GB's super cyclist Tom Pidcock lauded as potential world’s best but in which discipline will he shine brightest?

Black female cyclist pioneer Ayesha McGowan on why diverse representation matters: "It's also about gender, ableism and age"

Gent-Wevelgem 2023: Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert go 1-2 for Jumbo-Visma on Belgian cobbles

Gent-Wevelgem 2023: Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert go 1-2 for Jumbo-Visma on Belgian cobbles

Cycling history-maker Biniam Girmay: "This is our time" for generation of African riders

Cycling history-maker Biniam Girmay: "This is our time" for generation of African riders

Milan-San Remo 2023: Mathieu Van der Poel wins first Monument classic of men's season

Milan-San Remo 2023: Mathieu Van der Poel wins first Monument classic of men's season

You may like.

Results and Highlights from the Tour of Flanders

Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky captured the wins at another thrilling edition of the Tour of Flanders.

107th ronde van vlaanderen tour des flandres 2023 men's elite

The Tour of Flanders is always one of the most thrilling of the Monuments and this year’s edition was no different. Both the men’s and women’s races brought some great excitement to the Belgian cobbles.

Men’s Race Recap

At 273.4 kilometers with six cobble segments and 19 climbs, the men’s Tour of Flanders—the second Monument race of the season—runs from Brugge to Oudenaarde in Belgium. This year was the fastest iteration of the race ever run, with strong tailwinds (and headwinds) breaking up the peloton from the start. The race was marred by many crashes, and the racing was some of the most exciting we’ve seen all season.

As usual, with Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) in the mix, those were the riders to watch, but there were quite a few other contenders on the start line. Teams like Ineos-Grenadiers and Movistar made some early attacks, trying to test the peloton, but the early kilometers of the race were marked by small attacks that the peloton swallowed up. The wind also played a part, splitting the peloton and forcing top riders like Van der Poel to work at the front.

At 70 kilometers into the race, a crash took out several riders and split the newly-reformed peloton—but that wouldn’t be the only crash of the day. At 140 kilometers to go, a huge crash in the peloton took out many riders including Peter Sagan—racing his last Tour of Flanders before his upcoming retirement—and Tim Wellens. The crash was caused by a Bahrain rider who went onto the grass, then swung back onto the road into the peloton. Wellens was unfortunately forced to pull out of the race, as was Sagan. The Bahrain Victorious rider Filip Maciejuk was disqualified for causing the crash. (Sadly, another Bahrain rider caused other crash a while later, though with less catastrophic results—all bad news for another race favorite, Bahrain’s Matej Mohorič.)

You can watch the domino effect of the crash here:

Meanwhile, the crashes allowed a group of eight to continue to grow their advantage in a breakaway. Jasper De Buyst, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Daan Hoole, Elmar Reinders, Filippo Colombo, Jonas Rutsch, Tim Merlier and Hugo Houle. The group didn’t contain riders from Van der Poel, Van Aert or Pogacar’s teams—which means there was a lot of firepower in the peloton working to close that gap, though with eight big teams including Loton Dsny, Trek Segafredo and EF up in the lead, there were also plenty of teams who had no reason to work. The leaders grew their advantage to four minutes, but by 100 kilometers to go, the gap was closing, down to two minutes.

A smaller attack group with Mads Peterson and dark horse race favorite Stephan Küng along with seven others went after the leaders, splitting from the peloton and closing the gap to under a minute with 90 kilometers to go—a minute ahead of the peloton. By 77 kilometers to go, the chase group made contact with the breakaway, creating a 19-rider strong lead group, nearly two minutes ahead of the peloton containing many of the race favorites.

Another huge crash in the peloton at 70 kilometers to go took out Mohorič as well as Binian Girmay and Aime De Gendt.

107th ronde van vlaanderen tour des flandres 2023 men's elite

With 55 kilometers to go, attacks began to bring the big three—Van der Poel, Van Aert or Pogačar—back to the front of the race. UAE launched the attack, with Pogačar riding up the steep cobbled climb, riding Tom Pidcock off his wheel as Van Aert gritted his way up the hill, chasing hard. Pidcock and teammate Magnus Sheffield led Van Aert up the climb as Pogacar appeared to pretty much sprint away from the peloton, looking entirely unbothered by his monumental effort. As the climbs came fast and furious, he seemed comfortable attacking the narrow climbs alone.

Behind them, Van Aert and Pidcock were joined by Van der Poel, essentially creating a cyclocross superstar chase group. It wasn’t a surprise when they caught Pogačar and LaPorte, who had eased up slightly.

The lead groups hit the famed Koppenburg climb—but the real camera view was Pogačar, Van Aert and Van der Poel smashing the pedals together surging up the classic climb. Ahead of them, the lead group of 11 worked hard to maintain their lead on the three superpowers of cycling, with Neilson Powless, one of the few Americans in the race, in the mix in the lead group. The lead group continued to dwindle as the ‘big three’ powered up the climbs, picking up riders who’d been dropped from the lead group as they went. At 28 kilometers to go, Van der Poel attacked hard and Pogačar just barely made it on his wheel as Van Aert struggled to hang on and began to fall behind as more climbs loomed ahead.

Pogačar surged again, catching and riding through Pederson, who was caught by a chasing Van der Poel. With 17 kilometers to go, Pogačar was finally in the lead, opening a 13 second gap, though Van der Poel refused to give up while Pederson tried to hang on. A chase group with many of the original attackers along with Van Aert followed 40 seconds back.

While Pogačar was utterly uncatchable, Van der Poel never gave up the chase, stretching to 30 second behind Pogačar. Behind him, the large chase group with Van Aert, Pederson, Kasper Asgreen, Neilson Poless, Kung, Matteo Jorgensen and Fred Wright were a minute back, all in contention for the final spot on the podium.

It was no surprise when Pogačar sailed in for the win—in the fastest race time ever recorded—with Van der Poel smoothly coming in for second place. The real sprint came under a minute later, led out by Pederson, with Van Aert right on his wheel. The two finished in a photo finish, with Pederson just inching out Van Aert for third place.

“I could retire after today and be proud of my career, ” Pogačar said after the race. But thankfully, the young rider has no intention of retiring anytime soon.

107th ronde van vlaanderen tour des flandres 2023 men's elite

Tour of Flanders Results - Men’s Top 10

  • Tadej Pogačar (Team UAE Emirates)
  • Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
  • Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafedo)
  • Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
  • Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost
  • Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ)
  • Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-Quick-Step)
  • Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious)
  • Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar)
  • Matteo Trentin (Team UAE Emirates)

20th ronde van vlaanderen tour des flandres 2023 women's elite

Women’s Race Recap

The women’s iteration of the Tour of Flanders is slightly shorter, with only five cobbled sections and 13 climbs over 156 kilometers. Favorites included last year’s winner Lotte Kopecky along with two of her other SD Worx teammates, Demi Vollering and Marlyn Reusser. But it was Trek Segafredo that kept the race interesting, as did the Movistar squad led by Annemiek van Vleuten.

Unlike the men’s version of the Tour, the climbs start early on the women’s route, but the peloton managed to stay together early on. For the first 60 kilometers, the peloton largely stayed together, and was relatively calm. But similar to the men’s race, a big crash as riders came into Oudenaarde took out quite a few riders in the main peloton.

At around the halfway mark, Ally Wollaston of AG Insurance made the first effective attack of the day, creating a gap of 30 seconds. After another crash for the peloton, though, the SD Worx team started making moves towards the front of the race in order to protect their riders and start to lead the race. UAE Team ADQ and Trek Segafredo also started moving riders towards the front, anticipating SD Worx going on the attack.

20th ronde van vlaanderen tour des flandres 2023 women's elite

With two-thirds of the race completed, Elise Chabbey went on the attack, and Van Vleuten unfortunately had a crash from the back of the peloton. She got back up, but had to fix her chain and chase back on. Meanwhile, SD Worx, Trek Segafredo and UAE all sent riders up the road to chase the leaders.

Hitting the steep cobbled Koppenburg climb, the leaders were absorbed by the chasers, and the groups all shattered on the climb. Only two riders were able to get over the climb without dismounting—race favorite Marlyn Reusser along with UAE’s Silvia Persico—while Lorena Wiebes and Lotte Kopecky had to remount and run. Leanne Lipert dropped a chain and had to stop to fix it, forcing her to mount an inspired chase.

But by the top of the climb, only four riders remained at the front, all race favorites: SD Worx’ Wiebes, Reusser and Kopecky with Persico hanging on. Trek Segafredo, UAE, Canyon SRAM, Jumbo Visma, and SD Worx all had riders in the chase group, just 22 seconds down. The peloton behind them was shattered on the climb, and small groups were strung out across the course.

Wiebes was the first rider to drop from the lead group as they hit one of the several climbs left in the race. Reusser also dropped off the back, and Persico hung onto Kopecky’s wheel, avoiding her time at the front. Behind them, Kopecky’s teammates Vollering and Reuser with Shirin van Anrooij of Trek Segafredo and Kasia Niewiadoma of Canyon SRAM chased at 20 seconds down with 27 kilometers to go. They were joined by Juliette Labous and Elisa Longo-Borghini.

On the muddy, slippery climb at 18 kilometers to go, Kopecky attacked and dropped Persico, while the now seven-woman chase group fought their way up the slippery cobbles. From there, she was unstoppable, growing her gap quickly as she worked her way up the final climbs of the day. The chase group surged behind Persico, struggling to catch her on the climb, reabsorbing her on the tight cobbled ascent.

20th ronde van vlaanderen tour des flandres 2023 women's elite

As the kilometers clicked down, the chasers became more chaotic. In the chase group, the SD Worx riders clearly irritated the small chase group by refusing to do any work in order to protect the lead Kopecky had, while riders like Labous tried to close the gap.

Kopecky powered to the finish line as the six-woman chase group 45 seconds back started to set up for the sprint for the final two podium positions.

It has to be said: There’s something kind of awesome about hearing a remixed version of All I Do Is Win from a bystander as Kopecky sailed by just meters from the finish. And she had plenty of time to celebrate her win.

Behind her, the chase group began the long sprint to the finish line, led out by Vollering. Longo-Borghini came up the side, but it was Vollering who snapped up second place with Longo-Borghini in third.

It’s worth noting: The women’s Tour of Flanders race overlapped with the men’s race if you were trying to watch live, so if you did miss it while you were watching the men’s, definitely go back and watch the replay!

Tour of Flanders Results - Women’s Top 10

  • Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx)
  • Demi Vollering (SD Worx)
  • Elisa Longo Borghini (Trek-Segafredo)
  • Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ)
  • Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM)
  • Juliette Labous (Team DSM)
  • Marlen Reusser (SD Worx)
  • Shirin van Anrooij (Trek-Segafredo)
  • Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma)
  • Arlenis Sierra Canadilla (Movistar)

Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training, with an emphasis on women in sport. Her new middle-grade series, Shred Girls, debuts with Rodale Kids/Random House in 2019 with "Lindsay's Joyride." Her other books include "Mud, Snow and Cyclocross," "Saddle, Sore" and "Fuel Your Ride." Her work has been published in magazines like Bicycling, Outside and Nylon. She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast.

preview for HDM All Sections Playlist - Bicycling

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Racing

cycling ita milan sanremo

Alberto Bettiol Takes Gutsy Win a Milano-Torino

a group of cyclists on a muddy road

Separate Starts For Women at Life Time Grand Prix

18th strade bianche 2024 men's elite

Embracing Tadej Pogačar’s Mastery at Strade

17th miron women's worldtour ronde van drenthe 2024

Wiebes Claims Record Victory in Ronde van Drenthe

topshot cycling fra paris nice 2024 podium

Matteo Jorgenson Makes History with Paris-Nice Win

cycling italy tirreno adriatico stage 2

No Milano-Sanremo for Mark Cavendish

59th tirreno adriatico 2024 ndash stage 5

Breakaway Battles: Vingegaard vs. Pogačar

120th paris roubaix 2023 men's elite

More Cobbles for 2024 Paris-Roubaix

team alpecin's mathieu van der poel rides in the last kilometer on his way to win the milan sanremo one day classic cycling race on march 18, 2023

MvdP to Start 2024 Road Season at Milan-Sanremo

78th tour of spain 2023 stage 21

All-In: The Trilogy

7th ceratizit challenge by la vuelta 2021 stage 1

Vuelta Femenina 2024 Adds Extra Day of Racing

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Tour of Flanders Women 2023 Race Preview

Mathew Mitchell

Mathew Mitchell

  • Published on March 28, 2023
  • in Women's Cycling

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Tour of Flanders Women History

A Women’s Tour of Flanders goes back to 2004 when the race immediately joined the top-level Road World Cup. From there, it’s pretty much been a who’s who of women’s cycling on the winner’s list. World champions, grand tour winners and more, every name is heavily linked to women’s cycling with no surprises like say Jacky Durand on the men’s list. Names like Zulfia Zabirova , Nicole Cooke , In-Yoko Teutenberg, Marianne Vos , Annemiek van Vleuten and Anna van der Breggen all are mentioned. One of the interesting quirks is how few multiple winners that are. Until Annemiek van Vleuten’s second victory in 2021, only Judith Arndt and Mirjam Melchers had been on the top step more than once.

Table of Contents

The race has seen the same changes as the men’s race over the years, with the classic route of the Muur/Bosberg finish now used by Omloop get Nieuwsblad. First came the finish in Meerbeke (next to Ninove) before transferring to the modern finish in Oudenaarde.

The changes saw the women’s race lose the Muur-Kapelmuur and Bosberg climbs for some years. Between 2012 and 2017, the race stayed relatively close to Oudenaarde and didn’t visit Geraardsbergen. The race has never revisited the Bosberg in that time though. Only in 2020 has the Muur been removed as the pandemic necessitated shorter races for that Autumn period. This year’s race will see the usual collection of hills and cobbles, finishing up with the Oude Kwaremont and Paterbeg combo before a 10km ride back into Oudenaarde.

Previous Winners

2022 Lotte Kopecky 2021 Annemiek van Vleuten 2020 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak

Tour of Flanders Women 2023 Profile

Tour_Of_Flanders_Women_2023_Profile

TV Coverage

Sunday 2nd April 2023

Live Eurosport/GCN 14:00-17:30 BST

Twitter: #RVV23 Or #RVVwomen

Startlist: FirstCycling

Tour of Flanders Women 2023 Contenders

tour of flanders predictions 2023

SD Worx will look to retain their Tour of Flanders Women title that they earned last year through Lotte Kopecky . They had the numbers in the final last season to even re-engineer the front group. Everything we’ve seen this season suggests they’ll have strength in numbers late on again. With Kopecky climbing stronger than ever, the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg combo should affect her less. Teammate Demi Vollering will presumably try and break clear if she wants to win this monument of women’s cycling. Doing something similar to Marlen Reusser at Gent Wevelgem would be the way to go. Behind a break like that, there’s the twin sprint threat of Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes . If the front group is neutralised, then Lorena Wiebes really comes into play as once over the Paterberg there isn’t an obstacle for the Dutch rider. Honestly, it’s tough to see a non-SD Worx rider winning but that will be the challenge.

Movistar is bringing all of their threats, with Annemiek van Vleuten surely the leader even after a quiet 2023 season by her standards so far. She’s been away training again and it’ll be interesting to see if she’s in top form yet or saving it for the Ardennes. Teammate Liane Lippert supported her well at Strade Bianche on the way to 7th place herself, the only race she’s finished outside of the top-10 this season has been Omloop het Nieuwsblad. But her best result in this race is only 26th. Floortje Mackaij was 10th at Strade Bianche and continues to be a solid attacking threat mixed in with strong support. She’s never quite made the top-10 at the Women’s Tour of Flanders , finishing between 10th and 20th each year since 2018. If it does all come to a sprint, Arlenis Sierra will fancy her chances. 4th in last year’s race, she’s been in great form so far in 2023. 5th at Nokere Koerse and 4th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda were encouraging going into Gent Wevelgem but the crashes and conditions prevented a repeat there.

Canyon SRAM’s hopes appear to be pinned on Kasia Niewiadoma if history is anything to go by. The Pole is the only rider to have a top-10 finish at the Tour of Flanders Women , in fact, she has 5 of them. They tend to be in the lower reaches though as her relative lack of sprint always shows when we get to Oudenaarde. 6th in 2019 is her best. Teammates Elise Chabbey and Soraya Paladin should, in theory, be good wildcards as well. Chabbey was 5th at the UAE Tour but has been in a support role since. Like her compatriot Reusser, she can be a threat if given a gap. Soraya Paladin did her usual strong result at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda with 5th but 12th in 2019 is by far her best result in this race.   It’s also tough to ignore Maike van der Duin at the moment. 3rd in Gent Wevelgem and 7th at Classic Brugge-De Panne are rides to take note of. The Women’s Tour of Flanders is a bit of a different beast though but another strong result could once again be on the cards.

TDFF22S7 - Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Large)

FDJ-Suez can call upon their usual crop of talent.  Cecile Uttrup Ludwig  has 3 top-10 finishes in the last 4 editions, including 3rd back in 2019. She was also  3rd in this year’s Strade Bianche  for good measure. She hasn’t raced tonnes this year and it’s hard to pin down her form compared to others but she’ll be in the hunt for sure. Teammate  Grace Brown  took her own Tour of Flanders Women podium back in 2021 as her bunch chased Van Vleuten. She was 7th last year too but hasn’t finished in the top-10 of any race since winning the Tour Down Under back in January.  Vittoria Guazzini  doesn’t have a previous result to really speak of but has great form so far in 2023.  3rd in Le Samyn des Dames saw the Italian the first rider over the line behind the lead pair . Another 3rd place at Trofeo Alfredo Binda was also a strong finish. She can maybe hang on over the Paterberg and finish strongly with a kick into Oudenaarde.

Trek-Segafredo can call upon experience for this year’s Women’s Tour of Flanders . They’ve got 3 of the most experienced riders in  Amanda Spratt , Lucinda Brand and Elisa Longo Borghini with 39 editions between them. Despite all that, and it’s a surprise,  Lucinda Brand  and Spratt only have a total of 1 top-10 finish between them. So the hopes will be on  Elisa Longo Borghini , the 2015 Tour of Flanders Women winner. She’s usually a cert to be in the top 10 but comes into this year’s race after a spell of illness. Her form at Dwars door Vlaanderen will be key to keep an eye on. Despite being a star, this doesn’t appear to be an  Elisa Balsamo  race. A best finish of 15th in 2021 might be bettered after  2nd places at Classic Brugge-De Panne  and Trofeo Alfredo Binda – both behind solo winners – but it’s possibly a tough ask. Shirin van Anrooij gets a late call-up after 9th at Dwars Door Vlaanderen. I can see her getting a similar result but it depends if she’s used up in chasing breaks.

Marta Bastianelli  can be a bit hit-and-miss at the Women’s Tour of Flanders . The Italian is a former winner back in 2019, beating Van Vleuten and Uttrup Ludwig in a very small group sprint. However, that win and her 10th spot last season are her only top-10s since 2011. Bastianelli is in great form this season, her swansong, and she will want to bow out of this race with a good result. Her teammate  Silvia Persico  will also be looking to do well. 11th in last year’s race her 6th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda showed that she has a reasonable although not massive sprint at the end of hilly races. I can see her finishing on the podium if the end group is small enough.

Coryn Labecki

Eyes will be drawn to Marianne Vos , the 2013 Tour of Flanders Women winner, but the Dutch rider has only raced Trofeo Alfredo Binda this season and whilst it initially looked good, she came to an abrupt near-stop near the end. She’s probably still finding her conditioning so a top-10 might be tough. Worth keeping an eye on how she does at Dwars Door Vlaanderen for a clearer view. Teammate Coryn Labecki is another former winner, back in 2017. Her best result since that victory though is only 34th and 2023 has been tough sledding after some initial promise and good results at the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana . So it may come back down to the duo of Anna Henderson and Karlijn Swinkels who have been more than holding down the fort. It’s tough to think of a recent race where Henderson hasn’t attacked and she now has 3 top-10 results in a row. Karlijn Swinkels was 4th at Gent Wevelgem , so whilst her best Flanders result is 104th, that’s surely an anomaly to be broken.

Team DSM’s Pfeiffer Georgi is panning out as the revelation of this year’s classics season. Most people knew what she could do but the Brit has been consistently delivering so far in 2023. 11th in Gent Wevelgem was heroic given how many mishaps there were and the amount of solo work done to catch back to the front of the race. American Megan Jastrab isn’t far behind her either. She’s also delivering on her early promise with 4th at Brugge Classic-De Panne and 2nd at Gent Wevelgem. Juliette Labous is the biggest name but she’s probably got other goals in mind – the best result in 2023 so far is 12th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda speaks of a rider with a later form peak. Elise Uijen is a fun wildcard as well, 7th at Binda along with that great stage win at Setmana CV too . We might see her go on the attack again here.

Yara Kastelijn

Yara Kastelijn  has been quietly notching up solid results so far in 2023. 8th in GC at Setmana CV was followed by 14th at Strade Bianche and 11th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda . The Dutch rider was 25th in last year’s Tour of Flanders Women and currently feels right on the cusp of a really big result on the road. It may end up coming in the Ardennes but this race with its hills and slippery cobbles fits her profile nicely. 

Uno-X has been in great form recently, plucking some results after a relatively quiet start to the season.  Maria Giulia Confalonieri  should come into this race as the leader but often finds Flanders quite tough, 16th in 2021 is her best result since finishing 11th in 2017. If there’s a big bunch near the end though she will have a good podium shout. I’m assuming the hills here will be too tough for  Elinor Barker  but after 7th at Gent Wevelgem, she will be worth a watch. Plus there’s  Anouska Koster  who’s on the early start list. I’m expecting her to drop off due to a recent injury when the final one is released.  It’s a shame though because 6th at Omloop het Nieuwsblad  was an indicator of  good   form.

Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio  was 4th here back in 2018 but since then hasn’t broken into the top 30. The South African is certainly riding a lot happier this season and that has transferred to results. 2nd in Setmana CV by 1 second to her teammate and a solid 12th at Strade Bianche too.  Justine Ghekiere  is the team’s wildcard  after the Setmana CV GC win  was backed up by 8th at Trofeo Alfredo Binda . I think we can see her near the front quite late on. 

Finally, there’s  Audrey Cordon-Ragot  who should be back racing this week after missing out on Gent-Wevelgem. The non-payment situation on her team has the potential to overshadow things but riders on Zaaf at this point might feel like they’re racing for new contracts. The French rider’s best result in 12 editions of the Women’s Tour of Flanders is 17th way way back in 2012. It’s hard to place too much stock into that history though after working mainly for others over that time. She will be a contender.

Tour of Flanders Women 2023 Outsiders

Anniina Ahtosalo

Shari Bossuyt comes into this race in strong form but the jury is still out if she can climb with the very best that will be here. A great week saw the Belgian finish 5th at Classic Brugge-De Panne and 10th at Gent Wevelgem are very encouraging though. It’s all a bit of a mixed bag for the team and hard to see any of them reaching the top step.

I might end up guilty of putting Zoe Backstedt in here too much but she is getting closer after 45th at Gent Wevelgem. This race is probably going to have too many hills and big hitters but we know there’s a big result coming nonetheless.

A stacked team should hopefully leave Loes Adegeest in an attacking role that we’ve seen pay off plenty this season. The FDJ rider has the potential to do a ‘Marlen Reusser’ and just ghost off the front and hold an effort all the way to the line. It’s a low percentage call but potentially possible.

It’s been tough to call Tamara Dronova this season. The Russian started off well but really seems to either not quite have the form of 2022 yet or is still suffering from her heavy crash at the UAE Tour Women. She may come good again here.

Supporting Audrey Cordon-Ragot will be Zaaf Cycling’s Mareille Meijering . The Dutch rider has been up there in many of the races this season doing that support role, so whilst she hovers around the top-10 at her best, there are also plenty of finishes around 25-30th place too. She can go deep into this race and if she’s the sole Zaaf rider left, can maybe get a result too.

Top 3 Prediction

  • Lotte Kopecky
  • Demi Vollering
  • Annemiek van Vleuten

Related Posts

Shirin van Anrooij 2023 Trofeo Alfredo Binda

Trofeo Alfredo Binda 2024 Race Preview

Gladys-Verhulst

Gladys Verhulst-Wild Looking to Impress in Tour de Normandie Return

Maelle Grossetete 2024 Ronde van Drenthe

Maelle Grossetete Finds Her Stride at New Team

Ko-fi ProCyclingUK button

SportsGeek

2023 Tour of Flanders Odds and Predictions

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter

Rick Rockwell

On Sunday, April 2, the 107 th edition of the Tour of Flanders, also known as Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch, will get under way in Brugge, Flanders. Some of the sport’s top stars will take the starting line in what should be an epic showdown on the hills and cobblestones of Belgium.

Matthew van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar are all aiming to win the Tour of Flanders, and the best cycling betting sites have them as the three odds on favorites to pick up the victory.

With the amount of firepower in the peloton, this one-day race is shaping up to be an instant classic. Let’s take a look at the latest Tour of Flanders odds and make our predictions on who will win Belgium’s biggest race.

Tour of Flanders Betting Odds

The following 2023 Tour of Flanders odds are courtesy of Bovada

 alt=

Casino Review

Tour of Flanders Betting Favorites

The following cyclists are listed as the betting favorites at the best Tour of Flanders betting sites:

Mathieu van der Poel +250

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) comes into the Tour of Flanders as the slight betting favorite over his longtime rival Wout van Aert. And, after the way van der Poel has raced over the last month, it’s easy to see why online betting sites are picking the Dutch rider to win.

MVDP has rounded into form with a dominating win at Milano-Sanremo and a second-place finish at the E3 Saxo Classic. Both of these races took place within the last few weeks.

Not only is van der Poel on form for the 2023 season, but he’s also been stellar at Flanders in his career. For MVDP, this will be his 5 th appearance in the Tour of Flanders. Van der Poel has finished 4 th or better in all four appearances including a runner-up and two victories.

Van der Poel won in 2020 and last year. He’s looking to pull off the Flanders hat trick with a victory this weekend.

Clash of the Titans. ⚔️ #RVV23 pic.twitter.com/jnCoBNioeR — Ronde van Vlaanderen (@RondeVlaanderen) March 29, 2023

Wout van Aert +300

Wout van Aert (Team Jumbo-Visma) has finished in the Top 3 over his last three races. He was third in Milano-Sanremo, 1 st in E3 Saxo Classic and 2 nd at Gent-Wevelgem.

WVA will have a lot of confidence heading into this race especially because he beat van der Poel and Pogacar at the E3 on March 24. Additionally, van Aert dominated at Gent-Wevelgem on March 26 but allowed his teammate Laporte to win.

Also motivating van Aert is the fact that he’s never won the Tour of Flanders. His best finish came in 2020 where he was runner-up to van der Poel. Wout didn’t compete in this race last year.

One area where WVA has an advantage over his rivals is the strength of Team Jumbo-Visma. Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot will both be there to help van Aert compete for the victory.

Tadej Pogacar +350

Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) also has extra motivation to defat van der Poel and van Aert. Tadej was outclassed by MVDP last year in Flanders as Pogacar finished 4 th . Additionally, he’s finished behind both men at Milano-Sanremo and E3 Saxo Classic.

Pogacar always appears to be in good form and that was made evident when he dominated at Paris-Nice earlier this month. Tadej won three of the eight stages and easily rode off with the yellow jersey.

Pogacar is the best climber of the favorites, but will he have enough firepower in his legs to beat out van Aert and van der Poel in a sprint?

Tadej Pogačar missed out on the podium at the 2022 Tour of Flanders after this incredible finish 🏁 Can he go at least one better and take a podium on Sunday…or maybe even win? 🏆 Tune into GCN+ this weekend to watch #RVV23 live (some territory restrictions apply) 📺 pic.twitter.com/IJ2a4wlyGC — GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) March 28, 2023

The Best Tour of Flanders Betting Value

The following cyclists provide betting value based on their current Tour of Flanders odds, past performances in this race and current success this season:

Christophe Laporte +1600

Christophe Laporte (Team Jumbo-Visma) enters this weekend’s Belgium classic as Wout van Aert’s top lieutenant. He also enters having won his last two races.

As mentioned above, Laporte scored the victory at Gent-Wevelgem. However, he also pulled off another victory on March 29, when he outworked the field to win the 77 th Dwars door Vlaanderen.

Laporte is in good form and should be with the contenders near the end of the race. If anything happens to Wout, Laporte will become the leader and go for the win.

Tom Pidcock +2200

Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) offers the best betting value out of all the riders lining up to compete in Flanders this weekend. He has the speed, power, and bike handling skills to compete with the overall favorites.

Furthermore, he’s already picked up a win this year (Strade Bianche) and could’ve contended for a second victory in Milan-Sanremo if it wasn’t for sustaining a concussion in the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Fortunately, Pidcock was able to recover from the injury and compete in the Dwars door Vlaanderen a few days ago. The British cyclist shows no signs of his concussion and will be a contender to win this weekend’s classic.

🇧🇪 #RVV23 We can’t wait for Sunday!💥 This is our team for the Ronde van Vlaanderen. pic.twitter.com/KB1UZb6dlW — Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) March 30, 2023

The Best Tour of Flanders Longshot

Tiesj Benoot (+3300) is our longshot pick for the 107 th Tour of Flanders. Yes, he’s a third member of Team Jumbo-Visma getting attention in this betting preview, but he’s worth it. And, it also reinforces how strong Jumbo is this weekend.

Benoot won the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne in late-February and was a force to be reckoned with at the E3 Saxo Classic before a bike mechanical problem took him out of the race.

I expect Tiesj to be with Laporte and van Aert until the end. Furthermore, there are some pundits who feel that Benoot is the second-best Jumbo-Visma rider in this race and not Laporte. Either way, the 29-year-old Belgian rider will be a factor in this race one way or another.

Who Will Win the 2023 Tour of Flanders?

As a cycling fan, and avid sports bettor, I’m very excited for this Sunday’s race. When you have the firepower of Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogacar all competing for the victory, you know that you are in for something special.

And, it’s going to take something special for one of these riders to separate themselves from the others. With that said, Wout van Aert has that something special – his teammates.

Van Aert and van der Poel can exchange wins on a weekly basis. But what separates Wout from van der Poel in this weekend’s race, is that van Aert has Laporte and Benoot alongside him.

Although van der Poel has proven in the past not to need any teammates to win a race like Flanders, he’s going to be under a lot of pressure this weekend with Team Jumbo-Visma doing everything they can to make him crack. The same goes for Pogacar.

You really can’t go wrong taking any of the three favorites since they’re all capable of winning Flanders on Sunday. But, being Belgium’s biggest cycling star, it’s time for van Aert to win Belgium’s biggest race.

The Best 2023 Tour of Flanders Betting Site

Bovada is our choice as the best Tour of Flanders betting site for this year’s edition. This online betting site offers competitive odds, great bonuses, a plethora of banking options , and a variety of promotions that will certainly make signing up worth your time.

Bovada’s interface is easy to use including on mobile devices. Their great customer services is the icing on the cake. This online sportsbook has truly become one of the best in the industry not only for sports betting in general, but also for all of your cycling betting needs.

Stats Retrived from: ProCyclingStats.com .

Rick Rockwell profile picture

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

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

Get Exclusive Access to Winning Sports Betting Picks for Free

Click on the button below to get free picks delivered to your email daily...

Enter Your Details Below To Get FREE Picks...

no script

Tour of Flanders 2023: Riders

Mathieu van der Poel - Tour of Flanders 2023: Riders

World Tour Teams

AG2R Citroën Greg Van Avermaet, Oliver Naesen, Benoît Cosnefroy, Lawrence Naesen, Stan Dewulf, Damien Touzé, Pierre Gautherat

Alpecin – Deceuninck Mathieu van der Poel, Søren Kragh Andersen, Silvan Dillier, Michael Gogl, Maurice Ballerstedt, Xandro Meurisse, Gianni Vermeersch

Arkéa Samsic David Dekker, Hugo Hofstetter, Jenthe Biermans, Matis Louvel, Daniel McLay, Clément Russo, Mathis Le Berre

Astana Qazaqstan Team Yevgeniy Fedorov, Dmitriy Gruzdev, Gleb Syritsa, Igor Chzkhan, Yevgeniy Gidich, Martin Laas, Nurbergen Nurlykhassym, Gleb Syritsa

Bahrain Victorious Matej Mohoric, Fred Wright, Andrea Pasqualon, Nikias Arndt, Kamil Gradek, Filip Maciejuk, Dusan Rajovic

BORA – hansgrohe Marco Haller, Danny van Poppel, Nils Politt, Patrick Gamper, Jonas Koch, Shane Archbold, Jordi Meeus

Cofidis Christophe Noppe, Piet Allegaert, Wesley Kreder, Max Walscheid, Axel Zingle, Andre Carvalho, Alexis Renard

EF Education – EasyPost Neilson Powless, Jens Keukeleire, Mikkel Honoré, Owain Doull, Jonas Rutsch, Tom Scully, Julius van den Berg

Groupama – FDJ Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas, Lewis Askey, Kevin Geniets, Olivier Le Gac, Fabian Lienhard, Samuel Watson

INEOS Grenadiers Tom Pidcock, Luke Rowe, Ben Turner, Magnus Sheffield, Kim Heiduk, Jhonatan Narváez, Connor Swift

Intermarché – Circus – Wanty Biniam Girmay, Taco van der Hoorn, Aimé De Gendt, Baptiste Plankaert, Sven Erik Bystrøm, Dries De Pooter, Laurenz Rex

Jumbo – Visma Wout van Aert, Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Tosh Van der Sande, Nathan van Hooydonck, Edoardo Affini, Tim van Dijke

Movistar Iván García, Matteo Jorgenson, Johan Jacobs, Oier Lazkano, Iván Romeo, Mathias Norsgaard, Juri Hollmann

Soudal – QuickStep Kasper Asgreen, Julian Alaphilippe, Yves Lampaert, Tim Merlier, Florian Sénéchal, Tim Declercq, Davide Ballerini

Team Jayco AlUla Michael Matthews, Luke Durbridge, Zdenek Stybar, Elmar Reinders, Blake Quick, Luka Mezgec, Kelland O’Brien

Team DSM Nils Eekhoff, John Degenkolb, Leon Heinschke, Alex Edmondson, Tim Naberman, Kevin Vermaerke, Pavel Bittner

Trek – Segafredo Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Alex Kirsch, Daan Hoole, Edward Theuns, Mathias Vacek, Emils Liepins

UAE Emirates Tadej Pogacar, Tim Wellens, Matteo Trentin, Sjoerd Bax, Rui Oliveira, Mikkel Bjerg, Vegard Stake Laengen

ProTeams Bingoal WB Floris De Tier, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Dimitri Peyskens, Ludovic Robeet, Alexis Guerin, Julian Mertens, Luca Van Boven

Israel – Premier Tech Dylan Teuns, Sep Vanmarcke, Guillaume Boivin, Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands, Tom Van Asbroeck, Jens Reynders

Lotto – Dstny Brent Van Moer, Florian Vermeersch, Caleb Ewan, Jasper De Buyst, Frederik Frison, Sébastien Grignard, Arjen Livyns

Q36.5 Jack Bauer, Alessandro Fedeli, Kamil Malecki, Antonio Puppio, Nickolas Zukowsky, Filippo Colombo, Nicolò Parisini

Team Flanders Baloise Vito Braet, Lindsay De Vylder, Alex Colman, Sander De Pestel, Gilles De Wilde, Ward Vanhoof, Jenno Berckmoes

TotalEnergies Peter Sagan, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Paul Ourselin, Anthony Turgis, Dries Van Gestel, Thomas Bonnet, Sandy Dujardin

Uno-X Alexander Kristoff, Rasmus Tiller, Martin Urianstad, Kristoffer Halvorsen, William Blume Levy, Erik Nordsæter Resell, Louis Bendixen

Tour of Flanders 2023 Women - Prediction

Tuesday 28 March 2023 • Previews

Sunday, April 2nd: Oudenaarde - Oudenaarde (158 km)

The Tour of Flanders is one of the biggest one-day cycling races in the world and has been a fixture on the cycling calendar for decades. Since 2004, it has also become an important race for women. This year, the Tour of Flanders for women will take place on Sunday, April 2nd, and it promises to be an exciting race once again.

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Previous editions

The previous editions of the Tour of Flanders for women have often been very exciting and have produced surprising winners. Last year, for example, Lotte Kopecky won the race in her tricolour jersey after being in the attack all day.

Podium of the last 10 years:

Most successful riders on the startlist:.

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Parcours Tour of Flanders Women

Prediction based on final startlist

According to the computer's prediction, Lotte Kopecky from Team SD Worx is the favourite to win with a 28.1% chance of victory. With impressive wins in The Omloop and Nokere Koerse, Kopecky has proven her good form and will be looking to secure a back-to-back victory. Annemiek van Vleuten from Movistar Team is also seen as a strong contender for second place, with a 13.7% chance of winning. Van Vleuten is the most successful cyclist at the start of this edition and is determined to improve on her second place finish from last year. Other riders predicted to perform well in the race include Demi Vollering from Team SD Worx, who recently won Dwars door Vlaanderen after returning from altitude training, and Elisa Longo Borghini from Trek-Segafredo, who has an impressive 7 top 10 finishes in this race. Marlen Reusser from Team SD Worx is also a rider to watch after her solo win at Gent-Wevelgem last week.

🦄 Katarzyna Niewiadoma

*The unicorn is our joker, nice old-fashioned based on feeling

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Your cart is empty

Rouleur

Tour of Flanders 2022 Elite Men Preview - Route, predictions and contenders

De Ronde is arguably the most prestigious one-day race on the cycling calendar. With no Wout van Aert, who will delight the Belgian fans and take victory in 2022?

Words: Katy Madgwick

The jewel in the crown of the Flanders Classics series, Ronde van Vlaanderen is one of the five Monuments of the cycling calendar and the most prestigious of the Belgian spring Classics. This year’s edition will take place on Sunday 3rd April, with the women’s race following later the same day.

The narrow roads, cobbled streets and short, sharp climbs combined with unpredictable spring conditions always lead to nervous racing, with strategic battles for positioning of utmost importance as the peloton stretches out along the route. Those who can hang on and weather the storm of brutal ‘hellingen’, tricky cobbles and awkward turns will fight for the win in the later stages: expect a succession of aggressive attacks as the cream rises to the top on one of the most memorable races of the year.

The race affectionately known as ‘De Ronde’ has seen a number of changes to the route over its long history. It was first raced in 1913, and following a four-year absence as a result of the First World War, the race has continued uninterrupted ever since, despite the change in schedule in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The course has shifted start and finish locations numerous times in its history. This year’s edition, the 106 th , will begin in the city of Antwerp as it has since 2017, and winds its way through the Flemish Ardennes towards the town of Oudenaarde.

This year, the course adds almost 20km to its overall distance, increasing from last year’s 254km to 272.5km in length.

Starting from the Grote Markt in Antwerp, the route rolls out through East Flanders, moving through various towns and villages including Sint-Niklas, Erpe-Mere and Zottegem, where the peloton will cross two cobbled sectors, Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat. 

tour of flanders predictions 2023

There follows a slight change to the previous year’s route, with a longer flat section avoiding the Katteberg and heading instead for the day’s first run at the Oude Kwaremont, which will also be the first climb of the day following 136km of racing.

The fearsome Oude Kwaremont will once again be lined with fans following the eerily silent slopes of 2020 and 2021, and the crowds will roar the riders up the 103m of ascent gain, which averages out at 4.8% gradient but tops out at 10%.

Related: Tour of Flanders Elite Women Preview

In four of the last five editions of De Ronde, the winning attack has been launched from the Oude Kwaremont, although it’s interesting to note that in the past, wins have come from both the second and third ascents of the climb, proving that all is not lost, should hopefuls miss the early attacks.

What follows is a looping route around Oudenaarde, largely similar to 2021’s with the exception of the Eikenberg and addition of the Achterberg. What does not change is the passage of three more cobbled sectors, the Holleweg, Kerkgate and Jagerij, all of which fall either side of the Wolvenberg climb, the fourth of the day’s hellingen.

Related: What have we learnt from the opening men's races of 2022?

Shorter than Oude Kwaremont but viciously steep with gradients of up to 20% the Paterberg is tackled twice, at 51km and 13km to go. Following a gradual thinning of the top group, this is where Mathieu van der Poel and Kasper Asgreen were able to distance Wout van Aert in last year’s race, with the Belgian blowing up on the punishing final ascent of the day.

The final run-in to the finish line is 13km on flat roads. Traditionally just one or two riders remain by this point and they must dig deep to stay away from the chasers.

tour of flanders predictions 2023

It’s no secret that Wout van Aert would have loved to etch his name alongside the greats as the winner of a race that means a great deal to him, having lost out to Mathieu van der Poel in the final sprint in 2020. However a last minute Covid-19 positive means he misses the race , passing the responsibility of leading Jumbo-Visma to Tiesj Benoot, who was second in the 2022 Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and Christophe Laporte.

Van der Poel's victory in the aforementioned Dwars Door has turned him from potential non-starter to pre-race favourite in the space of a few weeks, with no sign of resurgence in the back injury that kept him out of the peloton in the early season. 

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Former winner Alberto Bettiol has shown excellent early season form and will be keen to add his name to the select list of multiple winners of the race. Just 17 names can currently lay claim to that honour, and another potential repeat winner could be Mathieu van der Poel. Following a chronic back injury the Alpecin-Fenix man was out of action until February, but made an impressive comeback to racing in Milan-San Remo a few weeks ago. He'll want to try and go even better than his third place finish in the first Monument of the season in Flanders.

 Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl have won three of the past five editions of Flanders, and with defending champion Kasper Asgreen among their squad and repeat top ten performer Yves Lampaert, the team will launch their usual strong bid for the title.

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Ineos Grenadiers bring British rider Tom Pidcock to the cobbles as part of their first season in a new and improved classics unit, and Trek-Segafredo have chances through the likes of Jasper Stuyven, Mads Pedersen and possibly even young American Quinn Simmons.

Bahrain Victorious' Matej Mohorič will be looking to have a tilt at the win with a solo move similar to the one he pulled off in Milan-San Remo a few weeks ago and will be well supported by up-and-coming Classics talent Fred Wright.

Related: Strade Bianche 2022 Preview

Now at Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert , Alexander Kristoff has made the top five three times in the past five years, coming third in 2019 and 2020, so he could be an outsider worth keeping an eye on. So too Total Energies’ Anthony Turgis who has made the top ten for the past two years.

The Tour of Flanders is a race where survival of the fittest applies quite literally, and it’s unusual to see true outsiders triumph. Observers expect an aggressive race and without his usual foil in Wout van Aert, the odds are looking good for Mathieu van der Poel to add a second Tour of Flanders to his palmarès.

Cover image: SWpix/Alex Broadway

Rouleur Coffee Cups

Rouleur Coffee Cups

Team Car | Service Des Courses - Organic Unisex T-shirt - Rouleur

Team Cars | Service Des Courses - Organic Unisex T-shirt

Rouleur Team Cars Bone China Mugs

Rouleur Team Cars Bone China Mugs

Rouleur ELITE Jet Water Bottle Bidon - 550ml

Rouleur ELITE Jet Water Bottle Bidon - 550ml

Rouleur Logo Organic Unisex T-Shirt - Black/White

Rouleur Logo Organic Unisex T-Shirt - Black/White

Team Cars | Campagnolo - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Team Cars | Campagnolo - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Rouleur Logo Organic Unisex T-Shirt – White - Rouleur

Rouleur Logo Organic Unisex T-Shirt – White

Rouleur Logo - Organic Sweatshirt - Unisex - Burgundy - Rouleur

Rouleur Logo - Organic Sweatshirt - Unisex - Burgundy

Team Cars | Peugeot - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Team Cars | Peugeot - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Colours of the Peloton - Short Sleeve Base Layer - Men's

Colours of the Peloton - Short Sleeve Base Layer - Men's

Rouleur Logo Organic T-Shirt – Tonal Grey - Rouleur

Rouleur Logo Organic Unisex T-Shirt – Tonal Grey

Team Cars | Raleigh - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Team Cars | Raleigh - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Rouleur Logo Organic Sweatshirt - Unisex - Grey

Rouleur Logo Organic Sweatshirt - Unisex - Grey

Coppi - Rouleur Notebook - Rouleur

Coppi - Rouleur Notebook

Rouleur Logo - Organic Sweatshirt - Unisex - French Navy

Rouleur Logo - Organic Sweatshirt - Unisex - French Navy

Rouleur Logo - Organic Hooded Sweatshirt - Unisex - Heather Blue

Rouleur Logo - Organic Hooded Sweatshirt - Unisex - Heather Blue

Rouleur x Kaweco Rollerball Pen - Black + Gold foil logo

Rouleur x Kaweco Rollerball Pen - Black + Gold foil logo

Rouleur Logo - Organic Jogger Pants - Unisex - French Navy

Rouleur Logo - Organic Jogger Pants - Unisex - French Navy

Allez - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Allez - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Tours Issue - Rouleur Tote Bag

Tours Issue - Rouleur Tote Bag

Dai!  - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Dai! - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Rouleur Water Bottle Bidon - Ride Fast, Read Slow - Cream + Green

Rouleur Water Bottle Bidon - Ride Fast, Read Slow - Cream + Green

True Grit - Rouleur Notebook

True Grit - Rouleur Notebook

Rouleur Water Bottle Bidon - Green + Pink

Rouleur Water Bottle Bidon - Green + Pink

Rouleur x Kaweco Rollerball Pen - Brass + Black etched logo

Rouleur x Kaweco Rollerball Pen - Brass + Black etched logo

Rouleur Embroidered Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt - Natural Cotton + Green

Rouleur Embroidered Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt - Natural Cotton + Green

Colours of the Peloton - Short Sleeve Jersey - Women's

Colours of the Peloton - Short Sleeve Jersey - Women's

!Vamos! - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

!Vamos! - Organic Cotton Unisex T-Shirt

Rouleur Logo Women's T-Shirt - Navy - Rouleur

Rouleur Logo Women's T-Shirt - Navy

Rouleur x Kaweco Aluminium Rollerball Pen - Silver + Engraved logo

Rouleur x Kaweco Aluminium Rollerball Pen - Silver + Engraved logo

Ronde van Vlaanderen

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Discover what we have in store to combine enjoyment and networking during the Tour of Flanders 2024. Read on and discover our VIP packages. Ready for an unforgettable experience right in the middle of the race?

Experience the Ronde as a VIP

Will you be present during the team presentations, along the course or at the finish of one of the Flanders Classics spring classics? Then don't forget to claim your free digital goodiebag! Discover all about it below:

Claim your digital goodiebag

The ultimate Flemish spring classic. Doesn’t every cycling enthusiast want to experience this one for themselves at least once? Saturday March 30th, it’s up to you! Register now and give it your all on the iconic Flemish climbs that will be shaken to its foundations one day later.

Ride Flanders’ Finest yourself

Ronde van Vlaanderen is part of Flanders Classics. To access this content, you need to be logged in with your free Flanders Classics profile. Sprint quickly to your Flanders Classics profile and sign in. New to our peloton? Then register for free in the next step.

Your personal Flanders Classics profile has been successfully created. From now on, once you are logged in, you can access all documents and other content on our websites.

  • Press & media
  • Hospitality

Tour of Flanders: Tadej Pogacar wins alone after stunning Kwaremont attack

Mathieu van der Poel second, Pedersen third in pursuit race across Flanders

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) took a spectacular lone victory at the Tour of Flanders after distancing Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and his other big-name rivals on the final climb of the Oude Kwaremont after an epic battle on the roads and climbs of Flanders.

The race appeared to have escaped the big three of Pogačar, Van der Poel and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) after a group of 10 riders opened a 3-muinute gap after the attacks came with 100km to go. However Pogačar inspired a comeback and determined chase and then surged past last attacker Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) on the final time up the Oude Kwaremont.

The Slovenian time trialed to the finish, extending his lead into a headwind. The high-speed racing meant the 2023 Tour of Flanders set a new record average speed of 44.083 km/h. 

Van der Poel chased with all his heart and hung on to finish 17 seconds down on Pogačar. Pedersen edged out Van Aert to win the sprint for third place from the group of survivors from the attack.

“It’s a day I’ll never forget,” Pogačar said. “I can say I can retire after today and be proud of my career but I can be super, super happy and proud."

Pogačar is only the third rider to win the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders. He joins Eddy Merckx and Louison Bobet in the record books.

Pogačar and his rivals knew that the Oude Kwaremont was vital to his victory.

“I knew I had to go solo on the last time up the Kwaremont. I just gave it all. I almost cracked on the Paterberg but I knew it was going to be tough. It was the only way to go to the finish,” he said.

“The Kwaremont suits me the most, we hit it with speed and we suffer on the cobbles. Then it’s pure power to the top and it’s long. It favours me.”

How it unfolded

The last time the Tour of Flanders set out from Bruges in 2016, the grandest reception was reserved for the ‘Old Firm’ of Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara. This time out, the most raucous cheers on the Grote Markt were for the Big Three of Wout van Aert, Tadej Pogačar and defending champion Mathieu van der Poel. 

The names change, but the sense of occasion never does. The Ronde is eternal.

The speed of the race was incessant too once the peloton was flagged away from a chilly and overcast Bruges, with some 50km covered in the first hour. 

The initial flurry of attacks failed to generate a morning break, but they did contribute to a split in the peloton after 30km or so, with Van der Poel surprisingly among those caught out and left trailing at half a minute.

The Dutchman had his Alpecin-Deceuninck guard for company, and they eventually stitched the race back together, but only after a spirited chase and a significant effort. Several teams, Soudal-QuickStep among them, kept the pace high at the front to ensure they expended as much energy as possible in that pursuit.

The early drama didn’t stop there. Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), third a year ago, was forced to abandon due to illness, while a crash in the peloton forced another split, with Pogačar now forced to chase back on. All the while, the speed scarcely relented, with the peloton averaging 49.3 kph after the first two hours.

A break finally forged after the early cobbles at Huisepontweg and 109km of fast racing. 

Guillaume Van Keirsbulck (Bingoal WB), Daan Hoole (Trek-Segafredo), Jasper De Buyst (Lotto-Dstny), Filippo Colombo (Q36.5) Elmar Reinders (Jayco-AlUla), Jonas Rutsch (EF Education-EasyPost) and Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep) were the escapees, and they would have a lead of four minutes by the time they reached Oudenaarde for the first time with 160km to go.

Tension is never far at the Ronde, however, and before the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, the peloton was hit by a mass crash, caused when Filip Maciejuk (Bahrain Victorious) attempted to move up on the outside only to skid on a patch of wet grass and veer dramatically into the bunch.

The Pole somehow stayed upright, but the manoeuvre saw upwards of 30 riders crash, among the Julian Alaphilippe (Soudal-QuickStep), Peter Sagan (TotalEnergies), Jasper Stuyven (Trek-Segafredo), Ben Turner (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates).  Shortly afterwards, the commissaires announced the disqualification of Maciejuk, but it was scant consolation for Turner, Sagan and Wellens, who were forced to abandon the race.

Van Aert was also brought down in the incident, but the Belgian was immediately back on his bike. He had a bloody left knee but apparently without any lasting injury. Alaphilippe was walking gingerly and took a little longer to get going again, but he was brought back up to the bunch after the Kwaremont. Amid confusion, meanwhile, the break’s lead extended still further, reaching 5:10 on the Kortekeer with 125km to go.

The breathless opening phase of the race took a bizarre turn on that climb, where Team DSM massed at the head of the bunch, deliberately slowed to a near standstill and then attempted a collective acceleration. The effort did nothing to knock the Big Three off their stride, but the ensuing split did condemn Van der Poel and Alaphilippe to another stint of chasing. It was that kind of day.

The tension would never dissipate, nor would the pace. 

On the cobbles at Holleweg, another crash saw Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tim van Dijke (Jumbo-Visma) come off. 

On the following Wolvenberg, with 114km still to race, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) went on the attack in a bid to outflank the Big Three, drawing an interesting group with him. The move was swiftly snuffed out, but the intent was clear.

A new phase of the race began on the cusp of the last 100km on the Molenberg, where Kasper Asgreen (Soudal-QuickStep), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Jonathan Narvaez (Ineos Grenadiers), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates), Fred Wright (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Nathan Van Hooydonck (Jumbo-Visma) and Florian Vermeersch (Lotto-Dstny) went clear, with Benoit Cosnefroy (AG2R Citroën) and Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar) later joining them.

The strongmen in the group struck up a solid working alliance, with Küng to the fore, and they quickly began to zoom across to the break and build a sizeable advantage on the peloton over the Berendries and Valkenberg. By the time Küng et al caught the break on Berg Ten Houte with 77kmkm to go, they had two minutes in hand over a peloton living an uneasy truce ahead of the grand finale.

With Pogačar and Van Aert both represented out in front, the onus was initially on Van der Poel to marshal a chase, even though he had already lost a sizeable part of his teammates following their tough start. Silvan Diller was dispatched to set the tempo, but the front group’s advantage stood firm.

Jumbo-Visma briefly cranked into action, accelerating fiercely with 70km to go. The scramble for their wheels, inevitably, led to yet another crash, with Matej Mohorič clipping Biniam Girmay’s rear wheel. The ensuing pile-up saw both men forced out of the race, together with Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X).

The pace in the bunch abated once more soon afterwards, while the expanded front group continued to pile on the pressure. With 65km to go, they had 3:11 in hand on the peloton, an alarmingly big lead to hand to dangermen like Powless and Küng, not to mention a past winner like Asgreen.

Enter Pogačar

The complexion of this race changed all over again on the second ascent of the Kwaremont with 55km to go. 

UAE signalled their intent by setting a frenzied pace into the base of the climb, then Pogacar delivered his first blow of the afternoon with a searing acceleration that none of the contenders could even contemplate following.

Atop the climb, Pogačar had reduced the break’s lead to 1:40, while Van Aert and Van der Poel had formed a chasing group with Tom Pidcock (Ineos) and Christophe Laporte (Jumbo-Visma) in a desperate bid to limit the damage. They were still chasing over the Paterberg, where they trailed Pogačar by 15 seconds.

Pogačar eventually waited for the flat run towards the Koppenberg, but he would soon kick again on the steepest climb of the race. This time, only Van Aert and Van der Poel were able to follow his tempo. 

Finally, the Big Three were alone together, locked in a race-defining contest – even if the dangermen in front still had over a minute in hand.

Come the top of the Taaienberg with 37km to race, Pogačar, Van Aert and Van der Poel were within 40 seconds of the nine survivors in front – Asgreen, Van Hooydonck, Küng, Powless, Cosnefroy, Narvaez, Trentin, Vermeersch and Pedersen. 

The final haul over the Kwaremont and Paterberg, as ever and perhaps as scripted in cycling history, would prove decisive.

Yet the race took a turn on the rough cobbled Kruisberg. Van der Poel surged hard and suddenly Van Aert was struggling. Pogacar added a twist to the knife and  Van Aert was cast to the wind. 

Wisely, Pedersen had decided to anticipate the attacks yet again and went clear alone to fight off the Pogacar-Van der Poel steamroller coming up fast.  The catch came just before the Oude Kwaremont.

As the cobbled climb began, Pogačar surged again, leaving everyone behind. He quickly caught and dropped Pedersen and set off on a solo ride to victory. 

Van der Poel could see Pogacar on the flat road to the finish and couldn't close the gap.  But he had the speed to hold off the tired chasers. 

Pogačar had time to celebrate his historic and thrilling Tour of Flanders win, holding his head and then opening his arms in a moment of Classics consecration.   

Results powered by FirstCycling

tour of flanders predictions 2023

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

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

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

tour of flanders predictions 2023

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

Get The Leadout Newsletter

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

Barry Ryan

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

  • Stephen Farrand Head of News

Lorena Wiebes wins Ronde van Drenthe for a record fourth year in a row

Tirreno-Adriatico: Vingegaard claims overall as Milan wins stage 7 sprint

Rod Ellingworth appointed Tour of Britain race director in first post-Ineos role

Most popular.

By Barry Ryan March 06, 2024

By Kirsten Frattini March 06, 2024

By Alasdair Fotheringham March 06, 2024

By Daniel Ostanek March 05, 2024

By James Moultrie, Alasdair Fotheringham March 05, 2024

By James Moultrie March 04, 2024

By Laura Weislo March 04, 2024

By Jackie Tyson March 03, 2024

By Dan Challis March 03, 2024

By Stephen Farrand March 02, 2024

Latest on Cyclingnews

How to watch live cycling this week: nokere koerse, milano-torino and more, awe-inspiring ttt footage at paris-nice leads to possible drone footage for tour de france, decathlon ag2r la mondiale unveil galaxy-inspired kit redesign.

IMAGES

  1. PREVIEW

    tour of flanders predictions 2023

  2. How to Bet on the 2023 Tour of Flanders Odds

    tour of flanders predictions 2023

  3. Tour of Flanders Winners and Records (2023)

    tour of flanders predictions 2023

  4. Women’s 2023 Tour of Flanders

    tour of flanders predictions 2023

  5. Tour of Flanders 2023

    tour of flanders predictions 2023

  6. Profile & Route Tour of Flanders 2023

    tour of flanders predictions 2023

COMMENTS

  1. Men's Tour of Flanders 2023

    Read more: Women's 2023 Tour of Flanders - contenders and predictions. At last year's Ronde, Van der Poel and Pogačar went clear together on the Oude Kwaremont, before embarking in a risky cat and mouse game on the finishing straight that, in thrilling circumstances, enabled Van Baarle and Valentin Madouas to catch them.

  2. Tour of Flanders

    Tour of Flanders route. In 2023, the Tour of Flanders route returns to Brugge for the first time since 2016. The race will wind for 273km around Flanders, including a twisting section late on ...

  3. Tour of Flanders 2023 favorites

    The top favourites for Sunday's Tour of Flanders - Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Tadej Pogacar (Image credit: Jasper Jacobs PoolGetty Images) Three favourites stand above all others ...

  4. 10 conclusions from the high-calibre editions of 2023 Tour of Flanders

    Wout van Aert suffers during the 2023 Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Getty) His 2018 debut apart, when he placed 9th while still nominally a cyclocross racer, Wout van Aert has known more ...

  5. Women's 2023 Tour of Flanders

    The 2022 edition of the Tour of Flanders ended in a sprint between Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar), and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (SD Worx). The year before, Van Vleuten won the race with a solo victory, breaking away from the peloton with 14km to go. Last year, for the first time, the notorious Koppenberg climb was ...

  6. PEZ Preview FLANDERS'23: The Big Three Battle Again!

    By Alastair Hamilton On Mar 29, 2023. Race Preview: This Sunday is the Tour of Flanders, De Ronde van Vlaanderen, Vlaanderens Mooiste (Flanders' Most Beautiful), one of the five Monuments and, if you are Belgian or more precise, Flemish, it is the biggest race of the season. We have a look at the history, course and the possible winner.

  7. 2023 Tour of Flanders

    The 107th edition of the Tour of Flanders one-day cycling classic took place on 2 April 2023, as the 14th event of the 2023 UCI World Tour. The race began in Bruges and covered 273.4 kilometres (169.9 mi) on the way to the finish in Oudenaarde. [1] It was the second Monument of the 2023 cycling season. The race was won by Tadej Pogačar of UAE ...

  8. Preview of the 2023 Tour of Flanders

    The Tour of Flanders will be one of the early major races in 2023 and next year's contest will be the 107th edition in history. Some of the world's best riders are expected to feature in the event which will end in Oudenaarde once again. Here is a look at the leading contenders for the most prestigious cycling race in Flanders.

  9. Tour of Flanders 2023: The Route

    Tour of Flanders 2023: The Route. Slideshow 1/21. Sunday 2 April - The High Mass of Flemish cycling is played out in front of roaring crowds. The route adds up to 273.4 kilometres and takes in 19 - often cobbled - 'hellingen'. The brutal Oude Kwaremont/Paterberg combo precedes a flat 11 kilometres long run-in to the line in Oudenaarde.

  10. Tour of Flanders 2023: Route and start list for the men's race

    By Cycling Weekly. published March 28, 2023. The stage is set for the first cobbled Monument of the year, the Tour of Flanders, scheduled for 2 April. This year's race marks the event's 107th ...

  11. Tour of Flanders 2023 Men

    Tour of Flanders 2023 - Prediction. The Jumbo-Visma team boasts a strong lineup, including the favorite to win, Wout van Aert is the top favorite. Dylan van Baarle would have been an excellent shadow favorite to attack from a lang way out, but sadly is not at the start.

  12. How to win the Tour of Flanders: Johan Museeuw's 2023 preview

    Nicknamed 'The Lion of Flanders', Johan Museeuw knows how to win De Ronde van Vlaanderen. Ahead of the race on Sunday, he previews the race.

  13. 2023 Tour of Flanders: Preview, schedule, how to watch both men's and

    2023 Tour of Flanders riders to watch Men's race - 2023 riders to watch. Mathieu van der Poel - the defending champion from the Netherlands. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider also triumphed in 2020 and was beaten into second place in 2021. He will aim for a fourth straight podium finish on the back of winning Milano-Sanremo two weeks ago.

  14. Tour of Flanders 2023 route

    Start list. Tour of Flanders 2023 route map (Image credit: Ronde van Vlaaderen) The 273.4km Tour of Flanders route over the cobbles and hills of Flanders towards Oudenaarde has few alterations ...

  15. 2023 Tour of Flanders

    Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky captured the wins at another thrilling edition of the Tour of Flanders. By Molly Hurford Published: Apr 02, 2023 9:53 AM EST. Save Article. Tim de Waele // Getty ...

  16. Tour of Flanders Women 2023 Race Preview • ProCyclingUK.com

    Tour of Flanders Women 2023 Outsiders. Top 3 Prediction. The race has seen the same changes as the men's race over the years, with the classic route of the Muur/Bosberg finish now used by Omloop get Nieuwsblad. First came the finish in Meerbeke (next to Ninove) before transferring to the modern finish in Oudenaarde.

  17. 2023 Tour of Flanders Odds and Predictions

    The Best 2023 Tour of Flanders Betting Site. Bovada is our choice as the best Tour of Flanders betting site for this year's edition. This online betting site offers competitive odds, great bonuses, a plethora of banking options, and a variety of promotions that will certainly make signing up worth your time.. Bovada's interface is easy to use including on mobile devices.

  18. Tour of Flanders 2023: Riders

    Home / Tour of Flanders 2023. Tour of Flanders 2023: Riders. image: Cor Vos Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar battled it out in last year's finale, while Dylan van Baarle and Valentin Madouas added themselves suprisingly to the mix in the dying metres of the race. Van Baarle is not there, but the other three return to Flanders.

  19. Tour of Flanders

    10 conclusions from the high-calibre editions of 2023 Tour of Flanders. By Barry Ryan, Kirsten Frattini published 3 April 23. Analysis Pogacar's trail into the history books, ...

  20. Tour of Flanders 2023 Women

    The Tour of Flanders is one of the biggest one-day cycling races in the world and has been a fixture on the cycling calendar for decades. Since 2004, it has also become an important race for women. This year, the Tour of Flanders for women will take place on Sunday, April 2nd, and it promises to be an exciting race once again.

  21. Tour of Flanders 2022 Elite Men Preview

    Prediction. The Tour of Flanders is a race where survival of the fittest applies quite literally, and it's unusual to see true outsiders triumph. Observers expect an aggressive race and without his usual foil in Wout van Aert, the odds are looking good for Mathieu van der Poel to add a second Tour of Flanders to his palmarès. ...

  22. Tour of Flanders

    Saturday March 30th, it's up to you! Register now and give it your all on the iconic Flemish climbs that will be shaken to its foundations one day later. More info. The Tour of Flanders, also known as Flanders' Finest, is the cycling highlight of the Flemish spring. On Sunday 31 March, Flanders will be the epicentre of cycling....

  23. Tour of Flanders: Tadej Pogacar wins alone after stunning Kwaremont

    The high-speed racing meant the 2023 Tour of Flanders set a new record average speed of 44.083 km/h. Van der Poel chased with all his heart and hung on to finish 17 seconds down on Pogačar.