Kasper Asgreen stuns Mathieu van der Poel to win Tour of Flanders – GETTY IMAGES
02:20 PM
Asgreen has done it!
Kasper Asgreen has beaten Mathieu van der Poel to take the biggest win of his career. Oh my, what a performance from the Danish national champion. Greg Van Avermaet takes third place.
02:19 PM
500 meters to go
This is like a facsimile of last year’s finale. Can Mathieu van der Poel do it again, or has Kasper Asgreen got the measure of him here? He is playing it cool and not responding.
02:18 PM
1km to go
Mathieu van der Poel rolls beneath the flame rouge, peering over his left shoulder, staring into the eyes of Kasper Asgreen.
02:17 PM
2km to go
Mathieu van der Poel and Kasper Asgreen’s advantage is holding at 35sec.
02:16 PM
2.7km to go
Greg Van Avermaet launches himself from the chasing group.
02:16 PM
3km to go
Kasper Asgreen and Mathieu van der Poel are doing short turns now.
02:15 PM
4km to go
Lots of looking around in the chasing group, though they will be scrapping over the third place here today.
02:13 PM
5km to go
Kasper Asgreen, as you will know, was runner-up here to Alberto Bettiol in 2019, but is he happy to settle for another second spot today, or will he throw a Hail Mary of an attack? I cannot see him beating Van der Poel in a sprint.
02:12 PM
7km to go
The beast, Mathieu van der Poel, is looking like his usual relaxed self, while Kasper Asgreen is rising out of his saddle. Is that a sign of him fatiguing, or is he about to launch an attack?
02:10 PM
9km to go
Wout van Aert clips off the front of the chasing group but looks spent. He cannot bridge over to Kasper Asgreen and Mathieu van der Poel.
02:08 PM
10km to go
Kasper Asgreen flicks an elbow as he lets Mathieu van der Poel roll through. The pair lead by 30sec, and Wout van Aert is back in the chasing group.
02:06 PM
12km to go
Mathieu van der Poel and Kasper Asgreen gain a handful of seconds on Wout van Aert. You would imagine Van der Poel is today’s favorite to win, but who knows? Can the Dane pull off something special, or will the Alpecin-Fenix leader become the first rider since Fabian Cancellara in 2014 to successfully defend his title?
02:03 PM
14km to go — Paterberg
Mathieu van der Poel leads the way onto the Peterberg, the Dutchman riding with Kasper Asgreen. Wout van Aert is weaving across the road 11sec down the road.
02:01 PM
15km to go
Mathieu van der Poel and Kasper Asgreen lead Wout van Aert by 12sec.
02:00 PM
17km to go
Mathieu van der Poel has put the hammer down on the Oude Kwaremont. The big Dutchman pressed down on his cranks just beneath the summit, and Wout van Aert could not hold his wheel. Kasper Asgreen, however, was, and it appears that the pair are gunning for glory.
01:58 PM
18km to go — Oude Kwaremont
Mathieu van der Poel, Kasper Asgreen, and Wout van Aert inche their way up the third and final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. Is Asgreen going to attack once over the top? If he were to go to the finishing line, the Dane would be third in a sprint, so the time trial specialist may need to be clever here today.
01:54 PM
20km to go
Julian Alaphilippe’s group is moments away from getting caught by the group containing Tom Pidcock and Greg Van Avermaet. Still, indeed the leading trio will not allow them to close them down. Will they?
01:52 PM
21km to go
Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Kasper Asgreen lead by 24sec with two climbs — Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg — remaining.
01:51 PM
23km to go
Julian Alaphilippe is constantly looking around, peering over his left shoulder. Is the world champion going to chase down the leading trio, or is he looking out for a teammate from the third group on the road? I imagine he would not chase down a teammate, but only time will tell.
01:48 PM
25km to go
That leading trio holds a 15sec advantage on Julian Alaphilippe et al., while the Tom Pidcock group is around 40sec down the road.
01:47 PM
26km to go
Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert and Kasper Asgreen lead the race. Julian Alaphilippe, Anthony Turgis, and Bahrain Victorious tteammatesarco Haller and Dylan Teuns cannot respond.
01:45 PM
27km to go
Marco Haller rolls off the front of the leading group, taking with him Anthony Turgis. Kasper Asgreen, however, responds, taking with him the two pre-race favorites Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert
01:44 PM
28km to go
Once over the top of the Kruisberg, Julian Alaphilippe attacks but can dislodge Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, who is glued to his wheel. And Anthony Turgis has managed to bridge over to the leading protagonists.
01:42 PM
29km to go
Though I am sure he is in a whole world of pain, Kasper Asgreen looks relatively comfortable on this gnarly cobbled climb.
01:40 PM
30km to go
The race leaders hit the bottom of the Kruisberg climb. Once over the top, there is one more ascent of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.
01:39 PM
31km to go
Tom Pidcock is again at the front of the chasing group. The gap is down to just 7sec.
01:34 PM
34km to go
We have two Elegant-Quick Step riders (Julian Alaphilippe and Kasper Asgreen), two Bahrain Victorious (Marco Haller and Dylan Teuns), along with defending champion Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and his great rival Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in the leading group. Has the final selection been made? It would appear so, and despite looking strong earlier, Tom Pidcock may have missed the decisive move. The 21-year-old is in the chasing group along with Ineos Grenadiers, ttteammatelan van Baarle, and a handful of others, including Greg Van Avermaet and Anthony Turgis.
01:30 PM
37km to go
Kasper Asgreen is hauling himself up the Taaienberg, only to be replaced by Mathieu van der Poel on the front. Wout van Aert is riding in the wheels, as is Julian Alaphilippe. Marco Haller is caught but now has tteteammatean Teuns for company.
01:27 PM
40km to go
Tom Pidcock rolls off the front of the leading group, though he is soon replaced by Marco Haller, who has been looking good throughout the cobbled campaign. Not sure the big names will be too concerned about the Austrian, though; he may struggle on the incoming climbs, and one suspects Julian Alaphilippe, Mathieu van der Poel, and Wout van Aert et al. will regain contact on these bergs.
01:23 PM
42km to go
Julian Alaphilippe and Stefan Bissegger are caught by Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, Anthony Turgis, Tom Pidcock, Christophe Laporte, Tim Wellens, and Marco Haller (Bahrain Victorious).
01:21 PM
43km to go
Julian Alaphilippe joins forces with Stefan Bissegger, and the duo is over the top of the brutish Koppenberg and leading the race. Unfortunately, there is no time splits, so I don’t think the gap is too big. Mathieu van der Poel is atin the front of the chasing group; Tom Pidcock is there.
01:18 PM
44km to go — Koppenberg
Julian Alaphilippe has attacked the Koppenberg! Tom Pidcock is giving chase, but the big guns are looming. Wout van Aert looks to be tiring.
01:17 PM
45km to go
By the way, Kasper Asgreen and Mathieu van der Poel are in the third group on the road, with Wout van Aert a handful of seconds behind Julian Alaphilippe, Tom Pidcock, and a posse of others.
01:14 PM
48km to go
Julian Alaphilippe has clipped off the front of what was the leading group. The world champion has Christophe Laporte (Cofidis) for the company. Tom Pidcock is sitting in the front of a chasing group, perhaps doing too much of the work, as the 21-year-old pulls along Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious).
01:10 PM
50km to go — Paterberg
Tim Wellens (Lotto-Soudal) leads the way onto the Paterberg before Kasper Asgreen and Mathieu van der Poel, once again, move to the front and over the top like two heavyweight boxers landing punches on each other. Tom Pidcock, by the way, is in the group a few meters behind the dueling pair. Stefan Bissegger still leads the race; the Swiss have 30sec on the remnants of the earlier breakaway,y, while Asgreen and Van der Poel are another 30sec down the road.
01:06 PM
53km to go — Showtime!
Once over the Oude Kwaremont and onto the smooth asphalt, Mathieu van der Poel gains an advantage taking with him Kasper Asgreen. The peloton, however, reacts, knowing it cannot afford to give the big Dutchman an inch of the road.
01:04 PM
54km to go
Stefan Küng is the latest man in the crash. The Groupama-FDJ rider is hitting the deck. Almost immediately, Julian Alaphilippe presses on while Mathieu van der Poel is quick to respond.
01:02 PM
The last man standing!
Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo) is the lone leader . . . If he can hold this lead for another 55km, the young man will become the first Swiss since Fabian Cancellara to win the Tour of Flanders (he will not have on all the way).
01:00 PM
56km to go
Another crash. Immediately after a tight rind-hander, three or four-rider clip handlebars hit the deck heavily. Joris Nieuwenhuis (DSM) went down, as did Owain Doull.
12:57 PM
57km to go
Jumbo-Visma has four riders dead center of the speeding bunch, flying down a descent on the approach to the second climb of the Oude Kwaremont.
12:55 PM
60km to go
Damien Gaudin is stomping away on his pedals in the front row. The Frenchman who eats cobbles for breakfast has Total Direct Énergie tteateammatesld Boasson Hagen and Anthony Turgis tucked behind.
12:53 PM
62km to go
Ineos Grenadiers have around three or four riders on the front — Owain Doull, Ethan Hayter, and Tom Pidcock, while Kasper Asgreen has managed to chase back onto the rear of the bunch.
12:51 PM
64km to go
Julian Alaphilippe has regained contact with the peloton that trails the leaders by 2mins. Plenty of riders look around at each other, monitoring who is present and who has gone missing in action.
12:48 PM
Big crash!
Big crash back in the peloton. Julian Alaphilippe went down, as did tteamteammater Asgreen and another Elegant-Quick Step rider. Two Alpecin-Fenix riders hit the deck too.
12:46 PM
67km to go
British rider Connor Swift (Arkéa-Samsic) is getting involved on the front of the peloton, the injection in pace canceling out Soren Kragh Andersen.
12:44 PM
69km to go
Soren Kragh Andersen has gained around 10secs on the leading hitters. Of course, he’s a long way out from Oudenaarde, so you would imagine he would get caught. But he’s a dangerous rider. After ghosting off the front, the DSM rider won two stages at last year’s Tour de France.
12:41 PM
70km to go
Soren Kragh Andersen (DSM) makes a move off the front. He’s a strong rider, and nobody can afford to allow the Dane too much space here.
12:39 PM
71km to go
Jumbo-Visma has four riders in the front of the bunch speeding along at 67km/h on the approach to the bottom of the Kanarieberg climb.
12:34 PM
75km to go
Alpecin-Fenix is well positioned on the front of the bunch as it edges the cobbled Berg Ten House climb. Once over the top, they will be around 3km from the Kanarieberg and about 20km from the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, quickly followed by the first of two climbs over the Paterberg the Koppenberg.
12:31 PM
78km to go
Nils Eekhof (DSM) has a horrible-looking crash. The Dutchman was riding in the peloton before losing control of his front wheel and propelling himself over his handlebars. Thankfully he was soon back on his feet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he were forced to abandon. Either way, he will be hurting over the next few days.
12:24 PM
82km to go
All back as one in the chasing group, Sep Vanmarcke (Israel Start-up Nation), is up near the front, just behind Davide Ballerini and Kasper Asgreen, who look lively.
12:22 PM
85km to go
The seven-man breakaway continues to lead, though their advantage is below four minutes now.
Towards the rear of the chasing group, Lukas Pöstlberger appears cooked, which will leave his Bora-Hansgrohe tteammteammateSagan a man down. It looks like Elegant-Quick Step wants to pressure Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. That earlier move instigated by Kevin Geniets fizzled out on the front before Davide Ballerini put in another short attack to split the group.
12:14 PM
89km to go
Mads Pedersen, the former world champion, was dropped on the Berendries climb a few moments ago. The Trek-Segafredo rider has not enjoyed the best seasons thus far, and it does not look like things will improve today.
12:12 PM
90km to go
Kevin Geniets (Groupama-FDJ) clips off the front of the peloton and the Luxembourg national champion is chased down by Davide Ballerini (Elegant-Quick Step), Edward Theuns (Trek-Segafredo), Edvald Boasson Hagen (Total Direct Énergie), Luke Rowe (Ineos Grenadiers), Boy van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux), Bryan Coquard (B&B Hotels p/b KTM), Nathan Van Hooydonck (Jumbo-Visma), Stan Dewulf (Ag2r-Citroën) and Joris Nieuwenhuis (DSM)
12:09 PM
94km to go
Warren Barguil (Arkéa-Samsic), the Frenchman making his debut today, has had a mechanical issue at possibly the worst time. The big guns are drilling it on the front of a relatively wide stretch of road. Interesting to note that Ineos Grenadiers have four or five riders near the front. Once again, plenty of jockeying for position.
12:03 PM
95km to go
The peloton is strung out in a long line as it weaves through yet another tiny Belgian town; a split has appeared around two-thirds down. Bert Van Lerberghe (Elegant-Quick Step) is riding hard on the front, and the gap between the race leaders has dropped to 5min 45sec.
12:00 PM
99km to go
Sharp left-hander into the Molenberg and Elegant-Quick Step have four riders — Bert Van Lerberghe, Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini, and Julian Alaphilippe — on the front. Despite having a numerical advantage, they did not turn the screw there.
11:53 AM
Another one bites the dust.
Michael Schär’s day has gone from bad to worse, and the Ag2r-Citroën rider has been disqualified after throwing an empty bottle aside. The Swiss forgot about the new rules covering littering brought in by the UCI on April 1.
11:50 AM
Is anyone for cyclo-cross?
Tom Pidcock managed to catch himself out a few minutes ago, the 21-year-old going the wrong side of a barrier as he attempted to make some ground on his rivals.
11:46 AM
106km to go
Five or six Elegant-Quick Step riders right at the front of the peloton. Trek-Segafredo’s riders, by contrast, are littered throughout the bunch. However, their leading man Mads Pedersen is looking good at the pointy end with tteammateammateStuyven.
11:42 AM
110km to go
Alpecin-Fenix, Elegant-Quick Step, Jumbo-Visma, Bora-Hansgrohe, and Israel Start-up Nation have riders positioned at the front of the peloton. All the hitters are there or thereabouts and are nibbling away at the breakaway’s advantage, which has now dropped to just below eight minutes.
11:39 AM
112km to go
Next up for the breakaway is the Wolvenberg, the fifth of the 19 climbs in today’s race. Although very steep, the road is covered in asphalt, which will make things a little easier.
11:35 AM
114km to go
Big battle for position in the peloton as it nears the approach to the Eikenberg.
11:33 AM
115km to go
Not for the first time today, Michael Schär (Ag2r-Citroën) has endured mechanical and lost contact with the peloton as it neared the summit of the Kortekeer climb breakaway goes over the Eikenberg almost 9mins up the road.
11:29 AM
117km to go
Alpecin-Fenix now has four riders around their leader Mathieu van der Poel, up near the front of the peloton as it weaves along a narrow lane, roughly wide enough for just one vehicle. The breakaway has dropped further to 8min 51sec.
11:27 AM
120km to go
The terrific photograph here to illustrates the dangers of multiple road surfaces. If you look down the middle, there is a gap roughly the width of a bike wheel. Get stuck in here, and a rider’s race could be over. While over to the left-hand side, there is a gulley and then again a strip of cobbles. Riding safely across these can be physically and mentally exhausting and is often underestimated as the focus is placed on the cobbled sections and brutish climbs.
11:19 AM
126km to go
The peloton has completed the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, their deficit on the breakaway having dropped a little further to 9min 51sec. Elegant-Quick Step has numbers near the front; Trek-Segafredo, Jumbo-Visma, Lotto-Sodal, and Bahrain Victorious are there. Alpecin-Fenix appears happy to allow the big WorldTour teams to do much of the heavy lifting. For now, at least.
11:15 AM
129km to go
Tom Pidcock is riding at around fifth or six wheels on the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, Wout van Aert, and Mathieu van der Poel some way back, while Greg van Avermaet is stuck near the rear.
11:11 AM
132km to go
A sharp left-hander sees a big battle for position near the front of the peloton as it approaches the Oude Kwaremont. The UAE Team Emirates moves towards the front, ensuring former winner Alexander Kristoff is well-positioned. He’s an absolute master at this type of move, ensuring he’s near the front before sliding back through the group and regaining contact once over the top. He’s incredibly consistent at this race, and nobody will want to take the big powerful sprinter to the line today.
11:08 AM
133km to go
The breakaway has gone over the top of the Oude Kwaremont, losing time. However, the peloton is around seven minutes from the bottom of that cobbled climb, so it will be interesting to see what that gap is like once they have tackled it.
11:02 AM
135km to go
The breakaway is onto the first of three ascents of the Oude Kwaremont, and it is eerily quiet. Ordinarily, this 2.2km cobbled climb is mobbed by cycling fanatics enjoying some fries and the odd beer. Not today. Their lead on the peloton is down to 11min 15sec.
10:55 AM
140km to go
Just spotted the mustachioed Luke Rowe tucked in behind Julian Alaphilippe. The Welshman who loves these tough one-day races is one of four Britons in the Ineos Grenadiers team, including two debutants, Ethan Hayter and Tom Pidcock. Hayter, interestingly, is one of two riders from VC Londres — the south London cycling club based at Herne Hill Velodrome — riding today. The other, Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), debuted here last year.
However, most eyes will be focused on Pidcock, who has enjoyed a great start to his professional career, having finished fifth at Strade Bianche and 15th at Milan-Sanremo.
10:47 AM
Regular service has resumed . . .
10:41 AM
151km to go
The seven-man breakaway is onto the second cobbled section of the day, the 1,500-metre-long Hollweg. Back into the peloton, Edoardo Affini leads the way on behalf of his Jumbo-Visma team. It interesting note that Total Direct Énergie has a few riders near the front. Although the French squad is not part of the World Tour, they have a solid-looking team here today, and I would not be surprised to see Anthony Turgis challenging at the pointy end of the race. Assuming Turgis is the team’s leader today, he has tteammatteammatesoasson Hagen, Damien Gaudin, and former winner Niki Terpstra to support his ambitions. That’s some firepower.
10:37 AM
153km to go
World champion Julian Alaphilippe (Elegant-Quick Step) is just spotted chatting with Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe). Sagan, of course, won here in 2016, and although he is not the dominant force he once was, he has shown some form recently — fourth at Milan-Sanremo and a stage winner at Volta a Catalunya — and so I would not discount him from doing something here today.
The breakaway is inching up the Kattenberg, but those cobbles look relatively benign. The peloton will follow in around 12 minutes.
10:30 AM
158km to go
The Kattenberg, which is just 800 meters long and should not cause too many issues, is not too far from the day’s first climb. Still early in the race, but just as the peloton approached the first section of cobbles in today’s race, Elegant-Quick Step moved up towards the front of the group, which was a wise move, as further back, several riders were delayed having been caught out. Breakaway’s advantage is at 12 minutes.
10:20 AM
What, no Tractor?
I will repeat that: Tim Declercq does not depend on the show. Interestingly, the man known as El Tractor — Tim Declercq — is not riding in the front of the peloton. Declercq, one of the best domestics in world cycling, ordinarily positions himself on the show. However, it appears that his team, Elegant-Quick Step, looks happy to allow Jumbo-Visma to take control today. Jumbo-Visma, of course, will be hoping to set up Wout van Aert here today, while the Belgian super-team Elegant-Quick Step has a handful of riders that could challenge.
While Julian Alaphilippe is their apparent leader, Kasper Asgreen, Davide Ballerini, or Florian Sénéchal may also fancy their chances. Equally, Yves Lampaert could land a big one today should the stars align in his favor. Either way, Elegant-Quick Step has the most robust-looking team, and as we saw at the E3 race a couple of weeks back, on their day, they can work over the likes of pre-race favorites Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) with ease. To do that, though, they will need to have almost all of their riders up near the front of the bunch at the critical point in the race — in other words, at the bottom of the Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg climb.
10:08 AM
Happy Easter!
Already we have seen Greg Van Avermaet (Ag2r-Citroën) and Tom Van Asbroeck (Israel Start-up Nation) clip off the front of the peloton to go and greet some friends or, most likely, family members at the roadside. The fact that the bunch is happy for them to do this pretty much tells us everything we need to know about the state of play on the road right now: everybody is taking it relatively easy on the approach to the first cobbled sector of the day.
The breakaway has increased its advantage to 11min 18sec with 172km to go.
09:55 AM
Early controversy . . .
So today’s race got underway a little over an hour ago, the peloton rolling out of the port city of Antwerp at a reasonably leisurely pace. Weather-wise, it is pretty still, and although not mainly sunny, it is not too cold. The peloton is split between those riders wearing leg warmers and jackets/gilets and those with exposed legs.
A flurry of early attacks kicked off proceedings, leading to Stefan Bissegger (EF Education-Nippo) instigating the move that led to a breakaway forming. Bissegger, the Swiss neo-pro who won the time trial at last month’s Paris-Nice, was soon joined by Mathias Norsgaard (Movistar), Mathijs Paasschens (Bingoal Wallonnie Bruxelles), Fabio Van Den Bossche (Sport Vlaanderen Baloise) and Jelle Wallays (Cofidis) before Nico Denz (DSM) and Hugo Houle (Astana-Premier Tech) bridged over to form a seven-man group. That breakaway shows by a shade over 10 minutes, just under 185km of the race remaining.
The big talking point of the day, thus far at least, has been a coming together between Yevgeniy Fedorov (Astana-Premier Tech) and Otto Vergaerde (Alpecin-Fenix) — see above. Fedorov, the Kazakh neo-pro, appeared to touch his brakes while in front of the bunch, which upset several riders sitting at his wheel. While several riders gesticulated in his direction, Vergaerde reacted. As a result, both riders have been kicked off the race, and one of the pre-race favorites — that’s Mathieu van der Poel for anybody who has been living in a cave — is already a man down, and the race has yet to reach its first cobbled sector of the climb.
09:32 AM
Who was on the starting line this morning?
WorldTour teams . . .
Ag2r-Citroën (Fra): Stan Dewulf (Bel), Lawrence Naesen (Bel), Oliver Naesen (Bel), Michael Schär (Swi), Damien Touzé (Fra), Greg Van Avermaet (Bel), Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel).
Astana-Premier Tech (Kaz): Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz, neo-pro), Yevgeniy Gidich (Kaz), Dmitriy Gruzdev (Kaz), Hugo Houle (Can), Ben Perry (Can), Nikita Stalnov (Kaz), Artyom Zakharov (Kaz).
Bahrain Victorious (Brn): Sonny Colbrelli (Ita), Marco Haller (Aut), Heinrich Haussler (Aus), Jonathan Milan (Ita, neo-pro), Marcel Sieberg (Ger), Dylan Teuns (Bel), Fred Wright (GB, neo-pro).
BikeExchange (Aus): Jack Bauer (NZ), Luke Durbridge (Aus), Alex Edmondson (Aus), Amund Grondahl Jansen (Nor), Michael Mathews (Aus), Luka Mezgec (Slo), Robert Stannard (Aus).
Bora-Hansgrohe (Ger): Maciej Bodnar (Pol), Marcus Burghardt (Ger), Patrick Gamper (Aut, neo-pro), Daniel Oss (Ita), Nils Politt (Ger), Lukas Pöstlberger (Aut), Peter Sagan (Svk).
Cofidis, Solutions Crédits (Fra): Piet Allegaert (Bel), Tom Bohli (Swi), Andre Carvalho (Por), Jempy Drucker (Lux), Christophe Laporte (Fra), Kenneth Vanbilsen (Bel), Jelle Wallays (Bel).
Deceuninck-Quick Step (Bel): Julian Alaphilippe (Fra), Kasper Asgreen (Den), Davide Ballerini (Ita), Tim Declercq (Bel), Yves Lampaert (Bel), Florian Sénéchal (Fra), Bert Van Lerberghe (Bel).
DSM (Ger): Nikias Arndt (Ger), Tiesj Benoot (Bel), Nico Denz (Ger), Nils Eekhoff (Hol, neo-pro), Soren Kragh Andersen (Den), Joris Nieuwenhuis (Hol), Jasha Sütterlin (Ger).
EF Education-Nippo (US): Alberto Bettiol (Ita), Stefan Bissegger (Swi, neo-pro), Jens Keukeleire (Bel), Sebastian Langeveld (Hol), Jonas Rutsch (Ger, neo-pro), Tom Scully (NZ), Michael Valgren (Den).
Groupama-FDJ (Fra): Antione Duchesne (Can), Kevin Geniets (Hol), Stefan Küng (Swi), Mathieu Ladagnous (Fra), Olivier Le Gac (Fra), Tobias Ludvigsson (Swe), Valentin Madouas (Fra).
Ineos Grenadiers (GB): Leonardo Basso (Ita), Owain Doull (GB), Michal Golas (Pol), Ethan Hayter (GB, neo-pro), Tom Pidcock (GB, neo-pro), Luke Rowe (GB), Dylan van Baarle (Hol).
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux (Bel): Aimé De Gendt (Bel), Wesley Kreder (Hol), Taco van der Hoorn (Hol), Boy van Poppel (Hol), Danny van Poppel (Hol), Pieter Vanspeybrouck (Bel), Loïc Vliegen (Bel).
Israel Start-up Nation (Isr): Jenthe Biermans (Bel), Guillaume Boivin (Can), Hugo Hofstetter (Fra), Reto Hollenstein (Swi), Alexis Renard (Fra, neo-pro), Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel), Sep Vanmarcke (Bel).
Jumbo-Visma (Hol): Edoardo Affini (Ita), David Dekker (Hol, neo-pro), Pascal Eenkhoorn (Hol), Timo Roosen (Hol), Wout van Aert (Bel), Nathan Van Hooydonck (Bel), Maarten Wynants (Bel).
Lotto-Soudal (Bel): John Degenkolb (Ger), Frederik Frison (Bel), Roger Kluge (Ger), Tosh Van der Sande (Bel), Brent Van Moer (Bel), Florian Vermeersch (Bel, neo-pro), Tim Wellens (Bel).
Movistar (Spa): Imanol Erviti (Spa), Iván García Cortina (Spa), Juri Hollmann (Ger, neo-pro), Johan Jacobs (Swi, neo-pro), Lluís Mas (Spa), Mathias Norsgaard (Den), Gonzalo Serrano (Spa).
Qhubeka-Assos (SA): Victor Campenaerts (Bel), Dimitri Claeys (Bel), Michael Gogl (Aut), Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita), Emil Vinjebo (Den), Max Walscheid (Ger), Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol).
Trek-Segafredo (US): Koen de Kort (Hol), Ryan Mullen (Irl), Mads Pedersen (Den), Kiel Reijnen (US), Quinn Simmons (US, neo-pro), Jasper Stuyven (Bel), Edward Theuns (Bel).
UAE Team Emirates (UAE): Mikkel Bjerg (Den), Sven Erik Bystrom (Nor), Ryan Gibbons (SA), Alexander Kristoff (Nor), Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor), Rui Oliveira (Por), Matteo Trentin (Ita).
UCI Professional Continental teams . . .
Alpecin-Fenix (Bel): Dries De Bondt (Bel), Silvan Dillier (Swi), Jonas Rickaert (Bel), Oscar Riesebeek (Hol), Mathieu van der Poel (Hol), Otto Vergaerde (Bel), Gianni Vermeersch (Bel).
Arkéa-Samsic (Fra): Warren Barguil (Fra), Benjamin Declercq (Bel), Matis Louvel (Fra), Dan McLay (GB), Christophe Noppe (Bel), Clément Russo (Fra), Connor Swift (GB).
B&B Hotels p/b KTM (Fra): Frederik Backaert (Bel), Cyril Barthe (Fra), Bryan Coquard (Fra), Bert De Backer (Bel), Jens Debusschere (Bel), Jérémy Lecroq (Fra), Cyril Lemoine (Fra).
Bingoal-Wallonie Bruxelles (Bel): Timothy Dupont (Bel), Arjen Livyns (Bel), Mathijs Paasschens (Hol), Tom Paquot (Bel), Jelle Vanendert (Bel), Luc Wirtgen (Lux), Tom Wirtgen (Lux).
Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise (Bel): Ruben Apers (Bel), Cédric Beullens (Bel), Lindsay De Vylder (Bel), Arne Marit (Bel), Fabio Van Den Bossche (Bel), Jordi Warlop (Bel), Thimo Willems (Bel).
Total Direct Énergie (Fra): Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor), Damien Gaudin (Fra), Adrien Petit (Fra), Geoffrey Soupe (Fra), Niki Terpstra (Hol), Anthony Turgis (Fra), Dries Van Gestel (Bel).
09:30 AM
Hello
Hello, good morning, and welcome to our live rolling blog from the 105th edition of the Tour of Flanders, or De Ronde van Vlaanderen, as the locals say.
As most of you will know, today’s 254.3-kilometer jaunt from Antwerp to Oudenaarde is one of the most prestigious one-day races on the calendar, following last month’s Milan-Sanremo is the second monument of the season. Following the postponement of Paris-Roubaix, this cobbled classic has added significance among those living in these challenging races.
For the locals, De Ronde is the biggest day in the Belgian sporting calendar and has been described as being like the Boat Race, Royal Ascot, and the FA Cup final. All rolled into one. So as you can imagine, having no fans at the roadside today — or very few, at least — the race will, as we saw last year when Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) prevailed, feel a little quieter than usual.
Organizers did not release a map or profile to discourage spectators heading to the race due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. However, usually cobbled climbs — Molenberg, Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg — will feature, while several cobbled stretches of road are included.
The combination of narrow, twisty lanes, coupled with some brutish cobbled climbs — raced over many road surfaces — makes the Tour of Flanders arguably the most technical and challenging of all of the one-day races to win. Concentration is key to success here while positioning on the climbs can make or break a rider’s ambitions.
