Rainbow Ronde? The Big GCN Tour of Flanders Preview

Rainbow Ronde? The Big GCN Tour of Flanders Preview
The Tour of Flanders is a prestigious but brutal race, with sharp climbs and rough cobbled roads. Last year saw Tadej Pogacar and Lotte Kopecky ride to victory, but who will be the champion of the cobbles this time around? Dan and Si run through the race history and route ahead of De Ronde.

00:00 Intro
00:40 Tour Of Flanders 2023
02:20 Tour of Flanders race history
03:18 Tour of Flanders Men’s route 2024
10:58 Tour of Flanders Women’s route 2024
12:43 Weather watch
13:11 Who will win the Tour of Flanders?
23:13 Predictions for Tour of Flanders

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🎵 Music – licensed by Epidemic Sound 🎵
Hotel Lalo – Harry Edvino
The Final Cut – Hampus Naeselius

📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images

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It’s my favorite time of the season I know a lot of you agree we’ve had the first Monument we’ve had the first semi Classics on the cobblestones but now it’s time for Holy Week Holy Week being the eight days that take us through the tour of Flanders and Par ruet if you are

Not already counting down the days you should be the men’s and women’s tour of Flanders are taking place this coming Sunday going to be fantastic coming up all the details around this year’s routs which do have some subtle changes to them and a look at how the races are

Likely to unfold amongst the superstars taking part but first up as ever we’re going to remind you of what happened 12 months ago oh last minute ditch oh no way you can’t keep a good man down look at the use of anger there by mat Vander Paul I have had enough of this

And right now he’s driving it on this is absolutely spectacular Pacha staying with him this is a phenomenal display well there he is he’s got enough time to celebrate to thank the team and to drink in exactly what he has achieved a young man with still a mighty future and

Already a mighty past rolled together in a beautiful package oh that is superb we’ve seen this so much through the history of the copperberg that is phenomenal three Riders from the same team in a breakaway of four Riders she’s absolutely powering away with 18 km to

Go Lions of Flanders are being waved at the Belgian she’s almost got that look of disbelief the confidence though for lot of keki she’s going to enjoy this moment it’s another win for Belgium two in a row feki T paga becoming the first tour to France winner to also win the Tour of

Flanders since Eddie MKS in 1975 and what was also the fastest Edition in history while L keki became only the second woman in history to take backto back titles history made then H we’re going to give you a very brief history of this race before we get onto this

Year’s Roots 2024 marks the 20th edition of the women’s and the 108th of the men’s which was first raced all the way back in 1913 belgians have been by far the most successful in the men’s race over that time 69 wins to dat next best

Are the Dutch on 11 wins Italy as well on 11 and then a big gap to Switzerland who have four three of those is courtesy of Fabian kelara of course Ma ferol has a chance to match celara this year and in fact equal the record because nobody’s ever won this race more than

Three times uh so he’d also be joining in the lights of yan Museo Tom bone and and three others who’ve taken three victories through their careers yeah in the women’s there are four Riders who have won the race twice in its shorter history so L keki has the chance to be

The most successful rider ever at the women’s tour would bet against no you wouldn’t would you all right on to the route and we’re going to start with the men’s at 27.4k it’s a little way short of the 320k Epic from 1914 but it’s actually above the average for this race they

Start in Anor as they have done since 2017 and they finished in alada since the controversial move from Nineveh in 2012 there are a few changes to the first 100 case this year so according to race director Scott Sunderland the change is for safety reasons they’re

Staying on wide main roads as much as possible yeah it wasn’t that there were too many narrow roads in that first part of the race previously but I guess just enough for the race to be slowed down by the teams that want to make things a little bit easier for themselves to

Control so we say as it might for safety it might be for the benefit of the race well I don’t know yeah I mean that sounds like if you stick on faster roads you just go faster and faster and everyone gets more and more knacked uh

Well I mean you know what modern day sing is like they can keep it going for 270 good point anyway having it on constantly wide roads at the start could well mean it takes a really long time for the early break where the day to go

Clear yeah now this is good news for those of you who have the time to watch the race from start to finish yeah you’re working on it as well though aren’t you I I am but as you know even if I wasn’t working on it I’d be

Watching from start to finish this is true this is true anyway the first of the seven flat stretches of cobbles comes after 104k so that’s the lipen Hoven Strat quickly followed by the P Strat but things get really serious on the approach to the Quant which is the

First of the 17 categorized climbs of the day if you would like a reminder of how hectic that approach to the Quant is you need only look back to last year where um matuk took down half of the Pelon and he tried to make up some

Positions on the side of the road yeah the poor BL is never going to live that down fortunately not no uh but yes anyway that is how stressed everyone is when they’re trying to get into position for the first of the three ascents of the qum mon which comes at almost the

Exact midpoint of the race so 135 km in they do get a little bit of rest by over the top of that climb though uh they don’t do the pburg on that particular occasion but rather they skirt back around towards alard so it’s around 20 kilm between the quar mon and the next

Of the climbs on the day yes which is the infamous mullenberg which comes with almost exactly 100K to go and I think that’s where you can say that the final really starts in Earnest yes you can uh we don’t have a full pellet on there definitely not by that point in the race

But there’s still likely be going to be quite a fight I would say into that left hand of the famous one by the mill and on some pretty rough cobs of the mullenberg you say the famous one I I think it like in terms of the world of

Cycling it’s probably not that famous is this just because you love the tour of Flanders and Inside Out fam the famous M at the bottom in the mullenberg Sur everyone knows about that from there things come in very quick succession you have the malber Strat the Barre and the

Valkenberg they do all three of those in the space of just 10 kilometers and then it’s on to bergton Ala which has been quite a key climb I would say over the last couple of additions yeah understandably given its maximum gradient of 21% so it’s around that point where

We’ve seen a few Riders anticipating recently Yeah so basically trying to get ahead of the game or at least ahead of the big favorit so last year one of those Riders up the roads was mass pson but it’s hard to imagine him being given the same Freedom isn’t it this time

Around given the form that we’ve seen him in well it’s not like he was a bad Rider last year or the year before true this form like you said this year it might be difficult for him the Second Ascent of the chont comes after 214 K

And it was there that pagat put in a searing acceleration last year which nobody was able to follow from there it’s a quick loot round to tackle the patberg for the first time yeah and that is a climb that looked like it may have to be removed this year due to a

Landslide thankfully though Belgium being a country where cycling is very high in the priority list it was fixed and was already used last Friday in E3 what a relief indeed so after that where there is another subtle change to the route the cinberg um it’s been done for

Safety reasons so cutting out The Descent and the sharp turn which normally precede the climb which I can’t imagine is going to please Dylan F Bell because that is a section of road that he often uses for attacks must have done it about 10 times I mean that’s an

Exaggeration any it should make a huge difference to the way that the race plays out on Sunday the cinberg probably will be though with its gradients in excess of 22% I mean I think part of what makes the copen BG feel so special is that it’s only used at the tour of Flanders

So most of the other climbs are used a lot aren’t they in early season B but that one isn’t it’s like sacran it is we’re going to tell you what the forecast for Sunday is later but if that road is wet we’re probably going to be witnessing quite a few Riders walking up

There northern Europe hasn’t had much Sunshine recently so there quite a decent likelihood that there will be wet Road even if it’s not raining indeed yeah following the cber there’s a quick descend down to the main road just outside of alanada which normally allows the Riders a little bit of rest fite

Before they tackle another succession of cobbles and climbs they being the Maria Borat the famous Mario the infamous Mario St bake Greece and the stanburg not particularly hard in their own right but after 230 K of racing they’re going to sting yeah although perhaps not as

Much as the tyberg which comes after 233 kilometers of racing and that’s where Vanderpool dropped his chain last year and had to chase back on there are three climbs left after they’ve tackled the tberg theyve been the out of cloudberg which where V was distance last year Pat

And pool and also the same climb which sigh here flew up in 2016 whilst we were filming there to this day I checked it earlier to this day only one Rider has ever gone fast you up there at least it’s uploaded to straa and only by one

Second at that and it was Sonic H brelli when he came second at omloop two years ago I mean I’ll be honest I’d forgotten about that but you know now you bring it up I’ll take that yeah well I would I mean I wonder what they’ve all been

Doing going up there this is just doing is racing before they get there rather putting everything into that one lead out oh I’m a bit tired I’ve already done 250 kilometers yeah all right whatever anyway they go straight over to uh the hoton after that don’t

They and after that it is the final familiar but brutal I think we can say Infamous double punch of The Quon and the patberg for one final time and from the top of that last line it’s a 13 km mainly flat running back into the outskirts of uh Alon where the finishes

Simple as that then yeah absolutely yeah right just before we get on to the women’s race which starts and finishes in alada a quick plug for our own shop you’re going to find a range of t-shirts and sweatshirts there decided to celebrate well quite a lot of the early

Season classic two of them here but also some of the stage races as well thanks to all of you who’ve already made a purchase this year we are truly thankful for that but if you’d like to take a look and even make a purchase you can find the whole range over on shop.

Global cycling network.com yeah we will also have a whole load of content over the next couple of weeks on our websit around tour Flanders pyu Bay plus dast d Vander and the scale the priest to to keep your eyes peeled for all of that we also have a newcomers guide so top 10

Cycling climbs of Flanders Riders to watch men’s and women’s previews as well as key Rider interviews as well there’s going to be a lot to read oh yeah onto the women’s route then which is similar to what they’ve tackled Rec over the past few years so only nine K until they

Get their first stretch of cobbles but the first serious ones are the same as the men’s basically the lip andov Strat followed by the part Strat they’ve got seven Cobble sectors over their 163 KK race the flat ones and then 12 climbs the first of which is the wenberg after

72 K the first sorry I’m talking over the top there the first really tough climb is the mullenberg the famous Mill at the foot that left hand yeah there was something in the commentary under E3 about the famous mus mushroom where’s the famous mushroom even I don’t know

About the famous mushroom well Adam BL knows about the famous mushroom oh maybe it was unrelated to the race then no no it was it was at the bottom of one of the climbs ah it’s the mushroom that was where anyway so there we go there’s a lot of famous landmarks yeah well

Getting this knowledge now Down’s come unstuck here the mushroom oh my God I need to Google this anyway um after the where are we 85 kilometers yeah what clim was it we were talking about the mullenberg oh yeah the infamous mullenberg after which the race spends a

While tracing the same route as the men’s 118 km in they will then be on the copen BG which caused all sorts of issues oh my good last year yeah as keki lost grip towards the top meaning that a lot of people had to walk up ironically

She was fine she jumped back on pretty quickly and just cause Havoc behind her pro move that is it it is yeah maybe deliberate anyway after the C I mean that was genuinely a joke I don’t mean that at all after the C bir it is

Exactly the same route as the men’s race that we have already described tyberg kbur Quant and patur being the main obstacles over the last part of the women’s race now all that talk of cinberg shall we do weather watch oh we can do uh yeah let’s go for it all right

So uh we won’t dwell on it too long because we’re recording this on a Monday so it could all change by the time we get to Sunday but currently it looks like it will be cloudy but dry wind speed around 20 K an hour temperatures

Up to 16° quite Pleasant by tour of FLA standard really isn’t it 20K an hour it’s not really enough to it’ll have a bearing but not as much as not 20K an hour just fatigue yes yeah okay one of those right time top Riders I think so

On the men’s side we’ll start by talking about the rider who’s not here and that was last year’s winner T patcha his absence does change the race significantly doesn’t it last year everyone was aware that UAE would take control of the race uh at least when they needed to and that pagat would

Under normal s take the race on himself um but without him there’ll be more responsibility on the likes of visma Lisa bike and alinder Kern who have the big two favorites for the win between them uh so mat fero understandably starts as the outright favorite with the bookmakers so he’s

Ridden this race twice five times as I say won it twice and never been outside at the top four I mean I think those stats combine with recent form suggest there’s a pretty decent chance that he’s going to be there or thereabouts again this average or above I’d say the

Advantage Vanderpool has is like pagat his team is built entirely around him so yasper philipson and saon Crow Anderson will help him as deep into the finale as they can but there probably won’t be thoughts of trying to win themselves probably not no which is in contrast I

Think to Vima Lisa bike who have been able to play the numbers game over the last year or two of course most eyes from that team or from other teams are going to be on W verar but withot vanal and now Jorgenson as well they have a

Number of riders who could win the race if they anticipate and move early indeed anticipation That Old Chestnut isn’t it um that’s what you did wasn’t it 2009 anticipated things oh he did yes yeah he did went early onto the curg I remember that no I think I invented

Anticipation you probably did actually mate yeah only because my teammate told me to go out the road well that’s all right following instructions that’s a that’s a good good skill for a pro cyclist um anyway Yan tratnik is yet another card they could play thankfully he didn’t have any major injuries from

What looks be a nasty crash in G we surprised to read that actually it did look like a nasty crash the other team who could have numbers to play are little Trek so pson stoven and Milan also played a pivotal role in their win at G wgam and all look to have reached

Peak form just the right time half the battle and you can add in Tom as well he’s been flying already this season and that is a team I think we can all say is to be reckoned with now like we said earlier uh I wouldn’t have thought pson

Would get the leeway to move early in the race this year but then that might open things up for Tomas schind or yasper sturen to do exactly that on Sunday yeah making alberon’s job even more challenging like and you really could imagine it being hard for them to

Control it couldn’t you yeah this is why fero needs to go with 200ks to go V needs to anticipate open flat very safe road at the start of the race well there we go right the next favorite with The Bookies is actually matate maharic of Bahrain Victorious uh who also have Fred

Wright on their team as well some surprisingly mahar’s best result in this race is 21st whilst wght was seventh here a couple of years ago I was surprised as well about that I think a podum would be an excellent result for either of them wouldn’t it on the same

Roads or same odds I should say as maharic is Tim well at 40 to1 he’ll be leading U’s charge in Pat’s absence and will almost certainly be there or thereabouts Antonio Morgado could be an interesting one for them as well he’s admitted he doesn’t like cobal

Races uh no I I don’t like the this these type of races but he seems pretty good at them poor guy yeah so Pol as well there at UAE that’s right yeah Stefan Kung uh has been Sixth and fifth in the last two years he will lead group

Arma fdj but strangely Lawrence py isn’t on the provisional start list for them despite his form this year yeah not the provisional one I mean you you’d have thought that they’re going to take him you would have thought would he even if that wasn’t the original plan because he

Was fantastic at the race start of the season in Australia then he was bril at ker and gent wam anyway Spanish Champion o lasaro will lead M Stars charge he’s been also great at One Day races so far this season hasn’t it yeah and it is great to see a Spanish Champion so

Motivated for the C races as well isn’t it um the first inos Rider you get down to when looking at the odds is Jonathan naay at 80 to one I mean they have never focused on the Cobo Classics in quite the same way as the grand Tours but it

Always used to feel like they were in with a shot at least didn’t it yeah yeah they’ve won rub once haven’t they but yeah this year it doesn’t look like they’re going to get anywhere close to winning Flanders no very hard seeing the threat in the podium spot at least put

It that way Ben Turner and Magnus Sheffield will also be there for them but it’s it’s Josh Tarling I think I’m really interested in see he would have done dwor vren by the time that this video comes out which will be his first Cobble race of this season but we know

How strong that lad is and he’s only get to get better well yeah maybe if he anticipates Dan goes long um but frankly Ru is probably better suited as long as can handle the cobbles now it would have been unfathomable just a couple years ago to have got this far through the

Men’s start list and not mention sudal quickstep however things seem to be going from bad to worse for them over the last couple of years when it comes to the cobal classics it’s a real shame isn’t it in many respects so Casper as green is the pout Rider with the lowest

Odds um but no fewer than five visma liser bik Riders have shorter odds than Casper Asing wow I mean that is particularly surprising given that he won this race just three years ago to be fair he hasn’t really looked too good in the last couple of weeks either there

Has he Al Philip Moscow and lampart are all quality riders that also seem to be underperforming at the moment they so if they are going to turn it around they need to do it quite quickly there a sort of thing that one of Patrick Le’s teams

Would do isn’t it or turn it around go and win flers or rub yeah other former winers on the start list are Alexander Kristoff of unox and Alberto betel of EF as a betel crashed out of e3 last but his r at San Roma suggests he’s on good

Form they’ve also got Palace and falgren whilst Arnold Dee and Victor campart lead Lotto Destiny yeah Del’s had a rough season so far hasn’t he h Oliver narson and Dylan tounes are also worth mentioning for kathon and Israel Premier Tech respectively just while we’re talking about Belgian Riders the last

Time that they won the Tour of lons obviously their home race was 2017 now I’m pretty sure that’s the longest drought they’ve ever had since start in 1913 on the women’s side they’ve won it for the last two years of course L keki is their new Superstar and she has

Already had a significant impact on Junior women’s participation in the sport which is absolutely great to see so she will start as the big favorite in the women’s race this Sunday and few would bet against her taking a record third win particularly given the strength of her SD Works Protime team uh

Demi rering was second here last year whilst VZ has looked stronger than ever on the Cobble so far in 4 without doubt they are the team to beat and we not even mentioned Marlon Rosa have we who yet another powerhouse on their roster kind of an embarrassment of Rich they’ve

Got isn’t it that said Leal Trek like their men’s Squad have a few cards to play as well so Longo borghini who won here in 2015 looks very much like she’s back to her best this year and I think the same could be said for former world

Champion Alisa balimore who won PR thean last week before pushing Vias very close in that Sprint finish at g wum on Sunday yeah and then you add in sh an Roy Lizzie Dagan Ellen Van djk and possibly Lucinda brand as well yeah provisional start list of course but I think fairly

Likely that most of those Riders will be there at least makes it easier for them with those numbers in theory at least to cover all the moves that SD work are very likely to make but it’s going to be a very interesting battle oh they got the numbers to anticipate well yes

Haven’t they right Beyond those two super teams I’m really looking forward to seeing how pke petersa gets on now she seems to be getting better and better on the road as you’d expect really given that she’s hardly done any of it so far she’s obviously very talented bike rider well indeed yeah

Vima Lisa bike will have Mariana Voss who is another Rider but back to her best I think this year isn’t it yeah this will be her 12th participation at the race that she won in 2013 uh it was a long time ago is it and we’re hoping that Fen van emple will

Also be competing uh she’d been supposed to start get we gam on Sunday but fell ill unfortunately in the week leading up to it Canyon stram had three rides in the top 13 of this race last year including Alise shabby and cashi Nua hard to see them winning this race but a

Podium certainly isn’t Out Of Reach hopefully we’ll also get to see zo backest she’s been building up after recovering from what was quite a big winter of Psych cross on her side yeah we should remember as well that she’s only 19 should we um and one of a number

Of cycl cross stars that we’ve just mentioned who should be at home on the cinberg given that they race up it shouldn’t they yeah CH little advantage that would be embarrassing if they walked wouldn’t it yeah good point uh right um K also got Chloe dard we should

Mention we yes they have she blows a bit hot and cold she’s one of those Riders what you wouldn’t be surprised if she went solo and won this race by two minutes that’s the kind of thing she’s capable of you also wouldn’t be surprised if she came

57th no that that’s very true actually isn’t it um Fenix toink field a team of cycl cross Specialists uh who could pull out a surprise can they well Sylvia perso will lead UAE norgard and arier will do exactly the same thing from M Star whilst Fifer Georgie will be the

Team leader at DSM feric postnl she keeps regressing F Georg doesn’t see year on year so don’t count her out now I think that just about covers it doesn’t it not everyone of course but most yeah it’s just a question of counting down the days now until Sunday

Ahead of that though time for our predictions right well you nailed both winners Australia didn’t you but then I did better of the two of us at Sano did you so I think that would could as you were less bad at San well I think that

Means it’s won all so far year you you guessed third and my pick basically won the race for his teammate yeah and your female pick also won the female race no no was in inan Sano yeah yeah no still one0 all right you did better on the

First previous show St bian and I did the better on the second previous show you did less badly on mil yeah okay right anyway sorry about that we just had a bit of a heated discussion about whether or not we are one all you can let us know in

The comments anyway well we’re not one all are we well we are are you going to go first I will let you go first on this prediction all right no that’s very kind of you um I’m going to go for w van art okay and lot of keki so keki because she

Is the outright favorite and I’m going first W vanard I think I just felt so sorry for him after E3 picking himself up like that and clearly he’s got good legs cuz he kind of near brought fer back I just I don’t know I just feel

Like now the tables have turned so much against him I kind of want him to win something no I do as well totally I think especially being Belgian and with everyone knowing how talented he is how many races he’s won but he’s never won a cobbled monument you can’t he can’t

Finish his career without I just would be so disappointed for him yeah so yeah good choices thanks mate that would be double Delight for Belgium which has never happened in the is that right in the last 20 years no they’ve never won the race on both the men’s and the

Women’s s in the same here well I will then go for Macha thundero and at least Longo buia on the women’s side yes I’d like to see her win and you think Vanderpool can get get one over the combined power of Vima Lisa bike and little Tre I think it’s good for him

That there are two teams with numbers unless of course one from each team’s got the and he’s got a problem but you know what it’s like now you know he’s going to go from so far out that I think even anyone that does anticipate is not

Going to be that far the road because it already happened last year and pagat effectively brought them back yeah yeah and borghini uh just I had my doubts as to whether she would get back to her best this year I’ve been delighted to see

That she has and so I’d like to see her take a second tour of flers what it be nine years after the first yeah that was pretty cool is it all right thank you as ever for watching enjoy it wherever you’re watching from this coming Sunday

I’m going to see you again for next week’s par Ru preview but I will say goodbye for now I’ll say bye as well then shall I yeah nice one