Preview Championship of Flanders 2023 | Championship of sprinters in Flanders

As we approach the second half of September, Belgium gears up for a series of races, and among them is the Championship of Flanders. This race, once known as Koolskamp Koers, is a sprinter's delight, and IDLProCycling.com takes you along!

In the post-Covid era, sprinting sensations like Fabio Jakobsen and Jasper Philipsen have claimed victory in the last two editions. Preceding them, we find renowned sprinters such as Dylan Groenewegen, Arnaud Démare, and Fernando Gaviria among the race's champions in the years before the pandemic.

2022 Fabio Jakobsen
2021 Jasper Philipsen
2020 Not ridden
2019 Jannik Steimle
2018 Dylan Groenewegen
2017 Fernando Gaviria
2016 Timothy Dupont
2015 Michal Golas
2014 Arnaud Démare
2013 Jens Debusschere

Simple yet straightforward, the Championship of Flanders, also known as Koolskamp Koers, can be neatly summarized in just four words. As for its name, Koolskamp Koers, the reason is equally evident: the race commences and concludes in Koolskamp, and its course has remained unchanged for years. It's a straightforward eleven laps of fifteen kilometers each, simplicity at its best!

The route also meanders through Egem and Pittem before making its way to the finish line. The final three kilometers boast a well-maintained six-meter-wide road, with two gentle bends in the last kilometer. A note of caution for the sprinters: at five hundred meters from the finish, there's a speed bump positioned right in the middle of the road that requires their attention.

Weather
It will be fine racing weather in northern Europe on Friday. Temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius, a moderate breeze and no chance of rain. Yummy!

Times
Start: 12:15 p.m.
Finish: about 4 p.m.

The Flanders Championship might as well be dubbed the Sprinter's Championship. With Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal Quick-Step), and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) among the contenders, there are three sprinters in the race who typically contend for stage victories in the Tour de France.

Notably, Philipsen, Jakobsen, and Groenewegen have all left their mark on this race's prestigious list of past winners. Given the support they're receiving this year, it appears highly probable that one of them may seize victory once more. Philipsen is backed by Jonas Rickaert and Ramon Sinkeldam, Jakobsen by Michael Morkov and Florian Sénéchal, while Groenewegen has the strong duo of Luka Mezgec and Elmar Reinders by his side.

Outsiders are still very much in the mix. Gerben Thijssen, representing Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, missed the Vuelta at the last minute due to a coronavirus infection but can now focus on exciting races like this one. Lotto-Dstny has Caleb Ewan on the provisional participants list, and Israel-Premier Tech boasts Giacomo Nizzolo. Lidl-Trek, with Jasper Stuyven, will be hoping for an earlier break in the finale, as will DSM-firmenich and John Degenkolb.

Furthermore, for the sake of completeness, we'd like to mention Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5), Marc Sarreau (AG2R Citroën), Max Walscheid (Cofidis), Max Kanter (Movistar), Milan Frentin (SportVlaanderen-Baloise), and Erlend Blikra (Uno-X) as potential contenders for a top-five finish."

Top favorites: Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Fabio Jakobsen (Soudal Quick-Step)
Outsiders: Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla), Gerben Thijssen (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny)
Longshots: Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5), Jasper Stuyven (Lidl-Trek), John Degenkolb (DSM-firmenich), Marc Sarreau (AG2R Citroën), Giacomo Nizzolo (Israel-Premier Tech), Max Walscheid (Cofidis), Max Kanter (Movistar) and Erlend Blikra (Uno-X)

The Championship of Flanders can be seen live on Friday on VRT 1, which will switch on for the Vuelta at 2:20 pm. At that time, you can also turn to Eurosport Player/GCN+/Discovery+ for the Flanders Championship, which will finish at 4 p.m.