Preview Tour of Flanders 2025 | The Big Three, Four or Five, or an outsider?
Cycling
On Sunday, Belgium will be in the spotlight, and this day is circled on the calendar of every cycling fan. The most beautiful race in the Flemish Ardennes, the Tour of Flanders, is fast approaching, and IDLProCycling.com provides you with a detailed preview!
You don't even have to look at the list of winners to know that only the world's best riders win here. While the Tours of Flanders was the playground of Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara in the early 2000s, it has been the domain of Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar in recent years. The Dutch rider has been the most successful rider over the past six years, winning the race three times.
One thing is certain: the recent winners have all earned their victory on the grueling course in and around Oudenaarde. Alberto Bettiol was the biggest surprise in 2019, but the Italian was the strongest that day, just like Van der Poel (three times), Kasper Asgreen in 2021, and Tadej Pogacar in 2023.
Practical information Tour of Flanders 2024
- Sunday, April 6, 2025
- Participants
- Classification: WorldTour
In this article
- Latest winners
- Course, weather and times
- Favorites
- TV information
Latest winners Tour of Flanders
2024 Mathieu van der Poel
2023 Tadej Pogacar
2022 Mathieu van der Poel
2021 Kasper Asgreen
2020 Mathieu van der Poel
2019 Alberto Bettiol
2018 Niki Terpstra
2017 Philippe Gilbert
2016 Peter Sagan
2015 Alexander Kristoff
2014 Fabian Cancellara
Course, weather and times Tour of Flanders 2024
The Tour of Flanders route is extremely difficult. This year, we will start in Bruges, the city that has been sharing this honor with Oudenaarde for some time now. A good 260 kilometers later, we will arrive in Oudenaarde, a tradition that has been going on for some time.
The riders should have enough time to ease into the race from picturesque Bruges, as there are no serious climbs on the first 130 kilometers. This would be the ideal opportunity for a few men to take their place in the early breakaway, with the quiet hope of gaining a place in this Monument's (pre)final.
After 129 kilometers, we encounter the first serious obstacle: the Oude Kwaremont, which the cyclists must tackle thrice. From the Kwaremont, it is almost twenty kilometers to the Eikenberg and Wolvenberg, after which the hills follow one another in rapid succession. The Molenberg, Berendries, and Valkenberg are also not far away.
Around the two-hundred-kilometer mark, many riders' legs are already starting to ache, but then a new set of climbs begins with the Berg ten Houte and the Hotond. The second passage of the Oude Kwaremont and the first time up the Paterberg is also on the program, followed by the Koppenberg, which everyone fears. One foot on the ground, and your race can be over on that steep cobblestone hill, as we saw once again last year.
Any chance to catch your breath after the Koppenberg? Hardly. The Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg follow within ten kilometers, after which the riders head to the last two hills of the race via the Kruisberg. The Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg push the riders to their limits again, after which there are still thirteen kilometers to go before they finish in Oudenaarde.
Climbs & cobblestones.
Weather
We will have excellent weather conditions during the Tour of Flanders. It is still quite chilly in the morning, but the temperature will rise above 10 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. There is no chance of precipitation, and the wind blows moderately from the northeast.
Times
Start: 04:00 AM EST
Finish: 10:15 AM EST
Favorites Tour of Flanders 2025
Mathieu van der Poel has won the Tour of Flanders three times and will be the top favorite again on Sunday. The Dutch rider won Milan-Sanremo and the E3 Saxo Classic, two races that have been the focus, maneuvering himself into a good position for Sunday. Among others, Gianni Vermeersch and Kaden Groves insist on bringing the Alpecin-Deceuninck leader as far as possible.
Tadej Pogacar beat Van der Poel fair and square in the Tour of Flanders in 2023, and he will want to do it again this year. The Slovenian from UAE Emirates-XRG will be riding his first cobblestone race in 2025, but he has super strong support within his team. With Nils Politt, Antonio Morgado, and Mikkel Bjerg, the numbers three, four, and five are present, and Tim Wellens and newcomers Jhonatan Narváez and Florian Vermeersch. Hallelujah!
Visma | Lease a Bike has also been chasing a victory in The Tour of Flanders for several years, but we must be realistic about 2025: they are not the top favorites. Wout van Aert could not threaten Van der Poel in the E3 Saxo Classic, and the same goes for Matteo Jorgenson. Nevertheless, we can count on the men - along with Tiesj Benoot, Dylan van Baarle, and others - to be in top form for the event in the Flemish Ardennes.
The Big Three, the Big Four, or the Big Five? In recent weeks, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) have developed into challengers of the highest level. The E3 podium finishers – and Pedersen added a win in Gent-Wevelgem to that – can also be considered candidates for the Tour of Flanders. Pedersen will do so with Jasper Stuyven and Toms Skujins, well-known men who come out on top over 200 kilometers, at his side, while Ganna will have Magnus Sheffield and Joshua Tarling with him.
The same names often emerge in the Monuments, so for this Tour of Flanders you will also see the likes of Stefan Küng, Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), Michael Matthews (Jayco AlUla), Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Oliver Naesen (Decathlon AG2R), Dylan Teuns (Cofidis) and Julian Alaphilippe van Tudor. It is also possible that a Luca Mozzato will emerge: the Italian from Arkéa finished second last year, to everyone's surprise.
In that category, we will be watching out for men like Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X), Laurence Pithie, Oier Lazkano, Tim van Dijke (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step), Jenno Berckmoes, Arjen Livyns (Lotto), Joe Blackmore (Israel-Premier Tech), Mikkel Honoré (EF), Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar), Nils Eekhoff (Picnic PostNL), Biniam Girmay, Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty), Davide Ballerini, Mike Teunissen and former winner Alberto Bettiol (XDS-Astana). They hardly ever have a chance at victory, but it would be nice to witness a beautiful finale.
Who are the favorites for Tour of Flanders 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com?
Top favorites: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates XRG)
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
TV broadcast Tour of Flanders 2025
The Tour of Flanders can be followed on Sunday via Sporza, NOS and Eurosport. The Belgians will be there from 09:15 on VRT 1, while the Dutch will join in the afternoon. Eurosport will broadcast the race in full from 09:45, while NOS will devote much of the afternoon broadcast to the race.
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Latest Comments
- Such negative comments that are truly inappropriate and actually ridiculous. He sounds like an old man, bitter that he can't race anymore. Why can't he just be gracious? Or just shut up. Instead of howling for attention, in such a rude manner. Must be Dementia creeping in. We are all living in the Now. Records are there, and some are being broken, some are unapproachable. If he doesn't like it, and it makes him sick, maybe he ought start watching some other sport. Don't want the old mans health to be upset.
reemmo031-03-2025 - Roger De Vlaeminck inspires me to create a new beer: "Bitter Old Twat Belgian".JackInhof31-03-2025
- Shoot, I'll ride it for 1/10 of what his pay for that day is😅Veganpotter30-03-2025
- What is this? The Lance Armstrong daily cheaters channel? I could care less about Johan and Lance the seven times cheater. Greg Lemond was right all along, Why don't you write about that instead of these two knuckleheads.velodrone28-03-2025
- Are we all doomed to hear from Lance Armstrong and Johan bruneel until the end of time? It's not enough the stain they left on cycling? Do we have to see that shadow forever?bigyakman26-03-2025
- I am not sure if it is the hardest to win. In Flanders and Roubaix well before the finish the Peleton will be decimated and the race will normally be won by the best rider of the day or maybe 2nd or 3rd in case of a mechanical or unlucky break especially in case of Roubaix. In San Remo just before the finish there will still be several riders in contention and they are hard to ditch. For the best riders it is a race hard to win since it is not so selective. But if you are not a top 5 rider but still a top 10 rider this race is your best change to win. You will see more Milan San remo Winners with only 1 monument win than any other monumentsJoostmehrtens19-03-2025
- "fap fap fap oh Lance oh oh OHHHHHHH" again. Does he pay you to dredge up people with nice things to say about him? He was an giant a$$hole to people. It is a fact. Whatever his contrition about the doping, he is unapologetic about being a giant a$$hole to people. (Why yes, I do only login to complain. *I* am however only a giant a$$hole to people who laud giant a$$holes.)ericjensenridesbikes25-02-2025
- Remco is still very young. And injuries can absolutely keep you from overdoing it and getting worse. The recent Remco accident didn't keep him from being able to ride a recumbent inside. Wout's knee is a different story thoughVeganpotter23-01-2025
- Van der Poel style is winning by a half a lap and leading the race from the end of the second lap.
Barnes127420-01-2025 - If she thinks talent alone will put her there she will not see many podium finishes much less a GC finish.....work as a team utilizing tactics to consistently be at the top.Germanrazor10-01-2025