Preview Tour of Flanders 2025 - women | Uncertainties surround Kopecky and Vos, Vollering absent

Cycling
Thursday, 03 April 2025 at 17:04
lotte kopecky marianne vos puck pieterse

On Sunday, April 6, the Tour of Flanders will take place for both men and women. While we can feast our eyes on the top riders in the men's race, such as Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Mads Pedersen, and Wout van Aert, the women's race features Lotte Kopecky, Anna van der Breggen, and Marianne Vos, among others. IDLProCycling.com gives you a detailed preview!

If you look at the list of women's Tour of Flanders winners, you will see that it mainly consists of top riders. Van der Breggen won the race once in 2018, and Annemiek van Vleuten and Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, who have since retired, also won. This is also true for Marianne Vos, who won it twelve years ago.

In 2022 and 2023, Belgian favorite Kopecky won the Tour of Flanders, but we had an Italian victory last season. Elisa Longo Borghini won the rainy 2024 edition after perfect work by Shirin van Anrooij.

Practical information Tour of Flanders women 2025

  • 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 Elisa Longo Borghini
2023 Lotte Kopecky
2022Lotte Kopecky
2021 Annemiek van Vleuten
2020 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak
2019 Marta Bastianelli
2018 Anna van der Breggen
2017 Coryn Labecki
2016 Lizzie Deignan
2015 Elisa Longo Borghini

Course, weather and times Tour of Flanders women 2025

The Tour of Flanders course is extremely difficult. The women start in Oudenaarde, which is also the finish location of the race, a good 160 kilometers later. In between, of course, there are a series of cobblestone sections and Flemish slopes, which always make the race extremely difficult.

After seventy flat kilometers, the ladies reach the hilly zone, which starts with the Wolvenberg. Fifteen kilometers later, they hit the Molenberg, Marlbouroughstaart, Berendries, and Valkenberg before there is some time to catch their breath until the super-heavy Koppenberg, 45 kilometers from the finish.

Time to catch their breath after the Koppenberg? Barely. The Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg follow within ten kilometers, after which the riders will take the Kruisberg to the last two hills of the race. The well-known Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg will once again push the riders to their limits, after which there will be thirteen kilometers left to the finish in Oudenaarde. That is the same final as for the men.

ronde van vlaanderen 2025 vrouwen

Climbs & cobblestones.

Weather
Excellent weather conditions for a Tour of Flanders. It is still quite chilly in the morning, but towards the afternoon, the temperature will rise well above 10 degrees Celsius. There is no chance of precipitation, and the wind comes from the northeast at a moderate speed.

Times
Start: 07:10 AM EST
Finish: 10:33 AM EST

Favorites Tour of Flanders women 2025

We look at the women who shared the honors in the last three editions for the two top favorites of the Tour of Flanders. On the one hand, Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime, and on the other, Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team ADQ. Kopecky still has the slight advantage at the betting offices, but after the Dwars door Vlaanderen race on Wednesday, the Italian crept closer. This was partly because Kopecky did not perform well, and Longo Borghini moved to the front as a strong contender.

Kopecky is lucky that her team has two other favorites: Anna van der Breggen, Lorena Wiebes, and Mischa Bredewold and Blanka Vas. Van der Breggen is a rider who can make a difference uphill, while Wiebes is always good in the sprint in Oudenaarde. Longo Borghini, with Silvia Persico by her side, will have to find an answer.

As you know, Demi Vollering will not compete in the Tour of Flanders as she is at a high-altitude training camp. In terms of other Dutch contenders, we will mainly have to rely on Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike), although the latter did not start in Dwars door Vlaanderen last Wednesday due to illness. With Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the Dutch team has another potential favorite.

Can we get an outsider to join the party? Certainly! Kimberley Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick-Step), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM), Liane Lippert, Marlen Reusser (Movistar), Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) and Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) are all in top form for the big event in Flanders and will want to show it. At Lidl-Trek, they hope for a good day for Shirin van Anrooij and/or Lucinda Brand.

Who are the favorites for Tour of Flanders women 2025, according to IDLProCycling.com?

Top favorites: Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) and Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)

Outsiders: Anna van der Breggen, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike)
Longshots: Kimberley Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick-Step), Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike), Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon/SRAM), Silvia Perisco (UAE Team ADQ), Liane Lippert, Marlen Reusser (Movistar), Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez) and Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly)

TV broadcast Tour of Flanders women 2025

The Tour of Flanders can be followed on Sunday via Sporza, NOS, and Eurosport. After the men's race, you can watch the women's race on any of the channels, while HBO Max will be showing live footage of the women's race at 07:00 AM EST.  

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