E3 Harelbeke Classic

Owing to its race profile, though not so much to its mileage -it’s 50km short compared to its ‘older sister’-, the E3 Harelbeke classic has been considered by main as the most similar ‘rehearsal’ to the Ronde van Vlaanderen that one can find in the pre-Flanders calendar, even if Gent-Wevelgem, to be contested next Sunday, is slowly gaining protagonism.

The course features 17 ascents, many of them on cobbles. No Molenberg is to be covered here, yet there are many tough hills, such as the Taaienberg (123km), always preceded by the Kortekeer, which strings out the field; the Eikenberg (141km); or, more importantly, the combination, here in reverse order to ‘De Ronde’, of Paterberg (161km) and Oude Kwaremont (164km). Its position in the race makes for the perfect point to attack and consolidate the group that will late contest victory at the reduced field’s sprint – or maybe a solo?!