Ronde van Vlaanderen

Arguably the Monument most beloved by its fans by virtue of its condition as a national symbol, ‘De Hoogmis’ (‘the high mass’) will surely offer one of the most beautiful sporting battles of the international classics campaign. A really long (270km) race, extremely difficult to interpret, and demanding due to its furious pace, multiple cobbled sections and 17 categorized climbs.

Most key points of the race are inside the last 115km. The usual ‘breaking areas’ are five: the intricate Molenberg, located 99km before the end; the first of two combinations of the long Oude Kwaremont (-54km) with the steep Paterberg (-50km); the Koppenberg (-44km), the toughest of them all with slopes up to 22%; the Taaienberg (-36km), short and intense; and the final ‘OK / P’, completed just 13km before the line en Oudenaarde.