The organizers of the Tour of Flanders have once again changed the finale this year. [ Link ] In the last two years, they faced some criticism for removing former climbs like the Muur van Gerardsbergen and the Bosberg from the route. This year, both riders and spectators will again have to do without these two climbs. However, this will by no means make the finale boring. Unlike in 2012 and 2013, there will be fewer flat sections in the finale.
An overview of the route can be found here . [ Link ]
Favorites
Fabian Cancellara
Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara (Trek) has won the Tour of Flanders twice in the last four years. Last year, the 33-year-old from Bern dominated the Ronde . With a late attack on the Oude Kwaremont, he broke away from the remaining peloton in the finale. Cancellara is also fit this year, as he demonstrated most recently at the Primavera , where he finished second behind Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).
Tom Boonen
Belgian Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) is the only active professional cyclist with a more impressive list of Classics wins than Cancellara. However, he has had little to celebrate in recent days. The extent to which his partner's miscarriage has affected his form is a matter of speculation. What is certain, however, is that his performance this year is similar to that of the 2012 season, when he dominated the spring. Last year, he was forced to abandon the Tour de France early due to a crash . This year, he will undoubtedly be doing everything he can to make a strong statement once again.
Peter Sagan
The Slovakian Peter Sagan (Cannondale) won the classic E3 Prijs Harelbeke a few days ago and also proved his form during the week at the VDK-Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde. Last year he had to admit defeat at the Oude Kwaremont Cancellara. Will that be the case again this year?
John Degenkolb
John Degenkolb is certainly anything but a one-day specialist. Still, his haul so far as far as classics go is impressive. His victory last week at Gent-Wevelgem proves that he is quite capable of winning races like the Tour of Flanders. Should he make it over the Oude Kwaremont with the favourites, he should be watched in the final.
Zdenek Stybar
The Czech Zdenek Stybar won the cyclocross world title for the third time this year. And on the road, too, he is becoming more and more of a specialist to be taken seriously. His strong performance last year at Paris-Roubaix was followed by two stage wins and overall success at the Eneco Tour in autumn. Like Niki Terpstra, he might start as a helper for his team captain Tom Boonen. However, he may be the joker in the mind games of the Belgian team Omega Pharma-QuickStep. In any case, he has the class for it.
Live streams
The race can now be followed live. Cyclingfans.com offers a comprehensive overview of the live streams.