Cycling: Sunday is the day – the absolute highlight of the Belgian classic season and the second monument of the year starts in Brussels with the Tour of Flanders. Not much has changed on the track, but the power density at the front is tighter than it has been for a long time.
Tour of Flanders 2016: route
The route of the Tour of Flanders has changed a lot in the past 99 editions - most recently five years ago when the infamous Muur had to give way to the loop from Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. This profound change made the finale of the ronde more varied and unpredictable. In addition, new tactical options were opened up to the teams. In 2016, of course, the starting signal will be given again in Brussels - from there, after a neutral start, the field will roll the first 100 km over mostly flat roads with a few paved passages.
After 103 km, however, the hard part of the race begins for the drivers - because here the first of a total of 18 slipways that have to be mastered is waiting. In recent years, the section of the Oude Kwaremont and the following Paterberg had proven to be decisive for the race. Last year it was Niki Terpstra (Etixx – Quick-Step) and eventual winner Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) who were able to break away from the field during the last of three crossings of the Oude Kwaremont. Here the numerous spectators at the side of the road often become a decisive factor: they narrow the already small streets further and it is almost impossible for the drivers to overtake, especially on the few somewhat flatter passages. For this reason, too, there is often a dogged fight at the foot for the best possible position – if you miss the jump into the possible escape group here, the dream of victory could quickly be over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4wn-TNcczw
Especially the last crossing of the Paterberg will really hurt after 242km: Although it is only 360m long, the narrow, roughly paved road has an average gradient of 12,5% and in some places it reaches more than 20%. It's the perfect terrain for a final, perhaps decisive, attack.
Tour of Flanders 2016: favourites
Winner of the last 10 years
2006 Tom Boonen
2007 Alessandro Ballan
2008 Stijn Devolder
2009 Stijn Devolder
2010 Fabian Cancellara
2011 Nick Nuyens
2012 Tom Boonen
2013 Fabian Cancellara
2014 Fabian Cancellara
2015 Alexander Kristoff
Fabian Cancellara (Trek Segafredo)
Along with Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara has been the dominant figure in the Tour of Flanders in recent years. The Swiss is in his last season and has already had some successes, although he has had some bad luck. The triumph in the Strade Bianche was particularly impressive, when he drove to victory with irrepressible will and a lot of risk as a soloist. At Milan – Sanremo he rode together with Peter Sagan in a highly promising position in the Flamme Rouge before the fall of Gaviria (Etixx – Quick-Step) thwarted his plans.
Alexander Kristoff (Katusha)
Of course, Alexander Kristoff, as the defending champion, is also one of the narrower circle of favourites. After an extremely strong start to the season in Qatar and Oman, he has had to deal with minor and major problems in recent weeks. A cold prevented the start at Gent-Wevelgem, but second place at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne should give the Norwegian courage, even if he faces a different challenge at the Ronde. The Katusha pro showed that he has recovered well from his cold with good performances in the Three Days of De Panne, where he is close to overall victory.
Peter SaganTinkoff
The curse of the world champion jersey is banned! After second places at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tirreno-Adriatico and the E3 Harelbeke, the Slovak finally celebrated his first win in the rainbow jersey at Gent-Wevelgem. Sagan is undoubtedly one of the riders who should be able to handle the tough track best, but his rivals know that too. So it should once again be difficult to get passengers to cooperate. However, it wouldn't be the first time Sagan would go it alone. It would be the first monument for the 25-year-old.
Tom Boonen (Etixx – Quick Step)
Tom Boonen has had a quiet season so far without much success. But the old master knows exactly how to win the Tour of Flanders - after all, he has already managed this feat three times. He can also build on a very strong team with Stybar, Terpstra and Martin. Depending on the course of the race, it is also quite conceivable that the team will end up building for Stybar or Niki Terpstra, who placed second in 2015. It would be high time that the Etixx team, which is so strong, achieved a classic success this season. In any case, the drivers are under pressure.
Greg van Avermaet (BMC)
Greg van Avermaet had a sensational start to the season. First he won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, then he even went one better with the overall victory at Tirreno-Adriatico. But just after this great success, the form curve of the BMC driver got a small kink. At the E3 Harelbeke he was unable to start because of a cold, but the 30-year-old has repeatedly emphasized that he is ready for the round. Last year he finished a strong third place – although he certainly wouldn't object to that, this year it should also be one of the other two podiums.
Tour of Flanders 2016: TV broadcast and live stream
Good news for cycling fans in Germany – Eurosport is broadcasting a full three hours live from Belgium on free TV on Sunday. The broadcast on Eurosport 14 starts at 00:1 p.m. – probably until 17:00 p.m. So get on your bike in the morning and spend the Sunday afternoon on the couch with burning thighs and watch Ronde - what could be nicer!
If you prefer to look online, you can go to the (chargeable) Eurosportplayer To fall back on. Fans outside of Germany can find on cyclingfans.com an overview of international live streams.