Double winner of the event, Mathieu van der Poel advances as a huge favorite for the Tour of Flanders, in the absence of Tadej Pogacar and Wout van Aert. Lovers of the Ronde and cycling still remember Pogacar's famous ride, the way the Slovenian got off his van der Poel wheel, well seated on his seal, cutting through the delirious crowd of Old Kwaremont. A decisive attack, which left Pedersen, then in the lead and deposed, without response. like a youngster, before going to conquer this Monument which should have been a success. be forbidden to him. A year after his show of force, the insatiable leader of UAE Emirates does not show up at the start and leaves the Dutchman orphaned. #39;a third act à this rivalry northerner as unexpected as it is exciting. The only favorite of a 108th edition which nevertheless did not reveal the its truth. Indeed, if only the race and its hazards will be pledged allegiance to the strongest, before it ends. lance, a head protrudes well beyond the melee. Girded in his world champion jersey, Mathieu van der Poel gives the feeling of gaining strength. Imperial all winter in cyclo-cross, he returned to his career. with the road during Milan-San Remo and if he did not win, he showed how to win. that he already had in the legs the endurance to withstand a race of nearly 300 km while playing an important role. Printing has been done reinforced during E3 Saxo Classic whereù he scattered competition to end up alone. A show of force that cost him his life. Ghent-Wevelgem a few days later. Two difficult races which did him good. "That's ça'I still needed", a- he assuredé last Sunday after his second place before taking a week of rest to arrive fresh at the start of the race. Antwerp. Beyond the ascending form, van der Poel has for him to perfectly know the subtleties of the Tour of Flanders of which he is a double winner. This Sunday, he will aim for a third coronation which would make him equal to Cancellara, Boonen, Museeuw, Leman and Magni, the only riders to win. having registered à three times their name was on the winners of the event. If the world champion starts as a favorite, nothing assures him of achieving the title. his ends and he will face à him a lesser but formidable competition. Besides Pogacar, his tormentor of 2023, his most loyal rival Wout van Aert will not be able to try his hand at the game. defeat him. Indeed, the Belgian suffered a heavy fall on Across Flanders and fractured his body. several ribs as well as the clavicle. Terrible news for the Belgian rider who had modified his bike. its program at the start of the season to focus on conquering the Ronde and Paris-Roubaix. The 29-year-old runner will therefore miss the two Monuments and will have to wait until the end of the day. next year to try your luck. He has no worries and appears to everyone. present as van der Poel's main challenger. Fourth in Milan-San Remo, Mads Pedersen said his ambitions by sprinting past the Dutchman to snatch victory from him at Ghent-Wevelgem. A success which attests to his predispositions and makes him a credible contender, especially since the Dane has been around for years. In the lead on the last climb of Vieux Kwaremont, he was unable to resist the attack. the flight of Pogacar and was disappointed; settle for 3rd place. In 2018, he failed. &agrav; 12 seconds from Terpstra when he was only 22 years old. This year, he hopes that his turn will come but he will have to have recovered well. of his fall on A Travers La Flanders. A racing fact which deprives him of part of the Lidl-Trek collective, since Stuyvens and Kirsch are withdrawn. An asset on which he would have liked to lean on to overcome. Side French, the chances of success are infinitesimal since Christophe Laporte's package. The European champion, like his leader at Visma-Lease a bike, has given up his race. &agrav; the Flandrian countryside due to a stomach flu. Hopes will be focused on Julian Alaphilippe seen again à its advantage à Milan-San Remo where he could have performed better without a puncture in the finale, Florian Sénéchal and Valentin Madouas. The French champion knows how to suffer and has already done so. proven that he knew how to dance on the wet cobblestones of Belgium with his third place obtained in 2022 derrière van der Poel and van Baarle. Enough to feed the appetite. "If we can win, we will win", he confidedé at the Tétégramme a few days before going to Belgium where he is "ready for war". A war of which Mathieu van der Poel has the keys. Already decisive in the streets of San Remo to propel his teammate Jasper Philipsen to victory. victory, the Dutchman can strike hard at home. Oudenaarde and remember that he is the patron of the Classics of the North. The 108th edition of the Tour of Flanders will set off from Antwerp around 10 a.m. Arrival at Oudenaarde is scheduled for around 4:29 p.m., according to the most optimistic predictions of the organizers. The 108th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, second of the Monuments of the cycling calendar, will be broadcast in full. on Eurosport 1 with an antenna scheduled for 9:45 a.m. The race will also be visible unencrypted on France Tétévision, from 1:35 p.m. Double winner of the Ronde, Mathieu van der Poel presents himself as a huge favorite for the 108th edition. In the absence of the outgoing winner Pogacar and van Aert, the Dutchman's main rival will be the Dane Mads Pedersen, who beat him in Ghent-Wevelgem. The 108th edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen was published in 2008. routed between Antwerp and Oudernarde, for a total of 270 km through the cobbled mountains of Belgian Flanders. There will be 17 of them on the program, including three passages through Old Kwaremont and two through Paterberg. Here are the mountains of the Tour of Flanders 2024 in detail: There will also be six paved sectors:
An ascending form
Pedersen in ambush, van Aert's bad luck
French people in retreat
Tour of Flanders 2024: Pedersen, Alaphilippe… can van der Poel fear his opponents ?
ByTeilor Stone
Mar 31, 2024
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116