2022 Tour of Flanders: Things to know, riders to watch, schedule for the men's and women's races on Sunday

Mathieu van der Poel is favourite for the iconic one-day men's classic race on the Belgian cobbles with Wout van Aert missing through COVID-19, while Olympic champion Annemiek van Vleuten chases a hat-trick of wins in the women's event.

7 minBy Alessandro Poggi
GettyImages-1310954801
(NVE)

The second road cycling 'Monument' classic race of 2022 is the 106th edition of the Tour de Flanders on Sunday (3 April).

First staged in 1913, 'De Ronde' has been held each year since 1919 and is the most prestigious of the six spring classics in the Belgian region. This year's race will start from the city of Antwerp, as it has since 2017, and will end in Oudenaarde after a total of 272.5 km, 20 more than in 2021.

Twelve months ago, Kasper Asgreen of Denmark took the biggest win of his career by upsetting defending champion Mathieu van der Poel in a two-man sprint. Rio 2016 gold medallist Greg van Avermaet completed the podium.

Over the past 105 editions of the men's race, a Belgian has won the 'Ronde van Vlaanderen' 69 times, the last one being 2012 road world champion Philippe Gilbert in 2017. Italy and the Netherlands are tied second with 11 wins each.

This time, the hopes of home fans had been with Wout van Aert, who was one of the favourites again after finishing second two years ago. But on Thursday it was announced that he would miss the event recon due to a sore throat.

And he withdrew on Friday morning after testing positive for COVID-19, telling his Jumbo-Visma team, "I immediately did two self-tests and they were both positive. I then did a PCR test, which showed that I tested strongly positive.

"The good news is that I only have mild symptoms, just a sore throat and a cold. My focus is on recovering now. I want to be fully recovered before thinking about the future again."

His withdrawal leaves arch-rival van der Poel and two-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar leading the list of the contenders.

The women's race, held since 2004, is scheduled on the same day across a 158.5km route starting and ending in Oudenaarde. For the first time the female peloton will take the mighty Koppenberg, one of the most challenging climbs of the Flemish region.

Two-time Tokyo 2020 medallist Annemiek van Vleuten took a solo victory a year ago after a blistering attack on the Paterberg climb. The Dutch superstar, who also triumphed in 2011, will aim for a third success on the Flemish cobbles, but she will face a stiff competition from teammate Emma Norsgaard and 2012 Olympic champion Marianne Vos.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about the highlight of the Flanders classic series, including the riders to watch.

2022 Tour of Flanders men's route

Cobbled streets, narrow roads, and sharp climbs makes the Tour of Flanders one of the most exciting races of the year.

Riders will start from the Grote Markt in Antwerp before moving through various towns in the East Flanders region in Northern Belgium, including Sint-Niklas, Erpe-Mere and Zottegem.

After just over 100km the peloton will cross the first two cobbled sectors of Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat then a longer flat section leads to the first ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, where fans will be allowed for the first time after two years of Covid restrictions.

A total of 17 brutal climbs or cotes mark the looping route around Oudenaard, featuring five cobbled sections, and with the Paterberg representing the punishing final ascent of the day before the last flat 13km.

2022 Tour of Flanders - male riders to watch

Mathieu van der Poel (NED)

A former winner of the Ronde (2020), the Dutchman returned to competition at the recent Milan-San Remo where he finished third and showed that he's recovered from the back injury suffered during the MTB event at the Tokyo 2020 Games last summer. One week later the multi-discipline rider claimed his first success of this 2022 on stage 4 of the Settimana Coppi and Bartali.

Tadej Pogacar (SLO)

The Slovenian phenom aims to ride four of the five cycling Monuments in 2022 and will make his debut in the Belgian classic race. The winner of last year's Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Il Lombardia started the season strong by impressing at the UAE Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico, and also triumphing at Strade Bianche after a long-range solo attack on the gravel roads of Tuscany.

Kasper Asgreen (DEN)

The defending champion, along with Yves Lampaert, leads a strong Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team, who has won three of the past five editions of the Flanders.

(NVE)

Anthony Turgis (FRA)

Second at the last Milan-San Remo, France's Total Energies rider has made the top ten for the past two years.

Alexander Kristoff (NOR)

The Norwegian veteran, now racing for Intermarch-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux, won the Flanders seven years ago and has made the top five three times in the past five years, coming third in 2019 and 2020

Mads Pedersen (DEN)

The 2019 World champion is a specialist of one-day races and can count on a strong Trek-Segafredo team, along with 2021 San Remo winner Jasper Stuyven and American rising star Quinn Simmons.

Tom Pidcock (GBR)

The MTB Olympic champion had a difficult start to the season on the road after stomach problems saw his skip Strade Bianche and abandon Milan-San Remo. After making a surprise recovery for Gent-Wevelgem, the Yorkshire-man is ready to lead the Ineos Grenadiers team along with fellow British rider Ethan Hayter.

2022 Tour of Flanders men's race: Schedule (all times local CEST, approximate after race start):

10:00 - Riders roll out from the Grote Markt Antwerp

10:18 - Official race start from Zwijndrecht

12:46 - Riders pass through first two cobbled sectors - Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat (168.8km to go)

13:33 - First ascent of the Oude Kwaremont (136.2km to go)

14:00 - Start of the second cobbled section in Holleweg (116.9km to go)

15:34 - First ascent of Paterberg (51.1km to go)

15:51 - Last cobbled section in Stationberg (38.7km to go)

16:23 - Third and final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont (16.7km to go)

16:47 - Finish in Oudenaarde

(2021 Getty Images)

2022 Tour of Flanders women's route

The women's route starts at the Markt in Oudenaard with first cobbled sections after 45km.

A series of 11 short and steep climbs will follow in rapid succession: from the Wolvenberg (69km) to the Paterberg (145km), with the Kopperberg (114km) - the cobbled berg with a maximum gradient of 21.6%c - being the main ascent.

The 158.5km route will end with a final flat 12km section into the Minderbroedersstraat in Oudenaarde.

2022 Tour of Flanders - female riders to watch

Annemiek van Vleuten (NED)

The two-time Olympic medallist at Tokyo 2020 in 2021 is the defending champion in this event. The Dutchwoman, who's started her season with a victory Omloop Her Nieuwsblad and a second place at Strade Bianche, is aiming for her third title on the Flemish cobbles.

Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA)

The Trek-Segafredo team leader, who won bronze in the last two Olympic road races, is a former winner of the event (2015) and will be supported by fellow Italian and reigning world champion Elisa Balsamo.

Emma Norsgaard (DEN)

The Movistar teammate of van Vleuten, Denmark's Emma Norsgaard recently won the one-day Le Samyn des Dames, which included a cobbled section, and is tipped to do well in Flanders, especially if the race should come down to a sprint.

Katarzyna Niewiadoma (POL)

The new course featuring the Koppenberg suits the Polish rider, winner of the 2019 Amstel Gold Race, who is known for her wild explosive uphill attacks.

Marianne Vos (NED)

Never rule out 2012 Olympic champion Marianne Vos. Despite a lack of recent racing, the Dutch multi-discipline rider finished second at Gent-Wavelgem for Jumbo-Visma, after illness prevented her from competing in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Now over her cold symptoms, Vos will certainly be one to watch.

2022 Tour of Flanders women's race: Schedule (all times local CET, approximate after race start):

13:25 - Riders roll out from the Markt in Oudenaarde

13:35 - Official race start

14:46 - Riders pass through first two cobbled sectors - Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat (113.1km to go)

15:23 - Ascent of first climb, the Wolvenberg (89.6km to go)

16:34 - Ascent of the Koppenberg (44.6km to go)

17:17 - Ascent of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg (16.7km to go)

17:44 - Finish in Oudenaarde

(2016 Getty Images)

Tour of Flanders previous winners

Men

2021: Kasper Asgreen (DEN/Deceuninck-Quick-Step)

2020: Mathieu van der Poel (NED/Alpecin-Fenix)

2019: Alberto Bettiol (ITA/EF Educational First)

2018: Niki Terpstra (NED/Quick-Step Floors)

2017: Philippe Gilbert (BEL/Quick-Step Floors)

2016: Peter Sagan (SVK/Tinkoff)

Women

2021: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED/Movistar Team)

2020: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (NED/Boels-Dolmans)

2019: Marta Bastianelli (ITA/Team Virtu Cycling)

2018: Anna van der Breggen (NED/Boels-Dolmans)

2017: Coryn River (USA/Team Sunweb)

2016: Lizzie Armistead (GBR/Boels-Dolmans)

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