Our preview of the 94th edition of the Tour of Flanders which takes place on 4 April.
Preview of the 94th edition
The eyes of the cycling world will once again fall on Belgium this Sunday for the biggest race on the nation's calendar. The Tour of Flanders, or Ronde van Vlaanderen, is the second monument of the season and rightly deserves its nickname as Flanders' Finest.
This gruelling 262km trek is steeped in history and takes on some of the most iconic locations in the sport as it winds its way from Bruges to Ninove. The revamped route for 2010 is already being touted as harder and more selective than in years gone by and here we take a look at what the riders will have to endure if they are to make it over the finish line.
There can be few more picturesque settings to commence a race than the Grote Markt in Bruges. The riders will roll out in the shadow of the Belfry and Provincial Court before starting the race proper in the north west of the city.
From there the riders head onto the seafront at Wenduine (11km) and follow the coastline along until Oostende (28km) before cutting back inland and down towards Roeselare (70km). The biting Flemish winds should be the only thing that hampers the riders' progress as they continue along the flat plains to the north of Kortrijk, but once they hit the first cobbled section in Waregem (114km), it's going to get a whole lot tougher from thereon in.
The first climb of the day follows soon after up Den Ast (131km), and over the next 120km a further 14 bergs have been included by the race organisers to test both the riders' strength and spirit. Once they make it over the top of that they will then have to set themselves up for the Kluisberg - a devilish 1.25km ascent which comes after 165km and has an average gradient of 5.3%.
The main contenders usually make themselves known on the fourth climb of the day up the Oude-Kwaremont (2.2km at 4% after 179km) as the hellish Paterberg (360m at 12.9% after 183km) is to follow before the legendary Koppenberg. This cobbled monster needs no introduction - it is the only climb the great Eddie Merkx ever had to push his bike up and maintains an average gradient of 11.6% over its 600m of woe.
After three further peaks the Molenberg (463m at 7% after 217km) makes a belated appearance after being shuffled from it traditional position at the front of the pack, and the Leberg, Berendries, and Tenbosse all follow ahead of the fabled Wall of Geraardsbergen - or Muur-Kapelmuur. This 475m tester shoots skywards with an average gradient of 9.3% just 18km from the finish line and will definitely separate the men from the boys as they make their way towards the chapel at the summit.
With that done and dusted there is just the small matter of the Bosberg (980m at 5.8% after 250km) to round things off before a short, downhill finish into Ninove.
TV Coverage: Live on British Eurosport and Eurosport HD between 1200-1600 with highlights at 2115-2215. Viewers can also watch live online at www.eurosportplayer.co.uk
