Ronde van Vlaanderen Course Removes a Few Wrinkles

This yr’s Ronde van Vlaanderen shall be run over a largely comparable course so far as the finale goes, however solely after a resumption of the Antwerp begin and a center part that takes the strain off a bit earlier than the race begins in earnest. The online result’s 17 climbs, two fewer than final yr, and 7 cobbles sectors, another from 2023… however we shouldn’t count on these adjustments to matter.

We beforehand lined the beginning metropolis, the place it seems to be like de Ronde will alternate between Bruges and Antwerp, and it’s Antwerp’s flip in 2024. That in fact necessitates an entire completely different method to the actual half, that first 100km soft-pedal tour of East or West Flanders — East this time, with a contact of Brabant, and never a second in West Flanders.

However there are some noticeable variations within the center portion, from the primary hills and cobbles to the ascent of the Koppenberg the place the race actually takes off. Previous to the Oude Kwaremont at km 136, there are not any early hills, although two cobbles sectors, the Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat of earlier Ronde lore, are returning after having been ignored final yr.

Photograph by JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP through Getty Pictures

As for the primary half of the climbs, returning are the Kappelleberg and Nieuwe Kruisberg, whereas the Korte Ast, Korte keer, Eikenberg and Kanarieberg are all ignored this time. Ronse will get two downtown passages, with the parallel Nieuwe and Oude Kruisbergs every getting a flip. However it’s commonplace for the race to shuffle the deck a bit previous to climb 10, the second look of the Oude Kwaremont with 55km to go, and the toughest work of the Wolvenberg-Molenberg-Marlboroughstraat-Berendries-Valkenberg string of climbs continues to be there. I’ll miss the Korte Keer, a beautiful ascent for us amateurs, however for the race it barely registers besides as possibly a reminder to take off the leg heaters.

Photograph by POOL NICO VEREECKE/BELGA MAG/AFP through Getty Pictures

The final notable change is that after the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg sequence, the race heads for the Koppenberg, as traditional, however not through the tiny farm roads that they normally persist with, twisting and turning at sharp angles till out of the blue they’re headed up the climb. Quite, the race drifts northward on Neerhofstraat and the Hevelweg till it hits the N8 path to Melden, giving the riders an opportunity to get their ideas collectively simply previous to the fearsome Koppenberg. The organizers touted the security advantages of doing so, and steered that it might assist the racing too, which might be proper, on condition that the riders may have already spent an ungodly period of time on the tiny farm tracks, and an opportunity to catch their breath doesn’t sound like a foul thought in any respect.

From there, de Ronde will play out because it all the time does, taking the N60 to Mariaborrestraat for the Steenbekdries/Stationsberg/Taaienberg sequence, then again to Ronse for the Oude Kruisberg/Hotond sequence resulting in the ultimate Kwaremont/Paterberg ascents and the end. I’d fee this a tolerable quantity of tinkering, and a advantageous setup for the 2024 Ronde.