Kopecky and Van der Poel are back for 2024 Tour of Flanders

Van Aert and Stuyven out after horrendous high speed Dwars door Vlaanderen crash

In the men’s race, the reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel will be looking for a third win to join Buysse, Magni, Leman, Museeuw, Boonen and Cancellara in the hattrick club.

Without van Aert, Team Visma | Lease a Bike will have a harder battle on their hands. European champion Christophe Laporte, Paris-Nice winner Jorgenson, Benoot, Van Baarle and Omloop winner Tratnik, the Dutch formation is perhaps bringing the strongest team.

Mads Pedersen leads the charge at Lidl-Trek, supported by Skujins but without Stuyven. Girmay and Teunissen join forces again at Intermarché - Wanty. Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious), Bettiol (EF Education - EasyPost), Wellens (UAE Team Emirates), De Lie (Lotto Dstny), Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility) and Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) will also be present.

After two consecutive victories in the Tour of Flanders, Lotte Kopecky currently shares the record of most wins in Flanders’ Finest with Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel, Judith Arndt and Annemiek van Vleuten, all of whom have won the race twice. A third win in a row would put the world champion at the top of the tree and make her the only record holder. To succeed in this, she will have to get past the cream of the women’s peloton on 31 March. 

Joining Kopecky in Team SD Worx - Protime in Oudenaarde will be Reusser, Vollering and Wiebes, on paper the team to beat. With Longo Borghini, Balsamo, Brand, Deignan and Van Anrooij, Lidl - Trek are also bringing a strong team to the race. Team Visma | Lease a Bike is counting on the experience of Marianne Vos, who won the opening classic earlier this season. World cyclo-cross champion Fem van Empel will also appear at the start in Oudenaarde. At Canyon//SRAM Racing, they are counting on Niewiadoma, Backstedt and Dygert. Furthermore, the duo Persico-Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) is also on the provisional start list.

Tour of Flanders takes in many of the steep hills, twisting roads, cobbled stretches and viscous bergs made famous by the classics. A greatest hits of the climbs you've already seen tackled earlier this week including Berendries, Molenberg and Valkenberg tackled earlier in the race, to key cobbled climbs such as Berg Ten Houte, Kruisberg and Taaienberg that play such a pivitol role during the race’s dramatic finish.

As ever, the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg are the race’s pièce de résistance after 250 odd kilometres,