Ronde van Vlaanderen Course Removes a Few Wrinkles

This yr’s Ronde van Vlaanderen shall be run over a largely comparable course to different latest variations, 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, yet another from 2023… however we shouldn’t anticipate these adjustments to matter.

We beforehand coated the beginning metropolis, the place it appears like de Ronde will alternate between Bruges and Antwerp, and it’s Antwerp’s flip in 2024. That after all necessitates an entire completely different strategy to the true 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 aren’t any early hills, or none with fancy names, although two cobbles sectors, the Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat of earlier Ronde lore, are returning after having been disregarded final yr.

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 disregarded 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 remains 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.

The final notable change is that after the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg sequence, the race heads for the Koppenberg, as normal, however not by way of the tiny farm roads that they normally persist with, twisting and turning at sharp angles till abruptly they’re headed up the climb. Relatively, the race drifts northward on Neerhofstraat and the Hevelweg till it hits the extensive and straight N8 freeway to Melden, giving the riders an opportunity to get their ideas collectively simply previous to the fearsome Koppenberg. The organizers touted the protection advantages of doing so, and urged that it will assist the racing too, which might be proper, on condition that the riders can 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 nasty thought in any respect.

From there, de Ronde will play out because it at all times 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 charge this a tolerable quantity of tinkering, and a effective setup for the 2024 Ronde.

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