How do we know a race is a Flandrienne? Because there are cobbles? No: because Luc is around. 😜
I suppose I don't need to present the race 😃 50 km of rough cobbles, split in 30 sectors, starting after the first 90 (of mostly flat highway) of 260 km total.
Weather: the week-end should be significantly fresher than the week, and the sky will probably be cloudy, but no rain is expected during the race on Sunday, and very little on Saturday.
Riders: we take the same ones as a week earlier on the Tour of Flanders🇧🇪, minus Evenepoel. Pogatchar (🇸🇮 UAE), Van der Poel (🇳🇱 Alpecin), Van Aert (🇧🇪 Visma), Pedersen (🇩🇰 Lidl-Trek), Stuyven (🇧🇪 Soudal), F. Vermeersch (🇧🇪 UAE), Mohoritch (🇸🇮 Bahrain), Laporte (🇫🇷 Visma), G. Vermeersch (🇧🇪 Bora), you name 'em.
Will Pedersen🇩🇰 continue his recovery, or will he suffer more on the harder cobbles? Will a sprinter manage to stay with the strong men? How long will breakaway men manage to stay with them?
Ganna (🇮🇹 Ineos) is back after having skipped the Tour of Flanders. Will he have a bit of luck this year?
Women: the race takes place after the men's race this year – not on Saturday, starts from Denain, and presents 20 cobbles sectors.
NB: The men will have to wait for the women's race to finish (up to 2 hours) to step on their podium...
Wout's bad luck is the only sure thing in this race. Poor guy can't catch a break.
EDIT: BOY DID THIS AGE LIKE MILK
Seems to be everyone today, lots of defects and punctures.
I'm heartbroken for van der Poel.
Yes, damn shame. Danish commentators said that Philipsen is riding with experimental clips on his bike, and that's why vdP couldn't use it. If that's true that's a terrible decision precisely because this sort of situation could occur.