The Tour of Flanders is the most important cycling race in the Flemish part of Belgium and a huge folk festival with music, fries and beer. Since it was first organised in 1913, the Ronde has become a trademark for an entire region. The men's and women's races traditionally take place at the beginning of April and are characterised by the numerous small climbs, the so-called Hellingen. These are narrow roads, usually with cobblestones, which are rarely longer than two or three kilometres.
Tour of Flanders 2023: The route
In 2023, the Tour of Flanders will cover 273.4 kilometres with 19 climbs and six additional cobblestone sections for the men and 13 climbs and five cobblestone sections for the women. The Ronde is a race with many changes of direction - there is little straight ahead. Accordingly, the course is particularly suited to fast riders who can hold their own in positional battles.
Start of the cycling classic in Bruges
This year, the Tour of Flanders will start in Bruges for the first time since 2016. Since 2017, the peloton has started in Antwerp. The first 100 kilometres or so are not particularly challenging in terms of topography. Then it's onto the cobblestones for the first time and the first slip road awaits. One climb follows the next. However, the Geraardsbergen wall, which often decided the outcome of the race in the past, is not on the 2023 Tour of Flanders programme.
However, the organisers have once again incorporated the Koppenberg into this year's course. The narrow hollow with a gradient of up to 22 per cent is reached around 45 kilometres before the finish. The finale is characterised by the combination of the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, which must be tackled twice in the last 60 kilometres. After the final crossing of the Paterberg, there are still around 13 kilometres to the finish in Oudenaarde.
The slipways at a glance
- Korte branch | kilometre 114.7
- Oude Kwaremont | kilometre 136.8
- Kortekeer | kilometre 147.3
- Eikenberg | kilometre 155
- Wolvenberg | kilometre 159.1
- Molenberg | kilometre 171.6
- Marlboroughstraat | kilometre 175.5
- Berendries | kilometre 179.6
- Valkenberg | kilometre 184.9
- Ten Houte mountain | kilometre 197.4
- Kanarieberg | kilometre 202.9
- Oude Kwaremont | kilometre 218.8
- Paterberg | kilometre 222.3
- Koppenberg | kilometre 228.8
- Steenbeekdries | kilometre 234.2
- Taaienberg | kilometre 236.6
- Kruisberg/Hotond | kilometre 246.9
- Kwaremont | kilometre 256.7
- Paterberg | kilometre 260.1
The cobblestone sections
- Huisepontweg | kilometre 109
- Holleweg | kilometre 156.5
- Kerkgate | kilometre 162.7
- Jagerij | kilometre 165.3
- Mariaborrestraat | kilometre 232.8
- Stationsberg | kilometre 234.7
Tour of Flanders 2023: TV broadcast & live stream
Eurosport will broadcast the Tour of Flanders 2023 live on television. On the free TV channel Eurosport 1 is the men's cycling classic from 11:45 a.m. on Sunday. The final of the women's race will also be shown afterwards on Eurosport 1. There will also be a live stream of the Ronde van Vlaanderen 2023 on Discovery+ and GCN+ (both via paid subscription).
Tour of Flanders 2023: The most important information about the race
Date: Sunday, 02 April 2023
Distance: 273.4 kilometres
Start: 10:00 am, Bruges
Finish: ~16:29 - 17:06, Oudenaarde
Edition: 107.
Premiere: 1913
Nickname: Vlaanderens mooiste (Flanders' most beautiful in German)
Last year's winner: Mathieu van der Poel (NED)
Record winners: Achiel Buysse (BEL), Fiorenzo Magni (ITA), Eric Leman (BEL), Johan Museeuw (BEL), Tom Boonen (BEL), Fabian Cancellara (SUI), three times each
German winners: Rudi Altig (1964), Steffen Wesemann (2004)
Tour of Flanders: Women's race
There has also been a women's Tour of Flanders since 2004. The Belgian Lotte Kopecky won last year. The race takes place on 2 April, just like the men's competition. The women's route is 158 kilometres long, with 13 hairpin bends to negotiate. From the Koppenberg (kilometre 113), the final is identical to that of the men. The women are expected to reach the finish line in Oudenaarde around an hour after the men.
Tour of Flanders everyman's race
The "Ronde" is also available for amateur cyclists: the cycling marathon "We ride Flanders" leads over the key sections of the race the day before the professional race - without timekeeping.
Tour of Flanders: List of winners
- 1913 Paul Deman (Belgium)
- 1914 Marcel Buysse (Belgium)
- 1919 Henri van Lerberghe (Belgium)
- 1920 Jules van Hevel (Belgium)
- 1921 Rene Vermandel (Belgium)
- 1922 Leon Devos (Belgium)
- 1923 Henri Suter (Switzerland)
- 1924 Gerard Debaets (Belgium)
- 1925 Julien Delbecque (Belgium)
- 1926 Denis Verschueren (Belgium)
- 1927 Gerard Debaets (Belgium)
- 1928 Jan Mertens (Belgium)
- 1929 Joseph Dervaes (Belgium)
- 1930 Frans Bonduel (Belgium)
- 1931 Romain Gijssels (Belgium)
- 1932 Romain Gijssels (Belgium)
- 1933 Alfons Schepers (Belgium)
- 1934 Gaston Rebry (Belgium)
- 1935 Louis Duerloo (Belgium)
- 1936 Louis Hardiquest (Belgium)
- 1937 Michel D'Hooghe (Belgium)
- 1938 Edgard De Caluwe (Belgium)
- 1939 Karel Kaers (Belgium)
- 1940 Achiel Buysse (Belgium)
- 1941 Achiel Buysse (Belgium)
- 1942 Briek Schotte (Belgium)
- 1943 Achiel Buysse (Belgium)
- 1944 Rik van Steenbergen (Belgium)
- 1945 Sylvain Grysolle (Belgium)
- 1946 Rik van Steenbergen (Belgium)
- 1947 Emil Faignaert (Belgium)
- 1948 Briek Schotte (Belgium)
- 1949 Fiorenzo Magni (Italy)
- 1950 Fiorenzo Magni (Italy)
- 1951 Fiorenzo Magni (Italy)
- 1952 Roger Decock (Belgium)
- 1953 Wim van Est (Netherlands)
- 1954 Raymond Impanis (Belgium)
- 1955 Louison Bobet (France)
- 1956 Jean Forestier (France)
- 1957 Alfred De Bruyne (Belgium)
- 1958 Germain Derycke (Belgium)
- 1959 Rik van Looy (Belgium)
- 1960 Arthur De Cabooter (Belgium)
- 1961 Tom Simpson (Great Britain)
- 1962 Rik van Looy (Belgium)
- 1963 Nel Fore (Belgium)
- 1964 Rudi Altig (Germany)
- 1965 Jo de Roo (Netherlands)
- 1966 Ward Sels (Belgium)
- 1967 Dino Zandegu (Italy)
- 1968 Walter Godefroot (Belgium)
- 1969 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
- 1970 Eric Leman (Belgium)
- 1971 Evert Dolman (Netherlands)
- 1972 Eric Leman (Belgium)
- 1973 Eric Leman (Belgium)
- 1974 Cees Bal (Netherlands)
- 1975 Eddy Merckx (Belgium)
- 1976 Walter Planckaert (Belgium)
- 1977 Roger De Vlaeminck (Belgium)
- 1978 Walter Godefroot (Belgium)
- 1979 Jan Raas (Netherlands)
- 1980 Michel Pollentier (Belgium)
- 1981 Hennie Kuiper (Netherlands)
- 1982 Rene Martens (Belgium)
- 1983 Jan Raas (Netherlands)
- 1984 Johan Lammerts (Netherlands)
- 1985 Eric Vanderaerden (Belgium)
- 1986 Adrie van der Poel (Netherlands)
- 1987 Claude Criquielion (Belgium)
- 1988 Eddy Planckaert (Belgium)
- 1989 Edwig van Hooydonck (Belgium)
- 1990 Moreno Argentin (Italy)
- 1991 Edwig van Hooydonck (Belgium)
- 1992 Jacky Durand (France)
- 1993 Johan Museeuw (Belgium)
- 1994 Gianni Bugno (Italy)
- 1995 Johan Museeuw (Belgium)
- 1996 Michele Bartoli (Italy)
- 1997 Rolf Sörensen (Denmark)
- 1998 Johan Museeuw (Belgium)
- 1999 Peter van Petegem (Belgium)
- 2000 Andrei Tchmil (Belgium)
- 2001 Gianluca Bortolami (Italy)
- 2002 Andrea Tafi (Italy)
- 2003 Peter van Petegem (Belgium)
- 2004 Steffen Wesemann (Germany)
- 2005 Tom Boonen (Belgium)
- 2006 Tom Boonen (Belgium)
- 2007 Alessandro Ballan (Italy)
- 2008 Stijn Devolder (Belgium)
- 2009 Stijn Devolder (Belgium)
- 2010 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
- 2011 Nick Nuyens (Belgium)
- 2012 Tom Boonen (Belgium)
- 2013 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
- 2014 Fabian Cancellara (Switzerland)
- 2015 Alexander Kristoff (Norway)
- 2016 Peter Sagan (Slovakia)
- 2017 Philippe Gilbert (Belgium)
- 2018 Niki Terpstra (Netherlands)
- 2019 Alberto Bettiol (Italy)
- 2020 Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)
- 2021 Kasper Asgreen (Denmark)
- 2022 Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands)
Tour of Flanders: List of winners
- 2004 Zulfiya Zabirova (Russia)
- 2005 Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands)
- 2006 Mirjam Melchers (Netherlands)
- 2007 Nicole Cooke (Great Britain)
- 2008 Judith Arndt (Germany)
- 2009 Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Germany)
- 2010 Grace Vebeke (Belgium)
- 2011 Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands)
- 2012 Judith Arndt (Germany)
- 2013 Marianne Vos (Netherlands)
- 2014 Ellen van Dijk (Netherlands)
- 2015 Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy)
- 2016 Elizabeth Deignan (Great Britain)
- 2017 Coryn Labecki (USA)
- 2018 Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands)
- 2019 Marta Bastianelli (Italy)
- 2020 Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Netherlands)
- 2021 Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands)
- 2022 Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
