Discover our line-ups for Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne, E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem.
The jarring cobblestones of northern Europe, which for more than a century have fascinated riders and fans alike, will be in the spotlight over the next three weeks, when a total of six races will make or break the season of many riders. Half of these events are scheduled this week in Flanders, the heartland of cycling, and promise to deliver again the thrill, excitement and spectacle that have made them the pinnacle of the spring season.
Defending champion Elia Viviani will lead Deceuninck – Quick-Step at the 205km-long Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne (March 27), which puts on the table a combination of hills and cobblestone sectors that will animate the race until with 60 kilometers to go, when the peloton will enter on the De Panne circuit, where the wind could shatter the bunch and prevent the fast men from fighting for the win.
Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne victor and the first Luxembourger in 106 years to win a cobbled classic, Bob Jungels will also take to the start on Wednesday, together with Kasper Asgreen, Fabio Jakobsen, Iljo Keisse, Danish Champion Michael Mørkøv and Florian Sénéchal.
“De Panne is a very windy race with a lot of open sections. The narrow roads, hills, among which there’s also the Kemmelberg, and cobblestones will make it unpredictable. On the two local laps they will take on De Moeren, where the wind could make it extremely hard. We have very experienced riders, who can play their role, including last year’s winner Viviani, but also young ones – Kasper, Bob and Fabio – who can gain a lot of experience from this race”, said sports director Tom Steels.
Just two days later, Deceuninck – Quick-Step – the most successful team in the history of the event, with six wins from 17 participations – will come to the start of E3 Harelbeke, the spectacular and tough classic whose parcours counts 15 hills, including the legendary Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont, with a team consisting of Kasper Asgreen, Tim Declercq, last year’s runner-up Philippe Gilbert, Bob Jungels, Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert, Florian Sénéchal and Omloop Het Nieuwsblad champion Zdenek Stybar.
“E3 is one of the most brutal one-day races of the year, a mini-Ronde van Vlaanderen, with the hills coming in quick succession making it very hard. We have a strong team also for this race and we are curious to see how Kasper and Bob will cope with such a testing route, that doesn’t offer any respite. Phil, Zdenek and Yves can all challenge for the win, they know this race well and will count on the likes of Tim and Florian, who have been extremely strong this season.”
Gent-Wevelgem isn’t just one of the oldest cobbled classics, at 251.5 kilometers it’s also one of the longest, taking the bunch over some ruthless dirt roads and a total of ten hills, from which the Kemmelberg – set to be tackled twice – stands out. At the second ascent, Kemmelberg could prove to be the pivotal point of the race, be it with its 23% maximum gradients or with the tricky and narrow descent that follows, which can decisively split the peloton despite featuring with more than 30 kilometers left.
Philippe Gilbert, Fabio Jakobsen, Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Maximiliano Richeze, Zdenek Stybar and Elia Viviani will be on Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s squad for the final one-day race of March, which favours both the sprinters and the attackers.
“Because it can go both ways, Gent-Wevelgem is one of the most beautiful one-day races of the entire spring. It all depends on the wind, on the plugstreets, and of course, on what happens on the Kemmelberg. We have riders who can go for the win in case the race gets fragmented – everyone knows who they are – but also Elia if it comes down to a bunch sprint. He was runner-up last year, knows the race, has Richeze to lead him out and is a real fighter, always ready to bounce back, so we are going to the start line confident regardless of what Sunday’s scenario might be”, concluded Tom Steels.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele/ Getty Images