2022 Ronde van Vlaanderen Race Preview
The details of this year's 2022 Ronde van Vlaanderen are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The cobbles and bergs of Flanders are ready to deliver another brutal edition of one of cycling's most beloved monuments. The 106th Ronde van Vlaanderen takes place on Sunday, rolling out of Antwerp and finishing atop the Oudenaarde finishing straight after 272.5 kilometres of quintessential Flemish racing.
The route once again features the iconic Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg combination in the closing kilometres, with the final passage over the Paterberg coming with around 15 kilometres remaining. Before that, the peloton will have to survive the Wijnpers, the Leberg, the Berendries, the Taaienberg, the Kanarieberg, the Koppenberg, the Steenbeekdries and the Taaienberg among others. The sheer accumulation of climbs will splinter the peloton long before the decisive moments arrive.
All eyes will be on defending champion Mathieu van der Poel, who delivered one of the great monument performances in recent memory when he soloed to victory in 2020 and then backed it up with another win last year. The Alpecin-Fenix leader is once again in formidable shape after a strong spring campaign and will be the man everyone is watching.
Tadej Pogacar arrives at his first Ronde van Vlaanderen as a genuine favourite after showing extraordinary capabilities on the climbs of Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico. The Tour de France champion brings a level of curiosity to the race, with nobody entirely sure how he will handle the specific demands of Flanders racing.
Wout van Aert is the third member of a remarkable triumvirate that shapes the narrative of this race. The Jumbo-Visma rider has finished second at this race before and comes into the weekend having shown excellent form. His team are strong in depth which gives him tactical options others do not possess.
Tom Pidcock of Ineos Grenadiers has been building quietly toward the cobbled classics and should not be underestimated. The young Yorkshireman has the climbing ability to stay with the best on the bergs and the racing intelligence to be dangerous in any scenario.
Among the Belgian hopefuls, Jasper Stuyven of Trek-Segafredo will hope to translate his Milan-San Remo victory of last year into a strong showing on home roads. Dylan van Baarle and Stefan Kung will be hoping to represent the breakaway threat that so often plays a role in this race.
The weather forecast will play its part as it always does in Flanders. If the roads are wet and the wind is blowing, chaos becomes more likely and the race opens up for unexpected results. In dry conditions the strongest riders tend to prevail and the finale becomes a high-speed chess match between the very best in the peloton.
Expect the race to come alive on the first passage of the Oude Kwaremont and for the tension to build relentlessly through the Koppenberg and Paterberg. The winner will need strength, timing and a degree of fortune to emerge victorious from one of the most demanding days in professional cycling.
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