2023 Dwars door Vlaanderen Race Preview
The details of this year's 2023 Dwars door Vlaanderen are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The spring classics season reaches fever pitch as the peloton rolls through the Flemish heartland for one of the most beloved mid-week races on the calendar. Dwars door Vlaanderen serves as the perfect appetiser before the Ronde van Vlaanderen on Sunday, sending riders across the same cobbled bergs and punishing climbs that define this unique corner of Belgian cycling.
The race covers around 184 kilometres from Roeselare to Waregem, and while it may sit in the shadow of its more famous weekend neighbour, it has developed a fierce identity of its own. The roads are unforgiving, the winds off the North Sea can split the peloton in an instant, and the succession of short, steep climbs in the final hour ensures that only the very best classics riders will be there when it matters.
Wout van Aert will be among the most closely watched riders on the startlist. The Jumbo-Visma all-rounder has been in sensational form and will be looking to stamp his authority on the Flemish roads ahead of the weekend. Mathieu van der Poel, his eternal rival, is another who could turn the race on its head at any given moment, possessing the explosive power to drop even the most tenacious chasers on the steepest ramps.
Tadej Pogacar has signalled his serious intentions in the classics this year, and his presence adds an unpredictable dimension that the pure cobbles specialists will need to account for. Meanwhile, the likes of Kasper Asgreen, Stefan Küng, and Christophe Laporte bring additional firepower to what promises to be a fiercely contested finale.
Expect echelons, attacks on the bergs, and a ruthless final selection before Waregem comes into view.
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