2023 E3 Saxo Classic Race Preview
The details of this year's 2023 E3 Saxo Classic are falling into place. Find the latest route profiles and maps below, followed by our strategic preview of the race.
The cobbled classics season reaches one of its most anticipated appointments as the peloton descends on Harelbeke for the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, a race that serves as one of the finest dress rehearsals for the Tour of Flanders. Run over just under 205 kilometres, this Flemish semi-classic carries enormous prestige and has a habit of producing winners who go on to dominate on the Ronde van Vlaanderen the following weekend.
The route is as demanding as ever, packing in a relentless succession of climbs and cobbled sectors through the Flemish Ardennes. The Taaienberg, the Paterberg and the fearsome Koppenberg all feature, with the Kemmelberg adding further brutality to proceedings. The parcours rewards riders who combine raw power with the ability to handle unpredictable surfaces at high speed, and the repeated nature of the climbs means that teams who fail to control positioning early in the day will find themselves paying a heavy price.
Mathieu van der Poel arrives as one of the standout favourites after spending the early part of the cobbled season sharpening his condition. The Alpecin-Deceuninck leader has shown repeatedly that races of this nature are designed for his particular blend of strength and explosive finishing. Wout van Aert, his great rival, will lead Jumbo-Visma and is equally capable of winning from a reduced front group or from a longer solo effort.
Tadej Pogacar has made no secret of his ambitions in the classics this spring and the UAE Team Emirates leader adds genuine uncertainty to predictions. His performances in Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo earlier in the season demonstrated that his ability to read a race and produce devastating accelerations on difficult terrain translates beyond the mountains of grand tour racing.
Kasper Asgreen, a former winner of this race, will be motivated to remind the peloton of his quality around these roads, while his Quick-Step Dura Ace team possesses the collective strength to animate the race in multiple ways. Stefan Küng and the Groupama-FDJ team represent another threat, with the Swiss rider having developed into a genuine classics contender capable of winning from breakaway situations as well as reduced sprint finishes.
Among the other names to watch, Tom Pidcock brings climbing ability and tactical intelligence that could make him dangerous in the finale, and Christophe Laporte has proven himself a consistent performer on these roads in recent seasons.
The weather in Flanders at this time of year remains eternally unpredictable, and a cold or wet day would only add to the attrition. Expect the race to be decided on the final passage of the Paterberg, where the most powerful riders will attempt to shed any remaining rivals before the long drag to the finish line in Harelbeke.
Get our full coverage of the E3 Saxo Classic and every race we cover with our mobile app! The apps have over 100 additional exclusive features, including our award-winning Time Machine feature that lets you pause/rewind/replay the entire app to sync with delayed race video, integrated Fantasy Cycling, push notifications, an integrated news feed, live GPS tracking, world-class commentary, and our animated interactive maps and profiles.
