Human Powered Health takes on the mightiest of the Belgian Classics, the Tour of Flanders on March 31, bringing a close to this phase of the season ahead of fellow cobble Monument Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift, next weekend.
The Tour of Flanders, or Ronde Van Vlaanderen as it’s known in Flemish, combines a brutally tough parcours with the most feverish bike fans in the world.
A national obsession, those who take on Ronde Van Vlaanderen are rockstars in the eyes of the Belgian public as they enter the Gladiatorial ring of this epic Monument’s route. A holiday day for all ages, it truly is the country’s Super Bowl.
At 163 km with 12 sectors of cobbles and a constant washing machine of climbing, add in wind and a large chance of rain and you have an epic day in the saddle.
Nokere Koerse podium finisher Lily Williams joins Tour Down Under QOM winner Katia Ragusa, Maëlle Grosetête, debutant Linda Zanetti and Audrey Cordon-Ragot and Romy Kasper – who both have a combined 25 Flanders under their belts – ensure it’s a strong six racing on Sunday.
An anchor in the squad, Factor Bikes sat down with Cordon-Ragot ahead of the two biggest Monuments of the season in their latest blog.
The four ranked best riders in the world, Demi Vollering, Lotte Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes and Marlen Reusser (all Team SD Worx – Protime) will surely impact the racing. The likes of Elisa Longo Borghini and Classic Brugge-De Panne winner Elisa Balsamo (both Lidl – Trek), Dwars door Vlaanderen champion Marianne Vos (Team Visma | Lease a Bike), Pfeiffer Georgi (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Silvia Persico (UAE Team ADQ), will also be marked riders.
How to watch
USA and Canada
FloBikes | 10 am EDT / 9 am CDT / 8 am MDT / 7 am PDT
UK and Europe
Eurosport/DiscoveryPlus | 14:00 BST / 15:00 CEST
Belgium
VRT1/Sporza app only
Third place at Danilith Nokere Koerse behind Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes, American Lily Williams is feeling optimistic ahead of Sunday.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” said the 29-year-old. “I don’t know entirely what to expect with the form and feelings but I’ve gained some confidence and optimism this spring.”
The crux of the race will be the imperious Koppenberg climb. Added in 2022, the intimidating brute of granite has played a crucial role in every edition it has been a part of.
The 2.2km climb kicks up to 22% and has previously forced riders off their bikes to clamber up the steep incline. It’s so difficult that in the 1987 men’s race, the lead rider was actually run over by the commissaire car.
-
- Williams next to Kopecky and Wiebes on the podium. Photo: GettySport
-
- Climbing the steep pitches of the Koppenberg.
“The Koppenberg is the race,” says Williams. “I was in maybe the third small group over the top in 2022 and just missed the front. Last year, I was in a perfect position and then we all had to jump off the bike, the move went and I just could not fight back onto the group and that was my race done. It’s less about being able to do the climb and more about where you enter the climb,” she explains.
Despite falling foul to unlucky situations, ever since her first venture to Belgium four years ago, Williams has enjoyed ‘Ronde fever’.
“In my opinion, de Ronde is the best and most special race on the calendar,” she says. “In 2020 I came over to Europe with the team during COVID times and it was really my first block of European racing.”
Williams explains that she felt green and was trained to follow the experienced back wheel of Chloe Hosking around the parcours in the races preceding the big one.
“But, after racing Flanders I immediately knew it was a special experience. The climbs are iconic, the fans are drunk, and it’s just a big party with a bike race in the middle.”
It will be Williams’ fourth participation on Sunday and when it comes to the big Monument races, experience counts.
“In 2022 I based most of the spring in Oudenaarde, riding the Flanders route over and over again. I know every corner of the course and that brings so much confidence.”
With so many narrow roads and sharp accelerations and decelerations, positioning is crucial. This comes with experience and help from riders like Cordon-Ragot and Kasper, who have been racing the parcours their entire careers.
“We have two riders on our team who have ridden countless editions of Flanders, so we have an awesome group and we are all excited and prepared.”
Make sure to catch the racing live and keep track of the team across our social media channels.
Banner image: Getty Sport
