Dwars door Vlaanderen was only a sampling of what’s in store on Sunday at De Ronde…
Lotte Kopecky won the 2025 edition ahead of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot and Liane Lippert.
Gruber Images, Cor Vos
This spring season so far has taken us on a journey, with surprises around every bend. We’ve seen FDJ United-Suez dominate with Demi Vollering and Elise Chabbey at the Omloop Nieuwsblad and Strade Bianche. Karlijn Swinkels of UAE Team ADQ and Carys Lloyd of Movistar took stunning victories at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Ronde van Brugge. Lotte Kopecky made a triumphant return to the top step at Milan-San Remo, and a few weeks later, her SD Worx-Protime Lorena Wiebes redefined what it means to be a “sprinter” at In Flanders Fields-In Wevelgem. Every one of these moments, every victory and every loss, builds into the two races on tap next: the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix Femmes.
At this point, following the finale of Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, the only thing we can expect of Sunday’s Tour of Flanders is the unexpected. The easy takeaway would be that Marlen Reusser and Vollering, who gambled and nearly lost in the final metres, are on top form, but their two-woman breakaway only tells half the story.
Reusser returns to racing in style with a win at Dwars door Vlaanderen
The Movistar rider claimed victory ahead of breakaway partner Demi Vollering as Lieke Nooijen nearly surprised the two.
Three-time Flanders winner Kopecky was conserving energy in the chasing group, while UAE Team ADQ’s Elisa Longo Borghini did a massive amount of work. Kopecky is only recently coming back into form after a rough 2025 season, while Longo Borghini is coming back from illness. The two are expected to feature on Sunday, regardless of their results during the week.
Then there’s Lidl-Trek, formerly a top team, now finally starting to piece things together. Can their youngster, Fleur Moors, with help from Flanders podium finisher Shirin van Anrooij, turn the Classics around for the German team? As for SD Worx-Protime, will Wiebes and Kopecky be able to join forces, or will infighting remove the Dutch team from contention? It wouldn’t be the first time.
So many questions, so many stories only just beginning, and only the cobbled climbs of the Tour of Flanders offer the possibility of any answers.
The Basics
When: Sunday, April 5 @ 13:30 CET (expected finish 17:35 CEST/11:35 EDT/+1 3:35 AEDT)
Where: Oudenaarde to Oudenaarde (164.1 km)
Live coverage: 🇦🇺 SBS @ +1 day 00:15 AEDT, 🇪🇺 HBOMax @ 15:15 CEST, 🇬🇧TNT/Discovery+ @ 14:15 BST, 🇺🇸🇨🇦 FloBikes @ 6:15 PDT
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The favourites
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Lotte Kopecky, Demi Vollering
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: Lorena Wiebes, Marlen Reusser, Elisa Longo Borghini
⭐️⭐️⭐️: Marianne Vos*, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot
⭐️⭐️: Letizia Borghesi, Noemi Rüegg, Elise Chabbey, Puck Pieterse, Fleur Moors
⭐️: Kim Le Court-Pienaar, Zoe Bäckstedt, Pfeiffer Georgi, Karlijn Swinkels
Honourable mentions: Cat Ferguson, Franziska Koch, Shirin van Anrooij, Mackenzie Coupland, Eleonora Gasparrini
A full startlist is available here.
*It was announced on Friday evening that Vos will not start the Tour of Flanders.
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