Canadian Cycling Magazine’s editors picks for De Ronde

The Tour of Flanders is one of the calendars most anticipated races. Here are our picks.

Canadian Cycling Magazine March 31, 2017

The Ronde van Vlaanderen is the crown jewel of Belgian cycling and the event every classics rider yearns to win. The 260-km men’s course and 153-km women’s takes the peloton across Flanders featuring the regions most famed cobbles and helligen. To the joy of many, the Muur Van Geraardsbergen is back after a five year hiatus but it’s the familiar Oude Kwaremount and Paterberg duo that will likely play the pivotal role in deciding who contests the finish. Here are our picks for the winners of the 2017 men’s and women’s editions of the Tour of Flanders.

Andre Cheuk – Associate editor

Flanders has always suited Greg Van Avermaet‘s characteristics. The Belgian can handle the short, punchy climbs, he has the speed to handle fast finishes, and he has the strength for late race attacks. He is going to be there at the end in the likeliest scenario for the race to play out, barring crashes which is what happened last year. An untimely crash took the Belgian out of the running whilst showing great form. The reigning Olympic champ has also been winning, a lot, taking E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem, the traditional lead into Flanders. Showing repeatedly he’s got the tactical sense and confidence to take advantage, when the peloton has been watching Sagan, which is pretty much all the time these days. Only problem is he’s been winning, a lot, and win streaks are very hard to sustain in cycling. The Olympic champ will be a marked man, even more than usual.

The obvious pick is actually Jolien D’Hoore’s teammate Elisa Longo Borghini. Borghini is a previous winner, won Strade Bianchi to open the season this year, and has been sitting atop the women’s ranking since, Borghini is obviously on great form. It seems foolish not to pick Borghini. But D’Hoore has finished second at Flanders before (to Borghini), and took second again at Gent-Wevelgem last weekend, so she has the form. The biggest reason though is tactical, I think the peloton will be watching Borghini very closely, creating just the kind of opening that teammate D’Hoore can take advantage of.

Daniel Walker – Social media editor

With two monument wins in his palmares, we know John Degenkolb can keep his head when the pressure is on. His form is trending in the right direction with good results at Milan-Sanremo, E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem. It feels like “Dege” is ready to return to his 2015 form. My bet is he’s just hitting that knife edge of peak form while the other big favourites will be struggling to hang on to it. Plus he’s on that cool custom Cafe Racer inspired Domane.

Always hard to know who will be the leader at any given race when you have a squad like Boels-Dolmans. But with top 10s at Omloop and Gent I’d be willing to bet they’ll put some energy into keeping Chantal Blaak safe and close to the front. She was third last year and her current form says she’s ready to move up to the top step of the podium.

Matthew Pioro – Editor

I would love to see Oliver Naesen take De Ronde. His move to stay with Philipe Gilbert and Greg Van Aevermat at E3 Harelbeke was exciting. (He says he won’t brake in any of the corners at Flanders!) It’s also exciting to see Hugo Houle working for the young Belgian, as the Canuck did by getting in the break at Gent-Wevelgem. I know Houle will be there for Ag2r-La Mondiale’s Classics specialist on Sunday. But, that’s what I hope to see. Really, I think Greg Van Avermaet will do it. I predict the anti-Sagan riding will continue in these cobbled classics and Van Avermaet will continue to benefit.

As for the women’s race, it’s tough. Wiggle High5 says Jolien D’Hoore is the team leader for Flanders. The Belgian rider says she’s been training all winter for her country’s holy day. D’Hoore has a win at Omloop van het Hageland, and three top-10 finishes. She was second at De Ronde in 2015. And the rider who won in 2015? Her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini. This year, the Italian rider also has a win (Strade Bianche) and three top-10s (Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Ronde van Drenthe and Trofeo Alfredo Binda). The team has Annette Edmondson, too, who won Pajot Hills Classic on Wednesday. Wiggle High5 has a lot of firepower. I hope they don’t “Quick-Step Floors” (re: mess up) all their opportunities away.

Philippe Tremblay – Web editor

When Peter Sagan weaved through half a dozen riders to effortlessly respond to Greg Van Avermaert’s attack on the Kemmelberg at Gent-Wevelgem, it became clear if it wasn’t already, that Sagan has the form to ride away from anyone. If he comes to the line in a reduced bunch he’s shown he has the speed to win even though he hasn’t always been the fastest after a hard race. Van Avermaet, Quick-Step, et al will have difficulty stopping the two-time world champion who is surely out for blood. Sagan is a force of nature and Flanders is the perfect stomping ground for the Slovak to impose himself.

Team Sunweb arrive at De Ronde with a strong lineup and Omloop Het Newsblad winner Lucinda Brand is my pick to take the biggest win of her career. Canadian Leah Kirchmann, who has had a quiet start to 2017, will surely have an important role to play and will be looking to improve on last years performance. Sunweb who also have Ellen Van Dijk in their ranks making them serious contenders with multiple cards to play.

Rob Sturney – Web contributor

A savvy bettor would put money on Van Avermaet or Sagan, and a sentimentalist would pick Boonen. But I’m going to choose Luke Durbridge as an outside bet. Durbridge finished just off the podium in both the Dwars door Vlaanderen and E3 Harelbeke before winning the Three Days of Panne’s concluding time trial. There’s also general Orica mojo at play here: a Durbridge win would be a neat parallel to Matt Hayman’s surprise Paris-Roubaix triumph last year and it would “level up” teammate Jens Keukeleire’s second spot to Van Avermaet in last week’s Gent-Wevelgem.

On the women’s side, I would be tempted solely based on my family’s motto “always back a Finn” to pick red hot Lotta Lepistö. My inner patriot cheers for Lean Kirchmann, Alison Jackson or Joelle Numainville. But I’m going to select a Dutch rider because a Dutch 2017 WorldTour win is due. And since I’ve enjoyed the parity of team wins in this year’s WWT–Wiggle High5, Boels-Dolmans, Sunweb and Cervelo-Bigla riders scored victories in the first four races after Boels-Dolmans’ 2016 domination–I’m going to stick with Orica-Scott and choose Annamiek van Vleuten, who suffered that horrible Olympic Games crash last August. So Orica-Scott for the sweep!