The Canadians racing the 2018 Tour of Flanders
Four Canadian line-up in the men's and women's events on Sunday
De Ronde van Vlaanderen is Sunday. While it’s unlikely a Canadian wins the iconic Flemish race that caps off the Belgium spring classics season, four Canadians are participating in Easter Sunday’s Vlaanderens Mooiste or Flander’s Finest. Two Canadians race in both the men’s and women’s fields. The women race for 153 km while the men tackle 266 km over the iconic bergs of the Flemish Ardennes.
Alison Jackson – Team Tibco – SVB
Alison Jackson of Vermillion, B.C. will race De Ronde for the third time on Sunday. Jackson will be looking to go deep into the race with the lead group. Packing a strong sprint, she could surprise a few if the race says together. Otherwise Jackson will be looking to better her 42nd place showing from 2016. Jackson was 17th at Gent-Wevelgem an indication she isn’t too far off from scoring a big classics result.
Antoine Duchesne – Groupama-FDJ
Antoine Duchesne has finished every edition of De Ronde he has started since 2015. Sunday will be the Saguenay, Que. native’s fifth crack at the classic and this year he rides in support of Arnaud Demare who has a good shot of a top-10 result if he can make the right move and win a sprint to the line from a reduced bunch kick. Duchesne has come into his own in the classics marshalling strong contenders up the bers. Duchesne’s best personal result is 52nd at this race.
Hugo Houle – Astana
Sainte-Perpétue, Que. native Hugo Houle will be racing his sixth Tour of Flanders on Sunday. The Canadian has a powerful engine and rode in the days breakaway in the 2016 edition. After a top-place in Dwars door Vlaanderen, it looks like Houle’s classics form is coming along nicely. He will be called on to look after the chances of Omloop Het Niewsblad winner Michal Valgren and Kazak Alexey Lutsenko who could both crack the top-15.
Leah Kirchmann – Team Sunweb
Leah Kirchmann lines up on Sunday alongside teammate and defending champion Coryn Rivera. Kirchmann will be called on in a supporting role which she is more than capable of fulfilling. If the team decides to ride aggressively the Winnipeg-native could even end up on the attack towards the pointy end of the race. Her Sunweb team are a strong contender for the win with Elen van Dijk and Lucinda Brand also capable winners on their day.
