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Ronde van Vlaanderen - Tour des Flandres 2023, one day monument, April 2 (men's)

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For everyone who has ever tried the Koppenberg but had to step off the bike: there is hope!

A certain Tadej Pogacar had to walk to the top during his recon.

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Too much sun in Nice, it seems. What a weakling! Even I would pass him. MVP and WVA will easily lap him on Sunday.
 
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I like MVDP, hopefully he can pull this off and give us similar emotion to when he won Amstel. But the competition is mega stiff. Pog will need to finish alone to win, stunning that a rider who has won two TdFs can even be in the discussion for this race..

The other guy I would be happy to see win is WvA. The other genuine contenders I don't know enough about their form and suitability to this parcours.

But I am just glad the 2023 season is in full swing and we are already talking about the second monument of the year. To me it seemed like a long off season :D
I heartily agree! The two main sports I follow spectator-wise are road cycling and baseball, and their calendars correspond pretty closely, so I’m glad when March rolls around and each sport is really getting underway. I went to our local team’s season opener last night and really looking forward to RVV Sunday :)
 
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MVDP gonne win barring any accident. Hes just to strong and power output beyond anything WVA can match.

Pogacar is the only one who stand a chance to stay with him...mark this post i know for a fact MVDP will go over the top on pogacar on Kwaremont - but then again he should have a hard time vs mVDP in a sprint usually
If that is your prediction, fine, and it might indeed come to pass, but I have marked this post, and if it does not happen the way you state, I will be back to check your understanding of the word "fact".
 
Such is Pogačar’s assurance on the cobbles, it’s easy to forget that he is stepping a long way from his comfort zone whenever he travels to the Flemish Ardennes. Riders of his build typically don’t compete toe to toe against the heavyweights of the cobbles, but then nothing about Pogačar’s career to date has been typical.

“I weigh a few more kilos now than at the Tour. Two days ago, it was 67kg,” Pogačar said. “I’m not so much lighter than them. And you need power either way. On the flat, for sure, you feel the difference a bit. But on the climbs, even if it’s just two minutes, power is power, so if you’re strong, you can go.”

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Such is Pogačar’s assurance on the cobbles, it’s easy to forget that he is stepping a long way from his comfort zone whenever he travels to the Flemish Ardennes. Riders of his build typically don’t compete toe to toe against the heavyweights of the cobbles, but then nothing about Pogačar’s career to date has been typical.

“I weigh a few more kilos now than at the Tour. Two days ago, it was 67kg,” Pogačar said. “I’m not so much lighter than them. And you need power either way. On the flat, for sure, you feel the difference a bit. But on the climbs, even if it’s just two minutes, power is power, so if you’re strong, you can go.”

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This is interesting: if he's 67 kg now and says "a few more kilos than at the Tour", what is actually his target weight for July? One would conclude that way less than his official 66 kg.
 
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An example under the condition that they have to pass at least 2 times in the final the VIP area on the Kwaremont (I would rather skip that as well, but let try to keep the example realistic):

-Oude Kwaremont (cobbled hill) + Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat (monument + slightly uphill)
-Patersberg (cobbled hill)
(-Rotelenberg) (not classified hill) (they do it now as well, it's that little bump just before the Koppenberg)
-Koppenberg (cobbled hill)
-Mariaborrestraat + Steenbeekdries (cobbled hill + some cobbles downhill)
-Donderij (cobbles, but could be classified as cobbled hill as well)
-Taaienberg (cobbled hill)
-Eikenberg (cobbled hill)
-Wolvenberg (hill)
-Ruiterstraat (cobbles)
(-Hoge Dumpel) (not classified hill)
-Molenberg (cobbled hill)
(-Marlboroughstraat) (not classified hill) (well actually they classify it now, but it's not really difficult)
-Haaghoek (cobbles) (from the other side then normal) (uphill in the last part)
(-Koekoekstraat) (not classified hill)
-Jagerij (cobbles)
-Kergate (cobbles, but seriously uphill)
-Hollewg (cobbles) (only the last part immediately after Kerkgate)
-Berg ten Houte (cobbled hill)
-Oude Kruisberg/Hotond (cobbled hill)
-Oude Kwaremont (cobbled hill)
-Patersberg (cobbled hill)
-Varent (cobbles)
(-Langedreef) (not classified hill)
-Pikkelstraat of Holleweg (not classified hill)
-Petegemberg (not classified hill)
-Passage through centrum Oudenaarde and finish on the same place as currently but arriving from the other side (from Oudenaarde)

This makes it a final of about 115 kilometers. With the toughest section of the race between Oude Kwaremont and Eikenberg, with none-stop cobbled hills. This will make for an excellent pre-final that should be entertaining to watch. After that the route still offers a lot, some cobble section and (cobbled) hill that are really raceable. And the final with 4 important cobble climbs to decide the race Berg ten Houte till Patersberg. Than I changed a bit the final run into Oudenaarde. This part of the race is so ugly. The chances itself are nothing decisive, but more beautiful landscapewise and more tactical for the riders as well than currently and only slightly longer. They now just miss the cobbles of the Varent, they should be included, followed by some undulating terrain (not a single particular difficult climb) on smaller roads, followed by a passage through the centre of Oudenaarde (much more beautifull than the empty roads without suporters in the final now) and the same finish but coming from the other side.

If a second visit on the Kwaremont is not necessary, they could variate as follow (first Kwaremont in the list above, fully riding, the second time only till Kwaremontplein, followed by Kalkhoveberg just before the Patersberg)

Wow, didn't expect this. I feel mindsucked.
(and sorry, been mostly off from CN forum since a heavy crash just post Paris-Tours last year, but recovering now to watch my long life beloved Vlaamse kasseiklassiekers )
Last year finally got my family to Flemish proper (after 30 year run-up), nice converted mill in the outskirts of Oudenaarde. Rented a bike by old Italian-Flemish and climbed almost all the sections you mention, and my thoughts (or 'dreams' you know doing while solo riding) were in fact quite close to your proposal. Apart from a couple of sections on the opposite and the often overseen flat/partly downhill but gruesome Haaghoek (as runup into Leberg) and then with the finish line just next to De Ronde museum.
Since they removed my cornerstone Muur-Kapelmuur + Bosberg a decade ago, I'm open to anything in Vlaamse Hellingen temenos.
 
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Can King Kung (no pun intended - okay, pun intended :)) win this bike race? If he and Madouas have good legs I can see a top-5 for a FDJ rider. Pidcock in shape, watch out. But I feel that's all for crumbs.

It's too big of a race for either of the big-3 not to show up with winning aspirations. There's no "is he peaking, is he not, 1-2% off" discussion here: they all targeted this bike race. Will one miss the winning move, have to work extra hard, hopefully get help? Rain and wind may chime in...

Wout and Matthieu are no dummies, they know first hand not just how good, but how great Tadej Pogacar is. His presence in the three-some changes the dynamics. If I may say, he's the hardest :D...I like the 54 km to go prediction, after a little sun. Pog didn't come to Flanders to do window shopping.

This could be the best one-day race that we've ever seen.
 
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I dont know what everyone is getting excited about
We are supposed to be in the greatest era of cyling which means that VDP. PoG and WVA will move away from the others on 2nd time up the Kwaremont or else on the Taaienberg and then just ride off while the rest scramble behind

Pog wont drop the other 2 and they wont drop Pog and in the end MVDP will win the sprint . And all this through the shrieks of Rob Hatch telling us for the umpteen time how monumental and historical it all is while Adam Blythe talks gibberish, laughs at his own inabilty to follow the race having done no homework and name drops every INEOS rider all day

Nay prefered when anyone of 20 could win it and did win it ...that was open racing

I hope I am wrong and see one of the non favourites pull it off



.
 
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while Adam Blythe talks gibberish, laughs at his own inabilty to follow the race having done no homework and name drops every INEOS riders name all day

Sometimes I seriously wonder what have we international cycling fans done to deserve someone like Blythe. I mean there are enough craps already in the world of English-language cycling broadcast then this clown rise to unnecessary prominence without passing any test.
 
Can King Kung (no pun intended - okay, pun intended :)) win this bike race? If he and Madouas have good legs I can see a top-5 for a FDJ rider. Pidcock in shape, watch out. But I feel that's all for crumbs.

The biggest problem for Madouas, more than in probably any other race, is his almost Cort'esque inability to position himself in a peloton.

Many a race he is easily one of the strongest 3-4 riders, but spend most his energy making up his own tactical mistakes.

If he had the same "racing nose" and toughness in fight for position, that Küng has, he would be a serious contender for the big cobbled races.
 
I dont know what everyone is getting excited about
We are supposed to be in the greatest era of cyling which means that VDP. PoG and WVA will move away from the others on 2nd time up the Kwaremont or else on the Taaienberg and then just ride off while the rest scramble behind

Pog wont drop the other 2 and they wont drop Pog and in the end MVDP will win the sprint . And all this through the shrieks of Rob Hatch telling us for the umpteen time how monomental and historical it all is while Adam Blythe talks gibberish, laughs at his own inabilty to follow the race having done no homework and name drops every INEOS riders name all day

Nay prefered when anyone of 20 could win it and did win it ...that was open racing

I hope I am wrong and see one of the non favourites pull it off



.

I think the exitement centers around, that when you can work out the likely scenario, so can any DS and rider not on those 3 teams.

So it is quite conceivable we will see real captains move much earlier than we usually see at RVV, because no captain wants to ride for 4th place from the gun.... and some of those captains even have a history for (very) long range attacks... like Küng, like Pedersen, like Mohoric, like Asgreen, like Cosnefroy, etc.

It could (tactically) become like Roubaix... but now with punchy climbs... which I think is a pretty exiting prospect ;)

Add to that, that if the mentioned riders were to escape early, they would probably drag along lieutenants like Kragh, Laporte and Wellens... which would make it hard to the big 3 to close the gap later, if that meant pulling the other 2 along, because the team DS may feel it's a better prospect for the team, to have a great lieutenant in position, who can wheelsuck all the way to the last couple of Ks.

I think (hope) we are in for a RVV for the ages :)
 
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So it is quite conceivable we will see real captains move much earlier than we usually see at RVV, because no captain wants to ride for 4th place from the gun.... and some of those captains even have a history for (very) long range attacks... like Küng, like Pedersen, like Mohoric, like Asgreen, like Cosnefroy, etc.

Yeah, nobody wants to race against the Big3 in the last 57 km alone. Once Pog engages afterburners on the 2nd Oude Kwaremont it's over for most guys (given difficult climbs afterwards). We may see some early actions by strong guys indeed, there's a lot of difficult terrain to do it in the second half of the race.
 
I think the exitement centers around, that when you can work out the likely scenario, so can any DS and rider not on those 3 teams.

So it is quite conceivable we will see real captains move much earlier than we usually see at RVV, because no captain wants to ride for 4th place from the gun.... and some of those captains even have a history for (very) long range attacks... like Küng, like Pedersen, like Mohoric, like Asgreen, like Cosnefroy, etc.

It could (tactically) become like Roubaix... but now with punchy climbs... which I think is a pretty exiting prospect ;)

Add to that, that if the mentioned riders were to escape early, they would probably drag along lieutenants like Kragh, Laporte and Wellens... which would make it hard to the big 3 to close the gap later, if that meant pulling the other 2 along, because the team DS may feel it's a better prospect for the team, to have a great lieutenant in position, who can wheelsuck all the way to the last couple of Ks.

I think (hope) we are in for a RVV for the ages :)

We haven't really seen the others doing everything they can to make up a difference in strength, though. What we have mostly seen is an acceptance that those guys are on another level, refusal to work or chase because one might get lucky and get a 5th place by pure chance.
Maybe the race will surprise me, but for now I don't expect that much.
 
Can King Kung (no pun intended - okay, pun intended :)) win this bike race? If he and Madouas have good legs I can see a top-5 for a FDJ rider. Pidcock in shape, watch out. But I feel that's all for crumbs.

It's too big of a race for either of the big-3 not to show up with winning aspirations. There's no "is he peaking, is he not, 1-2% off" discussion here: they all targeted this bike race. Will one miss the winning move, have to work extra hard, hopefully get help? Rain and wind may chime in...

Wout and Matthieu are no dummies, they know first hand not just how good, but how great Tadej Pogacar is. His presence in the three-some changes the dynamics. If I may say, he's the hardest :D...I like the 54 km to go prediction, after a little sun. Pog didn't come to Flanders to do window shopping.

This could be the best one-day race that we've ever seen.
I feel like Kung is way more suited to Roubaix. He won’t drop any of the vans or Pogs or Pids on the bergs, nor will he outsprint any of them. But I can see him getting a gap after Carrefour and holding it to the finish as the others look around.
 
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The biggest problem for Madouas, more than in probably any other race, is his almost Cort'esque inability to position himself in a peloton.

Many a race he is easily one of the strongest 3-4 riders, but spend most his energy making up his own tactical mistakes.

If he had the same "racing nose" and toughness in fight for position, that Küng has, he would be a serious contender for the big cobbled races.
Wouldn’t that easily resolve itself if the team plan was just for him to try and superglue himself to Kungs back wheel and make all the same moves around the pack.
 

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