Tomorrow, March 31, sees 26 teams of eight riders taking on the Tour of Flanders 2013 – or Ronde van Vlaandern as it is called in Belgium – 256 tough kilometres with 7 cobblestone sections and 17 cobbled climbs thrown in for good measure. Throughout the 100-year-old race’s history, these challenges have turned the course into what Team Saxo-Tinkoff have called a ‘survival of the fittest kind of race’ – they should certainly know what it takes having won twice in recent years; 2010 with Fabian Cancellara and 2011 with Nick Nuyens.
Lars Michaelsen, directeur sportif of Team Saxo-Tinkoff, comments on their chances this year, saying, ‘It is no secret that Matti (Breschel) is our best card on Sunday. So, naturally our primary goal is to escort him unscathed to the finale, which starts after 200 kilometres of racing,’ although he adds, somewhat pessimistically, ‘Unfortunately, we have been struck by illness and injuries, which means that we are not as strong as I could have hoped for.’
The big favourites for success tomorrow include Fabian Cancellara (Radioshack Leopard), Canondale’s Peter Sagan, Tom Boonen and Sylvain Chavanel (both Omega-Pharma Quick Step) and Team Sky’s Edvald Boasson-Hagen.
More information on rondevanvlaanderen.be/en and to get you firmly in the right frame of mind, take a look at what cycling legend Eddy Merckx has to say about the Tour of Flanders.
