SMALLER CLASSICS
IE3 SAXO CLASSIC 22 MARCH
n its 66th edition, the E3 Saxo Classic is the only one of the big Classics not to be run by either Flanders Classics or ASO. As a result, it’s notorious for its controversial publicity, and only has a men’s event. Controversies aside, it is a thrilling race. Effectively, it is a miniature Tour of Flanders, featuring the likes of the Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont and the Taainberg across its 208km, although it has a fairly flat run-in, ending seemingly in a residential street. Wout van Aert (Visma-lease a Bike) has won the last two editions.
GHENT-WEVELGEM 24 MARCH
Holy Week, or the run-up to the Tour of Flanders, begins with Ghent-wevelgem on the Sunday before the big one. Confusingly, it does not start in Ghent, instead being raced between Ypres and Wevelgem. In the last decade, Plugstreets have been added to the course, a trio of semipaved gravel roads. The key climbs are the Kemmelberg and the Baneberg. Last year, Christophe Laporte (Vismalease a Bike) and Marlen Reusser (SD Worx-protime) won, showing the dominance of their super-teams. It has morphed from a sprinter’s race to a puncheur’s in recent years.
DWARS DOOR VLAANDEREN 27 MARCH
The dress rehearsal for the Tour of Flanders is Dwars door Vlaanderen, or ‘through Flanders’, which moved to its spot on the Wednesday in 2018. The men’s race is Worldtour, while the women’s is a Protour race, finishing in Waregem. Both are competitive, though, with a course featuring many famous climbs of the Flemish Ardennes: the Berg Ten Houte, Kanarieberg, and Nokereberg for three, with cobbled sections in between. Last year both were won by Visma-lease a Bike and SD Worxprotime again, through Laporte and Demi Vollering respectively.
SCHELDEPRIJS 3 APRIL
The week after the Tour of Flanders but before Parisroubaix comes Scheldeprijs, the flattest of all the cobbled Classics. Both the women’s and men’s races have come to be for sprinters, despite there being five cobbled sectors in the final third of the route. As a result, it effectively stands alone from the buildup to Roubaix, becoming a race for the fastest men and women. Last year, it was won by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecindeceuninck) and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-protime), confirming their status as the best sprinters in the world.