There is no doubt that the Women's Tour of Flanders course is one of the toughest Classics of the season with five cobble sectors and 10 sharp climbs to contest, not to mention a world-class field. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio spent some time previewing the course Friday with her Cervelo Bigla team in order to refresh her memory about the key aspects of the 141km route.
“As soon as you get on the course the memory is refreshed and you remember it but it’s good to see it again,” Moolman-Pasio told Cyclingnews in an email ahead of Flanders. “It’s different to other courses. Trofeo Alfredo Binda, for example, once you’ve ridden the race once, you pretty much know the course, it’s not a complicated course, but these types of races like Flanders, it’s important to refresh the memory because there’s so many small details that are important.”
Moolman-Pasio placed 10th in the 2015 Tour of Flanders 47 seconds behind the solo breakaway winner Elisa Longo Borghini (Wiggle High5). The Italian broke away from the small lead group over the final two ascents and built her lead toward victory in Oudenaarde.
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With no changes to this year’s route, the race will once again start and end in Oudenaarde. The route will first take the peloton over five cobbled sectors beginning with the Ruiterstraat (46.2km), Kerkgate (49.5km) and Jagerij (52.7km), and then the Paddestraat at 63.4km, followed by the Haaghoek (75km). But Moolman-Pasio believes that the climbs are the most decisive parts of the Women’s Tour of Flanders.
“The course is the same as last year but with a race like this there are so many details and aspects of the course that you need to remember and it’s really important to see it again,” she said. “It’s important to know how you enter the climbs; are you turning onto it left or right and are you coming into minor roads?”
The first climb is located 46km into the race at the Wolvernberg, which is before the first set of cobbles. The next set of climbs are the Molenberg (58.4km), Leberg (78.9km), Berendries (82.9km), Valkenberg (88.3km), Kaperij (99km), Kanarieberg (106.3km) and Kruisberg (114.7km).
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