After the announcements that the 2017 Tour of Flanders would move its start location from Bruges to Antwerp and bring back the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen, the full route for the 101st edition of De Ronde was unveiled on Wednesday.
Despite the changes, the organisers are happy with how the race has unfolded since the finish was moved to Oudenaarde in 2012, and the finale has been retained, with the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg combination featuring twice – the second time as the final shake-up before the run to the line.
The length of the course has been increased by a mere couple of kilometres to give a total distance of 259.5 kilometres, which will once again feature 18 hellingen – the short, sharp, and often cobbled climbs that are emblematic of the second Monument of the season.
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As was the case last year, the first climb of the day will be the Oude Kwaremont, where fans will gather on one side of the road and VIP tents will be erected on the other. The race, however, will take an unusual route to get there, given the new start in Antwerp, some 90 kilometres east of Bruges.
After the roll-out, the race heads to former start town Sint-Niklaas and then to Greg Van Avermaet’s hometown of Zogge, followed by Berlare and the city of Aalst. After passing through Erpe-Mere, the riders will get their first taste of cobbles with the Lippenhovenstraat and Paddestraat, before the hellingen start to come thick and fast on the first loop in and among the so-called "Flemish Ardennes'.
The number of climbs remains 18, but there are three changes, with the Molenberg, Valkenberg, and Kaperij all disappearing to be replaced by the Ten Bosse, the Muur, and the Pottelberg.
Retaining the rhythm of the race
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