This article is part of 'Belgian Week''on Cyclingnews, a special run of features to celebrate the start of the Classics. For all our Belgian Week content click here.
While the Tour of Flanders might not be the longest standing event on the women's calendar, it has become an integral part of the spring calendar since its inception 14 years ago. It is also the sixth round of the 2018 Women's WorldTour.
The women's peloton had long been taking on the rough hellingen - hills - around Flanders, but 2004 was the first time that an official Ronde Van Vlaanderen voor Vrouwen took place. The event has developed over the years from the decidedly short 94km offering in its inaugural edition to last year's race, which came in at 153km.
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After being broadcast online in recent seasons, the 15th edition of the race will be the first to be broadcast on television.
Cyclingnews has been digging through the race's archives and reliving some of the best moments that Flanders' Finest has had to offer over the past 14 years.
2004
Winner: Zoulfia Zabirova
What the inaugural edition of the women's Tour of Flanders lacked in distance, it made up for in aggressive racing. Starting in Oudenaarde, several years before the men's finish moved there, the race took in nine climbs, including the double-header of the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg before the finish in Meerbeke.
2006
Winner: Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel
2012
Winner: Judith Arndt
2014
Winner: Ellen van Dijk
2015
Winner: Elisa Longo Borghini
2017
Winner: Coryn Rivera
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/womens-tour-of-flanders-six-of-the-best
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