The 101st Tour of Flanders will two cobblestone sections less than this year and the same number of climbs. The new course will skip the Molenberg, the Valkenberg and Kaperij. The new additions are the Muur van Geraardsbergen, Tenbosse and Pottelberg.
That the The Tour of Flanders would be given a thorough facelift was already known. The start in Bruges will be moved to Antwerp where the starting gun will be fired on Het Steen.
From there the riders will travel to Likeroever. Passing through Burcht and Sint-Niklaas they get to Hamme, the home of Olympic champion Greg Van Avermaet.
After passages through Donkmeer and Berlare, the peloton will head to Aalst, Erpe-Mere and Herzele. The first cobbled sections, the Lippenhovenstraat and Paddestraat, arrive in Zottegem.
Like last year Oude Kwaremont will be the first climb. Because of the new start, the climb comes 12km later than usual. The Mur van Geraardsbergen comes 95 km from the finish line between Tenbosse and Pottelberg, two new additions compared to this year.
The finale is completely unchanged. The nine last climbs from the Kanarieberg to the Paterberg will be the same as last year. This means that the finale is again expected to start at the second passage of the Oude Kwaremont before the riders head to the Paterberg and the Koppenberg. Inside, the final 20km, the riders will again tackle Kwaremont and Paterberg. After the final climb, the riders will head to the finish in Oudenaarde.
Overall there are 18 climbs and 5 cobbled sections, two less than last year18 slopes counts Round 5 cobblestones, two less than during the 100th edition.
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