The Tour of Flanders is back for 2024, with one of the toughest races on the cycling calendar to drag the peloton over a distance of 270.8 kilometres from Antwerp to Oudenaarde in Belgium.
The race will be held on Sunday, March 31, getting underway at 8pm (AEDT).
The second monument on the cycling calendar for the years, the race the locals call the Ronde van Vlaanderen features difficult cobbled climbs, narrow roads and steep, twisting hills.
Paris-Roubaix might be the hell of the north, but maybe the jewell of the Flemish cyling calendar is the real toughest race in the sport.
Tadej Pogacar is last year's champion, but hasn't returned to defend his crown, with Mathieu Van der Poel and Mads Pedersen, both on the podium last year, coming in as this year's favourites.
Route
Over a distance of 270 kilometres, the start line moves to Antwerp this year before getting towards the hills of the Flemish Ardennes region.
All in all, the first 100 kilometres will be relatively flat, and very fast. On wider roads than usual, the hunt to be in the breakaway will see them covered in no time.
But from there, it's as tough as cycling gets, with famous climbs like the Oude Kwaremont, the Molenberg, the Berendries and the Valkenburg, before the Kruisberg, Oude Kwaremont (again) and Paterberg close out the race. In total, there are 17 climbs.
How to watch the Tour of Flanders in Australia
SBS has exclusive rights to the Tour of Flanders in Australia and will broadcast the entire race both on TV and online.
Their coverage commences at 7:55pm (AEDT), and is expected to run until 2am (AEDT). To watch on TV, you'll need to tune into SBS Viceland, and online, you'll be able to follow SBS on Demand.
