How to watch live the Tour of Flanders 2024

After a first confrontation in E3 Saxo Classic that fell in the hands of Mathieu van der Poel, a victory that he could not corroborate in Ghent-Wevelgelm, we will not enjoy more duels in the rest of spring between Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel after the serious fall of the Belgian in Dwars door Vlaanderen and that leaves us a Tour of Flanders 2024, to be held next Sunday March 31, the second of the 5 Monuments of this season, without its main attraction. Even so, this gives the opportunity for other actors to present us with an exciting race.

Mathieu van der Poel seeks to enter the legend of Tour of Flanders 2024

Cycling in Belgium is practically a religion, a sport that is followed with the same passion and media attention that football receives in other countries. And the biggest day of Belgian cycling, the one that paralyzes the whole country and fills the roads between Antwerp and Oudenaarde with fervent fans, is the Tour of Flanders, the monument of impossible steep climbs and cobblestones, a race that usually leaves little room for surprises and traditionally crowns the strongest cyclist.

Favorites to win the Tour of Flanders 2024

After the serious crash suffered by Wout van Aert and other possible contenders for the victory in this Tour of Flanders 2024, the way is paved for Mathieu van der Poel which makes the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider even more of a favorite. Mathieu van der Poel shone in Milan-San Remo, gave us a magnificent exhibition in E3 Saxo Classic, was only defeated in Ghent-Wevelgem by Mad Pedersen after an excellent work of Lidl-Trek. In addition, he is on course to reach 3 Tour of Flanders victories, the most any rider has ever won in this event. Alpecin-Deceuninck is not sparing any means and will put all its artillery at his disposal, with Jasper Philipsen, although he is probably affected by the crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen; Kaden Groves, Soren Kragh Andersen or Gianni Vermeersch.

Difficult task for Visma-Lease a Bike whose previous plans have been ruined after the fall of Wout van Aert, which adds to the absence of Christophe Laporte announced a couple of days ago. In any case, Visma-Lease a Bike presents the best possible line-up, full of potential winners of the race, so that the leader's banners will probably fall on the shoulders of a very inspired Matteo Jorgenson who not only showed himself as a solid cyclist with his victory in Paris-Nice but also gave us a real classicist's victory in Across Flanders. His bodyguards will be men like Tiesj Benoot, Jan Tratnik or Dylan van Baarle, who will keep the Belgian's back perfectly covered and will try to save him some effort in the decisive part of the race.

Already moving to a second step, although with one foot on the first one we must mention Mads Pedersen, cyclist who, as we commented in the Milan-San Remo preview, finds in the Tour of Flanders a race that fits perfectly to his cycling characteristics and to whom the best form has come at the right time, being able to boast of having beaten in a head to head with a whole Mathieu van der Poel. Apart from that, the Dane already knows what it's like to stand on the podium of the Tour of Flanders, something he achieved in 2018 by taking second place, a year before uncovering himself with the Yorkshire World Championship that many continue to ignore and of which Mads Pedersen has been making himself worthy year after year. Last season his was the third step of the podium behind an unreachable Pogacar and Van der Poel. However, although he managed to finish Dwars door Vlaanderen, he was also affected by the serious crash that affected Van Aert and it remains to be seen how it will affect him in the race.

A crash that also eliminated one of Lidl-Trek's strongholds, Jasper Stuyven, who suffered a broken collarbone, which leaves the rank of road captain to a cyclist and will count on the reliability of men like Declercq, Skujins or Edward Theuns.

We are eager to see what riders like Oier Lazkano, who in E3 Saxo Classic had the audacity to even launch an attack against the big names, or a more ambitious than ever Jhonatan Narváez are capable of. Both will also be well supported by their respective teams, with a Movistar Team that will accompany the Basque with cyclists like Iván García Cortina, Remi Cavagna, or Iván Romeo, while INEOS Grenadiers will do the same with the Ecuadorian, providing Joshua Tarling, Luke Rowe, or Magnus Sheffield.

Then we have a long list of cyclists who have the ability to be at the front but who, only if race circumstances align, could be in a position to fight for victory. We are talking about people like Matej Mohoric, Alberto Bettiol, Tim Wellens, Arnaud de Lie, or Julian Alaphilippe.

Tour of Flanders 2024 Route

270 kilometers, a figure that makes the Tour of Flanders a Monument in every sense, races that push cyclists to their limits and ultimately what makes the difference and causes victory in this race to almost always fall to the strongest. There is little room for any other cyclist who is not of the highest level to surprise.

A route that starts again in Antwerp and will finish in Oudenaarde, the epicenter of the Tour of Flanders since the race abandoned the traditional finish in Meerbeke, the same one now used by the Omloop Het Niewsblad.

A route that we could describe as typical, with a first part of almost 140 kilometers mostly flat but not without tension due to the high speed and tricky routes through the fields and villages of Flanders, which usually serve to form a breakaway that is increasingly fought for each year and that the teams of the favorites cannot relax because a puncture, a fall are just around the corner with all the traps that the route hides.

A first pass through Oude Kwaremont will serve to stretch the legs and make the teams with aspirations start to pay attention and be well positioned if they were not already because after this point, the succession of climbs begins. A festival of ascents that will have its first peak, as usual, at the Molenberg, the fourth climb of the day, whose approach is usually even more brutal than its tough and slippery cobblestones.

The next point of interest will be found, after passing the 200-kilometer mark, with the second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont where the final selection must occur, a climb that, along with the next two, Paterberg and Koppenberg, constitutes the holy trinity of this race. The good thing about the Tour of Flanders is that it doesn't end there, and there will still be about 40 kilometers to go from the top of a Koppenberg that comes later than usual in the route and can be especially decisive in this edition due to the shorter distance to the finish line.

In any case, if the race has not yet been decided, there are still the no less iconic Taaienberg, Kruisberg, and the final pass through the linked Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg to determine the winner of this Tour of Flanders 2024, which will surely keep us glued to the sofa for hours.

How to watch the Tour of Flanders 2024

Although it may seem like a copy-paste of what we usually tell you, Eurosport will be our only option to follow the Tour of Flanders 2024. The sports channel is once again fully committed to the broadcast, offering the entire race in a coverage that starts at 9:45 in the morning and will end beyond 16:30. As usual, we can opt for their digital platform through their website or mobile application in addition to the Eurosport 1 channel.