Dwars door Vlaanderen is the fourth out of five World Tour classics in Flanders which make up for the final block of cobbled classics in the region. It takes place on the 1st of April this year and is the final big race before the Tour of Flanders. We take a look at its startlist, which is estimated to start and finish at 11:00 and 15:05CET.
Created back in 1945, Dwars door Vlaanderen was first won by Belgian legend Rik van Steenbergen, immediately cementing the event as a top race in the spring classics scene. The likes of Johan Museuuw leads a wide array of Belgian riders who have won the race through the years.
Tom Boonen, won it once back in 2008 but surprisingly his rival Fabian Cancellara never did so. The race was not always part of the World Tour, but since 2019 it has been won by no less than some of the absolute best in this terrain. Mathieu van der Poel, Dylan van Baarle, Christophe Laporte and Matteo Jorgenson made for an exclusively Visma-Alpecin domination from 2019 to 2024; however in 2025 Visma had three men out front and infamously led the victory slip away to the hands of Neilson Powless.
Profile: Roeselare - Waregem
Roeselare › Waregem, 184.6 kilometers
The start in Roeselare leads into an opening 50 kilometers which virtually flat, with no major difficulties. This initial stretch favours the formation of the day’s break and allows the favourites’ teams to keep things in check without excessive cost.
From km 47.5 the first climb, Hellestraat (1.3 km at 3.7%), signals the beginning of a phase of gradual wear. It is not selective on its own, but it changes the rhythm. Shortly after come Volkegemberg (1.1 km at 4.0%) and Berg Ten Houte (1 km at 5.8%), raising the bar and forcing riders to fight for position.
The key section sits between Km 90 and 115. Several tougher climbs are packed into this segment:
- Knokteberg - Trieu (1.1 km at 7.7%), one of the hardest of the day.
- Hotond (1.2 km), which adds duration to the effort.
- Ladeuze (1.4 km at 6.9%), which prolongs accumulated fatigue.
- Berg Ten Houte (1 km at 5.9%), a second passage.
This block is crucial because it combines difficulty and tight sequencing, which can force the first serious splits if the pace is high or the wind picks up. Even so, there is still a long way to the finish, which tempers all-out moves.
After a brief relative lull, the second decisive point arrives between km 130 and 145:
- Another pass over Knokteberg - Trieu.
- Hotond (1.2 km at 3.3%).
- Eikenberg (1.2 km at 5.0%).
This sequence, closer to the finish, is the prime spot for major tactical moves. The repetition of climbs already tackled deepens muscle fatigue and sharpens the selection in the front group.
The final 40 kilometers are gentler, though not entirely flat. Nokereberg (0.4 km at 2.8%) and the final rise to Nokere (0.7 km at 4.0%) within the last 10 km stand out. These climbs are not decisive by gradient, but they can spring late attacks or trim the bunch before the finale.
The run-in to Waregem is favourable and relatively flat, which opens several scenarios:
- A small group finish if the race fractures on the second block of climbs.
- Partial regrouping and a sprint from a reduced selection.
- A late attack after Nokere, exploiting accumulated fatigue.
Overall, the profile does not feature extremely long climbs or very steep gradients, but it does pack a high density of short, repeated efforts. That dynamic rewards resistance to intermittent efforts and the ability to hold power after multiple accelerations.
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- Yes it is called tactics Remco that is why he is a 2 time TDF winner and leaves you for dead on the climbs . Or am I missing something. Suprised he thinks Vin was riding defensive when he smashed the field and won a few stagespaultryan200230-03-2026
- Paolo Bettini, disgruntled old pro, reflects... 😁
leedorney30-03-2026 - Where the race was really decided???? Remco, stop your BS and phlisophical analysis... your arguments are garbage and never ending excuses. The race was decided in the mountains, where you stink, where you were never good at...and NEVER will be. Capish? Stick to ITT and one day races... but make sure Pogi and MVDP aren't there. That's going to be your cycling legacy: Remco Evenepoel won manny many races in his career, second and third class races. Ad acta.Mou-Cro-HR30-03-2026
- Interesting, seems like Pozzovizo misses racing too much. The Tour of the Alps is his favourite race and he'll try for a breakaway stage win. The GC favourite is Giulio Pellizzari (Pozzovizo's successor) who is 11 years his junior. It'll be interesting what happens if we have Pellizzari's GC attack vs Pozzovizo's attempt at the breakaway
Rafionain-Glas30-03-2026 - There are only 7 non-European riders in the top 50 of the PCS ranking Isaac Del Toro Jay Vine Brandon McNulty Matteo Jorgenson Michael Storer Biniam Girmay Corbin Strong 5 are of European originRafionain-Glas30-03-2026
- I feel like Lipo just has to sit back and let Remco make the case for why he (Lipo) should lead their TDF squad via fumbling mountain stages and crashing into.. and solid surface like Wile E Coyote.antipodeanpedalfan30-03-2026
- maybe remco shouldn't worry about jonas or pogi, better worry about lipo ...Ketterechts30-03-2026
- after he emptied the tank like that on friday, it seemed very unlikely he’d be fully recovered by sunday’s flanders fields. he’s human. he does get drained and it takes him time to recover. in this he’s very different from pog, who is never tired, never depleted, never less than 110%.OCexile30-03-2026
- sure but he was riding for Jasper and said he had more to give.mij30-03-2026
- Sorry but you’re out of order there. Much as it is easy and understandable to criticise him, his palmarès is different but just as impressive especially for someone 10 years behind for the total, also a proven champion. If you consider GTs and discount Tadej and Jonas the results are not so different, you forget most of Primoz’ good GTs results also came in their absence. On the contrary, it is interesting to compare and will become more interesting.Mistermaumau30-03-2026
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