3-Days of DePanne Preview

by Whit

The 3-Days of DePanne begins today, offering procrastinators one last chance to cram before Sunday’s major exam—the Tour of Flanders. This 3-day, 4-stage event offers something for everyone: a long, hilly pre-Ronde reconnaissance stage; two stages for sprinters; and the traditional short, time trial finale.Before Milan-San Remo, I spoke about certain races following scripts; here’s the script for DePanne: Curtain(Cobbled climbs.)–Breakaway or small group (possibly containing one or more contenders for the Ronde) wins hilly first stage, creating GC time-gaps.(Rain.)–Despite several riders’ best efforts, Stage 2 ends in a field sprint.(Crash.)–Stage 3a ends in another field sprint, after which the...Continue Reading

Monday Musette – E3 Prijs and Ghent-Wevelgem Wrap-up

by Whit

Sorry for the delay, but here are my thoughts following a jam-packed weekend of racing:1. It’s hard to believe that Saturday’s E3 Prij was Fabian Cancellara’s first win in Belgium—aside from an ITT stage at the Tour of Belgium. Clearly, Spartacus is hoping it’s just a taste of better things to come—and with a team that’s turning-out to be one of the strongest in the peloton, it’s easy to see why his confidence is brimming. I haven’t been able to ascertain whether or not he knew about that tight left-hander just inside 1km to go, but one can only assume...Continue Reading

Ghent-Wevelgem – Live Stream

by Whit

Click here for a live stream of today’s action! ...Continue Reading

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen and Ghent-Wevelgem Preview – A Team Approach

by Whit

Until the Ghent-Wevelgem joined it on the same weekend, the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen was the traditional dress rehearsal for the Tour of Flanders. With over 200 kilometers of hills and cobbles—including many of the climbs to be used in the following Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, riders and teams felt it offered the best preparation and reconnaissance.Now though, Ghent-Wevelgem takes the Sunday slot previously occupied by the Brabantsepijl—a race run on a less-demanding circuit. As a result, teams are now faced with the choice of doing both the E3 and the “new and improved” Ghent-Wevelgem—for a total of more than 400...Continue Reading

5 Questions for the Cobbled Classics

by Whit

Before things get underway this weekend, I thought it might be appropriate to share some questions I look forward to having answered in this year’s cobbled classics. The list is by no means exhaustive—there are many more plots and sub-plots to explore. But these are 5 of the biggest stories I’ll be following from Harelbeke to Roubaix.1. What effects will Ghent-Wevelgem’s calendar move have?This is something I’ve been wondering about ever since the calendar switch was announced last year. Traditionally, a rider trying to peak for Flanders and Roubaix took part in Dwars Door Vlaanderen, the E3 Prijs Harelbeke, and...Continue Reading