 | |
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| Date | Early April |
| Region | Flanders, Belgium |
| Local name | Ronde van Vlaanderen (Dutch) |
| Discipline | Road |
| Competition | UCI Women's World Tour (since 2016) |
| Type | One-day race |
| Organiser | Flanders Classics |
| Web site | www |
| History | |
| First edition | 2004 (2004) |
| Editions | 22 (as of 2025) |
| First winner |  Zoulfia Zabirova (RUS) |
| Most wins |  Lotte Kopecky (BEL)(3 wins) |
| Most recent | Lotte Kopecky (BEL) |
TheTour of Flanders (Dutch:Ronde van Vlaanderen), formerly theTour of Flanders for Women, is thewomen's sister edition to themen's Tour of Flanders. It is an annualroad bicycle racing event inFlanders, Belgium, held in early April. It is held on the same day as the men's race, on much of the same roads but at a shorter distance. Belgian riderLotte Kopecky holds the record with three wins, followed by Dutch ridersMirjam Melchers andAnnemiek van Vleuten, GermanJudith Arndt and ItalianElisa Longo Borghini with two wins each.
The event has been held annually since 2004 on the same day as the men's race. From 2004 to 2015 it was part of theUCI Women's Road World Cup. Since 2016, the race has been included in theUCI Women's World Tour, cycling's top-tier female competition. Since the first edition, organisers have included more climbs and extended the race gradually from 94 km in thefirst edition to 163 km in 2024.[1][2]
Since 2021, the women's race has shared theTour of Flanders name withthe men's race. To distinguish between them, they are now categorised as the 'Men Elite' and 'Women Elite' editions.[3]
Tour of Flanders was first held in 1913, making it the youngest of the fivecycling monuments. The race is the first of thecobbled classics, and is raced on the first Sunday of April. Notable for the narrow short hills (hellingen) in theFlemish Ardennes, usually steep and cobbled, the route forces the best riders to continually fight for space at the front.
Thefirst running of the Tour of Flanders for Women was held on 4 April 2004.[4] The race was 94 km long, making it the shortest in history, and featured nine categorized climbs, including theMuur van Geraardsbergen andBosberg as the last two climbs.[1] The race started inOudenaarde and finished inNinove, with the last 55 km identical to the men's race. Russia'sZoulfia Zabirova won the inaugural event after she broke clear on the Muur and crossed the finish solo.Trixi Worrack beatLeontien van Moorsel in a sprint for second place.[5]
Thesecond Tour of Flanders in 2005 was extended to 112 km, featuring 12 climbs.[6] Dutch riderMirjam Melchers-van Poppel won the race, after distancing her teammate and breakaway companionSusanne Ljungskog in the final kilometer.[7] The race for third place ended in farcical circumstances. A group of 20 riders was sent the wrong way in the final two kilometres and crossed the finish line in the opposite direction.[1] All riders in the group, including World Cup leaderOenone Wood, were disqualified from the race.[7] Melchers repeated her win in 2006, becoming the first to win the race twice.[8]
By 2009, the race ran over 131 km and contained three long flat cobbled sectors in addition to the climbs.[9] German sprinterIna-Yoko Teutenberg won the event in a sprint of a 15-strong group ahead ofKirsten Wild andEmma Johansson.[10] The first Belgian rider to win the Tour of Flanders wasGrace Verbeke in 2010 after she narrowly stayed ahead of the chasing group.[1][11]
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In 2012 the finish of both the men's and women's events moved toOudenaarde, making Oudenaarde both the start and finish location of the women's race. TheOude Kwaremont andPaterberg replaced the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg as the final two climbs of the race.[12] GermanJudith Arndt became the second woman to win the Tour of Flanders on two separate occasions.[1] As she did in her first win in 2008, Arndt beat AmericanKristin Armstrong in a two-up sprint.[13]
Cycling greatnessMarianne Vos won the2013 event, following three previous podium places, in a four-woman sprint ahead ofEllen van Dijk andEmma Johansson, after the quartet had gotten away onOude Kwaremont.[14] Van Dijk soloed to victory in 2014 with a move on the Hotond climb, at 26 km from the finish, and held a winning margin of more than one minute overLizzie Armitstead andEmma Johansson.[1][15]Elisa Longo Borghini was the first Italian winner in 2015 with an attack at 30 km from the finish.Jolien D'Hoore won the sprint for second beforeAnna van der Breggen.[16]
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In 2016 the Tour of Flanders was included in the inauguralUCI Women's World Tour.[17] Britain'sLizzie Armitstead won the race in a two-up sprint withEmma Johansson after the duo had broken clear onOude Kwaremont.[18] Sweden's Emma Johansson holds four podium finishes, but failed to claim a Tour of Flanders victory.
The2017 event was the first run under the new UCI regulations, which allowed for longer women's races.[1] The route was extended to 153.2 km, featuring 12 climbs and five flat sectors of cobbles. After a six-year hiatus, organisers brought back theMuur van Geraardsbergen, as they had done for the men.[19]Coryn Rivera became the first American winner in an 18-strong sprint beforeGracie Elvin andChantal Blaak.[20]
In 2018 the Tour of Flanders was the first women's event to be broadcast in full live on television.[21] Olympic road race championAnna van der Breggen won the race after a 28 km solo attack on theKruisberg.[22] She increased her lead over theOude Kwaremont andPaterberg and maintained her effort to the finish.Amy Pieters was second at more than a minute from van der Breggen, the largest winning margin in the women's Tour of Flanders history.[23]
In 2022, the famedKoppenberg was added to the women's course for the first time.[24]Lotte Kopecky won both the 2022 and 2023 editions of the race, however was denied a third straight victory in 2024 by 2015 winnerElisa Longo Borghini.[25]
From 2026, the UCI will award more ranking points toGrand Tours andcycling monuments compared to other races in the UCI Women's World Tour – thereby officially designating the race as a cycling monument.[26][27]
The race starts and finishes inOudenaarde, 30 km south ofGhent inEast Flanders.[28] The course is usually between 150 kilometres (93 mi) and 160 kilometres (99 mi) in length and has a similar finale as the men's Tour of Flanders, with many of the same hills. The first 90 km wind through the hills of theZwalm region, before addressing the climbs in theFlemish Ardennes betweenGeraardsbergen and Oudenaarde in the last 60 km. The final 60 km contain the most iconic climbs, notably theMuur van Geraardsbergen,Koppenberg,Oude Kwaremont andPaterberg.[19] The course runs almost entirely in the province ofEast Flanders. Since 2017, eight kilometres of the trajectory between Geraardsbergen andRonse run over roads in the Walloon province ofHainaut.[19]
The short, sharp hills(hellingen) in the Flemish Ardennes are a defining feature of the Tour of Flanders and the locations where spectators gather in large numbers. Each climb has its own characteristics with varying gradients and surface, presenting different challenges to the riders. The hills offer many opportunities to attack and are usually the decisive sites of the race. These climbs are notorious for being short but very steep, and most of them - but not all - are cobbled. Most of the climbs are located in a relatively small area, causing the roads to turn constantly and often abruptly, which explains the winding and irregular trajectory of the finale.[29]
The Oude Kwaremont is 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) long with an uneven cobbled surface, but is relatively shallow in gradient (just 4.4%). The Paterberg is often the decisive final climb, with an average gradient of 10% and a maximum gradient of 20%. First tackled in 2022, the steepest climb is the fully cobbled Koppenberg, 600 metres (2,000 ft) in length with an average gradient of 9.7% with stretches of 22% – over a poorly paved narrow road.[29]
In 2017 and 2018, the race featured 12 climbs, compared to 18 in the men's event,[12] and five long flat cobbled sectors.[30] The final 31 km, includingKruisberg,Oude Kwaremont andPaterberg, are identical to the men's finale.[31] In addition to the climbs, there are five flat sectors of cobbles in the first half of the race, i.e. Langemunte, Lippenhovestraat,Paddestraat, Holleweg and Haaghoek, comprising 7.8 km of cobbles.[19] The 2023 edition featured 13 climbs and 5 cobbled sectors.[29]
| No. | Name | Distance from | Surface | Length (metres) | Gradient (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start (km) | Finish (km) | (ave.) | (max.) | ||||
| 1 | Wolvenberg | 72.1 | 90.9 | asphalt | 660 | 7.9% | 17.3% |
| 2 | Molenberg | 84.6 | 78.4 | cobbles | 420 | 6.6% | 14.2% |
| 3 | Marlboroughstraat | 88.6 | 74.4 | asphalt | 900 | 4.8% | 8% |
| 4 | Berendries | 92.6 | 70.4 | asphalt | 870 | 7.6% | 10% |
| 5 | Valkenberg | 97.9 | 65.1 | asphalt | 900 | 6.9% | 15% |
| 6 | Kapelleberg | 109.2 | 53.8 | asphalt | 1400 | 4.9% | 10.4% |
| 7 | Koppenberg | 118.4 | 44.6 | cobbles | 550 | 11.6% | 22% |
| 8 | Steenbeekdries | 123.7 | 39.3 | cobbles | 820 | 7.6% | 12.8% |
| 9 | Taaienberg | 126.2 | 36.8 | cobbles | 530 | 6.6% | 15.8% |
| 10 | Kruisberg–Hotond | 136.5 | 26.5 | cobbles | 2800 | 3.9% | 9% |
| 11 | Oude Kwaremont | 146.3 | 16.7 | cobbles | 2200 | 4% | 11.6% |
| 12 | Paterberg | 149.7 | 13.3 | cobbles | 360 | 12.9% | 20.3% |
| No. | Name | Distance from | Length (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start (km) | Finish (km) | |||
| 1 | Lange Munte | 9.2 | 153.8 | 2500 |
| 2 | Lippenhovestraat | 48.7 | 114.3 | 1100 |
| 3 | Paddestraat | 50.1 | 112.9 | 2200 |
| 4 | Kerkgate | 75.8 | 87.2 | 2550 |
| 5 | Jagerij | 78.4 | 84.6 | 730 |
| 6 | Mariaborrestraat | 112.4 | 40.6 | 400 |
| 7 | Stationsberg | 123.8 | 39.2 | 560 |
| Wins | Rider | Editions |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lotte Kopecky (BEL) | 2022, 2023, 2025 |
| 2 |  Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel (NED) | 2005, 2006 |
 Judith Arndt (GER) | 2008, 2012 | |
| Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) | 2011, 2021 | |
 Elisa Longo Borghini (ITA) | 2015, 2024 |
| Wins | Country |
|---|---|
| 8 | Netherlands |
| 4 | Belgium |
| 3 | Germany Italy |
| 2 |  United Kingdom |
| 1 | Russia United States |
The history of the Tour of Flanders is celebrated at theCentrum Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders Center), a cycling-themed experience center and museum inOudenaarde. It displays bikes of previous winners includingAnnemiek van Vleuten andLotte Kopecky, as well as various interactive exhibits. In 2024, the museum added a temporary exhibition dedicated toTeam SD Worx.[32]
Each year, Tour of Flanders fans can also participate in theWe Ride Flanderscyclosportive, organized on the day before the women's race. As of 2025, the longest route is 229 km (142 mi), starting inBruges, in addition to three shorter routes of 158 km (98 mi), 120 km (75 mi) and 80 km (50 mi), all of which start and finish inOudenaarde.[33]
at Tour of Flanders, now in its 19th year, the riders will cover 158.5km and will pass over the Koppenberg for the first time.
2.10.017 Points scale Women Elite
