Belgium comes to a standstill on Sunday, 31 March, to see who can conquer the cobbles of Ronde van Vlaanderen. CANYON//SRAM Racing’s squad comprises Elise Chabbey, Tiffany Cromwell, Chloé Dygert, Kasia Niewiadoma, Soraya Paladin and Alice Towers.

The 163km Women’s World Tour race is one of the most sought-after victories on the calendar. Seven cobblestone sectors, five asphalt, and seven cobbled climbs test the riders’ skills, endurance, and race smarts. This year, the addition of the 1.1 km-long Kappelleberg, which tops out at 10%, comes within 53km of the finish line. After the Kappelleberg, the constant flurry of climbs within the next hour of racing—Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Steenbeekdries, Kruisberg/Hotond, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg—set the stage for a spectacular finale.

The brutal parcours, with the unrelenting climbs, will reduce the peloton to the fiercest riders, and a hero’s welcome awaits the winner in Oudenaarde.

Kasia Niewiadoma: “Flanders is one of the few monuments on the women’s calendar with a long history. That makes the race iconic and unique for the riders competing and the spectators watching.”

“The race takes us through challenging sectors that, over time, naturally make the peloton smaller due to fatigue and the constant pressure of needing to be in the front. Being Easter weekend, a lot of people use those days to celebrate cycling and the atmosphere around the race is always buzzing! So many well-known cobblestone sectors and climbs in the final keep the race exciting and fun to watch, as fans never know when the real action will start.”

“Our team has never won this race before, and it’s something we’re after. We want to win Flanders. It would be a fantastic way to say a big thank you to all of our supporters and team partners.”

Elise Chabbey: “Flanders and Paris Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift are by far the biggest cobbled classics. As they say, the holy week of cycling is our stage to perform on, and we’re looking forward to it. There is always a fantastic atmosphere, and winning it with our team would be a great achievement.”

Tiffany Cromwell: “Gent Wevelgem last weekend didn’t go as planned. The level was high and the race was super hard. We walked away disappointed, not having enough numbers in the final to support Chloé. It highlighted the need to be ready for anything at any point in the race.”

“It put the fire in the belly of our team. We have a different group of riders for Flanders, and it’s a different race. Our squad has a lot of experience and several cards to play. We are motivated to avoid repeating our mistakes. We can bring home the win when we have our best race. I’m confident we can.”

HOW TO WATCH

Ronde van Vlaanderen starts at 13:25CET on Sunday, March 31. Fans can follow the race on X with #RVV24 and #RVVwomen. It will be broadcast live on RTBF, VRT, France Télévisions, RAI, L’Equipe, NOS, CzechTV, RTVE, RTVS, SRG, TV2 Denmark, TV2 Norway, FloBikes, J Sports. ESPN, Sky, SBS, Supersport, and Eurosport/Discovery.

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