This weekend the cobble madness begins: the back-to-back racing and run up that leads us to the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. And the rivalry is real, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) versus Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

We are going to preview the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem, the favorites, what to expect from those Belgian races and what to learn from them for the big races ahead: Flanders the following weekend and Roubaix the week after.

No Tadej Pogacar In Flanders

The multi-talented Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) came, saw, and conquered. Last year, after falling short in 2022, he won the Tour of Flanders. Now with the goal of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, he clearly needs to cut the cobbles from his schedule. Don't worry, you can still catch him bashing the competition in the Volta a Catalunya.

In E3 last year, Pogacar formed part of the star attacking trio with Van Aert and Van der Poel. Van Aert took home the win, but Pogacar the confidence needed to destroy Flanders the week after with a long range attack from the Kwaremont.

Remember, this is cycling, the stars are not starting in every race. So if we look at last year's Gent-Wevelgem, we didn't have Pogacar and Van der Poel, but we had Van Aert smashing it on the Kemmelberg and helping his teammate Christophe Laporte to his biggest race win.

The 2024 E3 Saxo Classic And Gent-Wevelgem Courses Preview

The E3 and Gent-Wevelgem are pretty classic courses - both tough in different ways. The E3 – 207 kilometers – starts and finishes in Harelbeke, and essentially is a mini-Tour of Flanders with several of the same famous cobbled climbs, but in a different order.

The Taaienberg, after approximately 125 kilometers, usually initiates a significant selection. In the Tom Boonen years, the Belgian consistently launched his first attack here.

The Paterberg comes before the Kwaremont after more than 160 kilometers of racing, both cobbled climbs. Then the paved climbs Karnemelkbeekstraat and at 20 kilometers to race, Tiegemberg.

The 2024 Gent-Wevelgem again heads to the coast, always faces the threat of cross-winds, and climbs the classic Kemmelberg. It's a whopping 253 kilometers long, a proper classic distance.

Due to its climbs the Baneberg and the Kemmelberg coming far out at 35 kilometers, however, we usually see a re-grouping and a reduced field sprint here. So many of the hard-men will opt out of this race with eyes on Flanders and Roubaix.

2024 E3 Saxo Classic: Mathieu Van Der Poel Vs Wout Van Aert

The favorites are clear: Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. This is the big long-time rivalry and first duel of 2024 we've been waiting for. They will headline and face off in E3.

Van der Poel comes from his season debut a week ago in Milano-Sanremo, whereas the defending champion and favorite, he helped his teammate Jasper Philipsen win against Tadej Pogacar. After the helping hand in Italy, we can be sure that he'll be out for blood in Belgium to win his first race as world champion.

Wout van Aert is returning from altitude on the Spanish island of Tenerife, off the west coast of Africa. Everything about his planning and preparation for 2024 has been about adding the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix to his resume.

He said, "I have worked hard for this because I want to win those races. I have already shown in the past that one-day races and cobblestones are one of my specialties. It is a huge goal to add those races to my list of achievements."

The Belgian began his 2024 season a month ago before heading to Tenerife. He helped the Visma team dominate Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, leading to Jan Tratnik winning and then won the next day in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne himself.

Riding alongside Van Aert will be American Matteo Jorgenson, with all sorts of motivation fresh off his win in Paris-Nice. Like in Omloop, we saw that in a super-team, anything is possible for the 24-year-old from Idaho.

Jorgenson said of joining Visma after his first four years with Team Movistar, "Everything has changed, every detail. It's hard to say one thing. Everything changed."

Visma will also include super-helpers Tiesj Benoot and Dylan Van Baarle.

UAE Team Emirates without Pogacar will back Marc Hirschi and Tim Wellens. After a show of force in Milano-Sanremo, Lidl-Trek is back with Mads Pedersen and Jasper Philipsen.

And look out for riders like Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny), Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla), and Matej Mohoric (Bahrain Victorious).

Wout van Aert summed it up: "In the E3 Saxo Classic it will be immediately clear what the values are. After the Tour of Flanders, the E3 is the toughest Flemish race we have. It is a very difficult final, which often starts from afar. Because the course is so tough and so close to Flanders, it is always a good test."

The 2024 Gent-Wevelgem Favorites

Gent-Wevelgem sees a change in cast. In Ipers, Sunday morning, two days later, we won't have Van Aert and the classic duel with Van der Poel.

With the chances of a sprint, Van der Poel will likely work in support of Belgian teammate and Milano-Sanremo winner Jasper Philipsen.

Team Visma, without Van Aert and Jorgenson, changes gears to a team around Olav Kooij and 2023 winner Christophe Laporte.

Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Dstny) will be a big favorite as it's more of a sprinters race. As too will the Jayco team with Michael Matthews and Dylan Groenewegen. And Tim Merlier hoping to give Soudal-Quick Step a needed classics win.

Besides Alpecin, Lidl-Trek should be the team to watch in Gent-Wevelgem with not only Pedersen and Stuyven, but Jonathan Milan.

Where To Watch The 2024 E3 Saxo Classic And Gent-Wevelgem?

The races are live on FloBikes. The E3 Saxo Bank on Friday is available for our viewers in Canada, and Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday for viewers in Canada, the U.S., and Australia.

The weather forecast for E3 and Gent-Wevelgem?

The weather forecast for the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem looks miserable, well great if you're looking for some proper hard-man classics racing. Friday through Sunday, rain is on the forecast. The temperatures range from 8 to 12°C (40 to 55°F) and the winds pick up on Sunday, coming from the west, off the North Sea, at 21kph (15mph).

The weather, the competition, and races 200 kilometers on Friday and 250 kilometers on Sunday, create the perfect stage for the monuments ahead: the Tour of Flanders on March 31 and Paris-Roubaix on April 7. Tune in because it's going to be a thrilling run starting with E3 and Gent-Wevelgem.