The Ronde van Vlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders, is one of cycling’s five monuments, and a truly electric day for cycling fans worldwide.

The men race a whopping 272.5km on a route that begins in Antwerp, traverses legendary cobbled climbs like the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg before a tense, flat finish in Oudenaarde. 

Read on to discover FloBikes’ top four picks for the 2021 Tour of Flanders.

Kasper Asgreen

Defending 2021 Tour of Flanders champion Kasper Asgreen is in strong early-season form, as demonstrated by his third place finish at Strade-Bianche. 

Asgreen, a powerhouse for the Quick Step - Alpha Vinyl team surprised many by beating Mathieu van der Poel in last year’s two-up sprint. After 270 kilometers though, it seems Asgreen packs as much punch as anyone. Teammates Florian Sénéchal and Davide Ballerini round out the Belgian squad’s ever-capable roster.

Wout van Aert

Wout van Aert put a stamp on the beginning of his 2022 season with a resounding victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. He went on to have forceful showing daily at Paris-Nice en route to claiming the green jersey. 

Van Aert is a clear favorite for the Tour of Flanders, and he sacrificed a potential cyclocross world title to pursue the cobbled monument. The Belgian champion has however encountered some stiff competition in recent Italian one-day races, and he will face that competition again at the Ronde. 

Tadej Pogačar

Tadej Pogačar is perhaps the strongest cyclist in the professional peloton. In 2022 alone, he has won Tirreno–Adriatico, the UAE Tour and Strade-Bianche. In 2021, he had a strong Classics run, including winning the two Monument races of Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Giro di Lombardia, proving that he can do a lot more than just dominate the Tour de France. 

2022 will mark his first attempt at the Tour of Flanders, as he hopes to gain experience on cobbled roads ahead of stage five of this year’s Tour de France. While Pogacar may be on a scouting mission, you can always expect fireworks from the young phenom. 

Mathieu van der Poel

Due to Matheiu Van der Poel’s ongoing recovery from a back and knee injury, which were exacerbated by his crash at the Tokyo Olympics, van der Poel’s place on the starting grid remains tentative. However, after watching the Dutchman soar to a third place finish in Milan-Sanremo after months away from racing, we would be remiss to not give the 2020 champion the benefit of the doubt.