Friday’s E3 Harelbeke is the first of three WorldTour-level cobbled classics in Belgium. Featuring many of the climbs used in the Tour of Flanders, it’s an excellent prep race for De Ronde hopefuls, and it’s also a big prize in its own right. Recent editions have offered plenty of excitement, with late attacks keeping things interesting until the end.
The Route
206.4km in total, the race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, Belgium, traversing 15 climbs along the way. The Oude Kwaremont, among the most important climbs in the Tour of Flanders these days, offers a decisive launching pad late on in the stage, followed by the Karnemelkbeekstraat and the Tiegemberg.
From there, however, it’s roughly 20 flattish kilometers to the finish—as such, anyone hoping to get clear on the hellingen will need a big engine to stay away in the finale.
The Contenders
This race has typically come down to a small group of escapees late on in the day, but a strong finishing kick can be very helpful given the less challenging final kilometers.
Greg Van Avermaet has made a living with his late attacks, and he is sprinting at a very high level right now as well. He’s never won a one-day race on the WorldTour, but this seems like the perfect time to start.
2014 winner Peter Sagan also has the right combination of skills to take the win. Motivation may be a question, but if he’s up for it, the world champ should be in the mix.
Fabian Cancellara counts three E3 titles on his palmares. It’s hard to say whether he’s all that interested in this year’s edition of the event (his eyes may be firmly fixed on the upcoming Tour of Flanders), but he’s one of the best solo artists in the sport on this sort of parcours.
Etixx-Quick-Step is loaded with options. Zdenek Stybar and Niki Terpstra are probably the best bets, though Tom Boonen has won this race a whopping five times. Stijn Vandenbergh is yet another card to play.
Alexander Kristoff is one of the few sprinter types who might have a shot at holding on given the profile. This will be a nice test of form ahead of his Tour of Flanders defense.
Sep Vanmarcke should love this parcours, and like Van Avermaet, he’s sprinting better than ever before these days should this come down to a small group. Vanmarcke was garnering plenty of pre-race attention this time last year, but things have quieted down in 2016 after his disappointing 2015 campaign. That could give him a chance to focus more on his goals and less on media appearances.
Outsiders include Lotto-Soudal’s Tiesj Benoot and Jurgen Roelandts, Sky’s Luke Rowe and Ian Stannard, Lars Boom, Bryan Coquard, and Arnaud Démare, fresh off a Milano-Sanremo victory.
VeloHuman Top 10 Race Favorites
Winner: Greg Van Avermaet
Podium: Zdenek Stybar, Peter Sagan
Other Top Contenders: Fabian Cancellara, Sep Vanmarcke, Niki Terpstra, Alexander Kristoff, Tiesj Benoot, Jurgen Roelandts, Ian Stannard
Photo: Cindy Trossaert (CC).