Tour of Flanders 2022 LIVE - Men's race as Mathieu van der Poel vies with Tadej Pogacar at Ronde van Vlaanderen

Stay tuned for live updates from Felix Lowe Ad/> WHAT IS THE ROUTE? Ronde van VlaanderenVan Aert 'not feeling fit', big doubt for Tour of Flanders31/03/2022 AT 12:01 Starting in Antwerp and ending in Oudenaard, the men’s route is 275.5km long with the first of 18 cobbled sections coming after 100km. The first climb comes at the halfway point with the first of three ascents of the Oude Kwaremont.

The climbs then come thick and fast with an uphill test pretty much every 10km, starting with the Kortekeer and the Achterberg, then, after the Holleweg cobbles, the Wolvenberg, ahead of the Kerkgate and Jakerij cobbles. A feisty 15km section crams together the Molenberg, Marlboroughstraat, Berendries and Valkenberg ahead of the first of two Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg combinations.

The Oude Kwaremont is a long 2.2km drag with a gentle average gradient of 4% while the Paterberg packs a punch of 12.9% over its short 360m length. This marks the point the race really comes alive – the equivalent, say, of Milan-San Remo’s tre capi climbs heralding the Cipressa and Poggio finale.

/> The steep and narrow Koppenberg is followed by the climbs of Steenbeekdries and Taaienberg all within 10 frantic game-changing kilometres. Get distanced here and it’s game over, especially with the Kruisberg-Hotond climb followed by the second and decisive Kwaremont-Paterberg combo ahead of a flat 13km run to the finish.

Read Felix Lowe's full preview here WHO ARE THE CONTENDERS? With Wout van Aert ruled out of the race after testing positive for Covid-19, the Jumbo-Visma rider’s big rival Mathieu van der Poel has assumed the tag of favourite. The Dutchman returned from injury to win Dwars door Vlaanderen, and that suggests he will be tough to crack on