Andrea Pasqualon (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The Koppenberg cobbles (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Who loves De Ronde? Oudenaarde does (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
The necessarily details of the Koppenberg on show (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Andrei Grivko starts the climb up the Koppenberg (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Astana also trained on the Koppenberg (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Pippo Pozzato makes his 50th appearance in a monument at Flanders (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
AG2R also reconned the Koppenberg (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
John Degenkolb out the course (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Quick-Step on the Flanders cobbles (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Greg Van Avermaet takes a little breather. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Jasper Stuyven on the cobbles (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Stijn Vandenbergh and an unusual moto-pacer (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
BMC recons De Ronde. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
'Tornado Tom' and Quick-Step roll past some street art during their Flanders recon. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Trek-Segafredo riders recon the climbs of De Ronde (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Trek-Segafredo rolling through Flemish fields (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
LottoNl-Jumbo recons the Flanders parcours. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Yves Lampaert prepping for De Ronde (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Tom Boonen before his final Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Greg Van Avermaet and Oliver Naesen recon the Oude Kwaremont. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Trek-Segafredo climbing the Muur van Geraardsbergen (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Lotto Soudal on the cobbles (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Fast-rising Oliver Naesen recons Flanders. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Edvald Boasson Hagen and other Flanders hopefuls from several different squads share some recon time on the Oude Kwaremont. (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Sky recons the Flanders route (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
John Degenkolb recons the Paterberg (Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riders gearing up for Sunday's Tour of Flanders took to the cobbles and climbs this week for some pre-race reconnaissance, getting in some last-minute tune-up mileage on the hallowed Classics terrain ahead of De Ronde.
The likes of Greg Van Avermaet and John Degenkolb have been preparing for the big showdown even as they've contested victories in the run-up races all month, but in less than two days they'll battle for Flanders' most coveted cycling prize. Riders visited the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, whose slopes have proven decisive in recent editions of the race, as well as the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen, making its return to the Tour of Flanders this season after a few years of being left off the route.
Some, including Quick-Step's Tom Boonen ahead of his final Tour of Flanders appearance, found the route already graced with welcoming street art.
Click or swipe through the gallery for a closer look at the action from the recon sessions.
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