Gallery: Boonen and friends preview Tour of Flanders course

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Sebastien Rosseler (Garmin-Barracuda) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Carmen Small (US National Team) pre-ride the Paterberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Boonen and Nikolas Maes on the Paterberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) trains on the Taaienberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Matteo Trentin (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) during the Flanders recon (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Bram Tankink (Rabobank) on the Molenberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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The Omega Pharma-Quickstep team checks out the new Tour of Flanders course (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Eliot Lietaer (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Sep Vanmarcke (Garmin-Barracuda) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) stops to refuel (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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The key to the Taaienberg is to ride the smooth gutter rather than the cobbles (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Tom Boonen is fueled up for the Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Johan Vansummeren leads his Garmin-Barracuda teammates up the Molenberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Bram Tankink (Rabobank) on the Paterberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Laurens De Vrees (Topsport Vlaanderen) clearly enjoying the Tour of Flanders course at training pace (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Dennis Van Winden (Rabobank) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Koen Barbe (Landbouwkrediet-Euphony) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Pieter Vanspeybroeck (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Gert Steegmans (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) trains on the Taaienberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Maarten Wynants and Matti Breschel (Rabobank) climb the Paterberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Kristin Armstrong will ride the women's Tour of Flanders with the USA National Team (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Johan Vansummeren (Garmin-Barracuda) getting ready for the Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Karsten Kroon (Saxo Bank) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Johan Vansummeren and Sebastien Rosseler (Garmin-Barracuda) on the Paterberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Lars Boom called it a day after seeing the Paterberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Jelle Wallays (Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Lars Boom (Rabobank) previews the Molenberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Boonen and Trentin get some video of the Koppenberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Maarten Wynants (Rabobank) climbs the Molenberg in training (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Matti Breschel and Maarten Tjallingii on the Koppenberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Kris Boeckmans (Vacansoleil) on the Koppenberg (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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Boonen changes his rear wheel during Tour of Flanders recon (Image credit: Photopress.be)

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With a new finish to the Tour of Flanders, reconnaissance of the course is more important than ever, and today most of the contenders and their teams were out to scout the new route. Tom Boonen and his Omega Pharma-Quickstep team led the way on the climbs which will be critical to success: the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, as well as the Koppenberg, Molenberg and Taaienberg.

Oss expects war of attrition in Tour of Flanders finale

Also spotted on the course were the Garmin-Barracuda and Rabobank teams, with last year's Paris-Roubaix winner Johan Vansummeren gliding up the cobbled ascents, and Lars Boom testing himself on the bergs.

Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator brings its young Belgians to the course this year, with Jelle Wallays getting a second look at some of the climbs after putting in fine performances in the Dwars door Vlaanderen along many of the same roads.

The women will also contest their Tour of Flanders on April 1, and spotted on the course today were Carmen Small and Kristin Armstrong of the US National Team and Swede Emma Johansson (Hitec Products-Mistral Home).

You can view the gallery by clicking here.