Gallery: Boonen and friends preview Tour of Flanders course

Image 1 of 38

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

Image 2 of 38

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

Image 3 of 38

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

Image 4 of 38

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

Image 5 of 38

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

Image 6 of 38

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

Image 7 of 38

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

Image 8 of 38

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

Image 9 of 38

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

Image 10 of 38

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

Image 11 of 38

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

Image 12 of 38

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

Image 13 of 38

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

Image 14 of 38

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

Image 15 of 38

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

Image 16 of 38

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

Image 17 of 38

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

Image 18 of 38

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

Image 19 of 38

Image 20 of 38

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

Image 21 of 38

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

Image 22 of 38

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

Image 23 of 38

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

Image 24 of 38

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

Image 25 of 38

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

Image 26 of 38

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

Image 27 of 38

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

Image 28 of 38

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

Image 29 of 38

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

Image 30 of 38

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

Image 31 of 38

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

Image 32 of 38

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

Image 33 of 38

Image 34 of 38

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

Image 35 of 38

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

Image 36 of 38

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

Image 37 of 38

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

Image 38 of 38

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.

Related Articles

Cyclingnews Newsletter