Often seen as a 'mini-' Tour of Flanders, E3 Harelbeke traverses many of the same cobbled climbs as Belgium's biggest race. The Taaienberg, Paterberg, and Oude Kwaremont are all on the menu during a winding, 206.1-km trek through West Flanders.
Kicking off a weekend of top-tier racing – with Gent-Wevelgem on its heels two days later – E3 has drawn increasingly impressive start lists in the past few years, with a collection of recent winners worthy of a new Classics staple.
Worlds winners went head to head in the 2016 edition of the race. Sky's Michal Kwiatkowski, the 2014 world champion, escaped with rainbow jersey-wearing Peter Sagan and the pair held off a hard-charging peloton on the bumpy Flemish terrain to duel for the victory in Harelbeke. Kwiatkowski emerged victorious, surprising Sagan in the sprint to earn a first career Cobbled Classic win.
