Hello and welcome to our full live coverage of the 2017 E3 Harelbeke race.
It's a surprisingly spring-like day in Flanders as the riders gather for the start in the centre of Harelbeke.
We'll have blow by blow coverage of all the 206km of racing.
Our reporters are at the start, gathering the latest information on the riders and tactics we should see later.
In the absence of 2016 winner Michal Kwiatkowski, world champion Peter Sagan is wearing number one.
He is the big favourite for victory after finishing second at Milan-San Remo.
And they're off!
The riders are rolling out of the start area.
They face a 3km neutralised section and then the 206.1km race will begin when the flag drops. We can expect attacks straight away as riders fight to get into the early break of the day.
Who is your favourite for today?
According to Sporza in Belgium, Sagan and van Avermaet both deserve three stars and are the two favourites.
Sporza award two stars to Philippe Gilbert, Nikki Terpstra and Alexander Kristoff.
Jasper Stuyven, Tom Boonen, Oliver Naesen, Tiesj Benoot and John Degenkolb get one star.
Greg van Avermaet was at the centre of attention at the start. It will be interesting to see if he is back to his best after a quiet Milan-San Remo.
Tom Boonen got a huge cheer at the start and was given a special present before his final ride in the race. He has won E3 Harelbeke five times!
Out on the race the flag has dropped and we've already had some early crashes.
Riders from Astana and Katusha went down.
Boonen present was a special montage of his five victories at E3. He won in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2012.
Can he take number six today?
The fans at the start are happy after a race sponsor gave out some free frites and mayo. That's perfect sponsor activation at a Flemish race.
The fans at the start are happy after a race sponsor gave out some free frites and mayo. That's perfect sponsor activation at a Flemish race.
After 10km of racing, the peloton is still all together.
Such a nice present for @tomboonen1 before the start of #RBE3H. https://t.co/nD9SiQO92V
It's a busy day of racing, with E3 Harelbeke, the queen stage of the Volta a Catalunya and the Coppi e Bartali race in Italy.
We will have live coverage from Spain shortly on Cyclingnews, with with a race report and a photo gallery from Coppi e Bartali.
Philippe Gilbert stands out in his Belgian national champions jersey and is rider to watch after his aggressive ride on Wednesday at the Dwars door Vlaanderen race.
Any excuse to post these pictures from #RBE3H
The pace is high on the Katteberg but no break for now.
There are huge crowds along the route, with the local Flemish fans enjoying the racing and the sunny weather.
This is the race profile for today's race. You can see the hills and cobbled sections, where the race will be decided.
Crash!
Tony Gallopin (Lotto-Soudal) is one of the riders to go down.
Beer for breakfast. Cycling in Flanders. 10 AM @E3Harelbeke #TeamKatushaAlpecin #beerforbreakfast https://t.co/1zZljknqHA
This is the official map of the race, with the climbs and cobbled sectors indicated and named.
John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo) spoke to the media before the start.
"I'm very happy to be back in Belgium. It so very special to race on these roads, so I'm very excited," he said.
"I think my shape is good and so it that of the whole team. Milan-San Remo was a good kick off. The team is all good and I felt okay. I was close to making into the break, so I'm really looking forward to getting some new chances."
#RBE3H @tonygallopin will be taken to the hospital in Oudenaarde for a medical checkup. He got injured on his left wrist.
In the race the speed is high, with the first hour covered at 43.3km/h. The riders clearly love the nice weather.
When Degenkolb was asked Trek’s race tactics, he said:
"We did a big meeting yesterday, it’s about knowing the parcour and feeling comfortable with the knowledge. We’ve got several good options.”
“I will say nothing. If I tell you I'd have to kill you…
“I think its going to be very aggressive race because Peter is super, super strong and people are afraid they can’t follow him in the deep finale. They want to start the race early and be up front. For that reason it's going to be very interesting but I think we have a great team for that kid of race.”
150km remaining from 206km
After 56km of fast racing the peloton is still together.
It is a surprise not to see the smaller teams send riders on the attack. Perhaps they are awaiting live television coverage before trying to get their colours and sponsors in the spotlight.
#RBE3H ☀️Great weather is making for fast racing in Belgium, over 43km covered in the first hour and still all together.
Greg van Avermaet revealed that he came down with a slight cold after Milan-San Remo but is upbeat about his chances for E3 and the rest of the classics.
"I’ve already won a nice race, I won the Omloop, I was second at Strade Bianche, then Milan-San Remo didn’t go so well. This is the fourth race I’ve been targeting this year, I’ll try to do something, but the important thing is next Sunday," he said.
"At San Remo, it’s true that I wasn’t at the level I’d wanted, but today is another day, and I hope the team is there with me on the most important parts of the race. I think we’ll be ready. We’re not the strongest team, like Quick-Step, but I think the team is good and ready."
"Harelbeke is always important I’ve never had a very good result here, but it’s an important test of condition ahead of Flanders."
60 kilometers covered and still no breakaway. #RBE3H
The start of the season didn't go very well for the Veranda's Willems - Crelan team of Nick Nuyens.
There were reports of problems with the team's Felt bikes. Jan Verstraeten played down those stories when chatting with Cyclingnews at the start of the E3 Harelbeke.
“Those stories about the bikes were exaggerated. Anyway, right now, everything is taking care of in this team so it’s up to the riders now to get results.”
The team’s leader in Harelbeke is double Flanders-winner Stijn Devolder. His best result in Harelbeke was third in 2003.
On Wednesday the USA's Kiel Reijnen crashed in ditch at Dwars door Vlaanderen. Fortunately he wasn't seriously hurt.
He's not racing today but is out riding with Trek-Segafredo teammate Ed Theuns, they're looking at the new sections added to the Gent-Wevelgem route for Sunday.
Here we go! We have first attack of he day.
Ryan Mullen (Cannondale) and Berden De Vries (Roompot) have jumped away.
The two have been joined by Marco Coledan (Trek) and have opened a 10-second gap.
Will this be the break of the day?
130km remaining from 206km
No luck for the trio, with the peloton bringing them back.
We mentioned Stijn Devolder earlier. He is riding E3 for the 16th consecutive time this year. That's an impressive record from a true Flemish hardman.
#RBE3H A quiet but fast race start. 3 riders tried their luck on the attack, but their move didn't stick. We're riding safe in the bunch.
De Bondt (Verandas Willems) is trying to go across to the attack while the rest of the peloton seems happy to let them go, with many riders stopping for a natural break.
The six riders have a 1:45 lead on the peloton, with De Bondt at 45 seconds.
The average speed for the second hour of the race was 45km/h. That's fast!
110km remaining from 206km
It's no surprise to see Gougeard (AG2R) in the attack. He's always aggressive and loves to be in the thick of the action.
The riders have covered the La Houppe climb and the other climbers will soon come thick and fast.
The break leads by 2:30 now.
We have some early photos from E3 that captured the early crash that forced Tony Gallopin to retire.
Matti Breschel of Astana also went down.
Christian Knees (Team Sky) was caught in the crash, with Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) on the ground and unable to continue.
We have a second attack trying to go across to the break. In the move are Delage (FDJ) and Van Asbroeck (Cannondale) but they are 2:00 back. It will be hard for them to get across.
The race is on the Oude Kruisberg now. One of the legendary climbs in Flanders.
In the early crash, Gallopin seemed to have smashed his left knee. He was in huge pain.
However there is some good news from the Lotto Soudal team.
#RBE3H @tonygallopin has no fractures! He suffers from multiples bruises and abrasions but hopefully he can continue his program next week.
The gap to the peloton is up to 4:50 now as the race hits the Knokteberg climb.
Positioning is vital now.
Sky, Quick-Step, Katusha and Orica are all on the front of the peloton, fighting for position.
Oliver Naesen is the team leader in the French AG2R team, together with Stijn Vandenbergh.
He wasn’t a factor in Dwars door Vlaanderen. He didn’t hide behind his wheel problems but admitted he was caught by suprise by the move from Philippe Gilbert on the Berendries.
“The attack on the Berendries came as a big surprise. The guys from Quick-Step showed guts and made the race. They were the deserved winners. I couldn’t be there because I didn’t expect it at all. In hindsight it made sense. There’s a lot of good riders in that team so they’ve got to attack first. At the E3 Harelbeke, the finale is longer anyway. They can’t attack at 100 kilometres from the finish, can they,” Naesen told Sporza. With less than 100 kilometres left in the race, it’s clear that will not be the case."
As the speed and tension, rises there are more crashes.
Several riders went down but seem okay and slowly get going again. Docker and Teunissen were two of the crash victims.
The peloton is packed tight on the Flemish country roads. A simple touch of wheels can spark a crash.
85km remaining from 206km
#RBE3H Six escapees have a 4'30" lead to the bunch, 85km to go. #VoltaCatalunya Fifteen breakers have a 4'25" gap to the pack, 72km to go.
The two chasers are stack in no-man's land at 1:45.
Oliver Naesen (AG2R) expected things to get underway at the Kortekeer. Frederik Willems echoed the same sound.
After today's fifth climb, the Hotondberg, the course heads down at high speed towards Ronse.
Riders with a cyclo-cross background, like Zdenek Stybar, Mike Teunissen and Lars Boom will surely know that the Hotondberg is the location of the GP Mario de Clercq. Shortly after, the Kortekeer is coming up.
The peloton is on a wide road and there is a crash, with Lutsenko going down.
He gets up and several teammates help him chase back through the cars.
The speed is high as the riders near the Kortekeer climb. The race is on early today!
#rbe3h 80km to go and @manuelquinziato @GregVanAvermaet and @Daniel87Oss are leading the peloton 4'24" behind the breakaway.
Gilbert leads the chase group and they can see the break now. But the peloton can also see the Gilbert attack group.
However there are only 50 or so riders left in the peloton. The speed and attacks have split the race.
The riders in the attack are: Greg Van Avermaet (BMC), Oliver Naesen (AG2R), Philippe Gilbert (Quick-Step), Lukas Postlberger (Bora-hansgrohe) Luke Durbridge (Orica-Scott) and Sep Vanmarcke (Cannondale-Drapac).
Those riders have now caught the early break to create a 12-rider move.
It is now up to the peloton to chase them if they want to get back in the race.
Team Sky, Katusha, Lotto Soudal and Trek have missed the move and will have to chase.
The gap is up to 45 seconds.
The break is on the Stationberg - the 10th sector of 15 in the E3.
Behind Tony Martin tries to drag an attack clear but Trentin does a great team job for Quick Step and stops the move.
But Martin goes again on the cobbled road, with Sagan trying to join him.
Here we go!
They also face a 1200m sector of cobbles.
Sagan is on Martin's wheel but Terpstra and others are also there.
The chasers ease and so Degenkolb launches a new chase but the BMC and Quick-Step riders are blocking perfectly.
Sagan has slipped back to the centre of the chase group. He seems to know it will be difficult to win today.
Up front in the break, they are driving hard, extending their lead to 50 seconds.
AG2R have two riders in Naesen and Gougeard.
Martin tries again but Oss is glued to his wheel.
The break is going away.
Next up is the Kapelberg as we go into the deep finale of the race.
Stijn Devolder is now trying to inspire the chase but with so many strong teams represented in the attack, he gets little help and lots of blocking.
Now Felline tries his hand for Trek. But the chasers are 1:00 back.
There are 10 riders in the attack, including Gilbert, van Avermaet and Vanmarcke.
Flat for Las Boom. That's unlucky in a key moment of the race.
Katusha is now massing on the front of the chase group and seems ready to sacrifice their strength to chase for Kristoff.
On the Kapelberg, Gilbert goes deep to keep the pace high.
Trek-Segafredo have joinedforces with Katusha to create a block of red jersey on the front.
Will it be enough to close the 1:10 gap?
Next up is the Oude Kwaremont at 38km to go. It is 2200m long and so we could see some attacks up front to try to drop some of the riders in the move.
Crash! Sagan is involved.
Sagan seems to have a problem with his front brake and is still to get going. His race seems over.
Gilbert surges up the Paterberg and the break has split as expected.
Trentin leads the group behind but they've lost some horsepower. The gap at the top is still 1:00.
Sagan gets a push away but stops again with brake problems.
