Tour of Flanders 2018
April 1, 2018, Antwerp, Flanders, Road - WorldTour
Welcome to the Cyclingnews live coverage of the 2018 Tour of Flanders.
Peter Sagan means business at the Tour of Flanders
Tour of Flanders tactics: How do you solve a problem like Quick-Step?
Hello and Happy Easter from the Tour of Flanders.
The minutes are counting down to the start of this year's race.
We have a feeling it's going to be a special one!
We'll have full live coverage, from the start in Antwerp until after the finish in Oudenaarde.
The riders are currently signing on after riding to the stage in the central square.
It was raining earlier but appears to have stopped.
It is dry further south and in the finish but showers are expected during the race.
We''re getting close to the 10:30 roll out, with the official race start at 10:45 local time.
The official race distance is 264.7km.
Sep spoke briefly after sign on.
"When I woke I thought I had to be proud. This is my 9th participation at the Tour of Flanders. I have to be proud. I'm going for the win."
Sagan made his now famous "We'll see" prediction.
This is how it went on stage:
How are you?" "Ok". "Are you ever nervous?" "Sometimes." Prediction. "I expect to finish the race. I hope so."
The riders are now lining up at the start after following the yellow carpet to the start line.
The race is about to start!
It's grey and just 7C in Antwerp and so the riders are wrapped up with warm clothes, head bands and neck warmers.
"I'll be trying to spot my friends and family along the road. Then I'll focus on the rivals," he said at the start.
"I want to win. I've had great sensations so far but didn't win. Last year was the other way around. This year, this is the race I want to win."
Here we go! They're off!
Most riders are wearing leg warmers, overshoes and gloves.
We can expect them to take layers off as the finale of the race and the climbs approach.
The riders are passing under the Scheldt river. Some of them will be back here on Wednesday for the Scheldeprijs race.
Several riders are pulling on capes during the neutralised sector.
Zdenek Stybar is getting some quick mechanical help from the team car.
At the front of the peloton lots of riders from the minor teams are waiting for the flag to drop to try and go in the early break of the day.
The boats on the river show that the wind could be a factor today.
We're hearing there is a tailwind over the top of the Pateerberg, which could mean it is a great place to attack.
The flag drops! Race on!
The Roompot riders are active, trying to get into breaks.
They performed well at last week's Gent-Wevelgem, with Brian van Goethem and Jan-Willem van Schip going in the break.
No break has formed yet but there have been several flats, including Marcel Sieberg of Lotto Soudal.
255km remaining from 262km
Italy's Filippo Ganna of UAE is up front and trying to get in the break, just as he did at Gent-Wevelgem.
A lot of riders are keen to go in the early break but big teams have riders up there marshalling the moves to control who goes up the road.
From the CN blimp we can see Luke Rowe for Team Sky, Ilio Kiesse for Quick Step Floors and Juraj Sagan for Bora.
248km remaining from 262km
We will also cover the women's Tour of Flanders today, mixing in info here whenever we get it.
The 150km women's race is about to start in Oudenaard now, with the finish scheduled for 3pm local time.
The men are passing through Saint-Niklaas, where the race started for a long spell.
There is still no break and so no chance to stop.
To better understand how the women's race will unfold, click here to read our full women's Tour of Flanders preview.
In 2017 Coryn Rivera won the sprint finish.
Back in the men's race, we've had another tumble.
Jack Bauer (Mitchelton) slipped out on a corner, with Kiel Reijnen (Trek-Segafredo) riding into him. Both got up quickly.
The men snake through the streets of Zogge, Greg van Avermaet's home village.
He naturally gets a huge cheers.
Pascal Eenkhoorn (LottoNL-Jumbo) has opened a slight gap on the peloton but they are not letting him go clear.
It seems the reduction in team sizes to seven-rider teams is making the peloton more cautious about who they let go.
223km remaining from 262km
Koren is on the move for Bahrain. He has been joined by a Topsport rider but the peloton is not letting them go.
Heinrich Haussler is at the back of the peloton after a change of bikes.
He gives a thumbs up to show everything is okay.
The men reach Berlare, the home of Oliver Naesen.
He hurt his knee in a crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday but is racing today.
The crowds are huge along the road. They now have their umbrella's out as the rain comes down.
Greg van Avermaet said he'd look for his family and friends in Zogge and is currently at the back of the peloton, protected by several BMC teammates.
210km remaining from 262km
Small groups of riders keep jumping off the front of the peloton but other riders continue to chase them down.
The elastic has yet to snap with riders looking for the glory of the early break and others riding tactically to keep the race together.
Incredibly there is a car on the men's route in the centre of Aalst. The peloton moves around the car safely but that was a dangerous moment.
200km remaining from 262km
After 65km of racing there is so still no break in the men's race. The rain and some wind seems to be playing a part in the tactical game.
The high speed and the lack of a breakaway could make for a very different race in the finale.
We can expect the race to explode on the Kwaremont.
After 70km of attacks and chasing, the peloton has eased, allowing a move to go clear.
They already have 30 seconds.
Several riders have stopped for a natural break. The pace is slow in the peloton now, so lots of riders are stopping or dropping back to get food and drinks or drop of capes.
180km remaining from 262km
AG2R and Sky are also at the head of the race now.
The break leads by 3:0 but it seems the peloton won't let them gain much more.
178km remaining from 262km
Keisse and Declercq pick up the speed as the first sector of cobbles approach.
The peloton exits the cobbles with caution but they are pulling back the break, the gap is down to 1:50.
Back on the road, several riders are eating and taking off gloves and head bands.
That's a sign the race is warming up.
The women's race is back in Oudenaarde, with 90km to go.
Natalie van Gogh of Parkhotel Valkenburg Cycling Team is the lone attacker. She leads the peloton by 1:00.
Cyclingnews has Barry Ryan, Patrick Fletcher, Sadhbh O'Shea, Josh Evans and our local expert Brecht Decaluwé on the ground at the Tour of Flanders.
They spoke to riders and got the latest information at the start.
They will also be at the finish in Oudenaarde to provide the full coverage of the major Classics that only Cyclingnews provides.
Gilbert drops back to the tam car and just after Stybar needs a front wheel change.
Team support will also be vital today.
Van Aert was soon back in the peloton. He admitted he was excited to make his debut today but also keen to fight for victory.
"I think that it is exciting to start my first Tour of Flanders and I am just looking forward to doing this race in front of the crowds. Hopefully, I can get in the final. My goal is to go as far as possible with the top guys," he said.
"Of course, it is one of the toughest one day races of the season. The weather predictions are not so good so it will definitely be tough."
160km remaining from 262km
The peloton has let the break open a bigger bap now as they ease up.
The gap is 5:00.
158km remaining from 262km
The rain is pouring down now. This year's Tour of Flanders will be a hard race for both the men and the women.
The women are in the middle of the 11 Hellingen now as the men pass through the feed zone and grab their lunch.
150km remaining from 262km
Quick-Step Floors have four riders on the front setting the tempo. They know that the first passage of the Kwaremont is coming up.
In the women's race the climbs are sparking the first real selection. Riders are being dropped as the strongest emerge.
We're hearing that Emilia Fahlin has crashed and quit the race after the women covered the Berendries.
The men are approaching the Oude Kwaremont and are lucky to find dry roads for the iconic climb.
There is a fight for position in the peloton as riders protect and guide their team leaders.
145km remaining from 262km
The cobbles of the Kwaremont always hurt and some riders are suffering the break.
Some riders in the break switch to the strip of dirt alongside the cobbles, others stay on the ridge of the cobbles.
The peloton squeezes as it enters the narrow road to the foot of the Kwaremont.
The climb is 2200m long. It has an average gradient of 4% but has points at 11%.
143km remaining from 262km
Van Aert is at the very back of the peloton after changing back to his race bike and taking his musette. He does not seem worried.
Burghardt leads the peloton.
The riders bounce over the cobbles. The crowds are huge here.
This year the barriers seem to be a little further back to avoid crashes caused by fan objects, like the one that brought down Sagan and others last year.
The crash has split the women's peloton into several groups. The cobbles are wet and so the women take it cautiously on the decent.
In the men's race the peloton heads to the second hellingen. There are seven climbs in the next 50km.
The peloton comes to the top of the Kortekeer, but such is the pace, Iljo Keisse has time to sit up, take his helmet off and remove his casquette as he leads the way.
The peloton is strung out with a couple of minor splits as they return to the wide main roads. No sweat, at this point, though, and it starts to bunch up once more.
There's been something of a regrouping in the women's race, with 35-40 riders out front. 2017 champion Coryn Rivera is in there.
Problems for Oliver Naesen. It looks like a mechanical issue, rather than physical. The Belgian champion, of course, injured his knee on Wednesday but was cleared to start today.
124km remaining from 262km
As the peloton take on the Edalareberg, the breakaway riders up the road hit the fourth climb of the day, the Wolvenberg. They still have a lead of five minutes.
Bora and Quick-Step both fight for the front spot as the peloton hits the Wolvenberg. It's a tarmacked climb, 645 metres long at 7.9%.
After a spate of attacks, things have calmed down again in the women's race with just under 50km, and five climbs, to go.
And here are BMC... Fran Ventoso hits the front and Van Avermaet is in his wheel. The pace has increased.
Ian Stannard now takes over for Team Sky. The peloton are on their way to the Haghoek sector of cobbles, which leads into the Leberg climb.
115km remaining from 262km
The increase in pace sees the breakaway's advantage fall to 3:45 as they take on the Leberg.
FDJ still have two riders ahead of Arnaud Demare as they lead onto the Leberg. It's 950 metres long with a fluctuating gradient that averages out to 4.2%.
There's no real let-up in this phase of the race. Up front the breakaway riders hit the Berendries (940m at 7%). 3:15 is the gap.
108km remaining from 262km
A touch of wheels means Niki Terpstra has to put a foot down and he takes the chance to get ride of his cape too.
The peloton reach the top together and begin a wet descent.
Next up is the Tenbosse and then the Kwaremont.
It's a busy race for EF mechanics. After Langeveld needs help, Scully flats.
It will be hard for Scully to get back on now.
95km remaining from 262km
When the men's race crosses the summit of the Kapelmuur, we'll switch our focus to the women's race for the finale.
Naesen is close to 2:00 behind. It will be almost impossible for him to close that gap.
His race seems over.
As the men's race settles for the final 90km of racing, why not listen to the Cyclingnews podcast to prepare for the decisive attacks.
Click here for out special Flanders Classics edition.
The men get a chance to catch their break for the next 20km and so we're going to switch our coverage to the finale of the women's race.
We'll keep you up to date with any important news from the men's race but focus on the final 20km of the women's race.
D'hoore is further back, as is Rivera.
It will be fascinating to see if the race comes back together on the flat roads to the finish.
17km to go in the women's race.
In the men's race, the remains of the early break is about to be caught but the peloton has been split into different groups.
We're about to see the start of the real 'finale'.
Katarzyna Niewiadoma has been joined by three other riders but van der Breggen is still over a minute clear.
Anna van der Breggen made her move between the Kruisberg and Hotond climbs, with 28km to go.
She took her rivals by surprise but quickly opened a gap.
In the chasing quartet are Annemiek van Vleuten, Katarzyna Niewiadoma, Ashleigh Moolman and Amy Pieters. But they struggling to pull back time.
The Boels team car comes up along Anna van der Breggen to enjoy the moment. She is about to win the Tour of Flanders.
Anna van der Breggen passes through an exposed section but her leads is still 1:30.
She is just 3.5km away from victory.
Behind Anna van der Breggen the two chase groups come together. Boels have 3 riders behind who have been able to sit on.
They could fill the podium behind Anna van der Breggen
2km to go!
Interesting to see UCI officials tag bikes at the finish, no doubt to be x-rayed for mechanical doping.
Back in the men's race the peloton is pretty much compact with 65km to go.
A small group as 1:30 but is not a threat.
Bora have decided to take control of the chase.
Van der Breggen spoke about her win before the podium.
"This is the big one. I didn't expect to win this way. It's really great to win this great race in Belgium," van der Breggen said.
"This victory goes pretty high in my palmares of course. not only is it a big race, one of the biggest of the season, it's was really great.
"We have a good team here with many riders stronger this year than before. That helps a lot. It's great to win this race and finish second. too.
"It's a really tough race but its really fun to win it."
As Anna van der Breggen and Boels Dolmans celebrate victory at the women's Tour of Flanders, we're going to head to the men's race for the final 60km of racing.
The lead group eases back on the main road but there are gaps between groups that formed the peloton.
53km remaining from 262km
Van Avermaet and Gilbert are both behind the front group but they are close to getting back on.
Ivan Garcia Cortina (Bahrain-Merida) and Tom Devriendt (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) start the Paterberg.
When the chasers pass here we will really find out who is a real contenders and who not.
Naesen has done well to get back up to the head of the race after his crash before the Muur.
Nibali is also up front. Van Avermaet is there too but seems to be struggling to stay up front.
Who is your favourite to win the Tour of Flanders?
Click here to read our top 12 contenders.
This is Sporza's star ranking for this year.
Meanwhile, we're hearing that Luke Rowe of Team Sky has been DQ'd from the race for riding on the footpath.
Everyone is forced to go deep over the top of the cobbled climb.
One rider was forced to stop mid-way up and so others were stopped too.
43km remaining from 262km
It's Quick-Step who lead the chase now with the three leaders holding a 25-second advantage. Just 42km to and we're down to around 40-50 riders in the main field.
Lampaert is the rider chasing for the Belgian team, while Sagan just sits in and waits. He has one man left, Daniel Oss, as the leaders move their advantage out to 30 seconds.
And FDJ take over for Demare on the front of the peloton. Nibali is still there, Kristoff looked really good on the previous climbs, while Trentin is also in contention.
Van Avermaet's surge did not crack any of the big names but we saw who is strong and who needed time to get back on.
Terpstra tries to split the group but everyone is on his wheel.
This will be a very tactical final 35km, making it fascinating to follow.
Sagan is up front in the group of 20 or so strongest. He looks at his rivals as teammate Oss goes deep to set the pace and chase the three up front.
The three are Dylan van Baarle (Team Sky), Sebastian Langeveld (EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) and Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo).
Sky, EF and Trek can stay on the wheels but Quick-Step need to help with the chase if they want to keep the race under control.
Sky are trying to slow the pace for van Baarle, Kwaito is sat behind Oss, with Moscon behind the Pole.
These are many of the big names in the chase group: Terpstra, Benoot, Gilbert, Van Avermaet, Sagan, Van Aert, Vanmarcke, Stuyven, Kristoff, Nibali, Démare, Naesen, Kwiatkowski, Trentin, Stybar, Colbrelli, Boasson-Hagen, Moscon, Roelandts, Oss, Haussler, Politt and Valgren Andersen.
Mike Teunissen bridged up solo shortly after the Koppenberg.
25km remaining from 262km
Terpstra is trying to go across to to the trio up front.
Now who will chase behind?
22km remaining from 262km
The chasers are closing the gap on Terpstra. He's making a big effort but the trio up front are also fighting to hold him off.
Dylan van Baarle (Team Sky), Sebastian Langeveld (EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale) and Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) lead by 40 seconds.
They can pace their effort on the Kwaremont and Paterberg. Everyone else will have to go full gas.
15km remaining from 262km
Terpstra leads by 40 seconds. It his race to lose now. Can he manage his effort and stay away until the finish?
Sagan tucks low over his bike but is struggling to close the gap on Terpstra and Pedersen ahead of him.
We stand corrected. The 21 second gap is between Terpstra and Pedersen.
The Sagan group is at 38 seconds.
4km remaining from 262km
The Sagan group can see Pedersen. He is just 15 seconds ahead of them. The young Dane is tired but still fighting.
2km remaining from 262km
There's an attack behind, Gilbert chases Valgren as they fight for the podium spots.
Terpstra and Quick-Step Floor played a perfect tactic by sending the Dutchman away, forcing the others to chase and compete against each other.
Terpstra also hugs Quick-Step Floors team manager Patrick Lefevere.
He celebrated 20 years of success with Quick-Step on Friday. Now Terpstra has given him another Flanders victory and the team's 21st victory of 2018.
Terpstra was almost too happy and too tired to talk.
"Winning Paris-Roubaix and now the Tour of Flanders... Those two races were always a big dream for me when I was young kid, I was already crazy about those two races. Now they're both on my palmares. I can't describe how happy I am," he said.
This is the top ten for the Tour of Flanders.
1 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors
2 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo
3 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
4 Michael Valgren (Den) Astana Pro Team
5 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
6 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
7 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
8 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal
9 Wout Van Aert (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan
10 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors
That shows the quality and the difficulty of today's race.
The best and strongest Classics riders emerged after 267km of racing on the Flemish hills.
Terpstra's win at the Tour of Flanders continues Quick-Step Floor's dominance this season.
They have now won Le Samyn, Dwars door West Vlaanderen, Handzame Classic, De Panne, E3 Harelbeke, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders.
It's important to highlight that Terpstra attacked alone after chasing after Vincenzo Nibali over the top of the Kruisberg.
He then paced his effort to catch and pass Van Baarle, Pedersen and Langeveld on the Kwaremont.
He then used his TT skills and endurance to stay away.
The podium is away from the finish, with a huge crowd gathering underneath to see Terpstra, Pedersen and Gilbert celebrate.
It was a double day of success at the Tour of Flanders for the Netherlands.
Niki Terpstra won the men's race, while Anna van der Breggen (Boels Dolmans Cycling team) won the women's race.
They stood together on the podium.
Terpstra has only won 22 races during his career but has now on both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
He won the French monument in 2014 with a similar solo attack.
No wonder Quick-Step team manager. This is his long list of Tour of Flanders winners (via @ammattipyoraily).
1993 Johan Museeuw
1995 Johan Museeuw
1998 Johan Museeuw
2002 Andrea Tafi
2005 Tom Boonen
2006 Tom Boonen
2008 Stijn Devolder
2009 Stijn Devolder
2012 Tom Boonen
2017 Philippe Gilbert
2018 Niki Terpstra
To better understand how the race unfolded, click here to read our full race report and see our massive photo gallery.
The CN reporters are at the team buses speaking to the riders about their race.This is Peter Sagan at the Bora bus. He suggested he was happy with his performance.
This was arguably the moment when Terpstra won the Tour of Flanders. He got across to the trio up front and then dropped them on the Kwaremont.
Terpstra was a deserved winner but Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was the revelation of the race.
He's shown his huge talent before but impressed by the way he took on the race and held on to finish second.
"We have two leaders on the team and the role was to play me out a little bit early to put pressure on the other teams, but to come so far? I didn't expect that," he said post-race.
The time gaps in the top ten tell the story of the final kilometres.
Terpstra won alone, Pedersen held on bravely for second. Gilbert beat Valgren for third place, with Van Avermaet winning the sprint as best of the rest, some 25 seconds down.
1 Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors 06:21:25
2 Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo 00:00:12
3 Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors 00:00:17
4 Michael Valgren (Den) Astana Pro Team 00:00:20
5 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 00:00:25
6 Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe 00:00:25
7 Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo 00:00:25
8 Tiesj Benoot (Bel) Lotto Soudal 00:00:25
9 Wout Van Aert (Bel) Veranda's Willems Crelan 00:00:25
10 Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors 00:00:25
Thanks for joining us for live coverage from the Tour of Flanders.
To read our full men's race report and see our huge photo gallery, click here.
Keep checking Cyclingnews as we update the site with interviews and news from the race.
We'll also have all the latest tech news and analysis from the race.
Thanks again for enjoying the ride with us.
We'll be back during the week for the Vuelta a Pais Vasco and of course next weekend for Paris-Roubaix.
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