This race may lack some of the glamour and riches of the Tour de France, but make no mistake: it’s one of the most prestigious one-day races in the world, part of the five ‘Monuments’ of the sport and one that all the big names in cycling would love to add to their CVs. It was first held way back in 1913, so there’s plenty of history behind it, as well.
Betting on Tour of Flanders
If the cycling experts had to pick the likeliest winner, they’d surely go with Tadej Pogačar.
But then again, the Slovenian is a short odds-on favourite, so the prices are telling us that anyway.
But as you’ll see below, it’s van der Poel who has the better record here, and though it’s only light rain that’s forecast at the moment, that could make conditions tricky and level the playing field a bit more. So van der Poel may be worth a bet at a far bigger price.
Tour of Flanders Betting Tip: Back Mathieu van der Poel @ 4.0
The great Slovenian champ Tadej Pogačar is understandably the favourite at 1.4. After all, he’s won four Tour de Frances, one Giro, and eleven one-day Monuments. One of those 11 was his win in this event last year.
But what Pogačar hasn’t done is win this event on three separate occasions, the way that Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel (odds of 4.0) has, doing so in 2020, 2022, and 2024. So he’s a real specialist here, though at 31, he’s four years older than his Slovenian rival in one of the toughest sports on the planet.
The next shortest price is on Wout Van Aert, the 31-year-old Belgian who will have the local crowd behind him and has 50 professional road wins to his name and ten stage victories at the Tour de France.
Why Tour of Flanders Matters
Held in the Flanders region of Belgium, a cycling-mad part of the world, it’s famous for its brutal cobbled climbs, testing weather conditions that make riding downright dangerous, dramatic finishes, and passionate crowds.
It’s raced over between 260 and 270km, takes between six and six and a half hours to complete and has three major climbs that test the strongest of legs and the stamina of the world’s best.
The weather isn’t at its best in Belgium at this time of year, so as is so often the case, rainy conditions could bring plenty of chaos in the form of crashes that can wipe out a few riders at a time.
Dry conditions, on the other hand, could result in a more controlled and tactical race.
