The biggest names in cycling are in town for this De Ronde. On Sunday we will see the likes of Wout Van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, Kasper Asgreen, and Mathieu Van Der Poel, all battling it out for the prestigious win.
The race has had spectator restrictions imposed over the last two years, so with no such problems this year, the Belgian cycling fans will be out in force to cheer on the big names competing.
2022 Tour de Flanders Betting
The run-up races have been action-packed, but the Tour de Flanders is the big one. Over the past couple of weeks, we've seen plenty of excitement in the Classic Brugge-De Panne, the Saxo Bank Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, and most recently the Dwars door Vlaanderen.
The winner of the Dwars door Vlaanderen was Mathieu Van Der Poel, and the in-form returning Dutchman has been installed as a heavy betting favorite in the latest Cycling Betting Odds.
Van Der Poel is rivaled by Wout Van Aert, Tadej Pogacar, and 2021 De Ronde winner, Kasper Asgreen. Full odds follow…
| 2022 Tour De Flanders Winner Betting |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Mathieu Van Der Poel | +187 | +300 |
| Kasper Asgreen | +425 | +600 |
| Tadej Pogacar | +550 | +800 |
| Wout Van Aert | +600 | +300 |
| Christophe Laporte | +800 | TBC |
| Tom Pidcock | +2800 | +4000 |
| Tiesj Benoot | +1400 | +2200 |
| Mads Pedersen | +2800 | +2500 |
| Anthony Turgis | +4000 | TBC |
| Michael Matthews | +5000 | +5000 |
2022 Tour de Flanders: All You Need To Know
The Tour de Flanders is the second Monument race of the season, the first was Milan-San Remo. As well as being a Monument race, it's also a Cobbled Classic.
A Cobbled Classic means a large part of the race is over cobbled sections of road. This asks different questions of the riders as it throws all the usual cycling tactics out of the window.
- Date; Sunday, April 3rd, 2022
- Start; Antwerp, Belgium
- Finish; Oudenaarde, Belgium
- Distance; 275km
- Race Type; One Day Cobbled Classic
The race starts in Antwerp and the riders don't have long to wait before they reach their first stretch of cobbles, approximately 100km. The Lippenhovenstraat pave is only 1300 meters long, but it's a taste of things to come.
The start time is 10 am local, which unfortunately for us in the Eastern Time zone means a 5 am start. But don't worry, with a race distance covering over 270km, the race will be finishing at approximately 11.45 am ET.
So even allowing for a good Sunday morning lie-in, we should easily catch the last two to three hours of activity, and that's exactly the time when the race comes to life. It's in this period that things get serious. First up is Oude Kwaremont, an 11% gradient climb to the top of the Kluisberg hill.
After that things intensify with steep climbs or cobbles at regular stages until the 13km relatively flat run-in to the finish line in Oudenaarde. By this stage, the passengers should be dropped, and it will be left to the one-day specialists to fight it out to the bitter end.
Can Mathieu Van Der Poel continue his excellent form?
The Dutch one-day specialist is only a few days into a comeback after 6 months out of action. In that time, Van Der Poel has finished third in Milan-San Remo, won a stage at the Coppi e Bartali, and then last Wednesday won the Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Can he pull another performance out of the hat so soon though? Especially after such a layoff. At +300 in the latest sports betting odds, the bookies think he can. I'm not so sure though, and at such short odds, I'm opposing the Dutchman.
If he rides, steer clear of Wout Van Aert
Another rider to oppose is Belgium's Wout Van Aert. The one-day classic specialist is a doubt due to illness, and even if he makes it to the start line in Antwerp, it's debatable if he will be at his best.
Is it Time For Tom Pidcock?
Tom Pidcock finished a respectable third in the Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday. The young British rider has the might of the Ineos Grenadiers behind him, and after signing a new 5-year-deal with Ineos on Thursday, Pidcock will be in the mood to finally land a true iconic classic.
Pidcock has been knocking on the door for some time now, and I think he is well worth a wager at +4000 with BetUS.
The beauty of picking out riders at such long odds is that we can select more than one and hedge our bets. Another good way to bet on open events like this is by using one of the many betting bonuses found on our Sportsbook Reviews page.
In Form, Laporte Represents Good Value
Frenchman Christophe Laporte is another man in excellent form. The Jumbo-Visma rider has just finished second in the Gent-Wevelgem on March 27th, and second in the E3 Saxo Bank Classic on March 25th.
Laporte is more of a sprinter, so with a flat run-in to the finish line at Oudenaarde, if he can stick with the specialists through the climbs and cobbles, he will have more than a chance. At +800, Christophe Laporte is my final pick to win.
