The Tour of Flanders always delivers. The favourites in both the women’s and men’s races might have run out winners - suggesting it was all a bit predictable - , but only after epic battles. There is no doubt Demi Vollering and Tadej Pogačar were deserving winners. In the days after, however, I’m left feeling a little sad that I have to wait a whole year , not just for Flanders, but for the build-up, the hype, and the action itself. At least we still have Paris-Roubaix to come.
There was something different about this year’s race, too, which would have been missed by most – it was the first time I wasn’t at the race since 2021, either as a fan or as a journalist. While this meant I missed out on the incredible atmosphere which comes with the event, a cross between Glastonbury and the FA Cup Final, it did give me the chance to actually watch the races live. This is a much harder task on the ground than you might imagine. The most I saw of Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky winning in 2023 was a blur from the side of the Oude Kwaremont, and in 2025 glimpsed on a phone screen from the mix zone where the press have to wait.
The Classics are great in person, with the noise of the convoy and the fans, the beer and the smell of frites in the air, but they are also an almost-perfect television event. This isn’t unique to the Tour of Flanders, but I really enjoyed putting the time in to watch almost the whole thing, from Antwerp to Oudenaarde. The slow burn rising to a crescendo by the time the peloton reaches the Koppenberg, and into the extended, brutal, finale.
You might miss out on vibes, but you can see all the important moments, and all the less exciting things too, giving you a full picture of the race. The spider cam on the Kwaremont is a highlight, but the drone shot of Vollering, in particular, descending off the back of the Paterberg, was art in itself.
Watching on television, I was there when Pogačar put in his repeated digs to distance Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, and then eventually Mathieu van der Poel. Then later I was there to see Franzi Koch soften the bunch up before Vollering was launched on the Kwaremont. It was gripping stuff, and a nice reminder of why I love cycling so much. It was the ideal way to spend Easter Sunday.
As happy as I was to be watching these races, however, and the feats of the riders, I was also reminded how sad it is that cycling, these days, is locked away behind an expensive paywall. Just two years ago, someone in the UK could have flicked on Eurosport and been treated to the spectacle, and discovered a whole new sport. It’s how I got into cycling in the first place.
Now, someone would have to go out of their way to either pay to watch, or to find another workaround. There’s no easy way of sorting out TV rights, or broadcast deals, but it feels like things have gone backwards, not forwards.
Obviously, we have a part to play, and events like Sunday re-energised me to continue to crow about how good a sport cycling is, but it feels like I’m speaking to a smaller audience now. Anyway, it’s time to get excited about Roubaix now – could Zoe Bäckstedt win?
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
