Cyclist
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025 preview: Route, favourites, how to watch and start list
The E3 Saxo Bank Classic will take place on Friday 28th March 2025. The race formerly known as E3 Harelbeke is regarded as ‘the little Tour of Flanders’ due to its shared climbs with the Ronde van Vlaanderen route, including the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont.
Tom Boonen has won the race the most, with five victories including four in a row. Leiedal Koerse, the women’s edition, ran in 2022 and 2023 until its cancellation.
Mathieu van der Poel won last year with Wout van Aert taking the previous two editions, and they’re both set to line up in 2025.
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025 key information
Date: Friday 28th March 2025
Start: Harelbeke, Belgium
Finish: Harelbeke, Belgium
Distance: 208.8km
TV coverage: TNT Sports, Max, FloBikes, Sporza
2024 winner: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025 route
The E3 Saxo Bank Classic covers 17 bergs and plenty of cobblestones over 208.8km. It heads over climbs that the Tour of Flanders peloton will encounter too, such as the Oude Kruisberg and Taaienberg. But while those at Flanders will scale the Oude Kwaremont then the Paterberg, the E3 Saxo Bank Classic does it in reverse, with riders reaching the Paterberg before the Oude Kwaremont in the final 45km.
The last climb of the Tiegemberg comes in with 20km remaining.
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025 favourites
Previous winners Van der Poel and Van Aert will be on the start line for the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, with this being Van Aert’s first race since finishing 75th at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne earlier in the month. Trying to knock those two of the top spot will be 2024 Gent-Wevelgem winner Mads Pedersen, Ineos’s Filippo Ganna and Van Aert’s teammate Matteo Jorgenson.
Cyclist‘s ratings:
- ★★★★★: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
- ★★★★: Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
- ★★★: , Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers), Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla)
- ★★: Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek), Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers)
- ★: Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates XRG), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious), Ivan Garcia Cortina (Movistar)
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025: How to watch
The 2025 E3 Saxo Bank Classic is available to watch in the UK and Ireland on TNT Sports, Sporza in Belgium, Max in the USA, FloBikes in the USA or Canada, and Staylive for the men’s race and a replay of the women’s race elsewhere (check which countries here).
If the race isn’t being broadcast in your country or you are travelling abroad, a VPN will allow you to hide your device’s location to access content that is normally geo-blocked. One such VPN provider is ExpressVPN, which is well reviewed, helps users to find free to watch cycling, and costs start from around £5 per month.
- Read more: How to watch cycling for less in the UK
- Read more: Which countries can watch cycling for free in 2025?
Classic Brugge-De Panne 2025: UK TV times
All times GMT and subject to change by the broadcasters
TNT Sports online: 13:00-17:15
TNT Sports 1: 15:00-17:00
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025 start list
Data powered by FirstCycling.com
E3 Saxo Bank Classic: Previous winners
2024: Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
2023: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
2022: Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma)
2021: Kasper Asgreen (Deceuninck-Quick-Step)
2020: No race (COVID pandemic)
2019: Zdenek Štybar (Deceuninck-Quick-Step)
2018: Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors)
2017: Greg van Avermaet (BMC Racing Team)
2016: Michał Kwiatkowski (Team Sky)
2015: Geraint Thomas (Team Sky)
2014: Peter Sagan (Cannondale)
2013: Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard)
2012: Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step)
2011: Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek)
2010: Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank)
2009: Filippo Pozzato (Team Katusha)
2008: Kurt Asle Arvesen (Team CSC)
2007: Tom Boonen (Quick-Step-Innergetic)
2006: Tom Boonen (Quick-Step-Innergetic)
2005: Tom Boonen (Quick-Step-Innergetic)
2004: Tom Boonen (Quick-Step-Davitamon)
2003: Steven de Jongh (Rabobank)
2002: Dario Pieri (Alessio)
2001: Andrei Tchmil (Lotto-Adecco)
2000: Sergei Ivanov (Farm Frites)
The post E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025 preview: Route, favourites, how to watch and start list appeared first on Cyclist.