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Who are the favourites for the Tour of Flanders 2025?
The Tour of Flanders, aka De Ronde van Vlaanderen, aka the first cobbled Monument of 2025 and the first part of cycling’s Holy Week, takes place on Sunday 6th April and it is set to be one of the most exciting races of the year so far.
With both men’s and women’s pelotons acclimatising to Flanders’ cobbled climbs and sectors over the past month in races such as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Brugge-De Panne, E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem and Dwars door Vlaanderen, and now it’s time for the big one.
Opening Weekend saw some surprise victories in the men’s and women’s events, with second-division riders taking the wins at Omloop. From then, things have returned to some sense of familiarity, with Mathieu van der Poel coming out on top at Milan-San Remo and E3, while Lorena Wiebes has sprinted her way to glory at a handful of one-day races.
Of course, we all know winning the warm-ups doesn’t guarantee a good performance in the Tour of Flanders, so we’ve rounded up all the favourites and some of the other riders to keep an eye on. So, which riders are going to light up the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg this Sunday?
Tour of Flanders 2025 men’s favourites
We’ll start with the men as they’re racing first.
The three biggest names in one-day racing will be on the start line. We’re talking, of course, about Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Together, Van der Poel and Pogačar have won 14 Monuments since 2020, with the former having won three of the past five editions of the Tour of Flanders and coming second in the other two.
Aside from the ‘big three’, we have nearly-man Mads Pedersen, who has twice finished on the podium here, as well as the older guns of Michael Matthews, Stefan Küng and Alexander Kristoff, along with recent Paris-Nice winner Matteo Jorgenson. The bookmakers, unsurprisingly, back former winners Van der Poel and Pogačar for glory in Oudenaarde.
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)
Van der Poel hasn’t lost a one-day race so far in 2025. Having laid claim to Le Samyn, Milan-San Remo and E3 in completely different scenarios this season, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider has proved that he can win pretty much any race he enters at the moment – at least in the Classics.
The former world champion has won here on three occasions already, and there’s no rider better than him right now when it comes to Monuments. He’s got one under his belt this year already, and he’s finished on the podium of a cobbled Monument on eight occasions. In fact, he’s only missed the top three in either Flanders or Roubaix once since the pandemic.
Van der Poel’s win at E3 last week proves that he’s a level above most of the field on this terrain. That race is considered the Kleine Ronde (Little Tour of Flanders), after all. By dislodging Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna on the bergs there, he clearly demonstrated that he is on track to reach the podium at the Tour of Flanders once more. The only obstacle now is defeating a certain Slovenian.
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates XRG)
Tadej Pogačar has raced the Tour of Flanders twice, back in 2022 and 2023. The first time round, the Slovenian threw away a podium result on the finishing straight despite almost dropping Van der Poel over the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont. The following year, he showed that he had learnt from his mistakes, flying away on the Paterberg and claiming a decisive victory.
Pogačar looks to have kicked off 2025 in the same near-unbeatable form he showed for most of last season. He claimed Strade Bianche in dominant fashion, even after a spill with over 50km to go. Despite his frustration at being outsprinted by Van der Poel at Milan-San Remo, it was clear that on current form Pogačar has the legs to distance the bulk of his rivals here.
Having made the decision to skip E3 last week in favour of going all-in for Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, Pogačar must be bullish about his chances. If San Remo is any indication, Van der Poel will prove even more challenging to drop than in 2023, so we could be in for a battle for the ages.
Let’s just hope that Pogačar makes the decision to wear black shorts this weekend, especially if the weather is anything like last year.
Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike)
Wout van Aert has been a bit of an enigma this season. He raced Opening Weekend, only to take a back seat in favour of his teammates’ ambitions. He then headed off to an altitude camp, which should have, in theory, helped his chances at E3. Instead, he was out of position and missed the move. He’s won that race twice before, so it’s hard to understand why he was so off the mark.
Bearing that in mind, Van Aert starts as the least tipped of the so-called ‘big three’. That said, he has the most to prove. He hasn’t yet won a cobbled Monument, and his title as Van der Poel’s perennial rival is getting snatched away by Pogačar.
He’s consistently touted as one of the two best Classics riders of his generation alongside Van der Poel, but he still only has a single Monument win from Milan-San Remo in 2020. And if he’s not careful, Matteo Jorgenson could assume Visma leadership duties on Sunday.
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)
Often overshadowed by Van der Poel and Van Aert, Mads Pedersen has been a consistent figure at the pointy end of the Classics. This race is suited to his hardy profile, but the climbing may prove all too testing for Pedersen when he’s in the company of Van der Poel and Pogačar.
Pedersen rode a stellar Paris-Nice and has clearly improved his climbing, but he was out of the frame at Milan-San Remo. He redeemed himself at E3 last week, launching a decisive move on the Taaienberg and sticking to Van der Poel’s wheel until the Dutchman launched a stinging attack with over 30km to go. And Van der Poel wasn’t in attendance at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday when Pedersen claimed his first one-day win of the year.
Pedersen will be flanked by a team of strong Classics specialists, including Jasper Stuyven and Toms Skujiņš. Victory will be a big ask, but a podium is well within his grasp. If he does, in fact, reach the podium, he’ll better Wout van Aert’s record at the Tour of Flanders. Could ‘the big three’ stretch out to ‘the big four’?
Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers)
Filippo Ganna wasn’t originally scheduled to take part in the Tour of Flanders. Ineos Grenadiers, however, changed their mind after seeing the Italian’s form at E3. This podium performance wasn’t an isolated result. Ganna finished with impressive runner-ups at both Milan-San Remo and Tirreno-Adriatico during the past month. He’s even declared that he’s in the best form of his road career to date.
With Ganna’s time-trial engine at the helm, Ineos will have a strong direction when it comes to race day on Sunday. Ganna demonstrated at Milan-San Remo and E3 that his climbing legs are in good enough shape to fight for the podium. Plus, his relentless motor on the flat could help to secure another top five finish in a Monument on Sunday.
Ganna has competed in the Tour of Flanders on two previous occasions in 2018 and 2019. After a six-year hiatus, however, he should be able to make the key selection alongside the likes of Pedersen, Van der Poel and Pogačar. A victory might be a bridge too far, but don’t be surprised if he features at the front of the race.
Outsiders
It’s unlikely that any rider defeats Van der Poel or Pogačar. The final podium spot, on the other hand, could be in play.
Visma-Lease a Bike have struggled in the Tour of Flanders in recent years. In the hope of breaking that curse, they’ll have Matteo Jorgenson at their disposition as a secondary leader alongside Van Aert. The American has been in convincing form lately and has the climbing pedigree to follow the main contenders up the course’s steep hellingen.
UAE Team Emirates XRG also have several cars to play. Tim Wellens, Jhonatan Narváez, Nils Politt and Florian Vermeersch could make the top ten in their own right. If Pogačar suffers any mishaps – à la Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2023 – they could swap in and contend for the podium. Politt finished in third place last year in Pogačar’s absence.
Otherwise, we have some reliable cards in Alexander Kristoff and Michael Matthews. The Norwegian has won this race before, and has since made the podium. Matthews was stripped of a medal last year after the commissaires deemed his sprint irregular. His form isn’t quite in the same place as it was in 2024, but the Australian is hungry for another Monument podium to add to his palmarès. Elsewhere, Casper Pedersen or Stefan Küng could make the podium if they’re lucky.
Tour of Flanders 2025 women’s favourites
The women’s race last year was a cakewalk for Lidl-Trek. The team used their strength in depth to get the better of SD Worx and Kasia Niewiadoma on a rainy day, paving the way for Elisa Longo Borghini‘s first Flanders win.
This year, it’s a little different. The reigning champion has switched teams, and SD Worx look to be in better shape than they were 12 months ago. For them, all eyes will be on former victors Lotte Kopecky and Anna van der Breggen. Marianne Vos is another previous winner to keep your eyes out for.
Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)
Lotte Kopecky is the undisputed favourite. She’s won the Tour of Flanders twice before and although she has just a handful of race days to her name so far in 2025, she’s clearly in good form. She was pivotal in support of Lorena Wiebes in Gent-Wevelgem and especially so in Milan-San Remo, and those are the only races she’s ridden so far.
Kopecky no doubt has the kick to get away on the bergs and hellingen, while also possessing the sprint to come out on top if it comes down to a smaller group in Oudenaarde. She’ll be supported by a strong SD Worx line-up, which will include Anna van der Breggen, who is riding her first Flanders since returning to the pro peloton.
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ)
It’s no surprise to find Elisa Longo Borghini on this list as the defending champion.
The former Paris-Roubaix champion is very capable on the cobbles, and her climbing prowess is well documented. Although she’s stripped back her cobbled calendar for 2025 with a bigger target on the Ardennes, she’ll be marked heavily this weekend.
Longo Borghini has moved teams since she won last year, so she’ll be racing for UAE Team ADQ this time round, with riders including Karlijn Swinkels and Elynor Bäckstedt to help her this time around. She won the UAE Tour in February, but has yet to take a win since then, struggling at Strade Bianche and having her late attack at Milan-San Remo thwarted by Kopecky.
Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM-Zondacrypto)
Tour de France Femmes champ Kasia Niewiadoma finished as runner-up last year and has finished inside the top ten seven times here. All she’s missing is the victory.
There’s no question about her climbing skills, she’ll be able to hang on with the best on the bergs. Her form is also picking up after a crash in Strade Bianche too, bouncing back at Milan-San Remo to be in the mix on the Poggio, but since then she’s been out of racing in preparation for this race.
Niewiadoma will want to avoid a sprint against the other main favourites, so she’ll have to try and go solo over the Oude Kwaremont or Paterberg on the final lap around Oudenaarde. If she takes the title on Sunday, she’ll be the first Tour de France Femmes holder to add the Tour of Flanders to their palmarès in the same year.
Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck)
Puck Pieterse is one of the most exciting talents in cycling right now. After adding the road to her repertoire of disciplines, Pieterse has become a staple in the Classics, having finished within the top ranks of the Tour of Flanders and Strade Bianche last spring.
Her results have been consistent this year as well, ending up inside the top ten at every race start this year, including a top five at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Omloop Het Hageland.
With her off-road pedigree, Pieterse will thrive on the cobbled ramps at the Tour of Flanders, and she can also pack a powerful sprint, so she could win in multiple scenarios if she’s in the mix.
Outsiders
In all likelihood, it’s hard to envision a situation where one of the aforementioned riders doesn’t win. However, the women’s peloton has been susceptible to some surprise results. Just cast your minds back to the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad just last month. If SD Worx fail to control the race, it could open up for an outsider.
Noemi Rüegg has been in sensational form so far in 2025. She began the season with an overall win at the Tour Down Under before carrying those legs into the Classics where she finished inside the top ten at Strade Bianche and Trofeo Binda and on the podium at Milan-San Remo. Despite this streak of form, she’s been rather overlooked on the run-up to the Tour of Flanders. EF Education-Oatly don’t have many cards to play on Sunday, so Rüegg should really have her time to shine.
Like Wout van Aert, Marianne Vos has struggled to convert her greatness into consistent Tour of Flanders results. Yes, she has won this race before, but that came over a decade ago in 2013. The GOAT has been on solid form this year, finishing fourth and second in the two races she’s started, however she had to pull out of the final warm-up race Dwars door Vlaanderen before the start due to her ‘fitness’, so her preparation might not be ideal.
SD Worx’s Blanka Vas and Anna van der Breggen could have a chance to chase their own results if Kopecky is off the mark. Without Demi Vollering on the start line, FDJ-Suez’s Amber Kraak will be hoping to replicate her Classics form from last year. AG Insurance-Soudal’s Kim Le Court is also in great form. She’s been climbing well and she can sprint to a solid result if she can hold on over the cobbles.
Finally, Vos’s new teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot never won Flanders in her previous stint as a road rider, but she’s in good form and may have to take sole leadership of Visma should Vos not be in form.
The Cyclist predictions
It’s bound to be a humdinger of a race on Sunday. With anyone and everyone in the Classics world on the start line in Bruges, this should be pound-for-pound the best cobbled race of 2025 – at least in the men’s race.
Having distanced a flailing Wout van Aert, Pogačar, Van der Poel and Pedersen will go clear with around 50km to go. They’ll fight on until Pedersen hits the wall, followed by Tadej Pogačar, who will miss out on a second Tour of Flanders trophy to Mathieu van der Poel. The race is almost custom-made for the Dutchman – who was born and raised in Flanders – and he’ll become the most successful rider in Tour of Flanders history.
As for the women, we’re long overdue an SD Worx masterclass on the cobbles. With Vas and Van der Breggen on board, Kopecky will receive a red carpet to Oudenaarde. Dressed in the rainbow bands, she’ll take her third Tour of Flanders crown, closing a weekend of Classics greatness. And then they’ll both do it all again at Roubaix a week later.
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