Today the Driedaagse West-Vlaanderen starts in the Grote Markt of Kortrijk. The race is comprised of three relatively flat stages and ends on Sunday in Ichtegem.
Since the race doesn’t have a clear front-runner, Bobbie Traksel and Niko Eeckhout, first and second place finishers from last year should be watched. Other riders that are on good form include Wouter Weylandt, Danilo Napolitano, Kevyn Ista and Frank Vandenbroucke who is staging another comeback to the sport with the Cinelli Down Under team.
The course is relatively unchanged from the previous year, having the first stage featuring the climb to cross Bellegem. Saturday brings a flat stage through the northern part of the province, and on the closing day the riders will have to contend with the Kemmelberg.
Stage List:
Stage 1: Kortrijk – Bellegem (176.4 km)
Stage 2: Torhout – Handzame (184.4 km)
Stage 3: Ichtegem – Ichtegem (185.7 km)