BinckBank Tour 2017 Route stage 3: Blankenberge (bel) - Ardooie (bel)

Wednesday, 9 August 2017 - The 3rd stage of the BinckBank Tour is played out on Belgian soil. At 185 kilometres, the race travels from Blankenberge to Ardooie. The route is almost a perfect copy of the Blankenberge-Ardooie stage in last year's Eneco Tour, when Peter Sagan sprinted to victory.

Last year, departure place Blankenberge debuted in the Eneco Tour. Again, the peloton leaves from the Grote Markt and following a local circuit the first intermediate sprint is at the same place before the riders set off to Ardooie.

At kilometre 143.3 they arrive at the other local round - in Ardooie - and 11.9 kilometres later the first passage on the line occurs. With two laps of 15.4 kilometres the route amounts to 186 kilometres.

Ardooie was a regular host of the Eneco Tour, which is continued in the first BinckBank Tour. On the false flat arrival, a bunch sprint is almost inevitable. In last three editions, Peter Sagan, Tom Boonen and Nacer Bouhanni sprinted to victory. Four years ago, Mark Renshaw jumped clear in the last kilometre to hold off the sprinting peloton.

The Golden Kilometre begins at kilometre 160.1, giving riders the opportunity take to three time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds each within 1 kilometre. The first three riders on the line win 10, 6 and 4 seconds.