The first three days of action are tailor-made for fast finishers. The 1st stage travels on the flat from Beveren, Belgium, to Hulst, the Netherlands. The 2nd stage goes to Ardooie, which is a weathered sprint finish, although Jasper Stuyven outsmarted the pack last year with a late attack. The 3rd stage comprises a total of 166.9 kilometres on a number of loops around the small town of Aalter before the sprinters should have it their way in the finale.
The Ardennes are the backdrop of stage 4. The out-and-back race in Houffalize is just 96.2 kilometres long and includes the steep climb up to Bois des Moines, Saint-Roch and Côte Achouffe multiple times.
It’s back to the fast men on the fifth day of action. The 5th stage starts in Belgium to finish in Venray, the Netherlands. Stage 6 is another Dutch affair – or should we say a super-Dutch affair? The Dutch monarch, parliament and supreme court all reside in Den Haag, where the riders tackle a flat and fast ITT course of 8.4 kilometres.
The last stage of the BinckBank Tour travels to a finish halfway up the infamous Wall of Geraardsbergen. Resembling the Tour of Flanders, the route of the decisive last race features a lot of sharp climbs and cobbles. The finish is a cobbled climb of 400 metres at 5%.
All stages, except the ITT, feature a Golden Kilometre, which is three intermediate sprints within 1,000 metres. Time bonuses of 3, 2 and 1 seconds are awarded for each sprint.
BinckBank Tour 2019: routes, profiles, more
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