Tour of Flanders 2026 - women: Route

Sunday 5 April — The Tour of Flanders Women is 164.1 kilometres long and features nine climbs and six cobbled sectors. More than half of the hills are packed into the final 45 kilometres. After the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg combo, the race concludes with a flat 13.2-kilometre run-in to the line.

Published on 1 April 2026

Charactestics: the ultimate Flemish cobbled classic
164.1 kilometres, 1,324 metres of climbing
Favourites: Lotte Kopecky, Demi Vollering, Lorena Wiebes, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Elisa Longo Borghini

The riders clip in on the Markt in Oudenaarde and in the opening 62 kilometres they face the cobbles of the Lange Munte, Lippenhovenstraat and Paddestraat. Halfway through the race the first climb comes in the shape of the Wolvenberg.

The Wolvenberg also marks the start of the first sequence of obstacles, as the cobbles of the Kerkgate and Jagerij are soon followed by the climbs of the Molenberg and Marlboroughstraat. A period of relative calm then takes the riders over 13 kilometres to the Eikenberg, where the action really starts to heat up.

After the the cobbled climb up Eikenberg, there is never more than 7 kilometres between the following four obstacles: Koppenberg (cobbled climb), Mariaborrestraat (cobbles) and Taaienberg. After that cobbled climb, it is roughly 10 kilometres before the riders crest the Oude Kruisberg/Hotond — and by then the finale is in full swing.

With just under 19 kilometres to go, the cobbled Oude Kwaremont awaits. The 2,200-metre climb at 4% is followed shortly afterwards by the Paterberg — also cobbled, but much shorter and steeper: 360 metres at 12.9%, with a maximum gradient of 20.3%.

From the top of the Paterberg, it is 13.3 kilometres of flat roads to the finish.

Last year the race exploded on the Oude Kwaremont when Pauline Ferrand-Prévot attacked from the leading group. Only Lotte Kopecky, Liane Lippert and Kasia Niewiadoma could match the move, and the quartet crested the climb 10 seconds ahead of the first chasers. The gap doubled on the Paterberg, and they continued to pull clear afterwards.

Kopecky proved by far the strongest in the sprint, finishing ahead of Ferrand-Prévot and Lippert to become a three-time winner of the Tour of Flanders — a feat no woman had achieved before. Will she make it four this year, or will Wiebes survive the climbs and sprint for victory for SD Worx-Protime?

Compared to previous editions, the route includes fewer climbs, which theoretically benefits the sprinters. The last time the Tour of Flanders featured so few climbs — in 2019, when there were still slightly more, ten — sprinter Marta Bastianelli claimed victory.

Fancy riding the route yourself? Download GPX women's Tour of Flanders 2026.

The Tour of Flanders for women starts at 13:15 and is expected to finish around 17:40.