What makes the ideal parcours for a bike race? Is it one that ensures that the cream rises to the top, and the strongest and most deserving rider comes out on top? Or one that leaves plenty of room for tactical nuance and unpredictability, where underdogs have the potential to take the favourites by surprise?
The answer is, of course, more complicated than the simple binary, and much depends on the kind of race. But the trend in recent years (at least, in men’s cycling) has been towards the former. Think back over the last couple of seasons, and there’s been a far higher ratio of big races decided by large gaps and solo escapes from the strongest rider. Increasingly, the same riders are winning the big races, aided by parcours that play into their strengths and give everyone else scant chance.
A few weeks ago there was an announcement confirming that there would be changes made to the E3 Saxo Classic route. The organisers of the Belgian cobbled Classic have added a second ascent of the famous Oude Kwaremont climb, in addition to a new double ascent of the E3 Col, bringing the total elevation gain up from 2,800m to 3,000m. The race is already seen as the closest proximate to the Tour of Flanders, a semi-classic shorter and with less climbing than De Ronde, but still challenging enough to be the perfect trial run for it. Now, the races are yet more similar.
What’s the reason for the change? There’s been some speculation that it’s a ploy to attract a certain Tadej Pogačar. In the eyes of race organisers, the Slovenian is box office, and securing his presence represents a major marketing coup. Despite his recent interest in the spring Classics, Pogačar hasn’t returned to the E3 Saxo Classic since making his debut in 2023, when he finished third behind Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. Perhaps the organisers believe that the inclusion of more climbing, that plays more to his strengths than the riders who defeated him that day, might be enough to persuade him to add the race to his 2026 itinerary.
Read more: Did Tadej Pogačar’s domination make the 2025 season boring or brilliant?
They would not be the first race organisers to have Pogačar in mind when designing race routes. Christian Prudhomme didn’t hide that last week, when announcing the route for next year’s Tour de France that had no radical changes or ideas to complicate matters for the defending champion. “I imagine that when Pogačar sees…