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The Muur of Geraardsbergen, also popularly known as the Kapelmuur due to the small chapel at its summit, is one of the most famous cobbled hills in the world, especially for its inclusion in the spring Flemish classics. Although the Muur has been removed from the Ronde van Vlaanderen route since 2012, the climb is still used in races like Omloop Het Nieuwsblad or the Renewi Tour, that starts next Wednesday. The race, which takes place between Belgium and the Netherlands, is a stage race successor to the former Benelux Tour.

Route

The race consists of five stages. The first and last stages feature hilly profiles full of climbs, with the final stage being particularly decisive for the general classification, as it includes several ascents of the cobbled hills of the Bosberg (1.4 km at 4.5%) and the Muur of Geraardsbergen (1.2 km at 7.5%). The second stage is an individual time trial, which could also be crucial for the general classification, while stages 3 and 4 are completely flat and will almost certainly end in bunch sprints.

Favorites

The presence of a time trial influences the list of GC favorites, where time trial specialists like Filippo Ganna (800), Magnus Sheffield (600), Stefan Bisseger (400), Mikkel Bjerg (400), Ilan Van Wilder (800), Yves Lampaert (400), Kévin Vauquelin (600), Tobias Foss (400), Tim Wellens (400), or Maximilian Schachmann (200) should be included. Other contenders for a strong overall performance include Mathieu Van der Poel (600), Ben Healy (600), Aurélien Paret Peintre (400), Matej Mohorič (600), Christophe Laporte (600), Arnaud De Lie (800), or Tiesj Benoot (400).

For the flat stages, Jasper Philipsen (1200), Olav Kooij (1000), Jonathan Milan (1000), Tim Merlier (1000), Biniam Girmay (1000), Dylan Groenewegen (800), Jordi Meeus (600), Marijn Van Den Berg (800), Fabio Jakobsen (600), Sam Bennett (800), Phil Bauhaus (800), Fernando Gaviria (600), Juan Sebastián Molano (600), or Arnaud De Lie (800) himself make up a spectacular list of sprinters.

Photo: © Renewi Tour