Tour of Flanders

Part 2 of our excerpt from "The Spring Classics"

In our new series, "How The Race Was Won," we look at Tom Boonen's Harelbeke win and what it means for Flanders

Photographer and strongman Jered Gruber gives his perspective on the updated parcours for De Ronde

Belgian will be dark horse for BMC Racing

Pozzato finds his form just in time; Yorkshire submits bid to host Tour de France start; Cav may miss Scheldeprijs for childbirth; Museeuw talks new Flanders finale

BMC Racing, Lampre have received no official word on indictments in Italy

The story of De Ronde, as told in the VeloPress book

Omega Pharma director says with new finale, there is no chance to get back if a rider is dropped at Flanders

Slovak isn't targeting De Ronde, but didn't aim to win at De Panne

Eddy Merckx indicted on corruption charge; angry fan threatens to tack Flanders course over route changes; Gilbert still loved by oddsmakers; Gesink to return at Amstel Gold

King of the Classics gives his point of view on today's riders, picks winners through Liège

Cancellara says Tom Boonen is the 'five-star favorite' for Flanders; Gilbert admits he is not ready for Flanders; Lizzie Armitstead wins women's Ghent-Wevelgem; Boom out sick

Former Flanders, Roubaix champ is making the right moves when it counts

Slovak third at Ghent-Wevelgem, sets eyes toward De Ronde

Tommeke attacks on the bergs and delivers bunch sprint win at Harelbeke

BMC Racing captain says San Remo was turning point; calls on RadioShack to share the work

2009 Milan-San Remo runner-up speaks out on Flanders changes, Hushovd departure

Defending RVV champ to take two weeks off the bike after Paris-Nice crash

Preliminary startlist for the 2012 men's Tour of Flanders

Previous winners of the men's Tour of Flanders

Second division teams with a focus on classics will round out the field for the Tour of Flanders

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

Check out CyclingTips's author page.

While in Oudenaarde, VeloNews managing editor Neal Rogers visited the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen, a two-story museum just off the Market Square, dedicated to the history of the Tour of Flanders.

On paper, Garmin-Cervélo boasts the deepest classics team in the sport. Yet the team came up empty-handed at Milan-San Remo and now Flanders.

When push came to shove — and the racing came down to an onslaught of fierce attacking and counterattacking — Nick Nuyens found himself in contention at the 2011 Tour of Flanders.

Fabian Cancellara didn’t just enter the Tour of Flanders as a race favorite — he entered the race as the defending champion and the overwhelming favorite.

Tour of Flanders winners, 1913-2011

Most of this year's Flanders peloton opted to ride straightforward race bikes, mostly using 25mm tubulars.

Nick Legan snaps some pre-race shots of Flanders machinery.

Preliminary Results

• 1. Nick Nuyens (B), Saxo Bank-Sunguard, 256.3km in 6:00:42
• 2.Sylvain Chavanel (F), Quick Step, s.t.
• 3. Fabian Cancellara (Swi), Leopard-Trek, s.t.
• 4. Tom Boonen (B), Quick Step, at 0:02
• 5. Sebastian Langeveld (Nl), Rabobank, at 0:08.
• 6. George Hincapie (USA), BMC, at 0:08
• 7. Björn Leukemans (B), Vacansoleil-DCM, at 0:08
• 8. Staf Scheirlinckx (B), Veranda's Willems-Accent, at 0:08
• 9. Philippe Gilbert (B), Omega Pharma-Lotto, at 0:08
• 10. Geraint Thomas (GB), Sky, at 0:08

The VeloNews crew eyeballs Leopard-Trek's prototype Bontrager wheels before Tour of Flanders.

Fabian Cancellara prefers a bit more rake in his fork and is using a mechanical group instead of Shimano's Di2 Dura-Ace group.

Tech editor Nick Legan checks out Fabian Cancellara's Flanders bike.

BRUGGE, Belgium (VN) – Fabian Cancellara is the undisputed favorite heading into the Tour of Flanders and the reigning champion. He knows it, two-time winner Tom Boonen knows it, and the oddsmakers around cycling-mad Belgium certainly know it. But as to who has more pressure, Cancellara and Boonen both point to the other guy.

Check out Brian Holcombe's author page.

Just how big is De Ronde van Vlaanderen in Belgium? Big enough to spawn a popular new weekly Belgian television program, titled “De Ronde,” a fictional drama, written and directed by Belgian writer/director Jan Eelen.

The cobbled classics are truly a subcategory of their own, reserved for the strongest, grittiest riders of the pro peloton.

MARINA DI CARRARA, Italy (VN) — Fabian Cancellara is confident. But who isn’t? The classics leader for Leopard-Trek will start Tirreno-Adriatico with the stage 1 team time trial on Wednesday. He told reporters Tuesday that he sees no reason that he can’t repeat his double feat of Tour of Flanders/Paris-Roubaix wins from 2010.

Though Mark Cavendish has been relatively quiet so far this season, HTC-Highroad brass is confident that their ace sprinter is poised for a brilliant season.

Roger Hammond is entering perhaps his final year of racing on a beefed up Garmin-Cervelo squad

Saxo Bank's Fabian Cancellara on on Tuesday dismissed claims that he used a motorised bike when winning this season's Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix classics.

The UCI has issued a provisional suspension of RadioShack rider Li Fuyu after he tested positive for the stimulant Clenbuterol at last month’s Tour of Flanders.

After thinking her days in Holland were over, Neben finds herself back — and actually enjoying the racing this time.

Gallery: Boonen's classics bike

Dominique Rollin enjoyed his first taste of the cobbled classics and is eager for more.

Garmin-Slipstream’s David Millar: a man for the cobbled classics?

2010 Tour of Flanders, post race video interviews with Cancellara, Hincapie and Farrar

Replay of live coverage for 2010 Tour of Flanders

Fabian Cancellara's Specialized Tarmac SL3.

Fabian Cancellara was obviously the strongest man in the Tour of Flanders, and his Specialized Tarmac SL3 was equally up to the task, despite one small technical difficulty.

Grace Verbeke (Lotto) wins the women’s Tour of Flanders.

2010 Tour of Flanders results

Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) solos to victory in the 2010 Tour of Flanders.

Flanders Tech Gallery: Katusha and Lampre bikes

A couple of days before the Tour of Flanders, a few ProTour teams pulled into Kortrijk, Belgium to set up camp and begin preparing for the race.

Liquigas will try to play the outsiders role in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, with a handful of riders with freedom to go for it if they have the legs.

Cancellara is relaxed and confident heading into the Tour of Flanders.

The VeloNews crew spots two pairs of Bontrager wheel prototypes in the team parking lot.

Two-time Ronde van Vlaanderen champion Tom Boonen has broken with one of his annual traditions as he bids Sunday to join an elite club of three-time winners on Sunday.

Katusha’s Filippo Pozzato has pulled out of the Tour of Flanders one-day classic because of a lingering ailment, Gazzetta dello Sport reported Friday.

Easter Sunday’s 70-percent chance of rain and forecast temperatures in the upper-40s won’t likely dampen what is expected to be one of the most hotly contested and wide-open editions of the Tour of Flanders in years.

Armstrong to make rare Flanders appearance, Cavendish and Eisel on HTC-Columbia's Flanders team, Dominique Rollin heads the injury-plagued Cervelo squad

Top favorite Filippo Pozzato and his Katusha teammate Serguei Ivanov might miss Sunday’s Tour of Flanders.

2010 Tour of Flanders album

VeloNews.com will deliver live web coverage of the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, along with a race report, tech reports, results and photo galleries.

Quick Step's Tom Boonen and four teammates rode 150 kilometers of the Tour of Flanders course on Wednesday, and called the exercise "quite useful."

Edvald Boasson Hagen will skip this weekend’s Tour of Flanders but hopes to be able to race Paris-Roubaix later next month.