Get those waffles out of your cupboard and dig in as Rose Manley and Lizzy Banks discuss the 2026 edition of the women’s Tour of Flanders.

An all star cast of riders lined up to face the 15 cobbled sections and climbs of the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. Amongst them, record holding three time winner Lotte Kopecky who has been on sporadic form this season and two time champion Elisa Longo Borghini who heads up a firing UAE Team ADQ. The race also offers up a number of other conundrums. Can Dwars door Vlaanderen winner Marlen Reusser double up and take a second Flandrian win this week? Will Demi Vollering finally add a Flanders title to her palmares? Might Lorena Wiebes survive the climbs and go for the win?

Also on the agenda: Lizzy builds a Noah’s Ark for cats and the waffle-o-meter gets a grilling.

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Join Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie for Arrivée, the post-race reaction to the second Monument of the spring campaign, the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

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Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

The 11.01 Cappuccino
Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

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Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.

The Cycling Podcast returns to recap the latest round of cobbled Classics, with the E3 Saxo Classic and In Flanders Fields neatly teeing up the Ronde van Vlaanderen this weekend.

Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie examine both races in detail, looking at how Alpecin-Premier Tech made it another superb weekend for them. First up was Mathieu van der Poel’s latest cobbled clinic in E3…not that he didn’t leave us guessing until the final kilometre. A similarly nailbiting pursuit match the following day saw MvdP reunited with old foe Wout Van Aert, though it was Jasper Philipsen who finally prevailed.

We ask what this all means for the big one at the weekend, with a little help from faithful Flandrian correspondent Hugo Coorevits. We also cover the big talking points from the Volta a Catalunya, which was dominated by Jonas Vingegaard.

EPISODE SPONSORS

Bikmo
This episode of The Cycling Podcast is brought to you by Bikmo cycle insurance – because let's face it, things happen. Whether it's a crash landing, the heartbreak of a stolen bike, or the ultimate facepalm moment of reversing over your prized aero wheel, Bikmo has you covered. Flexible policies that you can cancel anytime, 50% off extra bikes in your household, protection for your kit, race entries, and even damage while travelling to your next epic ride – they've thought of it all. Protect your ride before it's too late – head to Bikmo.com to get covered.

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Friends of the Podcast
Sign up as a Friend of the Podcast at thecyclingpodcast.com to listen to new special episodes every month plus a back catalogue of more than 300 exclusive episodes.

The 11.01 Cappuccino
Our regular email newsletter is now on Substack. Subscribe here for frothy, full-fat updates to enjoy any time (as long as it’s after 11am).

The Cannibal & Badger
Friends of the Podcast can join the discussion at our new virtual pub, The Cannibal & Badger. A friendly forum to talk about cycling and the podcast. Log in to your Friends of the Podcast account to join in.

The Cycling Podcast is on Strava

The Cycling Podcast was founded in 2013 by Richard Moore, Daniel Friebe and Lionel Birnie.