Tour of Flanders 2014

The road

At the start

The Kwaremont, three times over

Bruges to Oudenaarde: 257 kilometres and seventeen hills, with the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg saved for the final sixteen. Fabian Cancellara defends the Ronde he won solo off the Paterberg a year ago, still without a win this season. Peter Sagan arrives off his E3 victory, Sep Vanmarcke off a spring of near-misses, and Omega Pharma bring the deepest team of all.

How it was won

1. 170 km to go

   The Kanarieberg lights it

   Ninth climb of the day and the peloton finally bares its teeth: the break's lead falls under two minutes and Trentin and Quinziato jump away, Eisel latching on. From here nothing is calm again.

2. 244 km to go

   Koppenberg

   Impey drags himself over the cruellest cobbles in Flanders a few lengths clear of Terpstra, Boonen, Cancellara, Sagan and Vanmarcke. Behind them the race snaps into pieces — barely twenty riders are left in the front group.

3. 337 km to go

   Boasson Hagen and Devenyns slip clear

   The pair had snuck away over the Mariaborrestraat cobbles with Vandenbergh; on Boonen's beloved Taaienberg they drop him and take a handful of seconds on a group stuffed with every favourite still standing.

4. 433 km to go

   Van Avermaet goes, 33km out

   The escapees are swallowed and thirteen riders lead the Ronde. Devenyns attacks again, then Greg Van Avermaet counters with Stijn Vandenbergh glued to his wheel — and nobody behind will take responsibility. The pace drops, the gap grows to half a minute.

5. 516 km to go

   Cancellara on the Oude Kwaremont

   Third time up the Kwaremont, 25 seconds to close, and the defending champion decides the Ronde is his. Halfway up the cobbles he lifts the pace and simply keeps lifting it: Omega Pharma are scattered, Sagan has no punch left, and only Sep Vanmarcke can follow him across to the leaders.

6. 613 km to go

   Four over the Paterberg

   Cancellara leads Van Avermaet, Vanmarcke and Vandenbergh up the 20 per cent ramp with 13km left. Nothing behind is coming back; the Ronde is now a four-man game of poker across the Flemish flats.

7. 7At the line

   Spartacus makes it three

   In Oudenaarde he opens up early and holds off Van Avermaet and Vanmarcke — a third Tour of Flanders, back to back, equalling the record. 'To repeat at the Tour of Flanders is to make history,' he says afterwards.

The result