Known as the ‘mini Ronde van Vlaanderen’ E3 Saxo Classic (formerly E3 Harelbeke) is one of the final, crucial indicators of form before the second Monument of the cycling season, the Tour of Flanders. The semi-Classic, which takes place on March 28, 2025, always attracts a star-studded line-up of riders who will use E3 as their final dress rehearsal before the De Ronde. Last year, Mathieu van der Poel took an impressive solo victory in this race, using the Paterberg to launch his winning attack with over 40 kilometres still to go. His longtime rival, Wout van Aert, on the other hand, crashed on the climb which put an end to his chances of another showdown with the Dutch rider.
In 2025, Van der Poel is looking stronger than ever off the back of his second consecutive Milan-Sanremo victory, while Van Aert has kept a low profile having not raced since Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne at the start of March. Of course, it’s not going to be a two-horse race between the pair as world champion Tadej Pogačar is also due to take the startline in Harelbeke on Friday. The UAE Team Emirates rider last raced in E3 two years ago when he finished in third place before going on to take a historic victory at the Tour of Flanders a week later. Pogačar can thrive on the short, steep climbs of Belgium and has a strong team around him, but it remains to be seen whether the terrain is difficult enough for him to put the puncheurs into difficulty.
E3 Saxo Classic Route
With a route spanning 208.6 kilometres, the E3 Saxo Classic features 17 climbs which mostly come in the last half of the race. The longest ‘berg’ is La Houppe which is 1880 metres at 4.8% average and 10% maximum gradient and the riders hit this after 90 kilometres of racing. After that, there is barely any respite for the peloton with well-known ascents such as the Hotondberg, Paterberg and the Oude Kwaremont coming thick and fast. The final climb of the day is the Tiegemberg which comes with 20 kilometres of the race left – it is 750 metres long at 5.6% average and 9% maximum gradient. A flat and fast run into Harelbeke closes the race, and we can expect either a breakaway or extremely select group to compete for the race victory. Whoever comes out on top will have a target on their back heading into Flanders the following Sunday.
E3 Saxo Classic contenders
Mathieu van der Poel
Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Mathieu van der Poel comes into E3 Saxo Classic as defending champion and is arguably the stand-out favourite to take victory in Harelbeke on Friday. The Dutch rider showed at Milan-Sanremo that he is strong enough on the climbs to respond to Pogačar’s all-out attacks, still with enough left to pack a punch at the finish line. Van der Poel is adept at finessing the cobbles (he opened his season with a win at Ename Samyn Classic earlier this season) and is perfectly suited to the explosive nature of Flandrian terrain. Unlike Pogačar, Van der Poel does not need to ride offensively and attack to try to drop the sprinters at E3 as he can hold his own in a reduced bunch kick, which gives him the luxury of just having to watch and wait to see what UAE Team Emirates are doing, rather than controlling the race himself.
Image: Tornanti
When Van der Poel won E3 last year, he then went on to have one of the best Classics seasons in history with victories in both Flanders and Paris-Roubaix so it will be important for the 30-year-old to make another solid start to his cobbles campaign in 2025 too. While Van der Poel himself didn’t ride Opening Weekend, Alpecin-Deceuninck were an impressively strong unit of collective strength, so having teammates to help position him for the climbs shouldn’t be a problem for the former world champion either.
Tadej Pogačar
Likely the most talked-about rider in professional bike racing right now, Tadej Pogačar is delighting fans by taking on a full Classics season before placing his focus on defending his Tour de France title later this year. He won Strade Bianche a few weeks ago despite a spectacular crash midway through the race, then lit up Milan-Sanremo last weekend on the Cipressa. Despite his best efforts, however, Pogačar couldn’t drop his rivals on the Italian climbs – he’ll be trying his best to do so in Flanders where the climbs are steeper and more frequent.
Image: Tornanti
UAE Team Emirates have got a breathtakingly strong squad heading to E3, with the likes of Tim Wellens, Nils Politt and Jhonatan Narváez contenders for the race win in their own right. However, it will undoubtedly be all-in for the world champion to try and win in Belgium, and we can expect more of his trademark, long-range attacks on Friday. The question is whether they will test the legs enough of his rivals – Pogačar needs to come to the finish line either alone or in a very small group (that doesn’t include the fastest finishers) if he wants to stand on the top step of the podium in Harelbeke.
Wout van Aert
Visma-Lease a Bike and Wout van Aert have taken a different approach to the Classics block in comparison to the likes of Van der Poel and Pogačar, with Van Aert skipping both Strade Bianche and Milan-Sanremo after racing on Opening Weekend. The Belgian rider’s performances at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne were respectable but his multiple attacks didn’t end up reaping rewards in terms of results, with his best placing being 11th at Omloop. Van Aert has won E3 Saxo Classic on two occasions, however, and he knows the parcours of Flanders like the back of his hand. In 2022, he came to the finish with his then-teammate Christophe Laporte, and in 2023 he outsprinted both Van der Poel and Pogačar to take his second consecutive victory.
Image: Chris Auld
If he can exhibit the same type of form he showed in 2023 on Friday, Van Aert should be able to follow the inevitable attacks from Pogačar on the short, steep climbs. Though the Belgian rider has struggled to find his old self following his big crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2024 which cut his Classics season short. With Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Dylan van Baarle and Matteo Jorgenson in their line-up, Visma-Lease a Bike do have a formidable team for E3 – it’s going to be a big fight between them and UAE Team Emirates.
Mads Pedersen
E3 will be the first Belgian Classic of Mads Pedersen’s 2025 season, with Lidl-Trek sending the Dane to stage races like Tour de la Provence and Paris-Nice instead of Opening Weekend this year. Pedersen has already won twice so far in 2025, taking the general classification in Provence and a stage of Paris-Nice (as well as the points classification). He proved in Sanremo that skipping the major one-day races so far this year hasn’t hindered his form – Pedersen came in a respectable seventh place in Italy.
Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
Despite his abilities as a sprinter, the 29-year-old can still handle the tough terrain of Flanders – though it is certainly going to be difficult for him to respond to Pogačar’s attacks. If he can’t immediately follow the wheels of his lighter rivals on the bergs, Pedersen will be hoping that the race comes back together on the run into Harelbeke, or that those in front don’t cooperate once the climbs have been completed, because he is one of the fastest finishers in the peloton at the end of a tough race. His Lidl-Trek teammates are going to be crucial to Pedersen having a successful race in E3 as he will need them to help close down gaps and keep him as well-positioned as possible for the climbs. Riders like Jasper Stuyven and Toms Skujiņš are both looking strong this year for the American squad so we can expect them to play a part in Pedersen’s potential success at E3.
Stefan Küng
Although he is not usually identified as one of the big favourites when it comes to the Classics compared to riders with the palmarès of Pogačar and Van der Poel, Stefan Küng should not be counted out as a rider who could have an impact on the race at E3. The Groupama-FDJ rider finished third at Dwars door Vlaanderen last season and was fifth at Paris-Roubaix – he’s also been in the top six of both E3 Saxo Classic and the Tour of Flanders in previous years.
Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
While he’s yet to secure a stand-out result this year, Küng always comes into his own on the cobbles and Groupama-FDJ do have a strong team of riders who will be able to make opportunistic attacks if the big favourites start to watch each other. Riders like Valentin Madouas and Lewis Askey have both impressed in the Classics before, with the French rider finishing on the podium of the Tour of Flanders in 2022. It’s a tall order for Küng and Groupama-FDJ to challenge UAE and Visma, but it could work in their favour that they aren’t under too much pressure with favourite status, and they can use this to their advantage.
Other contenders
Sometimes if E3 Saxo Classic is raced less aggressively, fast finishers have a shot at making it back to the group in time to sprint for victory in Harelbeke. This is an unlikely outcome with an attacking Pogačar on the start list in 2025, but if things do come back together before the line, Biniam Girmay is a good option for Intermarché-Wanty – he has won Gent-Wevelgem before and has shown promise on the cobbles over the last few years. Likewise, if Arnaud De Lie can make it to the finish for Lotto, he will be a tough rider to beat in a sprint.
Six-time Tour de France stage winner and twice former world champion Julian Alaphilippe of Tudor Pro Cycling can also never be counted out – he loves an attacking race and showed glimmers of his former self at the end of last season when he finished second at the tough Spanish one-day race, Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa. Also a punchy rider who excels in repeated efforts, Jhonatan Narváez is a very good back-up option for UAE Team Emirates if he isn’t put to work for Pogačar.
Prediction
We predict that Mathieu van der Poel will take victory in E3 Saxo Classic this year. He has the form to be able to respond to attacks from Pogačar on the climbs this season, and his finishing sprint is devastating to those up against him at the finish line.
Cover image: Tornanti
