Columbia-Highroad’s women’s team heads for the Tour of Flanders in Belgium this Sunday with a strong lineup for the top Belgian Classic. Despite missing last year’s winner Judith Arndt, who is recovering from a broken collarbone, the Columbia-Highroad women are feeling confident and optimistic about their chances.

The weather on Sunday’s Classic is always a big factor, and former World Cup winner and Columbia-Highroad rider Chantal Beltman says the unusually dry, clear weather expected over the weekend could completely change the shape of the race. “If it stays dry like it is now, it will be a lot faster than usual, and be a much more nervous race. So the bunch will probably stay together for longer,” Beltman believes. “In Flanders, the strongest and cleverest rider of the day always wins. But if the weather remains good, it will be harder to see who that is until late in the race. It won’t split apart on the early climbs like it usually does. Flanders and Classics racing are always about saving as much energy as possible until the last possible moment. This time around, if the race takes a while to take shape, using your strength right could be even more important than usual.”

Beltman feels that the absence of defending champion Judith Arndt of Columbia-Highroad will make the course quite different for her teammates. “It’s a real pity we don’t have Judith (Ardnt). She took a great win last year. But that will make for a more open race where each of us will be able to take our own opportunity. We’ll each be on the lookout for every chance that we can take and try and get into the breaks. Personally, I’ve ridden fewer races this Spring than last year, but I know the course very well, because I’ve ridden every edition of the women’s Tour of Flanders since it began. Knowing where big moves tend to go should help me be in the right place at the crucial points, and that could be what counts.”

Columbia-Highroad for Flanders - Kim Anderson (USA); Chantal Beltman (Hol); Luise Keller (Ger); Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Ger); Linda Villumsen (Den); Alex Wrubleski (Can).