Preview: Scheldeprijs 2024 – Will Jasper Philipsen complete the hat-trick?

In an era where competitions are becoming increasingly spectacular and difficult, the Scheldeprijs traditionally maintain a flat form. Between the hard work of Dwars Door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders and Brabantse Pijl, the fast guys also get their chance in what is sometimes called the World Sprinters' Championship. Who will be Jasper Philipsen's successor? Cycling Looking forward.

date

The last ten Scheldeprijs winners
2023: Jasper Philipsen
2022: Alexander Kristoff
2021: Jasper Philipsen
2020: Caleb Ewan
2019: Fabio Jacobsen
2018: Fabio Jacobsen
2017: Marcel Kittel
2016: Marcel Kittel
2015: Alexander Kristoff
2014: Marcel Kittel

Latest edition

Schildbrigs result 2023
1. Jasper Phillipsen (Alpecin dissoninck)
2. Sam Wellsford (Team DSM) All-in 21st
3. Mark Cavendish (Astana Kazakhstan)
4. Dylan Groenewegen (Jayko Al-Ula)
5. Gerben Thijsen (Intermarche-Wante)

Effect

For the seventh time in history, the Schildbrijs are a guest in Terneuzen, Netherlands – near the Belgian border. The celebrations will take place there on the Stadhuisplein, after which the riders will ride through the Western Scheldt Tunnel towards Ellewoutsdijk in Zuid-Beveland. The wind is unleashed here, as is often the case in Zealand. So you almost immediately have to pay attention to the fan configuration in the peloton.

The exciting passage through Zealand has been slightly modified since last year, compared to previous editions of the Scheldeprijs. For example, riders no longer ride along the Veerse Gatdam, the Deltaweg in Goes, or Havendijk in Yerseke, where in the past the wind would have played a prominent role. However, there are plenty of options for fans when it's raining and windy.

After passing through 's-Heerenhoek (birthplace of cycling legend Jan Raas) and Heinekensand, it passes almost all the time along the surrounding roads of the A58 towards the east. Kapelle, Reimerswaal and Woensdrecht – with the cycling municipality of Hoogerheide as a sub-municipality – also get their share of the Scheldt Prize, but the risk of explosion should be fairly limited here.

After a 74-kilometre race, the riders arrive at the Belgian border in Essen, Antwerp. North of the port of Antwerp, it passes through Kalmthout, Woostwiesel, Loewenhut, Brecht and Schild towards the local circuit of Schouten, which has been restored to its former glory with a length of 16.9 km. The first part passes through winding alleys around the center of Schoten. For the second part of the circuit, the wide Wijnegem, Schilde and Schoten roads are used.

In that local circuit, a 1,700-metre-long walkway over cobblestones (very flat and well laid out) is also a reality. There the peloton is usually drawn on a strip, followed by a passage along the Albert Canal 6.5 kilometers from the finish. There the winds blow again, before heading towards the center of Schoten.

As usual, the finish line is on the Churchlan Road in Schöten, a road more than six meters wide. We will no longer see a bend along the Burkelstraat in the last kilometre, as happened in 2022. The last straight is again a good distance of one and a half kilometres, except for a gentle bend about three hundred meters from the finish in Schöten. The local cycle must be completed four times, for a total of 205 kilometres.

Wednesday 3 April 2024: Terneuzen – Schöten (205.3 km)
Begins: 13.00
He finishes: Between 5:15 pm and 5:40 pm

Favorite

It takes some time to get used to those tough Flemish races, but here we mainly put the fast guys among the favourites. The field of participants may not be as strong as the WorldTour Classics, but the organization has managed to convince eleven world-class teams to come to Terneuzen. Complemented by nine ProTeams and the continental teams Tarteletto-Isorex and BEAT, we are in for a great fight.

Philipsen vs. Merlier – Photo: Cor Vos

Actually it was Jasper Philipsen He shouldn't be starting here at all. The in-form Limburg man initially opted to combine the Tour of Flanders with Paris-Roubaix, a pairing with no room for his beloved Schildberg. But last week that suddenly changed. The Alpecin-Deceuninck performance crew decided to change the Milan-San Remo winner's program as a last resort, causing the Tour to be cancelled. As Philipsen himself admitted to the camera last week: Those difficult gravel slopes don't suit him very well anyway.

So the danger of Scheldeprijs fans is what concerns him most. Philipsen doesn't get too surprised in this situation, and if there's a sprint after that, you can't ignore it. In the Classic Brugge-De Panne we actually had a direct confrontation between Philipsen and its biggest competitor, Tim Merlier. Value relationships become quite clear. Philipsen and Merlier were in trouble, but the former clearly had the faster legs.

In the Soudal Quick-Step, Merlier is perhaps the biggest guarantee of a great victory in the Flemish Spring Classics. Merlier relies mainly on a long sprint, which ideally starts approximately three hundred meters from the finish. You will then have to contact Philipsen to override this. The only flaw with Merlier: While Philipsen has been an ever-present in recent editions and already knows the final like the back of his hand, the two-time Belgian champion won his only Schildebrig title last year.

Groenewegen in Valencia – Photo: Cor Vos

The Dutch side are also eyeing a number of quick players with substance. in the first place Dylan Groenewegen, the big man at Jayco AlUla Speed ​​Racing. Although he is still waiting for his second win of the season, Groenewegen is performing well in the Flemish races. However, his ninth place in Gent-Wevelgem and second place in the Bredene Koksijde Classic prove that he has not lost his fast legs yet. Sometimes we just lack a little luck, and perhaps even a sense of timing.

citizen Arvid de Klein Then he once again exudes self-confidence. In his surprise victory in Paris-Nice, the Tudor rider was also fast, among others, Groenewegen. First prize for the project that ProTeam Tudor is building around “The plan took shape for the first time within the team since last year,” De Kleine explained to us some time ago. “Especially since Michael Zieglard, Rick Plümers and Sebastian Changesi now form a team around me and really provide stability. The four of us want to take those steps. There is already something going on, a kind of sprint project. And it's great that it's coming to fruition now.”

You can also use demolition Casper van Ouden Do not forget. In the first sprint races of the year, the 22-year-old talent from dsm-firmenich PostNl looked set to become the rider who could threaten Tim Merlier at the AlUla Tour. This gave him a stage victory, but once he returned to European soil, the final breakthrough took some time. Especially since top runner Fabio Jacobsen – absent here – also had to get his chances regularly and thus rotated as leader.

Gerben Thijssen wins the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve – Photo: Cor Vos

In terms of speed, it should be Tryben Thijsen Guys like Philipsen and Merlier probably won't be beaten. Just in terms of palms, the powerful Intermarché-Wanty runner still has work to do. Winning a semi-classic like Childebriggs would be a step forward in the field he aims for and deserves. by Sam Welsford (BORA-hansgrohe) You could say the same, but the Australian has already shown he is dominant on the Tour Down Under at the start of this season. Now he is back on the path where he achieved his accomplishment.

Additionally, the list of riders with good sprints is very long. However, they must be able to survive the danger of the propeller. Then we think of names like Juan Sebastian Molano (UAE), Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech), Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Stanislav Aniolkowski (Cofidis), Edward Theunis (Lidl-Trek), Ces Paul (Astana Kazakhtan), Søren Wernskjöld (Uno-X Mobility) and Timothy DuPont (Tarteletto-Isorex).

Favorites according to WielerFlits
**** Jasper Philipsen
*** Tim Merlier, Dylan Groenewegen
** Gerben Theissen, Arvid de Klein, Sam Wellsford
* Casper van Ouden, Juan Sebastian Molano, Søren Wernskjöld, Luca Mozzatto.

Site organization

Weather and TV

Bad weather can have a profound impact on the price of the Scheldt. Riders are exposed to rain all day, and while passing through Holland the wind blows at 5 Beaufort from the southwest. Enough ingredients for interesting Scheldeprijs.

Sporza on that It starts at 2.45pm with the men's live broadcast. Eurosport 2 And Eurosport.nl/Discovery+ Taken fifteen minutes later, at 3 p.m.