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So much bike racing! And this is when things get super fun with a whole string of Classics coming up. But there\u2019s also lead-up races where riders test their legs before the big ones. Gent-Wevelgem, erm, Ghent-Wevelgen, In Flanders Fields \u2013 From Middelkerke to Wevelgem, or I don\u2019t even know anymore, goes down on Sunday. But first riders get a bit of a leg-opener on Friday, the The E3 Saxo Classic<\/p>\n
Sure, isn\u2019t the biggest race of the spring, but it might be the most revealing. By the time the race hits the Taaienberg and rolls through the Oude Kwaremont, there\u2019s nowhere to hide. If you\u2019ve got the legs, you show it here. If you don\u2019t\u2026well, everyone sees that too.<\/p>\n
E3 Saxo Bank Classic just posted a wildly homophobic cartoon featuring Wout van Aert<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Speaking of nowhere to hide, the social media team at this long-running race (since 1958) may have been stuck in the past in recent years. They have posted a bunch of exceptionally dumb cartoons, hitting all sorts of sexist and homophobic<\/a> notes. It\u2019s actually impressive if you\u2019re a fan of bigotry\u2013they really outdid themselves the past few years. Thankfully, (fingers crossed, don\u2019t wanna jinx this) that trend has stopped. There have been no dumb memes or cartoons shared in 2026.<\/p>\n So mazels to E3, I guess. #growth<\/p>\n The course is one that most riders know by heart, and this year it leans even harder into that. The Kwaremont comes up twice, paired with the Paterberg, which only adds to the pressure before the run back to Harelbeke. Races like this don\u2019t drift to a sprint. They split, and they stay split.<\/p>\n Why has the UCI been so lenient with the E3 Saxo Classic given its sexist and homophobic history?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel<\/a> lines up as the guy to beat again. Two straight wins, both of them convincing, and a course that suits him perfectly. He doesn\u2019t need much of an opening on these climbs. Mads Pedersen of Lidl-Trek had a terrific comeback race at San Remo, however, finishing fourth. Fabio Jakobsen of Team Picnic PostNL is also back in action and could be a factor.<\/p>\n Two Canadians are racing as well. The very in-form Nickolas Zukowsky<\/a> (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) is joined by NSN Cycling\u2019s cobbles specialist, Guillaume Boivin.<\/p>\n