The 2016 Tour of Flanders will follow almost the same route as in 2015. On Sunday morning, the organizers that only a few changes have been made. Vlaanderen's Mooiste will celebrate its 100th edition in 2016 and the focus will again be the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg.

"The Tour is a unique Flemish folk festival. A race that resonates far beyond our borders. A monument on the international cycling calendar. We note that the riders have got an increasingly better feeling of the new route of the Tour of Flanders," says race director Wim Van Herreweghe in a press release. "Our Belgian top riders like Boonen, Gilbertm Van Avermaet and Vanmarcke are already dreaming of winning the 100th  Ronde. But they will have to consider youngsters like Tiesj Benoot and foreign riders like Sagan, Cancellara and Degenkolb.

"In recent years, the course has made ​​for a captivating race. In the last 150 kilometers there was a maximum of 12 kilometers between the cobblestones and hellingen and that makes it difficult to control the race," he explains. "The attacking spirit of Jurgen Roelandts, Greg Van Avermaet, Stijn Vandenbergh, Niki Terpstra and Alexander Kristoff was rewarded in the past editions. It always produced a stunning finale and an impressive podium. Flanders Classics continues along the same path. The rhythm of the last 150 kilometers is the same as in 2015."

On Sunday, April 3, the riders will start from the Grote Markt in Brugge and will cover a distance of 256 kilometers. During the initial stages, the peloton will pass through Torhout, hometown of founder Karel Van Wijnendaele. After a passage through Roeselaere, they will head to Tielt. There is no 2016 "Dorp van de Ronde." Instead the organizers prefer to send the riders through Kanegem (hometown of Briek Schotte) and Aarsele (residence of Roger Decock, the oldest living winner). Via Zulte and Kruishoutem, the race heads to the Flemish Ardennes where they will tackle 18 climbs and 7 cobblestone sections. The Holleweg cobbles are replaced by the Jagerij.

The finale is well-known and similar to the one that was used in 2014 and 2015. There are three passages of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg will be climbed twice. After the Koppenberg, the riders will tackle the Steenbeekdries (with 39kmto go), Taaienberg (37km), Kruisberg (27km), Oude Kwaremont (17km) and Paterberg (13km). For the fifth year in a row, the finish is on the Minderbroedersstraat in Oudenaarde.