14,000 Tour de Flanders sportive riders got soaking wet on Saturday, but the weather in Flanders is expected to dry out and there is a chance of sunshine for both men and women on Sunday.

The wet cobblestone surface forced many sportive riders to walk the Koppenberg, as riders like Tadej Pogachar did during the final reconnaissance on Friday. However, the race organizer, Flanders Classic, cleaned the cobblestones once more before Sunday, promising a safe race.

Parts of the Koppenberg will dry overnight, but other sections will remain in the shade and could remain wet. Of the 19 climbs on the Tour of Flanders route, it will be more important than ever to be in front on the 14th climb.

Flanders meteorologist Bram Verbruggen confirmed that the latest data shows that Sunday will be dry for the Tour of Flanders, with sunny skies later in the day and temperatures of around 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoon.

Northeasterly winds are expected to blow at 10-25 km/h. This could be the biggest factor on roads in the Flanders region.

The early breakaway groups will enjoy the tailwind and try to build a lead on the peloton, but after 75km, the wind will change to a headwind and they will face crosswinds until they hit the first of 19 Herringens. Because of the twists and turns of the route, racers could face ever-changing winds throughout the race.

A fast approach is expected on the Aude Kwaremont climb due to the crosswind, but the short section before the Paterberg will be a headwind.

Importantly, the remaining 13 km from the top of the Paterberg to the finish in Oudenaarde will be headwind.

The big three of Mathieu van der Pol (Alpecin Deceuninck), Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates), and Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) are widely expected to escape on the final climb of Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, though, The headwind could slow their attack and, as it did last year, perhaps the chase group could catch up in the final kilometer.

The riders completed their final reconnaissance in the rain on Friday, with many teams opting to spend time in their home trainers rather than riding in the rain on Saturday. Van Aert was one of the few riders to make the trip, and the Jumbo Visma riders rode 65 km on Flanders trails.

In contrast, Van der Pol arrived at the Alpecin des Seuninck hotel in Oostkamp late Saturday afternoon after a week of training in Spain. He did not do a reconnaissance ride, claiming that he was familiar with the route, having ridden the Tour de Flanders four times and won it in 2020 and 2022.

Most riders will be glad the weather forecast is looking better. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) does not mind racing in the rain, but would prefer a dry race to avoid bad luck.

"I don't care if it's wet or dry. Usually a lot of riders drop out of the competition, so then I don't mind if it rains. But I still don't want light rain on Sunday because it increases the chances of bad luck," Dane said.

"I think the Koppenberg will be the big climax right now. But the Koppenberg is covered with trees and even if it's dry for two weeks it's still slippery."

"It's really important to get into the Koppenberg in a good position. I've never had a problem with grip on the Koppenberg."

"I've never had a problem with grip on the Koppenberg.

Trek-Segafredo teammate Shirin van Unrooy also has concerns about Koppenberg ahead of his Tour of Flanders debut.

"I had never ridden any climbs or cobblestone sectors other than the Koppenberg before the Recon, so everything was new to me.

"I know Koppenberg from cyclocross races. I know Koppenberg from cyclocross racing. But it's totally different on a road bike with road tires, and it's muddy right now. The forecast for Sunday is sunny, but after so much rain over the weekend, maybe it will still be wet. I just hope I can run that far."