The Flanders Classic has announced significant new climbs for the women as part of longer routes in both the Ghent-Wevelgem and Tour of Flanders women's World Tour events.

This spring's Ghent-Wevelgem, the 11th edition of the event, will feature a 159-km race for women, 17 km longer than the previous edition, and will include a double climb on the Kemelberg.

A week later, in this year's 19th Tour de Flanders, riders will ride 158.5 km and pass through the Koppenberg for the first time.

This year, the route details were kept under wraps and spectators were not allowed access to the climbs and cobbled sections, and organizers took steps to minimize the risks of COVID-19 in this area. Marianne Vos (Jumbo-Visma) held off a charging peloton to win Ghent-Wevelgem, while Annemiek van Fruten (Movistar Team) attacked on the final climb to win the Tour de Flanders.

Ghent-Wevelgem will be the fifth stop on the women's WorldTour calendar next spring, and the race will start at 1:50 p.m. local time on March 27 under the Meynin Gate in Ypres, a new start for 2019. The route heads to De Moeren and will encounter traditionally windy sections on the way to Wevelgem, organizers said in the announcement.

The riders will climb up the Belvedere side on the Monteberg to Kemmelberg climb. They will then climb the Scherpenberg and Baneberg, as they did last year, and then the even steeper Kemmelberg climb on the Ostert side.

The final 54 km on the Vanackeresstraat in Wevelgem will be the same for both men and women, with no major changes to the 249 km route for the men. Organizers noted that the women's final will again be broadcast live.

In the previous edition, organizers added 1.1 km to the total distance of the race after a fire in the city of Mainen necessitated a change in the route. The detour for the remaining 90 km for the men and the second half of the women's race, which was announced before the start of the race, did not significantly affect the results, as both routes ended in Wevelgem as planned.

The top riders in the women's peloton will be back in action on April 3 for the Tour de Flanders, the pinnacle of cobbled classics. When the race starts at 1:25 p.m. local time, the riders will pass through the Markt in Oudenaarde and head into the hills, just like the men.

The same final as the men's race awaits in the last 45 km after crossing the Koppenberg. After the 22 percent gradient in the Koppenberg, the route passes through Steenbekdries, Teienberg, and Kruisberg/Hotond, and the women will run the same 45 km to the finish on the Minderbroederstraat in Oudenaarde.

The one-two punch of Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg continues into the final. Like last year, the men's route will remain unchanged, starting in Antwerp and running 272.5 km.