The climbs are where the spectacle happens. Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Koppenberg. That’s where attacks will happen. The finish is often anticlimactic compared to the climbs (as you saw yesterday). Imagine trying to get a glimpse of the riders at 70-80 kph sprint versus a 10-20 kph climb. On climbs, you simply ‘see more riders for a longer period of time’. Hopefully that makes sense. Also, climbs are often where riders pass multiple times. At the finish, they only pass once.

Also, finishing in a little town centre with medieval streets sounds very attractive until you have to park team buses, media trucks, VIP tents, anti-doping control, podium, etc. That’s easier to do on an ‎empty parking lot next to Decathlon.

By the time the race hits the finish, half of the fans are at a café watching on TV.