Just a quick note to let members know about this years Tour of Flanders Cyclo, the Belgian version of our London Marathon. For those that have never been before, its an opportunity to ride some, or all, of the Tour of Flanders course, the day before the elite professional race. As many other members will know from their previous visits, it’s a great opportunity to do a sportive, and then stay and see the pro riders go over the same course the next day. No one can fail to be impressed how fast the pros ride once they’ve tried it themselves!
This year was my 3rd visit, and I elected to ride the 130km route, which starts and finishes in Oudenaarde. Logistically, this is easier than doing the whole 260km route which starts in Bruge, and still takes in all the major climbs and cobbled sections – although just the once up the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg, which is more than enough. Stay in Ghent and it’s an easy 30 minute drive to the start/finish. Despite the forecast of a nice, warm sunny day it was pretty cold and grey on the Saturday, so the gilet stayed on most of the ride – it was Flanders in April after all. Luckily there was no rain, so the course was pretty dry, although a lot of the roads see more farm traffic than anything else, so plenty of muck to keep things interesting.
For those that have never ridden on the cobbles before, that traverse across the first flat section before the Molenberg is a baptism of fire. Although I’ve done it before, the memory of how hard it is to ride on cobbles seems to fade soon after the ride. Although the cobbled sections are rarely more than 1km in length, it’s easy to lose minutes to the experienced Belgian riders who seem to glide over the top. Whilst its feels like you’re hitting every single cobble head-on and the resulting shock seriously pummells the arms and legs. It’s not helped by looking at the computer which rarely shows more than 12mph on the flat when you’re trying really hard! Every cobbled section seems to take hours and by the time you get to the Oude Kwaremont, it’s 2.2km length seems to take an eternity.
Most people would do this ride so they can experience the Tour of Flanders course, and especially the iconic climbs such as the Koppenberg, Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont. Until this year, I’d never experienced Strava, so it’s pretty cool to see how you compare to the likes of Niki Terpstra and Michal Kwiatkowski, who head up the leaderboard on some sections. You also get to sprint up the finish straight and hold your arms up as you cross the actual finish line. However, be aware that up to 18,000 people ride this event, so congestion on the climbs is an issue. With up to 20% cobbled gradients, many riders have to get off and walk, creating a human barrier for others trying to get through. But I’d say that’s the only negative in what is an otherwise excellent ride over an iconic course. Its very well organised, with food and drink stops every 30km, great marshalling and excellent video/photography at key positions. The attached photos give you an impression of the event, the course and the numbers of riders. Oh, and that’s me cresting the Paterberg in the lead just like Sagan (I wish!).
If you do this sportive you must stay on to see the elite races on the Sunday. Over the last few years the number of spectators at the Tour of Flanders seems to have increased substantially (I first went in 2010). As a result the organisers are much stricter on closing roads and having organised park and ride operations in place to get fans to/from the major climbs on the Sunday. Most park and rides were open from 8am with the last buses leaving around 11am – you need to get there early for a good spot. Although all public park and ride is free, this year, we paid a reasonable fee to go in a hospitality tent at a location that saw the race pass us 3 times (just before the foot of the Oude Kwaremont).
There are plenty of big screens around the course, so you can usually find a spot to see the entire race whilst enjoying a few Belgian beers, sausages and frites. Our hospitality also included the winner of Belgiums Got Talent singing Neil Diamond songs before the race came live on TV. Its an experience not to be missed! I think the free beer probably helped, but by 12 noon he had whipped the crowd into such a frenzy that there were about 30 mad Belgians doing a conga around the tent! Now that’s how to warm up for a bike race!
After seeing the race pass 3 times, and shouting at the large screens with the Belgians, and drinking far too many Kwaremont beers, there was plenty of time for my wife to make the short trip back to Calais for the 8pm Eurotunnel. All in all an excellent weekend and highly recommended to any cyclist who loves the cobbled classics.
Mark Robertson
