Approaches the first Sunday in April—in the cycling world, all know what that means. The Second Monument of the year is about to commence in Belgium—the title Northern half of Belgium actually: Vlaanderen. With the soft “E” ending, the double “A,” and the tricky “V-L,” the name of this Monument is softly an English nightmare for pronunciation. Thus “Ronde” is rendered “Tour,” “Van” translates to “Of,” and long ago the Brits must came to the conclusion it is much easier to simply call Vlaanderen, the northern half of Belgium, simply Flanders. With the translation at least established, be on your guard that De Ronde Van Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders are interchangeable names and often shortened simply to Flanders or even just De Ronde by the people of the title location. And what a people the Flemings are: they are renowned for their rich and fine beers that impress the world; though in America they are associated with the French, it was the Flemish who were really the leaders in producing oily fried potatoes slices; and of course the Flemish are also known for their cycling. From the bicycle’s ancient days, Northern France and all of Belgium were the hotbed of cycling—this is where the activity and sport were born. But now recall all the ancient races that began or finished in Paris: Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Tours, Paris-Nice, Paris-Brest-Paris, Bordeaux-Paris, and Paris-Brussels. The astute cycling fan will be aware that the ones finishing in Roubaix, Tours, and Nice no longer start in Paris; Bordeaux-Paris is now defuncted; Paris-Brest-Paris was only ever a decennial (“once-a-decade”) ordeal because of its gruesome length, but it is now only for amateur hobbyists looking for a multi-day adventure; and Paris-Brussels is now simply a semi-Classic around the Belgian capital that ventures nowhere close to France. Do you see the trend? A century ago, the heart of Cyclingdom had poles in Paris and Belgium, but as evidenced by races that no longer live up to their name: Paris has ceded its claims to Cyclingdom—alas! the Parisians became interested in other things. And thus now, the heart of Cyclingdom beats not even in all of Belgium, but mostly this mentioned Northern Half of Flanders. You have heard how popular cycling is in the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany; but their loves of bike-racing is nothing compared to the Flemish and their Flandrien cycling heroes tradition.
There are only a few other peoples a part of Cyclingdom whose love of racing rivals the fans of Flanders. Though the Basques and Italians still show off their historic love to all two-wheeled racers, and the high-altitude Colombians have recently become a rabid frieze of fans for their armada of Grand Tour climbing heroes; still, combining the lovingly long history and expert knowledge of all facets of the sport: it is the Flemish people that still hold the crown of greatest cycling fans. These are the people who come out in force to cheer on the Monument passing near their towns. These are the people who all tune in so well to such a Monument that it gets better ratings than the Americans’ Superbowl: surely, the figures would be 100% of Flemish viewers if such a large share of their population did not watch from the roadside in person. Additionally, these are a people that all have their favorites: fan clubs for many riders—whether the rider is Flandrien or not is of little matter to these people. In fact, should just a group of only 5 to 10 rowdy Flemings declare their allegiance for any pro-rider from around the globe, that rider then on-the-spot becomes an honorary Flandrien. And when I say any, I do mean that often these Fan Clubs pop up for the small local heroes, the ones with a defining physical feature, or simply the ones who do the grinding work of the domestiques and rarely ever make a headline. And often the only repayment for such an honor to have ones’ own Fan Club that is asked is after Flanders is over or at some unnamed point in the future, the honored Flandrien shall come and crack open a few cold ones or have a series of brews with the Club at a fine Flemish Pub. All of this is context for the Flanders Monument itself. It is O! so critical to understand that it is these expertly committed fans that have escalated this race to a Monument. And the best symbolizing of the Flemish fans’ massive support and commitment to the race is the conservatively-estimated 3,000 Lion of Flanders Flags seen along the roadside by the TV viewer as the race flies by. Yes, that Black Lion with Red Fingernails, standing on its Hindlegs Roaring with its Tongue Out, with its the draping Yellow Background: O! to see it waving in the wind so many times over from crowds on the packed cobbled bergs is up there for my favorite sights in cycling. Yes, these fans are something else, at least before the pandemic: truly, it was the only professional race left where fans still attempted beer hand-ups to the racing riders on the steep cobbled bergs.
Yes, it has always been the Flemish fans that have popularized this race. The Tour of Flanders is in fact the youngest of the Five Monuments. From its creation in 1913 through the Interwar years, it was almost a strictly local affair. But the great Rik Van Steenbergen won it twice as World War II came to a close, then in the late 1940s that brave Italian Lion of Flanders Fiorenzo Magni pulled off the still unprecedented and still unmatched three victories in a row, and the reigning Tour de France champion Louison Bobet won in 1955 over Van Steenbergen and Hugo Koblet; in addition to the essential and integral fan support, such memorable editions won by stars of international prestige were what helped elevate this beloved race as one of the most premier and anticipated events on the cycling calendar. In those days of old De Ronde Van Vlaanderen really was a Tour of Flanders—some sort of loop surveying all the towns and lands of the province…but no longer. De Ronde is not bound by title point-to-point constrictions, but Ronde and Tour did at some point imply some sort of loop or lap…as stated no longer is this the case. Truly, truly, it is now become almost a rite of passage for a cycling race to become so historic and changed it no longer lives up to its name. The Tour of Flanders used to loop and survey all of Flanders, but after many decades it has gravitated and embellished the great features of the route: the Cobbled Bergs most populous in Flanders’ Southwest Corner. Thus now, the Tour of Flanders simply starts in a famous big city like Ghent, Bruges, Sint-Niklaas, or even faraway Antwerp. It then B-lines for a flat 100 leg-softening kilometers on its way to survey the Cobbled Bergs. In that sense, the Tour of Flanders is still a looping and doubling-back affair as it rides and re-rides the most famous Cobbled Climbs in the South of Flanders before a finish in one of those nearby Flemish towns. Many of the climbs have character of their own and recognizable traits, and the prospect of doing a long string of many in a single ride is quite daunting. To simply ride up, let alone race up, the Kortekeer, the Eikenberg, the Wolvenberg, the Molenberg, the Leberg, the Berenedries, the Valkenberg, the Tenbosse, the Kanarieberg, the Steenbeekdries, the Tiegemberg, the Kruisberg, and the Kluisberg is extremely tough business; but all the just mentioned climbs are the bit player cobbled or asphalted climbs in the iconic Ronde Van Vlaanderen. The hallmark Cobbled Bergs of the route all deserve extra explanation of their own.
Thus, first in pride of place and first in most hearts is the Muur. You have probably heard it called De Muur Van Geraardsbergen, the Wall of Grammont in English. Geraardsbergen is of course the town of its location. Truly, right in the center of town these cobblestones begin. It really is the most iconic and historic of the Flandrien cobbled climbs. Up the riders go in what seems the main avenue of the town over well-manicured cobbles: it is difficult, but certainly manageable—as to be expected of a regularly traversed thoroughfare. Should I have this right: the individual streets progressed up are the Burgstraat which may simply mean climbing-street, the Markt perhaps where goods were bought and sold of old, the Vesten perhaps lined with shops selling the finest sleeveless vests in all the land, the Oudenbergstraat perhaps “The Old Climbing Street,” and from there when the legs are already well-deadened from the effort: the road swings right and further up into an ominous grove of trees where the proper Muur begins. Traditionally dark woods are places of fear in all mythology for they contain terrifying challenges the heroes must face, such is the case in cycling as well. One of the first translations any cycling fan must learn is that short words containing a M-U-R mean “Wall,” and whether in any part of Belgium, France, or the Basque Country: “Murs” are not titled lightly—O! how steep they really all are! Up this road pitches to its steepest and maximum of gradients (around 20%) right where the cobbles are roughest. Should the cobbles be any sort of slick with moisture, even the top professional riders cannot stand up in the saddle to ride them for each’s back-wheel will slip out due to lack of traction and all momentum will be lost; thus on some of the steepest gradients these riders will face all year they must attempt these pitches seated. But that roughest of cobbled stretches leads them to the top of the wooded grove into the light once more. There they see it…if the multitude of fans are not blocking their view…the iconic Chapel at the climb’s finish that is still the physical center of Cyclingdom itself. Search an image of it for yourselves: the Kapelmuur, as this part of the climb or even the climb as a whole is often referred to. Yes, to see such a Chapel or Kapel is one of the greatest pilgrimages of cycling. In De Ronde’s previous era: this climb was the proper finale. The Muur-Kapelmuur was the where the final selection was made with some 20km to go, from there all that was left was a one last more minor test up the Bosberg climb, and then a flat dozen-or-so kilometer run-in to the finishing town. But that was the last era, after much controversy and lamentation the change has been made to a new finishing finale pair of climbs for both better and worse. Even more highly controversially, in some years after the change this Muur-Kapelmuur that is the heart of Cyclingdom was left off De Ronde route completely—for shame to the organizers who shunned such an icon. But luckily in recent years, usually around 100 to 90kms to go, De Ronde scales the Muur-Kapelmuur and often this is when the action of the 250km Monument finally really begins to heat up.
After the iconic Muur and between the other many bit player bergs not to be underestimated, there are two certain climbs before the finale that strike fear into even the hearts of the great champions. One is the mighty Taaienberg most famous in recent decades because the great Tommeke Boonen always fancied making a selection on it. Putting the race “into the gutter” is a famous procedure in the crosswinds to deny rivals shelter, but on the mighty Taaienberg there is a literal smoothed gutter for the adept riders to balance and ride up—instead of bounce up cobblestones of this climb that maxes out at 18%. Yes, Boonen always liked to make a decisive selection here, thus after all the racing already and the fight for position into the bottom of this one, all the riders hope they have the legs to stay with the best this day or else perhaps their race shall prematurely be at an end. And O! how the body aches once it is crested, how it makes the riders shiver to think of it. Only one climb, only one climb makes them shiver with more fear. The most brutal one of the route. Never has the route dared to attempt it more than once each edition for it is too brutal. If you look up images of it, you shall find historic legends of cycling and even specialists of the Cobbles including Eddy Merckx and Fabian Cancellara walking up it! Yes, yes, I speak of the Koppenberg with its maximum 22% gradient. ‘Tis one of the evil villain climbs of cycling: Flanders’ version of the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux. The only other time this imposing one is visited is on November 1st each year for the Koppenbergcross where cruelly the cyclocrossers relentlessly scale it eight or nine times in one hour: a dastardly daunting prospect that would make all but the fiercest warrior quit and curl up in a ball from physical and psychological exhaustion. On the traditional recon ride, sometimes whole teams of riders just end up walking up for most of the way up. Even in cyclocross, though he has won the race multiple times, it is believed the Mighty Ace the Madman Mathieu Van Der Poel has no love for the climb or the Cross race itself because of its brutality. On no other climb is positioning O! so important, the climb usually comes with only some 50 or 40km left in the race, should one top mid climb they will have to walk to the top, and all race winning hopes shall surely be dashed. Yes, with the Koppenberg completed all eyes turn towards the big finale.
The Finale pairing climbs are of course the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. Traditionally, in recent years, by the Finale the race has already scaled the Kwaremont twice, and the Paterberg once before this final time of asking. Like the Muur-Kapelmuur, the Oude Kwaremont is one of the rare Cobbled Bergs over one kilometer in length. The Oude Kwaremont is 2.2km long to make up for its relatively meager only 11% maximum gradient. The steepest bits of the climb come at the beginning, but even once it seems the climb has finally leveled out, still the cobbles continue to come. As stated, it was highly controversial when the organizers decided to make this the final pivotal climb of the race to replace the Muur-Kapelmuur. It cannot be denied, the Oude Kwaremont is not nearly as scenic as the heart of Cyclingdom, the Kapelmuur. And yet, the Kwaremont is proximately closer to a number of climbs to make for a more packed Finale before the race reaches this penultimate climb. Additionally as well for the rabid Belgian fans, there is a is a beautiful meadow or pasture or farm or field, that provides an ideal party viewing spot: VIP tents and lounges are pitched next to the climb where the racers shall pass by three times; meanwhile in the field the plebs have their rowdy fun packed together in the mud to view the passing-by race thrice as well and from a big screen set up showing the full footage. The Oude Kwaremont comes with some 20km left still to race, from there it is 4km into the last final test—and I must say this last finale test is much better than the old era’s Bosberg climb. It is only 400m long, but what it lacks in length it accounts for in steep grades. This final 400m test is of course the Paterberg with an average gradient of 12.5% and a maximum of 20%. The climb has long been in existence, but was unpaved until 1986. But in a beloved moment in Flandrien cycling history: instead of laying down asphalt tarmac, the nearby farmer laid down cobbles instead for the express purpose that he wished the Tour of Flanders to pass by his house. And now that farmer’s road is the final cobbled climb of the Tour of Flanders—may that farmer never have to buy a Belgian beer again!
After cresting the Paterberg with 13km to go, there is a narrow and quick twisting descent, and the rest is flat to the finish line in Oudenaarde. By this point, after some 17-20 cobbled bergs and 250km, the race will have become so selective, no more than a handful of riders will be left in contention to sprint for the win at the finish. Sometimes a rider comes away solo after the Kwaremont-Paterberg Finale, sometimes it is a 2 or 3 or 4-up sprint. For the past six weeks, Flandrien Cobble Classics have been taking place on such roads, all anticipating this final showdown of final showdowns. The winner joins yet another immortal tally and honor rollcall of champions: the likes of the already mentioned legends Magni, Merckx, Boonen and Cancellara, Van Steenbergen and Van Looy, Bobet, Musseuw, De Vlaeminck, Kuiper, Argentin, Bugno, Sagan, Gilbert, and both Adri and Mathieu Van Der Poel. Yes, with the beloved and rowdy fan support, and the thrilling racing as always transpires in these Flandrien Cobbled Classics, De Ronde Van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders is a Monument that has won many people’s hearts. It is a fair share of many people’s favorite race of the year. It is a race all Classics riders want to win. And for many Flandriens, if they could only win one: this is the one they’d choose. Like all the rest of the Monuments, it is absolutely never one to miss.
Cycling Odysseys 