THE TOUR OF FLANDERS – Is this the best cycling weekend in the world?
Belgium, well Flanders…..in April? Are you joking? I thought we were going to Mallorca!!
Ronde Van Vlaanderen – The Tour of Flanders. Do you want to experience what it is like to become a Monument rider?
We bring you a few ideas for riding a great Sportive and watching the Pro-Race, at what we think is the best cycling weekend in the world.
Cycling matters in Belgium, it really matters. The Tour of Flanders (Men) / Tour of Flanders (Women) is one of the 5 Monument Races and in our view the best, closely followed by the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race later in the month. Here is the link to the race route page, here you can download the pro-race route and the race timetable. There is a sizeable number in the population that know their cycling and have a real passion for their cycle races. Combine this with tough courses, a great atmosphere, great food, a few beers and you are on track for an unforgettable weekend.
So, what makes up a great Tour of Flanders weekend? What will make you decide to go to Flanders rather than Mallorca? Well, you can ride the We Ride Flanders Sportive on the Saturday, then watch the pro-race on the Sunday, enjoy the sights of Oudenaarde, Ghent, Antwerp and other towns in the process. Here is the link to the Sportive route page. Please note at the moment the route description on the right-hand side isn’t in English but you will be able to work it out using the map.
If you are feeling energetic (or need to burn off a few days of waffles, beers and frites) you can try the 235km route that generally follows the course of the pro-race. This distance starts in Antwerp and finishes, along with all other distance formats in Oudenaarde.
The 177km, 142km and 74km distance races keep things simple by having their start and finish in Oudenaarde. Our preferred distance is the 177km. Ideally the place to base yourself is Oudenaarde or Ghent.
Be prepared though, Belgium can be very cold, wet and windy in April. You will need appropriate kit for riding and spectating. You may need to suffer a bit, but this will give you the real Flemish classic experience.
If you can, try to make it a long weekend, say from Thursday to Monday to ride some of the other hills and routes not covered by the Sportive. Also make sure to take in some of the great sites and beers that also makes Flanders famous.
Some folks don’t ride the Sportive, preferring to enjoy their own routes and schedule, before enjoying the pro-race on Sunday. One of the beauties of riding in Flanders is that many of the classic climbs and cobbles are closely situated to each other. No need to ride 10s of kms between hills.
So, what would our ideal weekend be?
Firstly, let’s be honest, we are not competitive cyclists anymore, we ride for the pleasure of being out there, cafes and seeing a bit of the world. The unwritten rule is, if we can’t have a conversation as we ride, we ease off a bit (with hills being the exception) and take it easy.
So on with the weekend. Time permitting, we like to be in Belgium from Thursday to Monday. This allows for a couple of easy days of riding and sights before the Sportive on the Saturday, Sunday’s pro-race and a leisurely Monday before returning home.
You can make getting your bike to the Flanders weekend hassle-free with SBR247.com. You can use our door to door bike transport services if you wish. Here is the link for more information.
Getting to Belgium is easy enough, with a major international airport in Brussels providing global connections. Underneath the airport you will find the train station providing connections to Brussels, Ghent, Oudenaarde, Antwerp and the rest of Belgium. For info on the train from / to the airport please see The Train to Brussels Airport page.
The Belgian Railways website is https://www.belgiantrain.be/en. Bikes in bikeboxes are treated as normal luggage. For assembled bikes the section on taking your bike on the train is here https://www.belgiantrain.be/en/tickets-and-railcards/bike-ticket.
If you happen to be in Antwerp and have a bit of time to kill, go to the main station and have a beer upstairs in the beautiful original station building.
If you are coming from the UK you also have the option to drive, crossing the channel by ferry, taking the Eurotunnel or the overnight P&O ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge. We have made the journey by car and air using all the routes above as we go to Flanders every year. Our preference is the Hull to Zeebrugge Ferry as we are based in the North of England and we can throw everything in the car and get going. You can also travel via Eurostar to Brussels from London. COVID UPDATE – EUROSTAR ARE NOT TRANSPORTING FULLY ASSEMBLED OR BOXED BIKES AT THE MOMENT – YOU CAN TAKE FOLDING BIKES OR CHILDREN’S BIKES – BUT NO LONGER THAN 85cm IN LENGTH. Please see Taking Your Bike on Eurostar for more information. If you do opt for the Eurostar, your ticket will include onward travel to any station in Belgium, please see How Does an Any Belgian Station Ticket Work for more information.
We have also done this trip in June and July riding the 177Km course at our leisure and enjoying a few cafes on the way round.
The first day (Thursday).
Ideally aim to arrive at your accommodation before 12:00 in Belgium. Check with your accommodation en-route to see if you can get in early, often they will let you check-in before the published time.
We usually stay in Ghent as there is more to see and do. It adds 60 kms to your Thursday and Friday rides if you want to go down to the south of Oudenaarde to take in a few climbs. You can always take the train or drive down to Oudenaarde though. There are also rides out from Ghent that gives you the chance to make sure your bike is ready for the cobbles.
Each town has detailed cycle routes allowing you to get on the road easily enough. If you are based in or to the south of Oudenaarde there are about 20 classic climbs within easy reach around the following places Melden, Berchem, Ruien, Brakel, Nukerke, Etikove and Ronse. The Tour of Flanders Museum has three routes, Blue, Yellow and Red you can use as well. You will find more info on the three routes here.
Have a nice leisurely afternoon on the bike, take in a few of the cobbled climbs like to give your bike and yourself a shakedown. In the evening if you are in Oudenaard or Ghent there are great pubs and restaurants to visit.
The second day (Friday)
Friday is deliberately low key, as the Sportive is the following day. You can head south again to try a few more of the climbs or try the gentler canal rides just to give your legs an easy spin whilst stopping off at a few cafes.
For a more challenging day you could head east to Geraardsbergen to take on the Boigneber, Valkenberg, Tenbosse, Muur-Kapelmuur and the Boseberg.
Whatever you do make sure you visit the Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde if you can fit it in.
The third day (Saturday) – The Sportive Day.
Ok, so you have had a ride on some of the roads and cobbled climbs to give you an idea of what is coming up, you are now going to be joined by 16,000 other riders. As you’d expect this is a well organised Sportive. Different riders have different approaches, some start as early as possible, some try later in the morning (between 09:00 and 10:00 – for the 177km course). The climbs will be busy and be prepared to put your foot down as they can get quite congested, especially if it is wet.
Hopefully, the weather will be kind to you, if it isn’t you will get the full De Ronde experience and you will be able to consider yourself a true Monument Rider. Prepare well, relax and enjoy.
The fourth day (Sunday) – The Day of the pro-race.
If you have had a couple of nights out, you will have no doubt met a few of the locals. Don’t be shy in asking them about the best places to watch the race, a little local knowledge goes a long way. You never know, you may be invited to join the locals on race day.
We have taken the early train to Antwerp on race day to see the start, have a look at the team busses and general setup of the respective teams. The crowd is massive though, so be warned, you may not get as up close and personal as you want to the teams and riders. If you really want to see the teams, try a smaller race or the start of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege race. There may also be bag and identity checks by the military or police, this can vary from race to race though. Once you have seen the start get going south to catch the race over the climbs.
In 2016 I was at the start of the L-B-L having a chat with one of the Team Giant Alpecin Mini support car crews and was kindly presented with a water bottle, which took my mind off the drizzle, freezing temperature and snow that was soon to fall.
The same thoughts go for the finish of the race as well. Huge crowds, lots of barriers and seating for the paying spectators. Better to watch the end of the race on a big screen outdoors or tucked up in a pub with a beer and a few nibbles. Many people opt for the pub option either in Oudenaarde or Ghent as the race will be on TV in most pubs and cafes. Between Market Square and race arrival area in Oudenaarde is also a good spot for the day as you will see the race go by four times, be able to see the women’s and men’s races, enjoy the food, drink and entertainment.
There are usually around 17 official climbs in the pro-race, however, the Oude Kwaremont can be climbed 3 times and the Patterberg twice. Oude Kwaremont, the Patterberg and the Muur-Keppelmuur have very large crowds, so if you want to base yourself at any of these 3 climbs to get a real feel for the passion of the race crowd you will need to get there early. These places all setup mini villages for the race with food, drink and toilet facilities. They also do this at the Koppenberg and Kruisberg.
If you take your car to the popular areas, you will probably have to park well away from the climbs and walk the rest of the way. Alternatively, you can choose to get around on your bike to some of the less crowded climbs and move between these as the race progresses. You can see the route in the links below and there will be a timetable for the race detailing when the riders are expected to arrive at each climb.
There is also a free shuttle bus service provided by the race organisers and the province of East Flanders. These can be very busy services though.
Make sure you have the correct clothing for the conditions, you will be outdoors for a long time. Belgium in April can be cold, very cold, wet and windy. Consider this when you are thinking of taking on the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. You may want to take your weekend and ride the course in the warmer months rather than taking on the Sportive in April.
The fifth day (Monday) – And relax…
You could save the last day for the Tour of Flanders Museum visit at the Tour of Flanders Centre and using the museum’s Peloton café as a base for a day of riding. You can see and download routes based from the café here. Or simply relax in Ghent before making your way home after a great Ronde Van Vlaanderen weekend, knowing that you are now a Monument Rider.
