oude kwaremont tour of flanders

Oude Kwaremont, Koppenberg, Taaienberg: Tour of Flanders blue route

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The Blue Route runs to the south and west of Oudenaarde and is the shortest ride of the three signposted routes. But if you want to get straight into those famous cobbled climbs then start here because within the first hour or so you will have encountered none other then the cobbles of the Oude Kwaremont, the Paterberg and the famous Koppenberg climb – a short sharp welcome to a Flanders cycling route!

Having conquered these initial bergs you can’t help but feel captivated by Flandrien cycling and this part of the world – you feel you’ve arrived somewhere very special.

This ride also gives you your first introduction to a well used and worn cobbled road namely Mariaborerestraat – pan flat for nearly 2.4 kilometres and a completely different challenge to riding uphill as you’re travelling more quickly and as such balance and bike handling skills become more of a factor.

We felt the Blue loop was the perfect introduction to a cycling tour of Flanders and later celebrated with a bottle or two of the local Kwaremont beer which incidentally contains 6.6% of alcohol and apparently matches the gradient of a particular part of the climb!

All metrics in this article are approximate.

The high point for us can be summed up in one word – Koppenberg. We had heard so much about it, read about it, seen it each year on television and watched numerous videos about those famous 682 cobbled meters. We both felt our heartbeat increase and the hairs on our neck stand on end as we approached the village of Melden. And there it was – very understated and lacking any form of fanfare – a simple sign, white on brown that simply said ‘KOPPENBERG’. With a rush of adrenaline, we swung into the climb thinking of Cancellara, Sagan, van Avermaet and Boonen.

That was before the gradient hit, our speed decreased to a virtual standstill and our legs started screaming with every pedal stroke…

But around four (long) minutes later there was huge relief and exhilaration as we stopped at the summit. We had conquered the Koppenberg – and it felt great.

NB Incredibly, local professional Dries Devenyns of Quickstep took only 1 minute 40 seconds to complete the Koppenberg climb and at the time of writing holds the record. It took us “a little” longer.

Route notes

1. oudenaarde to oude kwaremont and koppenberg: 0-23 km.

The first few kilometres are flat and gentle and are perfect for getting into the ride. At just under 10 kilometres you leave the river path and swing left to approach the Oude Kwaremont.

Oude Kwaremont – this is a 2.5 km semi-cobbled climb at an average gradient of 3% with a maximum of 11%. 

It is also one of the most famous Flemish hills due to the fact that it is often ridden three times during the Tour of Flanders so it is seen more than most climbs on television. The Oude Kwaremont climb is not the steepest of climbs, but the third ascent is strategically placed towards the end of the race. The road then meanders north through narrow and twisting country roads and lanes and within the space of the next 10 kilometres or so you will encounter:

Kalkhoveb erg – 250m asphalt descent at 14% (max 18%)

Paterberg – 361m cobbled climb at 12% (max 20%)

There is a 60 cm rainwater gutter that runs all the way up the left-hand side of the Paterberg. If you need a short break from the bone-shaking cobbles, then it’s an option! Unfortunately for the professionals, in the race, the crowd barriers are placed in this area meaning there is no escaping from the cobblestones.

The locals tell you that the reason the Paterberg was eventually included in the Tour of Flanders was that a wealthy farmer who lived on the berg was irritated that all the action and publicity in the race was centred on the nearby Koppenberg, so he decided to turn the Paterberg into a cobbled climb with a ferociously steep gradient! His wish came true as in 1986 the parcours of the Ronde van Vlaanderen first included the Paterberg and it has now become a regular feature in the race, with the second and final pass of the climb being only 13 kilometres away from the finish in Oudenaarde.

Koppenberg – 682m cobbled climb at 9% (max 19%)

Also known locally as the “Bump of Melden” (it’s just outside the village of Melden), we’d suggest a better name would be “Koppenberg Mountain”. In any event, Belgium’s Koppenberg has been listed as a national monument, is a highlight of the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and is considered by many cyclists from all over the world as ‘holy ground’. It’s recognised as one of the toughest cobbled climbs in Belgium. It has seen many trials and tribulations over the years with many crashes and accidents. If you watch the classics on TV, you will often see professional riders walking up to the top of the climb, as after a crash the gradient makes it impossible to remount and continue.

There is usually a race to the bottom of the hill purely for position. You are faced with a 90 degree turn in the village of Melden as you are about to enter the berg, so the pace slows to almost a standstill with riders funnelling onto the climb, all searching for the right gear.

The gradient increases sharply from 12 to 20% within the first 200 metres as you pray that the wheels in front don’t slow or stop because of the narrowness of the lane and as such if you get baulked then your momentum is likely lost.

2. Koppenberg to Taaienberg and ronse: 23-44 km

The cobbled fun continues as the route winds north and then turns abruptly south where just before the town of Maarkedal you are faced with Mariaborrestraat which is a 2.4kilometres stretch of flat cobbles which will test both your body and suspension (read our tips on riding the cobbles, here !). The climbs then come thick and fast as you head further south towards the town of Louise Marie;

Steenbeekdr ies – 700m cobbled climb at 6% (max 7%)

Stationsberg – 900m cobbled descent at 3% (max 10%)

Taaienberg – 530m cobbled climb at 6% (max 15%)

The Taaienberg, another listed monument, is known locally as “Boonenberg” after three-time Tour of Flanders winner Tom Boonen who used to use the Taaienberg to launch attacks upon his rivals in the race. As with the Paterberg there is a rainwater gutter (right-hand side) that can be used to climb this berg as an alternative to riding on the cobblestones.

Muziekberg – 625m asphalt climb at 5% (max 10%) 

This climb takes you through the Muziekbos Forest and up to high ground overlooking the town of Ronse. You will probably be glad to reach the Muziekberg as it is quite refreshing to actually get back to ascending on asphalt and giving yourself some temporary respite from the effect of the jarring cobbles.

Kanarieber g – 1050m asphalt descent  at 9% (max 13%)

Another famous berg, but on this occasion, you will be hurtling downhill as you continue your route into Ronse. Before you descend, however, you have the chance to stop at the Bistro Boekzitting for refreshments – it sits at the very top of this climb.

3. Ronse to Oudenaarde: 44-78 km

Ronse’s beautiful market square and surrounding art-deco houses provide a number of cafés and restaurants for a sit-down meal or simply to refuel (more details below).

As you leave the town the Kruisberg then hits you straight away, a 1875m cobbled climb which will test your legs after a café stop at an average gradient of 4% with a maximum of 9%. Four asphalt climbs remain as the journey takes you west to the River Schelde and back north to your starting point.

Hoogberg – 2975m asphalt climb at 3% (max 8%)

Knokteberg – 1100m asphalt descent at 8% (max 13%)

Mont de l’Enclus – 1025m asphalt climb at 7% (max 12%)

Kluisberg – 925m asphalt descent at 6% (max 14%)

A word of warning about Mont de l’Enclus, the penultimate climb of the day – it is a real leg tester. At a whisker over one kilometre long, it has an average pitch of 7% with a maximum of 12%. You will need to hold something in reserve but, once negotiated, you can enjoy a relatively flat 20 kilometres ride back into Oudenaarde where you’ll want to celebrate with a nice, cold Koppenberg beer!

Note: the climb stats in this section are taken from the local tourist board’s guide to the area.

The Kwaremont café at the top of the Oude Kwaremont gets great reviews but we didn’t stop as it was so close to the start of the ride. Have you been? Let us know in the comments below.

Brasserie Harmonie, Ronse at 42 kilometres. We chose the Harmonie and sat outside overlooking the square and enjoyed a cheese and ham omelette, followed by apple pie and plenty of coffee.

The Road House, Ronse at 42 kilometres – next door to the Brasserie Harmonie also with outside seating.

Accommodation

We did this ride from our base at the Hotel Leopold in Oudenaarde. It’s a great choice for cyclists – you can read our full review in the “where to stay” section of our guide to cycling in Flanders .

Read our tips for cycling in Flanders before you set out. Click here for our complete guide to planning a cycling holiday in Flanders.

• We suggest using the town of Ronse as an opportunity to refuel. The Flanders countryside is made up of country lanes, farmland and small rural communities – there are not that many places to stop to eat and drink and we found plenty that were closed when we were there on weekdays in the middle of March.
• Remember when picking your lines on the cobbled roads that they are open to normal vehicular traffic. Often the best line may appear to be on the other side of the road or even on the crown – so you need to remain vigilant.
• The Koppenberg is also very famous in the cyclocross world, for the Belgian Koppenbergcross which takes place each year here.
• You can find tips for the best times of year to visit Belgium, here.

Enjoyed our guide?

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Want more? Don’t miss our other guides to the best road cycling routes in the region (red route here , yellow route here ) and our tips for cycling in Flanders , below.

Want to check out some other destinations? Take a look at our guide to cycling Brussels or search by the month you want to travel or cycling destination you want to visit, here .

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• Spring Classics

A beginner’s guide to the Tour of Flanders

All you need to know about the men’s and women’s editions of one of cycling’s biggest and toughest one-day races

The GCN team

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Mathieu Van der Poel attacks the cobblestones of the Paterberg in the 2023 edition

For one Sunday each Spring, the narrow roads around the sleepy towns of Flanders wake up to see one of the biggest races of the year thunder over them. Fans turn out in their thousands to line the course, flags flying in one hand and beers sloshing in the other as they cheer on their favourites during one of cycling’s most iconic events.

This race is the Tour of Flanders , or as it’s known in Flemish, ‘ De Ronde van Vlaanderen ’, and its men’s and women’s races will take place on Sunday 31 March.

The Tour of Flanders marks the grand finale of a series of Flandrian Classics that fall in the weeks before, starting with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and building through the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem a week before Flanders.

Read more: Spring Classics 2024: Essential guide to the races and riders

Taking on a long, winding series of laps around the Flanders region that visits multiple steep cobbled climbs – most of them more than once – over a challenging, Monument-worthy distance, Flanders is one of the toughest races on the calendar and is always won by the strongest of Classics riders.

With winners like Eddy Merckx, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen in its history books, and more recently victories for Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky, it’s easy to see that Flanders is a prestigious jewel in cycling’s crown, and a race steeped in legend.

• Tour of Flanders Women 2024 startlist
• Tour of Flanders Men 2024 startlist

Tour of Flanders history

The inaugural edition of the men’s race took place back in 1913, making it the youngest of the five Monuments. The women’s race, on the other hand, started in 2004, which makes it one of the longest-running one-day races on the current calendar, as well as one of the most prestigious.

The fact that the men’s race is younger than the other four Monuments doesn’t make it any less respected, and it easily sits alongside Paris-Roubaix , and the World Championships in terms of racing importance. Win here even once and you’re guaranteed to earn yourself a spot in cycling’s Hall of Fame.

Unlike some of the other Monuments and Classics, the Tour of Flanders route has changed countless times throughout its history, with the start and finishing towns often changing and the roll call of climbs being tweaked slightly for each edition.

Two-time winner Peter Van Petegem famously said this about the race’s route: “It doesn’t really matter where the race goes. You have cobblestones, climbs and small roads, and that provides the character of the race.”

Read more: 66 years marshalling at the Tour of Flanders: Meet Lucien De Schepper

Tour of Flanders tactics and winners

The Tour of Flanders is ultimately a race of survival and to win, a rider must abandon all sense of foresight and attack purely on instinct. Fortune definitely favours the brave in Flanders.

Tadej Pogačar was reward for his solo attack in last year's Tour of Flanders

The notion of a big group coming to the finish of Flanders is essentially unheard of. There will be attacks, the race will be attritional, and it almost comes down to the last rider standing, who has seen all their competitors fall away over the gruelling climbs. Any sprint at the finish will be between tired legs, as a handful of riders battle for one of cycling’s biggest prizes.

Read more: The Van der Poel rules: How to beat cycling's best Classics rider at the Tour of Flanders

Over 107 editions of the men’s race, the home nation of Belgium has taken 69 wins, the most of any country, perhaps unsurprisingly. Six riders sit on top of the individual winners list with a hat-trick of titles to their name: Belgians Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman, Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw, Italian Fiorenzo Magni and Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara.

All six of these riders are Flandriens to the core, even those born outside of Belgium, and are revered as gods amongst the local people - none more so than the ‘Lion of Flanders’ himself, Johan Museeuw.

The women’s race has seen much less Belgian success, but perhaps largely to do with its relative youth. Over its 20 editions so far, two Belgian riders have taken Flandrian titles: Grace Verbeke in 2010, and Lotte Kopecky in 2022 and 2023. The nation that stands proud atop the winners' list in the women’s race is the Netherlands, who’ve won eight editions and podiumed a further 19 times.

With two wins, Lotte Kopecky is joint-top of the list of repeat winners at Flanders. Dutch women also join that list with two wins apiece, Mirjam Melchers-van Poppel and Annemiek van Vleuten. The German rider, Judith Ardnt, has also won two editions of the women’s Tour of Flanders. Both Arndt and Van Vleuten have won this race on the old finish into Ninove and the new finish into Oudenaarde.

Tour of Flanders route: Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg headline a cobbled climb-packed course

The cobbled bergs, or ‘Hellingen’, are the Tour of Flanders’ focal points and where the race is won or lost. They are steep, tricky to ride with the cobbles, and the back-to-back nature of the race’s climbs means they are severely leg-sapping. None of the climbs are particularly long, but that doesn’t matter when you’re going up and down them, constantly, at full race speed.

Read more: Average Joe vs Tour of Flanders: Can Cillian Kelly conquer the cobbles of Belgium?

The current finale of the race takes in the Kruisberg, the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg before a flat finish into Oudenaarde. These climbs often prove decisive in the outcome of the race, but what comes before this final trio of bergs is just as important. Climbs like the Koppenberg, Taaienberg and Berendries all feature in this race, serving not only to chip away at a rider’s legs, but their morale too.

Tour of Flanders climbs:

• Oude Kwaremont
• Kapelleberg
• Marlboroughstaat
• Berg Ten Houte
• Nieuwe Kruisberg/Hotond
• Steenbeekdries
• Oude Kruisberg/Hotond

Recent history of the Tour of Flanders

Since 2012 and the implementation of the new finish in Oudenaarde, the men’s race has seen six solo winners, with the largest group ever reaching the finish only consisting of four riders, which happened in 2014 and 2022.

Lotte Kopecky has made a habit of winning 'De Ronde,' and will be back to defend her title this time around

The women’s race has also seen six solo winners in that time and, like the men’s, has tended to be decided by small groups of riders at the finish. One edition of the women’s race has come down to a sprint, however: the 2017 edition which was won by Coryn Rivera (now Labecki) in a reduced bunch finish between 16 riders.

In 2023, Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky were crowned champions in Oudenaarde, but only Kopecky will be back to defend her title – in fact to try to make it three in a row – whilst Pogačar is skipping Flanders with an eye towards the Giro d’Italia.

The big favourites in the men’s race will be Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, with the Belgian still chasing a maiden win here, whilst Kopecky will be up against riders like Marianne Vos, Elisa Balsamo and perhaps even her own teammate, Demi Vollering.

For the latest news, interviews and analysis from the world of professional cycling, be sure to check out the Racing tab on the GCN website and visit our essential guide to The Spring Classics to stay up to date with all of the action from cycling's most exciting season.

Lotte Kopecky

• Team Team SD Worx-Protime
• Nationality Belgium
• UCI Wins 41
• Height 1.71m

Coryn Labecki

• Team EF Education-Cannondale
• Nationality United States of America
• UCI Wins 20
• Height 1.55m

Tadej Pogacar

• Team UAE Team Emirates
• Nationality Slovenia
• UCI Wins 73
• Height 1.76m

Mathieu van der Poel

• Team Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Nationality Netherlands
• UCI Wins 53
• Height 1.84m

Annemiek van Vleuten

• Team Movistar Team
• UCI Wins 104
• Height 1.68m

Ronde van Vlaanderen

• Dates 31 Mar
• Race Length 163 kms
• Start Oudenaarde
• Finish Oudenaarde
• Race Category Elite Women

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Tour of Flanders 2024

Latest news from the race.

'I start to feel a little bit like myself again' says recovering Wout van Aert

Tour of Flanders gallery: Mathieu van der Poel and Elisa Longo Borghini's spectacular triumphs in pictures

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Tour of Flanders: Mathieu van der Poel smashes Monument with massive solo victory

As it happened: Mathieu van der Poel makes history with record-equalling Flanders win

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took an astounding solo victory at the Tour of Flanders 2024 when he rode away from the field with 45km remaining to stretch out to a winning margin of 1:02.

Behind him, a two-man breakaway of Alberto Bettiol (EF Education–EasyPost) and Dylan Teuns (Israel-Premier Tech) was caught on the finish line by a chase group from which Luca Mozzato (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) sprinted to second place and Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) took third.

Matthews was later relegated for dangerous sprinting, allegedly deviating from his line to not allow Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates) to pass him, meaning that fourth-place finisher Pollit moved onto the podium.

Van der Poel was in a league of his own when he attacked on the Koppenberg ascent, with only Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) able to keep any semblance of pace with the World Champion. However, with 40km remaining, Van der Pel moved to a margin of over 30 seconds and was squeezing seconds out of Jorgenson every kilometre.

By the ascent of the Kwaremont, Van der Poel had extended his margin over Jorgenson, Pedersen, and the growing chase group, leaving the remaining 37km an informal victory procession.

Get unlimited access to all of our coverage of the Spring Classics- including reporting, breaking news and analysis from Strade Bianche, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and more.  Find out more .

Tour of Flanders route

In 2024, the 108th Tour of Flanders returns to Antwerp which hosts the Tour alternately with Bruges. This year, the 279.8km course underwent several changes for safety reasons , but the finale, featuring Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont, remains unchanged. The pairing is among 17 climbs on the route, which also includes seven cobbled stretches.

Data powered by FirstCycling

Tour of Flanders teams

• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Arkea-B&B Hotels
• Astana Qazaqstan Team
• Bahrain Victorious
• Bora - hansgrohe
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team
• EF Education - EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• INEOS Grenadiers
• Intermarché - Wanty
• Movistar Team
• Soudal Quick-Step
• Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL
• Team Jayco AlUla
• Team Visma - Lease a Bike
• UAE Team Emirates
• Israel - Premier Tech
• Lotto Dstny
• Uno-X Mobility
• Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
• Team Flanders - Baloise
• Tudor Pro Cycling Team

• Tour of Flanders 2024 route
• Tour of Flanders winners 1913-2023
• Tour of Flanders 2024 – Analysing the contenders

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Climbs of the Tour of Flanders

Mathew Mitchell

• Published on May 3, 2020
• in Men's Cycling , Rides in New Places

We’ve missed out on the Tour of Flanders this year (other than on Bkool) but the climbs are still there. The race has legendary status amongst the locals as it features in their national identity. Ronde van Vlaanderen race day is almost like a national holiday in that part of the world.

Table of Contents

The race itself has had a few changes in the last decade, moving the start and finish lines a few times. The old finale of Kapelmuur followed by the Bosberg disappeared for a new run-in to Oudenaarde. The move saw the previously important Kapelmuur taken out the race for a few years. The Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg took on the responsibility for deciding race winners instead.

Below is a full list of each of the climbs used in the Tour of Flanders since 2010. Each climb has a count of how often it’s featured in the race, a link to the Strava segment so you can see where it is and a profile to see the toughness. Not every climb is cobbled but many are, they’re tough, as I found out when I did the Tour of Flanders sportive in 2018.

For a good read-up of the history of the race, check out Peter Cossins – The Monuments .

Oude Kwaremont

Times used since 2010.

https://www.strava.com/segments/17025770

https://www.strava.com/segments/640400

https://www.strava.com/segments/6954419

https://www.strava.com/segments/11757524

Steenbeekdries

https://www.strava.com/segments/9361998

https://www.strava.com/segments/19651427

https://www.strava.com/segments/608903

https://www.strava.com/segments/608892

Kanarieberg

https://www.strava.com/segments/2738278

https://www.strava.com/segments/5001625

https://www.strava.com/segments/608898

https://www.strava.com/segments/6899724

Kruisberg (Oudestraat)

https://www.strava.com/segments/6062466

Muur – Kapelmuur

https://www.strava.com/segments/1058183

https://www.strava.com/segments/1294961

https://www.strava.com/segments/9703392

https://www.strava.com/segments/19651413

Kruisberg (Hotond)

https://www.strava.com/segments/712095

https://www.strava.com/segments/641313

https://www.strava.com/segments/1173560

https://www.strava.com/segments/21693457

https://www.strava.com/segments/1820437

https://www.strava.com/segments/608910

Knokteberg (Cote de Trieu)

https://www.strava.com/segments/16098939

Edelareberg

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You have a choice of 4 different distances: 74km, 128km, 159km or 237km. The longest distance (237km) starts from Antwerp just like the pros and heads for the Flemish Ardennes to conquer the legendary hills and cobbled sections. The other distances (74, 128 & 159km) start from Oudenaarde and include the Koppenberg, Kanarieberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. All distances finish in Oudenaarde. All distances finish in Oudenaarde.

Awaiting the full course, you can find more info on some of the main slopes below.

Oude Kwaremont

The Oude Kwaremont may not be the most difficult climb in the Flemish Ardennes, but it wins the prize for most beautiful name. Moreover, this long climb is of immeasurable beauty. Since 2012, the Oude Kwaremont has been given a leading role in the final of Tour of Flanders, with it being climbed several times.

Near Kwaremont is the ultra-short but super-steep climb over cobblestones of the Paterberg. A climb less than 400 meters long, yet according to experts one of the most difficult climbs in Flanders. How is that possible? Simple, mix a cobbled section with an average gradient of almost 12%! When the concrete slabs were replaced by cobblestones in 1986, the Paterberg was immediately included in the Tour of Flanders.

This hill lives up to its name. Taaienberg literally means ‘tough hill’ and the reason for this name will become clear when you ascend its 530m stretch of cobblestones. This wasTom Boonen’s favourite hill to test his early season form on with an annual attack in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earning it the name of ‘Boonenberg’.

The ‘bump’ of Melden, as the Koppenberg is locally known, is guaranteed to add suspense to the Ronde, every year. Not surprisingly it has been listed as a national monument. This hill and over 100 acres of surrounding countryside add up to one the most beautiful natural hotspots in the Flemish Ardennes. The Koppenberg is also probably the most difficult climb in the region, combining maximum gradient of 20% with rutted, worn cobbles and a constantly greasy surface.

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Oude Kwaremont

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Oude Kwaremont is a climb in the region Flemish Ardennes . It is 2km long and bridges 92 vertical meters with an average gradient of 4.6%, resulting in a difficulty score of 90. The top of the ascent is located at 106 meters above sea level. Climbfinder users shared 32 reviews of this climb and uploaded 26 photos.

Road names: Broektestraat & Silderstraat

5.0 by ebaldo This is an automatic translation, the original language is: Italian. Done with the Ronde of 2024. Nice little climb made treacherous by stones and rain. MYTHIC place.... read more

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Muur van Geraardsbergen

Reviews (32)

Done with the Ronde of 2024. Nice little climb made treacherous by stones and rain. MYTHIC place.

Fatta con la Ronde del 2024. Bella salitella resa insidiosa da pietre e pioggia. Luogo MITICO.

What a monument! Fantastic to get to climb, but the toughest part is perhaps the cobbled section that follows on false flat, where you are incredibly shaken up because of the rocky cobblestones!

Wat een monument! Fantastisch om te mogen beklimmen, maar het zwaarste deel is misschien wel de kasseienstrook die daarna volgt op vals plat, waarbij je ontzettend door elkaar geschud wordt vanwege de schots-en-scheef liggende kasseien!

Legendary climb. On the asphalt section you can best speed up to start the cobblestones with speed, while saving strength in a way. From the little square it becomes less steep and becomes easier and you can ride well.

Legendarische klim. Op het asfaltgedeelte kan je best vaart maken om met snelheid aan de kasseien te beginnen, terwijl je op een manier best krachten bespaard. Vanaf het pleintje wordt het minder steil en wordt het makkelijker en kan je goed doorrijden.

A mythical climb of the Tour of Flanders that owes its fame more to the number of times it is ridden than to its real difficulty. Far from being the steepest climb in the sector, it is the cobbles that really hurt the legs.

Montée mythique du Tour des Flandres qui doit sa renommée plus au nombre de fois qu'elle est empruntée qu'à sa réelle difficulté. Loin de présenter les pourcentages les plus raides du secteur, ce sont surtout les pavés qui font mal aux jambes.

For me, its the climb I have the most trouble getting to the top in the whole flanders. It might be beacause its often at the end of a ride but still; it's iconic for a reason: The cobbles really hurt and once the slope eases, the cobbles get worse and worse.

Meanwhile, a legendary climb thanks to the many passages in various spring classics, therefore not to be missed. The cobbles are relatively good, so after the climb you have to change gears and try to recuperate before the final climb.

Ondertussen toch een legendarische klim dankzij de vele passages in diverse voorjaarklassiekers, daarom zeker niet te missen. Kasseitjes liggen er relatief goed bij, na de klim zelf bijschakelen en proberen te recuperen voor het laatste knikje.

Yesterday I rode the blue kiss, whereby the Oude Kwaremont is a nice long warm-up for what is to come. Longest cobblestone climb of the route but because it's the first one on the route it's easy to do with fresh legs...

Gister de blauwe kus gereden waarbij de Oude Kwaremont een mooie lange opwarmer is voor wat komen gaat. Langste kasseienklim van de route maar omdat deze als eerste op de route ligt goed te doen met de frisse benen…

Legendary climb and cobblestone strip. From the junction, if you're not familiar with the area, you don't really realize that soon you'll be treated to a tough cobblestone section. Because there's already a slightly ascending part of asphalt, it can be difficult to go full speed ahead, because after a slight turn to the left, the cobblestones are suddenly there. From the Kwaremontplein, speed up and continue to the Ronsebaan. In the last editions of the Tour of Flanders, beautiful images were made of the pros racing here at 30 mph over the final stretch, try to picture this while trying/doing this yourself!

Legendarische beklimming en kasseistrook. Vanaf de splitsing heb je, als je niet bekend bent met de omgeving, eigenlijk niet echt door dat je straks getrakteerd wordt op een zware kasseistrook. Omdat er reeds een licht oplopend stuk van asfalt is, kan het moeilijk zijn om hier met volle vaart op te vliegen, want na een flauwe bocht naar links zijn de kasseien daar plots. Vanaf het Kwaremontplein gewoon tandje bijsteken en doorstoempen tot aan de Ronsebaan. In de laatste edities van de Ronde van Vlaanderen werden hier prachtige beelden gemaakt van de profs die hier met 30 per uur over het laatste stuk razen, probeer dit beeld even voor ogen te nemen terwijl je dit zelf probeert/doet!

This climb is obviously famous because the road is used in the Tour of Flanders. I find it more of a long flat climb than anything else. The most annoying thing is the vibrations because of the almost 2kms on cobblestones.

Cette ascencion est évidemment célèbre car la route est empruntée dans le Tour des Flandres. Je trouve que c'est plus un long faux plat montant qu'autre chose. Le plus ennuyant, ce sont les vibrations à cause des presque 2kms sur des pavés.

A piece of nostalgia when you drive up to it and on it. That day we first rode the Muur. Then these cobblestones are a lot less. When you arrive at the square you immediately think of Cancellara or Sagen who attacked there. Even more respect for those men. When you think you're at the top, there is a last piece that feels steep right away.

Eén brok nostalgie als je er naar toe en erop rijdt. Die dag eerst de Muur gereden. Dan liggen deze kasseien er een stuk minder bij. Als je bij t plein komt denk je meteen aan Cancellara of Sagen die daar demarreerden. Nog meer respect voor die mannen. Als je denkt, dat je boven bent komt nog een laatste stuk wat meteen steil aanvoelt

Great. The cobblestones are good, not too steep and it's great to fly over the kwaremont square at a serious speed. Sometimes it's a pity that there are so many people on the square and they block your way.

Geweldig. Kasseien liggen goed niet te steil en het is zalig om met een serieuze snelheid over het kwaremont plein te vliegen. Soms wel jammer dat er zoveel mensen op het kwaremont plein staan en je de weg blokkeren

The gradient here is certainly not the most difficult part. The one and a half kilometres of moderate cobblestones is even more so. That in combination with some traffic that wanted to pass on the narrow strips made the slope a bit tough. But in itself it is really doable. There are much tougher slopes in the neighborhood I think. I would 'm doing to a piece of cycling history to tackle.

De hellingsgraad is hier zeker niet het moeilijkste deel. De anderhalve kilometer matige kasseien des te meer. Dat in combinatie met wat verkeer dat wilde passeren op de smalle stroken maakte de helling wat pittig. Maar op zich is de echter echt wel goed te doen. Er liggen in de buurt veel zwaardere hellingen vind ik. Ik zou 'm wel is doen om een stukje wielergeschiedenis mee te pakken.

First experience in the Flemish Ardennes. Legendary climb that turns out to be not so bad in practice. In the rain the motto is to stay in the saddle, otherwise you will lose the remaining grip.

Eerste ervaring in de Vlaamse Ardennen. Legendarische klim die in de praktijk blijkt mee te vallen. In de regen is wel het devies om in het zadel te blijven, anders ben je de resterende grip kwijt.

My first climb in the Flemish Ardennes and nice, quite doable. A good warming-up if you're going to take some hills in the region after. Cobblestones are in good shape.

Mijn eerste klim in de Vlaamse ardennen en leuke, vrij goed te doen. Een goede opwarmer als je er na nog wat hellingen in de regio gaat nemen. Kasseien liggen er goed bij.

Iconic climb. Cobblestones are in a bad shape. As a cyclist you must have done this once.

Iconische beklimming. Kasseien liggen er wel slecht bij. Als wielertoerist moet je deze eens gedaan hebben.

A long climb that is especially exhausting because of the bad cobblestones, especially on the spur. A must do with afterwards immediately the Paterberg.

Een lange klim die vooral slopend is door de slechte kasseien, zeker op de uitloper. Wel een must do met daarna onmiddellijk de Paterberg.

Absolute recommendation to combine with the Paterberg. In my experience the longest climb on cobblestones, longer than you might like :) Except for the middle part, the climb is not particularly hard, but that's not necessarily where the beauty lies.

Absolute aanrader om te combineren met de Paterberg. In mij beleving de langste klim op kasseien, langer dan je wellicht lief is :) Op het middenstuk na is de klim niet bijzonder zwaar, maar daar zit de schoonheid ook niet persé in.

On the climb up to the Kwaremontplein you need to keep some reserve, because the false flat on the cobbles afterwards is still so damn long. Of all the famous RVV climbs, this one is the best for me.

Op de klim tot het Kwaremontplein moet je nog wat reserve overhouden, want het vals plat op de kasseien daarna is nog zo verdomd lang. Van de beroemde RVV beklimmingen is dit voor mij de mooiste.

Apparently the longest paved climb in Belgium :) I saw the percentages before the ride and thought to myself, not that bad. When I got on top of the road, I was glad it was over! It takes a long effort (especially the false flat after the steeper sections) and the cobblestones are not very good in the last parts. Or maybe that was because the fat was already off the soup ...

Blijkbaar de langste geplaveide beklimming van België :) Ik zag voor de rit de percentages en dacht bij m'n eigen, valt goed mee. Toen ik boven op de gewestweg kwam, was ik blij dat het erop zat! Vergt lange inspanning (zeker stuk vals plat na de steilere stroken) en kasseien liggen er op de laatste stukken niet zo goed bij. Of misschien was dat omdat het vet al van de soep was...

I recommend you to ride the citadel of Namur! According to this site it's 100m shorter, but it's constantly going up on cobblestones that are just a bit better (so not with an almost flat part in the middle of the Oude Kwaremont).

Ik raad je aan om de citadel van Namen eens op te rijden dan! Deze is volgens deze site 100m korter, maar het is wel constant omhoog over kasseien die er net iets beter bijliggen (dus niet met een bijna vlak stuk midden in de Oude Kwaremont) Volgens mij toch de ECHTE langste kasseiklim in België.

Very nice climb. Especially when you get to the flatter part after the Kwaremontplein you have to take your time to enjoy the surroundings. The archi bad cobblestones make the climb much harder than the profile suggests.

Heel mooie beklimming. Vooral als je na het Kwaremontplein in het vlakkere stuk komt moet je de tijd nemen om te genieten van de omgeving. De archi slechte kasseien maken de klim veel zwaarder dan het profiel doet vermoeden.

Most beautiful climb in that corner of the Flemish Ardennes, attention, without the shelter of white party tents it can be quite windy on the spur.

Mooiste klim in die hoek van de vlaamse ardennen, opgelet, zonder de beschutting van witte partytenten kan het flink waaien op de uitloper.

A nice alternative for those who are on their way to the Paterberg is to turn left after the steep part on the Kwaremontplein and then take the first right into the Watermolenstraat. In this way you conquer the cobbled Kalkhoveberg. Just before you get back on the classic route towards the Paterberg you'll be treated to a terribly steep part of 18%! A kind of foretaste of the Paterberg!

Een leuk alternatief voor wie op weg is naar de Paterberg is om na het steile stuk linksaf te slaan op het Kwaremontplein en daarna de eerste rechts te nemen, de Watermolenstraat in. Op die manier bedwing je de eveneens met kasseien bedekte Kalkhoveberg. Net voor je terug aansluit op de klassieke route richting de Paterberg wordt je hier getrakteerd op een verschrikkelijk steil stuk van 18%! Een soort voorproefje van de Paterberg!

Didn't know there was a steeper part in this climb. That was a bit of a disappointment, since I had already left at the bottom :) Beautiful climb and landscape though. Cobblestones do make the climb harder, even after the harder part.

Wist niet dat er een steiler stukje was in deze beklimming. Dat viel toch wel wat tegen, aangezien ik onderaan al snel vertrokken was :) Wel prachtige beklimming en landschap. Kasseien maken de klim wel zwaarder, ook na het zwaardere stukje.

As a belgian, a slope to be proud of on the steepest 200m you even hit the 11.5% and after that you also have to deliver power like on the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix.

Als belg een helling om fier op te zijn op de steilste 200m raak je de 11.5% zelfs en daarna moet je ook nog eens vermogen leveren zoals op de kasseien van parijs-roubaix.

by far the most beautiful in the area! definitely do!!!!

verre weg de mooiste in de omgeving! zeker doen!!!!

The gradient is not too bad, but those cobblestones! It looks like they have been thrown on the road just like that! Quite long too, I think.

Valt goed mee qua hellingsgraad maar die kasseien! Net of ze zo los op de weg zijn gegooid! Toch ook best lang, vind ik.

10% anyway. I didn't really remember that it was so steep, only that the road surface is bad.

10% toch nog. Het is me niet echt bijgebleven dat het zo steil was, alleen dat het wegdek slecht is.

There's another cycling route with the Oude Kwaremont: the Eddy Merckx route, see http://www.fietsroute.org/fietsen/fietsroute/eddy-merckxroute-ovl (can be downloaded as GPS and thus easier to find). I've done it 3x now. The Oude Kwaremont is a tough ride because of the cobblestones, the percentages are not too bad, in contrast to the Paterberg where I always fall silent (sometimes literally).

Er is nog een fietsroute met de Oude Kwaremont : de Eddy Merckxroute, zie http://www.fietsroute.org/fietsen/fietsroute/eddy-merckxroute-ovl (kan je als GPS downloaden en dus makkelijker te vinden). Heb die nu 3x gedaan. De Oude Kwaremont is afzien omwille van de kasseien, de percentages vallen goed mee, in tegenstelling tot de Paterberg waar ik altijd stil val (soms letterlijk).

"If you've had enough, turn left here towards the Paterberg." I like that one ^^. A lot harder than the Kwaremont. I gave up well there a few months ago :) Short but to the point.

"Wie er genoeg van heeft slaat hier linksaf richting de Paterberg." Die vind ik wel een goeie ^^ Toch een pak zwaarder dan de Kwaremont. Heb daar toch goed afgezien een paar maanden geleden :) Kort maar snedig.

my absolute favorite in the region. extra beautiful on beautiful evenings

mijn absolute favoriet in de regio. extra prachtig op mooie avonden

During the Ronde for the first time cycled, a delicious climb! Good to do for beginners.

Tijdens de Ronde voor het eerst gefietst, een heerlijke beklimming! Goed te doen voor de beginners.

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Tadej Pogačar uploads Tour of Flanders win to Strava... gets flagged

Clearly the wall-to-wall TV coverage detailing every pedal stroke of  Tadej Pogačar's history-making Tour of Flanders success was not enough proof,  because his Strava activity — including an obliteration of the Oude Kwaremont KOM — has been flagged.

To our delight Pogačar uploaded his activity to the ride-sharing app for us to stare longingly in disbelief at the stats, the most eye-catching of which was his second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont, the one that distanced the entire peloton and had Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert scrambling, and saw him become the first man to go sub-four minutes up the 2.15km segment.

That effort was 11 seconds faster than the previous best, set by Kasper Asgreen during last year's race and 14 seconds faster than Van Aert's ascent at the same point in the race yesterday.

The 24-year-old's decisive attack on the final ascent of the Kwaremont was also the fifth fastest time ever set, not bad for someone with a KOM and nearly 260km already in the legs.

And the Strava times back up the TV visuals, showing it was the long (for Flanders), shallower slopes of the Kwaremont where Pogačar showed his class, his 17km/h ascents of the Paterberg fast for you or me, but not even in the top 700 fastest times for the 300m-long segment where unsurprisingly the quickest times are not set by those in their sixth hour of Monument racing.

Likewise on the Koppenberg, Pogačar's 1:55 was two seconds slower than the chase of Van Aert behind and would be joint 13th on the leaderboard had it not been flagged.

> I lost my Strava KOM to someone who 'cycled' from London to Newcastle in six hours

On the stats front, the UAE Team Emirates superstar, who now has four Monument wins by the age of 24 and just needs to win Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix to complete the set, covered the extra long 270km Flanders distance in a little over six hours, at an average speed of 44.2km/h.

His max speed hit 86.6km/h and Strava estimates Pogačar burned 6,050 calories. The win came hours after the Gen Z representative had caused something of a meltdown online after replying to Twitter memes just 15 minutes before the race was due to start .

Pogačar replied to a tweet about riders who have won one-day races in which both Van Aert and Van der Poel have started, something which at 9.43 in the morning he had not yet achieved. 

"Motivation for today," the two-time Tour de France winner wrote. A little over six hours later he joined the club...

A quick update from the future... Thankfully the powers that be at Strava have deemed Pogačar's ride to be legitimate, restoring his leaderboard-shattering Kwaremont KOM and the rest of his mind-boggling segment times. Give the man some kudos...

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Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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might have been wada flagging it

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Classic Strava, meanwhile every muppet on an e-bike and plenty seemingly in cars dominate the leader boards around me. I've given up on it. 

"the UAE Team Emirates superstar, who now has four Monument wins by the age of 24 and just needs to win Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix to complete the set"

The word 'just' is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. It's on his radar though.

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We dive into the power numbers of Mathieu van der Poel, Luca Mozzato, Oier Lazkano, and more at the Tour of Flanders.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

One of the most difficult feats in cycling is winning a race in which you are the overwhelming favorite. As a marked rider, the other teams will never let you go in the breakaway, and with every attack that you make, there’s a good chance that the entire peloton will be glued to your wheel. Mathieu Van der Poel was a marked man — literally marked by the resplendent rainbow strips of World Champion — yet he still rode away from the entire field to win his third Tour of Flanders .

In this article, we take a closer look at the power data from the Tour of Flanders , and what it takes to race with the best classics riders in the world.

Three Hours of Fatigue in the Legs

The Tour of Flanders is one of the longest races in professional cycling, stretching 271 kilometers from Antwerp to Oudenaarde. It’s easy to forget the first 130km of the race because there weren’t many crucial events that affected the outcome of the race. But the riders’ legs don’t forget these first 130km, which are building fatigue and burning through kilojoules. This approximately three-hour period will come back to haunt many of them. Here’s a look at second-place finisher Luca Mozzato’s start to the 2024 Tour of Flanders.

Mozzato – First 130 km of the Tour of Flanders

Time : 2:52:46

Average Power : 211w (3.2w/kg)

Normalized Power : 240w (3.6w/kg)

Now…the Hard Part (115 km to go)

The next phase of the race kicked off with 115 km to go when the peloton began climbing the Kapelberg. Over the next 100 km, the riders would take on 16 helligen , the famous Flemish climbs, many of which are made of cobblestones.

Oier Lazkano was one of the foremost riders in the race, climbing alongside Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen , and Matteo Jorgenson . The Spanish Champion put his incredible power on display by accelerating on multiple climbs and holding a normalized power of more than 420 watts for 90 km.

Near the end of this period, Lazkano attempted to follow Van der Poel’s attack on the Oude Kwaremont. In fact, the Spaniard was the only rider who was able to close the gap to the world champion, catching him just before the summit. This is what it took to chase down Mathieu van der Poel on the famous Oude Kwaremont.

Lazkano – Peak 2-Hour Normalized Power

Time : 2:07:34

Average Power : 354w (4.8w/kg)

Normalized Power : 422w (5.8w/kg)

Following MVDP on the Oude Kwaremont: 555w (7.9w/kg) for 3:19

Koppenberg: The Turning Point of the Race

Few could have predicted the chaos that decided the 2024 Tour of Flanders. While most expected MVDP to win, few saw it happening like this.

As the peloton raced towards the Koppenberg — known as the toughest climb in Flanders — there were reports of danger ahead. The Koppenberg cobbles were so wet and muddy that the race officials warned the peloton ahead of their ascent. And they were 100 percent right .

Van der Poel accelerated to the front of the peloton as the race hit the Koppenberg. Jorgenson attempted to follow, and both riders struggled to maintain traction on the muddy cobbles. In a comical and shocking turn of events, the rest of the peloton couldn’t even stay on their bikes. Riders unclipped and began to walk, only to remount and slip off again a few meters later.

By the summit, MvdP had an eight-second gap on Jorgenson and a massive gap to the rest of the peloton. Jorgenson climbed the Koppenberg in just over two minutes, 19 seconds slower than Tadej Pogačar did in 2023.

In the 2021 Tour of Flanders, Mathieu van der Poel climbed the Koppenberg in one minute and 40 seconds at an average of 603 w. Though the times were significantly slower in 2024, we can certainly say that the conditions were slower as well. Like many riders, Lazkano lost minutes by walking on the 500-meter climb of the Koppenberg. No matter how strong he was, his race was over.

Koppenberg – Strava Top 10

Van der Poel (2021) : 1:40 at 603w (7.6w/kg)

Pogačar (2023) : 1:42 at ~520w (8w/kg)

Van der Poel (2024) : ~1:52 at 580w (7.3w/kg)

Lazkano (2024) : 3:45 with lots of walking

The Not-So-Thrilling Finale

Like so many races in the past few years, the race was over with 40 km to go. Jorgenson blew up trying to chase down Van der Poel, and the world champion soon had more than a minute on the next group of chasers.

It’s rumored that Van der Poel had a normalized power (NP) of more than 400 w at last year’s world championship road race Glasgow . That was one of the hardest and most chaotic races in recent memory, perfect for Van der Poel. The 29-year-old has a new MO: start attacking with 80-120 kilometers to go and keep on attacking until there’s no one left.

When up against the best riders in the world, such as peak-form Pogačar, Wout van Aert, or Pedersen, it usually takes hours of non-stop attacking to finally crack them. But in a race like the 2024 Tour of Flanders, where most of the favorites were missing or injured, it only took one serious attack for Van der Poel to get away.

While we don’t have the world champion’s power data, we do know that Mozzato averaged 42 kph for the final hour of the race. That means that Van der Poel averaged ~43 kph solo…for an hour…five hours and 5,000+ kilojoules deep into the race…on a wet course that included the Taaienberg, Oude Kruisberg, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg in the finale.

2024 Tour of Flanders – Final 42km

Van der Poel (solo): 58:59 at ~43 kph

Mozzato (chase group): 1:00:01 at NP 321w

The world champion lifted his bike in the air at the finish line, winning his third Tour of Flanders in just five years. The chase groups were in a washing machine for the last 45 km, and ultimately, a group of 10 came into the final kilometer to contest the podium.

To almost everyone’s surprise, Luca Mozzato came out of the wheels to finish second at the Tour of Flanders, the best result of his career. Nils Politt finished third after Michael Matthews was relegated for a sprint deviation . After six hours of hanging onto the front group, Mozzato timed his sprint perfectly to take the second step on the podium.

After six hours of full gas racing, everyone was sprinting on dead legs. Mozzato only had to hold 900w for a few seconds to sprint onto the podium.

Mozzato – Final Sprint

Time : final 19 seconds

Average Power : 607w (9.1w/kg)

Final 3 seconds : 900w (13.4w/kg)

Power Analysis data courtesy of Strava

Strava sauce extension 

Mathieu Van der Poel

Matteo Jorgenson

Oier Lazkano

Luca Mozzato

Tadej Pogačar

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How to Watch the 2024 Tour of Flanders

Everything you need to know about Belgium’s toughest one-day race, de Ronde van Vlaanderen.

How to Watch de Ronde van Vlaanderen

What happened last year, riders to watch.

This season’s second Monument just might be the best.

The warm-up races with hard-to-say names concluded with Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, which means it’s time for Belgium's biggest and one of the hardest races of the season: the Tour of Flanders, or as the locals call it, the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

First organized in 1913 to promote a sports newspaper and encourage regional pride in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium, the Tour of Flanders is now known in Belgium as Vlaanderens Mooiste , the “most beautiful” race in the region (if you consider cobblestones, narrow roads, bad weather, and lots of climbs to be things of beauty).

Like many Monuments, the race has undergone many changes in its 107 editions, but its most famous characteristic has largely remained unchanged: its bergs , a relentless series of short, steep, and often cobbled climbs during the second half of the race. With roads barely wide enough for most cars to pass through, the peloton often looks like it’s preparing for a field sprint as teams try to position their riders at the front heading into these important tactical battlegrounds.

In the end, the race usually comes down to a vicious final circuit that includes six climbs and ends with the Oude Kwaremont (long and cobbled) and the Paterberg (steep and cobbled) before a fast ride to the finish in Oudenaarde.

It’s no surprise that the riders consider Flanders to be one of the hardest one-day races on the calendar. Its champions need to have strength, skill, experience, and a bit of luck to succeed. It can take years for riders to learn and master the roads, the terrain, and the weather (it’s spring in Belgium, after all).

Given the event’s complexity, Belgians have won more editions (69) of the men’s race than riders from any other nation. But that’s little consolation given that a Belgian hasn’t won the men’s race since 2017. And after home favorite Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) broke his collarbone in Dwars door Vlaanderen, that doesn’t look likely to change this year.

A women’s Tour of Flanders was added in 2004, and the Dutch have won 8 of its 20 editions. But Belgians have enjoyed more recent success in the women’s event, with Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) winning last year and the year before, the first woman to win back-to-back editions since Dutchwoman Mirjam Melchers won the race in 2005 and 2006.

After last year’s race started in Bruges, this year’s 270K men’s event begins in Antwerp before heading south toward the hills of the Flemish Ardennes, a hilly region packed with short, steep (often cobbled) climbs which the locals call bergs . The first 100K of the race have been changed since the last time the race started in Antwerp. The organizers want to keep the riders on wider roads, to make the race safer.

But it’s not until the race passes through Oudenaarde (home to the Tour of Flanders Museum) that the action really begins, starting with the first of the event’s 17 climbs, the Oude Kwaremont. Long, steady, and cobbled, the Oude Kwaremont pulls the pin on the second half of the race, with the race’s 16 remaining climbs coming in quick succession over the Ronde’s final 136K.

The first big loop that the men will cover takes them over ten more climbs, including famous ascents like the Molenberg, the Berendries, and the Valkenburg. This circuit ends with an important trio of climbs, one of which will return at the end of the next loop to serve as the final three climbs of the race: the Kruisberg, the Oude Kwaremont (again), and the Paterberg.

This second ascent of the Oude Kwaremont is often one of the most intense moments of the race. The teams race hard into the base of it to position their captains at the front of the race to follow any accelerations that may occur. Splits are common here, and teams hoping to win the race will hope to have multiple riders in the front group by the time they hit the summit.

But the group could split again rather quickly, as the race heads right from the Kwaremont to the Paterberg, a shorter, steeper climb that’s perfect for sharper attacks. It was on this climb that Mathieu van der Poel pulled away to win last Friday’s E3 Saxo Classic.

The second and final circuit begins with arguably the most famous (and certainly the most brutal) climb in the entire race: the Koppenberg. Super-steep, cobbled, and narrow, this is where the race’s final phase begins. Riders who don’t hit the climb at the front of the peloton are often forced to get off their bikes and walk as the sudden deceleration caused by the abrupt change in terrain ripples backward through the pack. The race is essentially over for anyone who doesn’t make it over the top of this climb in the top 25.

After the Koppenberg, five bergs remain, and recent editions have seen race-winning attacks launched on just about all of them. Lately, it’s all come down to the final ascents of the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, with special attention often given to the short stretch of rolling road in between as riders try and surprise their rivals while they recover from the Kwaremont and prepare for the Paterberg, the Ronde’s final climb.

From the top of the final ascent of the Paterberg, it’s only 13.2K to the finish line in Oudenaarde, a distance that several riders have covered alone in recent years. If there is a sprint, it will be between just a handful of classics specialists; the race is too hard to see a large group hit the finish line together.

The 156km women’s race begins and ends in Oudenaarde. The course resembles a mutated clover leaf, and the women’s peloton crosses twelve of the climbs and seven sectors of cobblestones from the men’s event, including–for the first time two years ago–the Koppenberg.

In fact, beginning with Koppenberg, the women’s and men’s final loops are identical, with five more climbs coming in quick succession and the Oude-Kwaremont and the Paterberg providing two final launchpads for riders hoping to escape and win the Flemish Monument.

If you subscribed to FloBikes ($150/year or $30/month) before Ghent-Wevelgem or Dwars door Vlaanderen, then you’re all set to watch the Tour of Flanders. Both the men’s and women’s events will be available live and on-demand via FloBikes.com, the FloSports IOS app, and the FloSports app for Amazon FireTV, Roku, and Apple TV.

Clocks spring forward in Europe on Sunday, so fans on the east coast will be six hours behind the event’s local time. We’ll be up early to watch the men as they hit the Oude Kwaremont for the first time (about 7:30 a.m. EDT). If that’s too early for you, set an alarm for about 9:30 a.m. EDT, the second passage over the cobbled ascent and the moment when the race is expected to explode.

The men’s race should finish around 10:45 a.m. EDT, at which point the women (depending on their average speed) should be nearing or just over the Koppenberg. The women’s race should finish around 11:45 a.m. EDT, which means you’re in for at least 2+ hours of fantastic racing.

After finishing fourth in 2022, Pogačar returned to the Ronde last year, dropping the rest of a dream breakaway of riders that included the Netherlands’ Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Belgium’s Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma), and Denmark’s Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) on the last ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. The Slovenian rode along to the finish to become the third male rider in history–and the first since Belgian legend Eddy Merckx–to win the Tour de France and the Tour of Flanders.

But the Belgian fans didn’t go home unhappy. A little while after Pogačar crossed the finish line, home favorite Lotte Kopecky (SD-Worx) defended her title from 2022, capping off a true team effort in which she and the Netherlands’ Demi Vollering finished first and second.

Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck)

With Pogačar not defending his title and van Aert breaking his collarbone and a few ribs in Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, it looks as if this year’s Tour of Flanders is van der Poel’s race to lose.

Even before Wednesday’s high-speed crash, van der Poel was the top favorite. The Dutchman has won the Ronde twice and never finished worse than fourth in the five times he’s raced it. He’s again built the first part of his season around winning the Flemish Monument for a record-tying third time, and three race days into his spring he’s proven that he’s ready with a tenth-place finish in Milan-Sanremo, a dominating victory in last Friday’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic and a second-place finish in Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem. Anything less than a victory will be a major disappointment for the Dutchman and his team.

Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek)

Pedersen has a lot going for him in Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. He’s an experienced contender, having finished second in 2018 and third last year. He’s also the captain of Lidl-Trek, the strongest team in the classics peloton at the moment. But most importantly, he knows he can defeat van der Poel after beating the Dutchman in a two-up sprint to win Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem.

Now the bad news: the Dane went down in the crash that took out van Aert in Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen. He was able to get back on his bike and continue the race (he later DNFed), but his teammate, Belgium’s Jasper Stuyven, wasn’t as lucky. That’s a big loss for Lidl-Trek, Stuyven is a former Monument winner who has proven to be a valuable ally to the Dane so far this spring.

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike)

Stranger things have happened, right? It’s been a nightmare couple of weeks for Visma-Lease a Bike’s classics squad as crashes and illnesses have gutted the team, forcing them to take a bit of a “last man standing” approach to Sunday’s Monument. Luckily, the last man standing at the moment is a pretty good one: American Matteo Jorgenson, who won Paris-Nice in early March and then Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen semi-classic.

With van Aert and several more of the team’s riders forced to sit out Sunday’s race, Jorgenson has clearly earned the right to lead the team instead. Ninth in Flanders last year, he also scored top-5 finishes in the last two editions of the E3 Saxo Classic, a mini-Tour of Flanders that many riders use as their Tour of Flanders dress rehearsal. He’s no Wout van Aert (yet), but he’s the team’s best rider at the moment and a solid contender to at least finish on the podium.

Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime)

The two-time defending champion, Kopecky will likely be the focal point of an SD Worx-Protime squad that should also include the Netherlands’ Demi Vollering, who was second behind her teammate in last year’s edition.

Kopecky “only” finished fourth in Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, as she found herself isolated and outnumbered in the leading group at the end of the semi-classic. But with two wins and two second-place finishes in major one-day races so far this season, she’s still the woman to beat despite Wednesday’s setback (if you can call fourth-place a setback). A victory Sunday would make her the winningest rider in the history of the women’s Ronde , and the first rider–male or female–to win the race three years in a row.

Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a bike)

Vos won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in late February and then took a break after finishing ninth at Strade Bianche in early March. Well, it looks like the decision has paid off as the 36-year-old won Wednesday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, putting herself firmly on the list of favorites for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, a race she won in 2013.

What was most impressive about Vos’ win Wednesday was the manner in which she did it. Lidl-Trek had two riders–Italy’s Elisa Longo Borghini and the Netherlands’ Shirin van Anrooij–in the leading breakaway of six. When van Anrooij attacked, Vos didn’t wait. She quickly covered the move, not worried about a possible counter-attack from Longo Borghini if the Dutch riders were caught.

It’s often said that in order to win races you have to be willing to lose them, and Vos illustrated the wisdom behind the cliché on Wednesday. With SD Worx-Protime and Lidl-Trek expected to have the two strongest teams in Sunday’s race, Vos might have to prove it right yet again.

Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek)

The second Lidl-Trek rider to make Wednesday’s winning breakaway, Longo Borghini, tried to join van Anrooij off the front with Vos at the end of Dwars door Vlaanderen but couldn’t quite close the gap. Regardless, she’s still a top contender for Sunday’s Tour of Flanders, a race she won in 2015. While they didn’t win the race Wednesday, her team found a winning formula for beating SD Worx-Protime: isolate and out-number them, and then grind them down. Look for them to try a similar approach on Sunday, with hopefully an even better outcome.

Other Riders to Watch

Matej Mohorič (Bahrain-Victorious), Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ), Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost), Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx-Protime), Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek), and Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon//SRAM Racing)

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Ronde Van Vlaanderen - Blue Loop

The blue loop (80km) is the shortest of the three on offer from the Centrum Ronde Van Vlaanderen, but this by no guarantees an easy day in the saddle. It's Parcours is a circuit around the finale of the Ronde beginning with the classic trio of the Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg. If you've still got the legs you'll continue on to the Taaienberg, Kruisberg and Hotondberg before returning to Oudenaarde.

The route step by step

First things first: coffee.

Peloton Café

This cycling-themed pub is part of the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders Center) and the place to be for lycra lovers.

Oude Kwaremont

Three: that’s how many times riders must climb the famous Oude Kwaremont during the Ronde. The Oude Kwaremont is the longest cobbled climb of Flanders at 2200 meters long, and 92 meters of climbing. While it averages a nice “easy” 4% gradient it’s maximum gradient of 11.6 % lies in the middle of the climb – it’s not an easy feat to recover from that over cobbles. Indeed, if you fail to recover from it in time, you can consider a pause at In 't Palet on the corner of the village square.

Kwaremont-dorp

"Kwaremont-dorp is a picturesque painter's village that attracted seeral artists after the Second World War. And even today, the streets are still lined with art galleries and cafés. Bar/brasserie/restaurant 't Palet and the restaurant pub In de Zon are just a few examples. Definitely worth a detour!

It’s only a relatively recent addition to the Tour of Flanders, constructed in the 1980s on farmland by a landowner jealous of his friend's proximity to the Koppenberg every year, but the Paterberg has already achieved legendary status. With a maximum gradient of 20.33% and an average gradient of over 12%, it’s one of the steepest climbs in the region. The descent to the sharp right hand corner at the foot of the climb requires care and usually claims at least one victim every year on the Tour of Flanders.

The ‘bump’ of Melden, as the Koppenberg is locally known, is guaranteed to add suspense to the Ronde, every year. Not surprisingly it has been listed as a national monument. This hill and over 100 acres of surrounding countryside add up to one the most beautiful natural hotspots in the Flemish Ardennes.

The Koppenberg is also probably the most difficult climb in the region, combining maximum gradient of 20% with rutted, worn cobbles and a constantly greasy surface. There's no shame in having to stop. Better men than us have had to walk up here. Legend has it that the climb was introduced to the Tour of Flanders organisers by 2 time winner Walter Godefroot, but only after he'd retired so he wouldn't have to race up it.

Koppenberg Cobblestones

Artist Vladimir Tanghe once counted the number of cobblestones on the steepest part of the Koppenberg: 66,240 cobblestones over 2760 rows at an average of 24 stones per row. On the entire hill there are even more cobblestones.

The Koppenberg / GCN'S Epic climbs

GCN takes on the most brutal climb of the Tour of Flanders.

This hill lives up to its name. Taaienberg literally means ‘tough hill’ and the reason for this name will become clear when you ascend its 530m stretch of cobblestones. This wasTom Boonen’s favourite hill to test his early season form on with an annual attack in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad earning it the name of 'Boonenberg'.

Kanarieberg

Kanarieberg or 'canary hill' situated in Ronse is a tough one. The steepest section of this long climb peaks at 14 %, with an average incline of 9.2 %. The left turn at the top takes through some beautiful woodland.

Oude Kruisberg

The 750m climb starts going gently uphill from the center of Ronse. The upper – and steepest – part of the climb has a roughly-paved cobbled surface, totaling 450 m of cobbles. The climb was first included in the Tour of Flanders route in 1973 and has become a fixed location in the route since the race's restyling in 2012. In recent years, it comes at 26 km from the finish in Oudenaarde, as the last cobbled climb before the iconic Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg climbs. The Kruisberg is also regularly included in the Three Days of De Panne, E3 Harelbeke.

Ronde van Vlaanderen street

In de Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat in Kwaremont you can greet Karel Van Wijnendaele, founder of the Tour of Flanders. But also keep your eyes on the road. All the winners of the Ronde are indicated on the asphalt.

d’Oude Hoeve

This authentic cycling bar is located in the Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat. Perfect place to hang out. You can also have a shower here, grab something to eat or use some tools to fix your bike.

Kluisberg (South)

This is a nice paved climb of about 1 km. Over this distance, you climb 67 altimeters. The average percentage is 6 % with a maximum of 16 %.

Congratulations! You made it.

Time for some post-ride Belgian beers. Santé!

READY TO GO?

So you’ve decided what route you’re conquering? Get ready here!

Plan your stay

Get the hottest tips and tricks to take on Flanders by bike! When should you visit? Where can you rent a bike? What's the perfect place to stay? Or drink the perfect Belgian beer? Check it out!

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Take the shuttle bus to a Tour of Flanders fan zone

This year too, you can experience the Tour of Flanders in one of the four fan zones: Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Koppenberg or Oudenaarde. Even more, a shuttle bus will take you from Oudenaarde, Kluisbergen or Ronse to the fan zone where you want to follow the race.

Want to go wild when Tadej Pogacar conjures up another gear on the Oude Kwaremont? Or scream Lotte Kopecky to the top on the Paterberg? These are just two of the thousands of fantastic scenarios that you can experience from the front row on Sunday 2 April. The following are the fan zones of the Tour of Flanders 2023:  

• Fan zone Koppenberg (10:00 - 19:00)
• Fan zone Oude Kwaremont (10:00 - 19:00)
• Fan zone Paterberg (10:00 - 19:00)
• Fan zone Oudenaarde (13:00 - 19:00)

The fastest way to get to a fan zone? Park your car in Oudenaarde, Kluisbergen or Ronse and take one of the shuttle buses provided towards the hill zone:  

Shuttle bus A brings you from De Bruwaan (Oudenaarde) to the end stops Oude Kwaremont / Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat:

• Outward rides: 10:00 - 13:15
• Return rides: 17:45 - 20:00
• Click here for the timetable of shuttle bus A.

Shuttle bus B brings you from Ruien (Kluisbergen) to the end stops Oude Kwaremont / Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat:

• Click here for a timetable of shuttle bus B.

Shuttle bus C brings you from Ronse to the end stops Oude Kwaremont / Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat:

• Click here for the timetable of shuttle bus C.

Ronde van Vlaanderen is part of Flanders Classics. To access this content, you need to be logged in with your free Flanders Classics profile . Sprint quickly to your Flanders Classics profile and sign in. New to our peloton? Then register for free in the next step.

Your personal Flanders Classics profile has been successfully created. From now on, once you are logged in, you can access all documents and other content on our websites.

• Press & media
• Hospitality

Tour of Flanders VIP 2025

If you looking forward to that first heroic sunday in april. then you are in luck for these exclusive vip and hospitality packages for the tour of flanders, sunday, april 6.

VIP Start Bruges

Classic Club

VIP Kwaremont

VIP Paterberg

From: € 220

Description

• Cost & Book

Tour of Flanders VIP 2025 Sunday, April 6

Check also the Tour of Flanders 2025 4 days – 3 nights package – TOUR OF FLANDERS 2025  and our SPRING CLASSICS BIKE HIRE 2025

Only need a bike for the Tour of Flanders? BOOK HERE

Watch “The Ronde van Vlaanderen” live!

If you looking forward to a heroic Sunday! Then you are in luck with these exclusive VIP and hospitality packages for the Tour of Flanders.

The ‘Ronde van Vlaanderen’ is a massively popular event in Belgium. The whole nation turns out to see the heroes of cycling battle it out for the win. You can be there too and the VIP formulas allow you to be a racing insider throughout the day. Whether you choose to be at the start in Antwerp or on one of the legendary climbs in the Flemish Ardennes. At the finish in Oudenaarde, you have different VIP access options available.

Bruges will host the start of the Tour of Flanders in 2023, 2025 , and 2027, while Antwerp will host the start in 2022, 2024, and 2026.

Package 1 VIP – 3 x Oude Kwaremont € 665 

The “3x Oude Kwaremont ” allows you to experience the amazing role that Oude Kwaremont plays in the final stage of the Tour of Flanders.  You will be in the center of the action, on one of Flanders’ most iconic cobbled inclines. Some of the most famous cyclists in the world will pass by your location no fewer than three times. So chances are you will be cheering on the winner when the racers make their way over the summit. TIMING:  From 10 a.m. until 6.30 p.m.

Package 2 VIP – Bruges start VIP Breakfast € 220 

Enjoy a delicious VIP breakfast in Bruges and enjoy a front-row view of the start of the Tour of Flanders. Watch the cyclists as they prepare for this heroic battle from the comfort of our VIP zone. In the meantime, the riders warm up in the team zone and you can inspect the shiny bicycles and the legs of the race favorites from just a few meters away. You will enjoy a front-row view when the riders depart onto the roads of Flanders after the official shouts “Heeren vertrekt!” (Gentlemen, be on your way!)

Package 3 VIP – Finish Oudenaarde Flanders Classics Club € 475

• This is a stylish VIP formula right next to the finish line in Oudenaarde. Experience the finish of this edition in style from a front-row position.

Package 4 VIP – Top Paterberg € 555

• Enjoy an unforgettable VIP experience on Flanders’ most challenging hill: the Paterberg. Experience the race from the luxurious VIP tent at the top of this iconic hill. You will see the riders pass the Paterberg twice!

Package 5 VIP – 3 x Ronde Van Vlaanderenstraat € 555

A program full of atmosphere in a beautiful VIP tent at the Hotond ( near Kluisbergen). The ultimate race experience! with Welcome provided by hostesses, aperitifs, and appetizers, 1x live passage of the Tour of Flanders Elite Women, 3x live passages of the Tour of Flanders Elite Men, Deluxe BBQ with fresh salads and non-stop open bar, and much more see Itinerary

Ticket collection and further information

At the time of booking, you will receive a booking confirmation. Nearer the time you’ll receive an itinerary with further information and instructions on your experience including how to gain access.

• Champagne reception with appertisers
• Refined lunch and non-stop open bar
• Lavish reception
• Welcome provided by Tour of Flanders hosts
• Access to the VIP village on Oude Kwaremont
• Personalised tables with seating
• Terrace along the cobbles, with a perfect view of the race circuit
• 3 x live passage Men’s Elite race
• 1 x live passage Women’s Elite race
• Dazzling entertainment after the race
• 1 VIP Parking per 2 persons
• Shuttle service
• Live TV broadcast on plasma screen
• VIP breakfast
• Access to the team zone and to the VIP zone, which extends to the start stage.
• 1 VIP parking per 2 persons
• Shuttle service to VIP parking
• Free race newspaper
• Unofficial start of the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
• Important note
• Please note the Event Organiser can modify the itinerary without notice and is subject to change until the tickets are issued on the days leading up to the event
• Please note that this is for a ticket only so no hotel or transport is included.
• Reception with drinks and appetizers
• Non-stop buffet and open bar
• Welcome provided by our hosts
• Access to the VIP zone along the finish line in Oudenaarde
• Arrival of the Elite Men’s race, to follow exclusively from the VIP zone
• Arrival of the Elite Women’s race, to follow exclusively from the VIP zone
• 1 VIP parking per 2 persons within walking distance
• Live TV broadcast on big screen
• Champagne reception with appetisers
• Welcome provided by hosts
• Terrace with a direct view of the circuit
• 2 x live passage of the Elite Men’s race
• 1x live passage of the Elite Women’s race
• Shuttle service from VIP parking area
• Live TV broadcast on plasma screens
• Drinks and appetisers on arrival
• Buffet lunch
• Complimentary bar
• VIP tent in the Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat
• 3 x Live passages of the Men’s race
• 1 x Live passage of the Women’s race
• Entertainment after the race
• 1 VIP parking pass per two tickets
• TV screens showing the race
• 09:15 – Start of the VIP shuttle service (until 10:45)
• 10:30 – Reception with aperitif and appetisers followed by deluxe BBQ and non-stop open bar
• 13:00 – Start of the live TV broadcast, which can be followed on our big screens
• 1x live passage of the Tour of Flanders Elite Women
• 3x live passages of the Tour of Flanders Elite Men
• ±16:40 – Finish of the Tour of Flanders, which can be followed live on our big screens followed by a reception.
• 18:00 – End of programme

Cost & Book

Booking information, extra information.

• We tend and try to reply within 24/36 hours and send all over within 48 hours.
• Once confirmed, you will receive an invoice and the itinerary of hospitality experience/ grandstand seats
• Concerning the selling of any entry tickets or hospitality experiences, we act as an agent for our tour operator
• Please do not make travel plans until you receive our confirmation.
• Your confirmation invoice contains a statement reflecting your payment for hospitality experience/ grandstand seats
• Payments are taken in full and are non-refundable, and non-transferable to other events. Where tickets are issued, if the tickets are lost, they may potentially not be replaceable without full payment. With entries to events, the name may not be substituted, except with the permission of the event organizer, and may be subject to an administration fee. Please note, that with most events, names cannot be changed.
• Please be advised that we make every effort to ensure that all the information given on this site is accurate. All statements and information have been researched and supplied by third parties.
• The information given is accurate and reliable, to the best of our knowledge. Should errors be found, we will rectify them as quickly as possible. However, we accept no responsibility for errors or inaccuracies
• From Oudenaarde your VIP shuttle awaits and will take you to 'De Oude Kwaremont' up until 10.45. Once there you will have a welcome with Champagne and snacks followed by a buffet lunch and open bar. You will see the riders of the women's Tour of Flanders pro race come past once and the Elite Men 3 times. Throughout you will have access to the open bar and large screens to watch the race live. You will have a personalized table with seating and then an extensive drinks reception with live music after the race before taking the shuttle back to Oudenaarde.
• Enjoy a delicious VIP breakfast in Antwerp and enjoy a front-row view of the start of the Tour of Flanders. Watch the cyclists as they prepare for this heroic battle from the comfort of our VIP zone. In the meantime, the riders warm up in the team zone and you can inspect the shiny bicycles and the legs of the race favorites from just a few meters away. You will enjoy a front-row view when the riders depart onto the roads of Flanders after the official shouts “Heeren vertrekt!” (Gentlemen, be on your way!)
• A program full of atmosphere in a beautiful VIP tent at the Hotond ( near Kluisbergen). The ultimate race experience! with Welcome provided by hostesses, aperitifs, and appetizers, 1x live passage of the Tour of Flanders Elite Women, 3x live passages of the Tour of Flanders Elite Men, Deluxe BBQ with fresh salads and non-stop open bar, and much more see Itinerary.

Not Included

• Hotel accommodation
• Transport to the start from your hotel

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