Tour of Flanders cycling route: Yellow loop
Extended route description
The Tour of Flanders route is your chance to cycle along the route of this classic cycling event yourself. Including all the legendary humps and cobblestones. This yellow circuit will throw quite a few tough climbs at you, including the climbs at Wannegem-Lede, the Paddestraat and Volkegemberg. Don't forget to dismount every now and then, because the scenery is after all among the most beautiful in Flanders.
Starting point Tour of Flanders centre
The Tour of Flanders Centre is the place to be for racing fans and the archive for aficionados of the Tour. But these days, it is also the perfect starting point for cycling enthusiasts who want to sample the route of the Tour themselves. Cycling tourists can change clothes here, rent a racer, borrow a GPS - with cycling circuits on it - and get a shower too. Those with energy left over after the ride can visit the Tour Exhibition, where you can see changing, themed collections throughout the year. Still not ready to head home? Then how about celebrating your victory in the renovated Peloton Café.
Strava Flandrien Challenge
With the Flandrien Challenges, you now know to the very second how fast you’re riding the legendary inclines of the Flemish Classics. Measure yourself against professional cyclists or compare times with your friends. The Strava app enables you to (automatically) register your time between the marked start and finish line of the Challenge segment on well-known inclines and cobblestone sections.
The Outsider
Definitely one to remember for your next visit to the Flemish Ardennes, this adventure park at the Donkvijver in Oudenaarde. Whizz down the death ride, jump from pole to pole through the swamp course, paddle a kayak to a desert island or climb the Blue Diamond, a mesmerising 16-metre-high rope course. Are you a truly adventurous water lover? Then go kneeboarding, water skiing or wakeboarding at the cable park, the only permanent one in East Flanders. You'll have definitely earned that tasty bite or local beer in the pub or beach bar afterwards.
Schietsjampettermolen
Just outside the picturesque village centre of Wannegem-Lede, you'll immediately see the Schietsjampettermolen on your left, which you will pass later on. A windmill stood on this hill as early as the 16th century. The mill owes its curious name to a trigger-happy "champetter" (constable) who shot a bullet in the mill chute following an argument. Further up, you will also pass the Huisekoutermolen, a beautifully restored wooden 'stander' mill that has also been grinding regularly since the end of 2016.
De Ghellinck D'Elseghem Castle
This late 18th-century 'maison de plaisance' is sometimes called the 'Petit Trianon' of Flanders, after Marie-Antoinette's pleasure garden of the same name at Versailles. The castle and its 14-hectare park garden were protected as a monument and landscape, respectively, in 1971. The domain features an orangery, conservatory, gardener's house, carriage house and horse stables.
Mullem
Via den Doorn and part of Eine on the left side of the N60, you arrive in the village of Mullem, a sub-municipality of Oudenaarde. Still today, it remains an absolute gem. The village centre is listed and consists of the Romanesque Sint-Hilarius Church, a presbytery and an old municipal school. At the top of the steep Aststraat - 'the short Ast' in the vernacular - stands the de Gerlache Castle, a French-style pile inhabited by the descendants of Antarctic explorers Adrien and Gaston de Gerlache. At the top you reach 'the long Ast', where you have a broad panorama of the Scheldt Valley.
In De Kroon
The best pub in Mullem and the surrounding area, with a beautiful garden terrace, delicious snacks and a carefully selected beer and wine list. In De Kroon has been used as a backdrop for film and television on various occasions.
Zwalmstreek
Once you cross the Scheldt in Zingem, you end up in this rolling stretch of Flemish Ardennes between Oudenaarde, Zottegem and Brakel. Together with its tributaries, the meandering Zwalm River has created an idyllic landscape here, with miniature valleys, water mills and villages that compete in charm, tranquillity and authenticity. Several mills have been converted into pubs, where a Zwalm tripel or a salad with local watercress await you.
Roborst
In 'watercress village' Roborst, the pure spring water of the spring valley and the natural terraced-shaped canals provide an ideal growing environment for the healthy vegetables with medicinal properties. The local company Cressana sold its organic watercress at fresh produce markets for years, but these days focuses on processing it into high-quality nutritional supplements.
Paddestraat
The 2.4 kilometre-long old cobblestone road Paddestraat, the scourge of riders' backsides and protected as a monument, used to be partially used as a Roman Highway between Boulogne and Cologne. Here you'll find the Zottegem Tour of Flanders monument, with a cobblestone (the Paddenstraat) in a metal circle (the Tour). The corner sections feature the names of all the winners since 1973, the year the Tour first thundered over these cobblestones.
Archeocentrum Velzeke
Based on numerous archaeological finds, the Archaeocentrum paints a picture of daily life in prehistoric and Gallo-Roman times. You'll also learn how and why Velzeke was such a thriving Roman vicus (settlement) at the time, at the intersection of two important highways. Perhaps on your next visit you can explore the nearby nature trail dedicated to the legendary Jan de Lichte. This ringleader of the notorious 18th-century gang of bandits was from Velzeke.
Ename
Via Zottegem, hills including the Molenberg and Volkegemberg and Bos 't Ename on the valley wall of the Scheldt, you'll reach Ename, a small hamlet with a proud history. In the 10th and 11th centuries, this was a thriving port town with a Benedictine abbey, a hive of activity. Definitely take a look inside the Sint-Laurentius Church, where a 'time window' takes you back over the centuries. The murals here are among the oldest in the Benelux. At the Pam Ename, archaeological finds and historical reconstructions take you on a journey through the history of the Scheldt village. Nearby, you can go for a stroll in the Archaeopark or the Provincial Heritage Centre, which takes you virtually around the 13th-century abbey. Great fun, especially for those with green fingers: the reconstructed abbey gardens, where residents of Ename grow old and forgotten vegetables.
Huis Beaucarne
Hidden behind an inconspicuous facade in the Ename village centre is a superb heritage gem. Huis Beaucarne has been occupied by the same family for more than 250 years. A guided visit is available by appointment, packages such as brunch or an afternoon tea can also be booked at any time. The tea house in the historic courtyard, which is open from May, serves tea, coffee and cake, local beers and aperitifs with tapas.
De Carillon
There's no better ending to this Tour of Flanders circuit - after a well-deserved shower at the Tour of Flanders Centre - than De Carillon on the Market Square in Oudenaarde, the oldest 'brown' (traditional) café in town, in the shadow of Sint-Walburga's Church. Here they serve Ename Blond and Liefmans Goudenband on tap, among others.
Eindpunt TOUR OF FLANDERS CENTRE
4 cycling routes along the Tour of Flanders
