Tour of Flanders cycling route: blue circuit
Extended route description
Tame for yourself the formidable calf-burners Oude Kwaremont, the Koppenberg and the Taaienberg on this shortest - but certainly not the most leisurely - Tour of Flanders route. You will cycle 78 kilometers over all the famous cobbled lanes, in the slipstream of the real riders, through the beautiful countryside of the Flemish Ardennes.
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.
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Oude Kwaremont
After a few kilometers of flat and easy cycling on the towpath along the Scheldt, you then have a slight uphill climb towards Kwaremont, just before Berchem. Feel the vibrations under your wheels: the mythical cobbled slope Oude Kwaremont (average gradient 4% - maximum 11.6%), a standard fixture on the Tour route that has put many a rider to the test.
Kwaremont, with its whitewashed church and beautiful location, attracted countless artists to the Flemish Ardennes after the Second World War. Even today, there are several studios and galleries under the Kwaremont church tower. Also in the heart of the village is In De Zon, a cozy eatery with a nice terrace.
Ronde Van Vlaanderenstraat
Once you get to Kwaremont, you'll soon be on the Ronde van Vlaanderenstraat (Tour of Flanders Street), one long ode to the classic Flemish Tour and the cycling heroes who have made the race legendary. It is a monument in itself, with a gallery of honour featuring 10 life-size portraits of legendary cycling heroes, a 1.2-kilometer-long list of honours on the road surface and a mosaic of all Tour winners - men and women - at the monument of Karel Van Wijnendaele.
Koppenberg
Before you arrive at the Koppenberg, a few familiar trials lie in wait for you along your route, such as the Patersberg, the Kapelberg and Korte Keer. A particularly tough challenge, that Koppenberg, aka "the hump of Melden," has a gradient of up to 22%. Now you've really earned that (picnic) break in the Koppenberg forest!
Taaienberg
This hill totally lives up to its Dutch name ('Tough Hill'): it is a punishing climb with an 800-meter-long cobblestone section, which is protected as a monument. Cycling enthusiasts also know it as the favourite "hill" of cyclist-on-a-sabbatical Tom Boonen.
Louise-Marie and Muziekbos
Through Etikhove and the punishing Taaienberg - 800 meters of cobblestones, maximum gradient 15.8% - you head towards Louise-Marie and the 100-hectare Muziekbos, perhaps the most symbolic spot in the region. It was here that writer Omer Wattez, enchanted by the landscape he beheld from the Geuzentower, coined the term 'Flemish Ardennes'. Take advantage of the picnic bench or take a breather on the 'Sinnenbank' near this fairytale tower.
Bistro Boekzitting
On the spot where justice was once meted out, Bistro Boekzitting has stood for many years, yet another cozy stop with an inviting terrace. You're welcome to stay for a drink, a quick bite or a gastronomic menu. For real beer aficionados: this is one of the few cafes in the region where you can drink Liefmans Goudenband in 75-cl bottles: highly recommended! A wide range of other beers from the Flemish Ardennes also grace the menu.
Sint-Hermes crypt
In addition to the Hoge Mote, a groundbreaking regional experience centre for the Flemish Ardennes, Ronse boasts a unique site in Belgium: the monumental Romanesque crypt under Sint-Hermes Church. Here lie the relics of Saint Hermes, patron saint of people with mental illnesses. During the Middle Ages, countless delirious pilgrims came here fervently begging to be healed. The 11th-century structure has 32 columns, beautiful stone walls, a hidden burial chamber and a spa avant la lettre for sick visitors. Find out about the crypt via an audio guide or explore with the 'Creepy Crypt' game. Don't miss De Passage either: the place to be for foodies, housed in the beautifully renovated Sint-Martinus Church.
Molen Ten Hotond
You can't get any higher in East Flanders than the summit of the Hotondberg: at 150 m above sea level, the hill towers above everything in the province. The little cafe that used to be there has been demolished, making way for a freely accessible park next to the brand new hotel-restaurant Hotond and a brand new cafe. Siting this new cafe was an obvious choice: in the famous Hotond mill itself, an 18th-century 'grondzeiler' (an old type of windmill) with phenomenal views of the hills of the Flemish Ardennes. Even if you don't stay here overnight (which, frankly, would be a shame) they'll be delighted to welcome you at the Hotond Café for a drink and a bite to eat. What's more, you get one of the most beautiful panoramas in East Flanders for free.
Kluis forest
In the 300-hectare Kluis Forest on top of the Kluisberg, one of the showpieces of the Flemish Ardennes, you will never get bored of hiking or cycling. Not to mention mountain biking. Places with idyllic names such as the Liefdesbron, the Toren and the Vierschaar always lead you back in the right direction, and on Peetje and Meetje, druids and Celtic priests are said to have once offered sacrifices. According to myth, of course.
Bosbaar
Bosbaar, a wonderful spot to refuel with a local beer or hearty snack! What started as a summer pop-up grew into a popular stopping point for hikers and cyclists. No bog-standard soft drinks or beers here, but organic lemonades and local beers such as those from Keun, the eponymous microbrewery from Ronse. Or a speculoos coffee with delicious treats from Ghent-based Julie's House.
Domain De Ghellinck
When you get back to the Scheldt in Kluisbergen, another flat ride along the river towards your starting point awaits you. About halfway, at Elsegem, you go past Domain De Ghellinck, an old castle estate with adjoining park that extends to the Scheldt. The castle's outbuildings have been converted to a tearoom-restaurant. Definitely worth a stop!
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. The two charming little houses in which you will find the café, served as the setting for the first Bakelandt comics.
7 fietsroutes langs uitkijkpunten
4 cycling routes along the Tour of Flanders
