While the professional riders are hunting like true lions and lionsesses across the Flemish hills, we have settled down in the beautiful Flandrien Hotel in Parike, in the suburbs Geraardsbergen. Our goal here? Living like a pro, including good care, delicious food, and all of it in the heart of the course. Because Flanders breathes cycling. In Dagboek Vlaanderen, we take you on our adventure over the ‘wall’, the Kanarieberg, the Oude Kwaremont, and for a moment, we pretend to be a pro. For a weekend. Are you joining us?
Warm welcome
While the navigation indicates that we really need to turn left, Neal and I look at each other. This road? Well, let’s go ahead then. We drive through the fields, just past Brakel. There’s actually nothing to be found in the wider area if you don’t have any experience with cycling. After a few left-right-left turns, we arrive at a small roundabout in Parike and that’s where our destination is. The Home Away From Home For Cyclists, the beautiful Flandrien Hotel, run by Jamie Anderson and former sports director Bernard Moerman. We turn the courtyard round and everything exudes a sense of cycling. The beautiful mural featuring the likenesses of Briek Schotte and Alan Peiper, the former Peugeot Team car. Jamie greets us with open arms and basically everything we see is ‘cycling’.
Museum – Gallery & more
While Jamie explains the ins and outs of the hotel, I get a bit distracted by everything around me. Beautiful paintings, photos, framed posters hang on the left and right, and I can’t look anywhere without seeing a bike from the hotel’s historic bike collection. Bicycles with a story, more about which later. We check in, get started with the preparations to welcome the rest of the guests, and in the meantime we have a nice cup of coffee. That couldn’t be better.
Today's route
There is one place in Flanders that is sacred. No, that is not the house of Johan Museeuw, the lion of Flanders, or Eddy Merckx, the cannibal. The chapel wall in Geraardsbergen, or simply ‘the Wall’, is the monument par excellence: the Tour of Flanders. Unfortunately, this climb is no longer included in the route, but still. Everyone should have ridden up here at least once. From the hotel it is only eight kilometers to the foot.
Prepare
While everyone is soaking wet, there are a total of 15 people present at this event. The weather is fantastic, everyone is fully prepared and can’t wait to climb the Wall. There are plenty of interesting stories, but we’ll see what’s left of them when we reach the top. We have plenty of space here to tinker with the bike a little more; everything is in place and we’re truly ready as pros. After a brief introduction by Neal and an explanation of the rules and principles of riding in a group, we head into the Flemish countryside. Let’s go!
Leak!
After just four kilometers, the first ‘repair’ is needed. The roads are fine, but there are still some stones, so we have the first flat tube. Fortunately, we have everything with us and can get back on the road after a pit stop. With the group, we drive to the foot of the wall and everyone is a little excited. It’s about to begin!
The wall
The chapel wall of Geraardsbergen leads from the center of the small town up to the chapel. Above it stands the beautiful sanctuary. Where Tom Boonen seemed to park when Fabian Cancellara started his attack. Everyone wants to stand there during a race finish. The climb itself is 1200 meters long and from the center you follow the signs ‘wall’. Easy does it. The first 200 meters are relatively easy, but then it goes steeply up and from 400 meters until the finish it is 10 percent and more what you have to expect. ‘That’s not very steep, right?’ I hear some of you now say. No, that’s right. The most important thing is that there are cobblestones on this climb. That makes everything different.
Further through the landscape
After a short descent with some nice curves to work on your downhill technique. Then we drive through typical Flemish villages. A church, a pub and a fritter. It’s full of culture here. Cycling culture. We turn off onto a less inspiring stretch of road. To get to Taaienberg and Kanarieberg we have to go along a stretch of the main N-road. We have crossed the border with Wallonia here and, strange as it may seem, you can’t tell that without actually seeing it. The road is dramatic. After a few kilometers we see a sign on the right side of the road: “Provincie Vlaanderen welcomes you.” The road surface has been completely improved.
Canary and Taaienberg
Today’s route leads us to the foot of the Canary Mountain. We don’t ride up it, because then we’d have to go back along the Taaienberg via a loop, which is exactly what we want. The moment we are in this area, the E3 race is also in full swing. The helicopter is hovering nearby. A few times we think the course is catching up with us, but we are actually riding a different route. The big advantage? People are waiting for the course along our route, and on the Taaienberg the course has been closed off and people are cheering us on. That’s also quite necessary to get above the altitude. 600 meters long at 7.8 percent average with some outliers. Exhausted, we reach the top. It’s truly a delight and this detail that you think you’re riding a park course adds something extra to the ‘pro for a weekend‘ feeling.
Back home
After the Taaienberg, the route is still wonderfully undulating. We pass the villages and hamlets of Opbrakel and Nederbrakel before finally arriving satisfied after a journey of almost 60 kilometers in the courtyard of the Flandrien Hotel We are once again warmly welcomed by Bernard and Jamie. Tapas is served and the final of the race is broadcast live on TV in the clubhouse. While some of us are still making minor adjustments to their bikes, the first Kwaremont beers are brewed. Or a Recup from Bidon, because you still need to be fit for tomorrow! Daybook Vlaanderen takes you on a journey again then.
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.