Flanders is the beating heart of racing. In Flanders, cycling is so much more alive than in the Netherlands. Of course we are cycling country number one, but the race? You experience it in Flanders. For cycling race fans, there are many options to feel like a cyclist for one or a few days. You can choose from the loops of the Tour of Flanders for example. Or Ghent-Wevelgem ride. Or one time Brabant Arrow add to your routes. You get the point. Now there is a new option: 525 kilometres of bikepacking through Flanders. The 525 is obviously an ode to Eddy Merckx, the best Flemish cyclist of all time, who has 525 victories on his record. For the bike tourist, like me, it is a wonderful way to discover all the beauty of Flanders.
From east to west
This route is not one to do in a day. Unless you like extreme challenges of course but basically this bikepacking is meant for a multi-day adventure. For a well-trained cyclist or cyclist, three days will be doable. For others, five days of continuous cycling at around 100 kilometres a day will already be a drain on the body. Pro tip 1: Leave the Belgian beer for a while then.
But this route, created by Visit Flanders, draws from East to West. So you start in the Vlaams-Brabant region, known from cycling races such as the Brabantse Pijl, and head towards the heart of the race: the region around the Muur van Geraardsbergen, the Oude Kwaremont near Oudenaarde and finally the Westhoek, with the Kemmelberg and the Baneberg, known from Gent-Wevelgem (now ‘In Flanders Fields‘ called).
Three classics
In our subdivision, we have created three stages where you treat yourself to a three-day course. Stage one draws from Tongeren to Hoeilaart, Stage two from Hoeilaart to Maarke and the final stage goes from Maarke to Ypres.
Stage 1: at Eddy and Sven's place
In the first stage, you are in Eddy Merckx's backyard. You will literally ride on the roads where Merckx trained and you will find a number of references to the Flemish great here. Pretty soon from the start you will encounter the first climbs and as the route progresses it keeps going up and down. If you think the cobbles only come by in stage two, you will be in for a rude awakening. So keep that in mind when you inflate your tyres, so pro tip two. Towards the finish you will pass through the famous village of Overijsse, where the s-turn from the race still awaits you. The finish is at a B&B, Dumberg House, which presents itself as bicycle-friendly accommodation. After 178km and 1600 altimeters, you will have earned a small Flemish fries.
Stage 2: towards the heart of the Flemish Classics
Stage two moves on towards the heart of the race. With a finish before Oudenaarde, the dessert is saved for stage three, but in stage two you will also get to see plenty of highlights from the Tour of Flanders. But first you swing south of Brussels past the borough of Halle and take in the Waaienberg and Bruine put, also known from the Brabantse Pijl. Pretty soon after that, the first cobbled sections follow, west of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw. After 55km on this route, you arrive in Schepdaal, birthplace of another Flemish great (in the making) Remco Evenepoel. After 80km, the Flemish climbs follow at a faster pace. The Congoberg (what a name) is the foreland for the climb of the day: the Muur van Geraardsbergen. Should you suddenly find yourself stone-faced after that, you can steer off at 115km into the Flandrien Hotel, one of our favourites in this region.
But if you go for it and want to cross the finish line at 167 kilometres, the Berendries, the Vossehol, and the Valkenberg, all sounding names from ‘De Ronde’, await. With the Eikenberg and the Boigneberg, this is also where you start to sniff the course of the E3-Saxo Classic. The finish at Bergs & Cobbles will do you good: this bike-friendly B&B breathes the course.
Stage 3: Via Oudenaarde to Flanders Fields
If it wasn't enough, now comes dessert. In this stage, you need good climber's legs to complete the last bit. You now head towards Oudenaarde and then you will enter the beating heart of the Ronde. It is highly recommended to take a stop at the Centre of the Tour of Flanders. We have mentioned that many times. If only to give the legs a rest before the final push. Because the cobbled climb violence is about to begin. Successively, you will have to deal with the Koppenberg, the Paterberg, the Oude Kwaremont, Cote de Trieu and the Kluisberg. With full packs, you will probably be on foot somewhere.
Then there is a short break to catch your breath. A relatively flat stretch around Kortrijk, the beating heart of cycling fair Velofollies, is the prelude to the absolute finale. The climbs from ‘In Flanders Fields’ await you. The Monteberg, the Kemmelberg, the Scherpenberg and the Baneberg are the final piece before you get to finish in Ypres past the Cloth Halls under the impressive Menin Gate.
Should you be exhausted afterwards, you can sleep in Ypres, or grab a real ‘velogement’ and head to ‘T Mole, on Monteberg, near the Kemmel.
