A light mist sweeps over the West Flemish countryside. Behind the hills near Wulvergem the sun slowly rises. The rays of sunlight shine over the vines, which mark the slopes of the Monteberg. The only sound is that of the birds, who are surprised by an early spring day. Meanwhile, five cyclists are moving smoothly through the hilly landscape. It feels almost serene. A stark contrast to 110 years earlier, when the term ‘in Flanders fields’ first took on the meaning it now has. For that is the theme of today. A route through ‘Flanders fields’. A nod to Gent-Wevelgem and an ode to the First World War.
Read also: Cycling in Flanders Fields: Gent-Wevelgem route
In Flanders Fields – Kemmel
We set off from Kemmel, the starting and finishing point of this 84-kilometer-long route. A route that takes us past many beautiful places, but also allows us to pause for a moment to reflect on the history of this beautiful part of Flanders. A sunny, clear day shines down on our faces. It is still cool, but soon the sun will shine brighter and we can take off our coats.
The first part of our journey will take us through the typical Flemish roads and the rolling countryside towards Ypres. We drive through the agricultural land, the ploughed fields that sometimes still look muddy from all the water that has fallen. The first 15 kilometers to Ypres are relatively flat with here and there a small hill, such as the Vierstraat near Wijtschate. Here we are immediately confronted with the facts. At the corner of the Vierstraat and Mandestraat there are two large mine craters on the left side. A painful reminder of the horrors of 1917.
Ieper – Menen Gate
Before arriving in Ypres, we continue through the domain of De Palingbeek, where we also take a short break at the Verbrandemolenstraat. Here you can also see some war graves on the left and right, the very theme of this day. In Ypres, all attention is focused on the Menenpoort. Unfortunately, it is currently undergoing restoration, so we cannot admire it in its full glory. The wreaths with the well-known red ‘poppy flowers‘ are impressive. Every day at 8:00 PM, rain and wind notwithstanding, the last post is blown. An impressive ceremony, in which the words ’we will remember them‘ are particularly emphasized.
We will remember them
We continue along the characteristic market square in Ypres, a nice town to come back to for lunch, dinner, or just a visit. Normally we would stop at the ‘in Flanders fields museum’, but we have to move on. We turn back to Kemmel, because that’s where we ended up: for the climbs of this route. From Kemmel, there are two hills at your feet. If you go down the central square diagonally to the left, the Monteberg awaits you at Kemmel. If you go diagonally to the right, you turn towards the Lettenberg. The latter is a nice warm-up climb this day. In total about 2.5 kilometers, but nowhere steeper than 7%.
We are riding Gent-Wevelgem!
That warming is necessary, because immediately after the descent from the Lettenberg comes the Scherpenberg. More or less the same terrain. What is striking is that these climbs and the associated hills are very open in the landscape. They almost seem to be lost among the further gently rolling fields.
In the Sun
If you’re in for a long or more culinary day, you’ll stop by Herberg in de Zon. Ex-runner Dirk Ghyselinck is in charge here and no one less than Karl Vannieuwkerke likes to come here. Delicious dishes and even the Michelin star logo is emblazoned on the door. Unfortunately, this one is still locked and an extensive lunch like this Herberg might not be the best idea, especially with the other hills still ahead. Update: we’ve understood that Dirk has definitively closed his establishment. Unfortunately, but apparently necessary.
Speaking of that: we continue on, passing through the back of the Sulferberg through the small villages like Westouter. Here too we see the signs again: ‘commonwealth graves‘ or ‘French War Cemetery. We will remember them. Then it’s on to the Banenberg. A longer and steeper climb that ends under the cable car through a real windmill. Here we climb almost 10% of the way.
Plugstreets
Now it’s on to the famous ‘plugstreets’ at Ploegsteert. These are also in Gent-Wevelgem. The name came about because the British soldiers at Ploegsteert couldn’t pronounce the name. Here we encounter three beautiful gravel sections that provide plenty of spectacle in the race from Gent-Wevelgem. Here we also find the monument to the Christmas Truce, at the height of the second section. In 1914, the guns fell silent during the Christmas period and a fraternal toast was given, as history goes. There was even supposed to have been football played, but that has never been confirmed. The memorial features a shirt from the football club Liverpool, but many English, Irish and Scottish clubs almost lost their entire first team in The Great War.
Impressive monument
Ploegsteert also has the largest and most impressive monument, Berks cemetery. The inn that is next door is a great spot for coffee or lunch, and you can take the time to really take in the monument. It also suddenly becomes clear that French is spoken here. This small piece of land sandwiched between France and Flanders is actually part of the Walloon region. The monument makes a big impression: the lunch doesn’t taste any less delicious because of it.
Kemmel and Monteberg
After the plugstreets, there is still dessert. Or rather, there are several desserts. The Kemmelberg and the Monteberg, and all in a variation of three directions. Especially the Kemmelberg from the north-west side is one to start off with. Not only the slope angle (up to 17%), but also the bumps make this a climb that requires a lot of effort. All five of us give it our all and we get to the top without stopping. The circuit is a kind of turn and turn. You go to Kemmel, then off from there, then you make a turn in the fields and you go back up the difficult side of Kemmel. Then you make a tight right turn to finally conquer the Monteberg again.
When we descend again to Kemmel, we park the bike on the terrace of Cafe Boutique. If bikes really do have the upper hand somewhere, then it’s here. We order a picon-vin-blanc, because that’s really what it’s all about. We won’t soon forget this bike route from Gent to Wevelgem. We will remember (them).
Route In Flanders Fields – Gent-Wevelgem
Below you can find the route we followed during our exploration of ‘In Flanders Fields‘ in honor of Gent Wevelgem. More information about cycling in Flanders can be found on the website of Cycling in Flanders.
Questions & tips
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