Belgians love cycling, but Flemish people adore it. The Flanders half of Belgium is full of special cycling routes, carefully defined and signposted. Entire towns are closed to road racing. Bicycle statues lurk in the fields. Posters of famous cyclists adorn the main streets. Cycling is deeply ingrained in the culture here: that hum you can hear in the background? This is the incessant hum of the oily chain on the metal sprocket.
As a result, cyclists in this part of the world called Flandriens are considered among the toughest on the planet, thanks to their years of stamina and endurance against the wind and rain that tear this open, flat country during the cold months. the ability to stand upright on painful, treacherous cobblestones.
Ah, those damn paving stones. known locally paveGeometric blocks are brutal and many have been in place for hundreds of years. They’re the exact opposite of the velvety smooth ride you get on tarmac. But it is this unforgiving harshness that attracts cyclists, and these divisions are still associated with many of the classic spring cycle races held in March and April, mostly on Belgian soil: nightmarish epics such as Paris-Roubaix.
“Next time, bring a mouthguard to keep your teeth from shaking,” says a friend, after hours of clattering on pavé, punishing bicycles and bodies in danger of falling apart. Nope, next time I’ll miss the cobblestones altogether – and thankfully that’s an option too. You can choose from long, short, bumpy and non-bumpy routes, or delight yourself in this most cycle-friendly country with its magnificent cycle lanes – a dream for British cyclists accustomed to seemingly never-ending, abrupt curbs, intrusive street furniture and seething car drivers fueling anti-LTN anger increased.
We had gotten off the LeShuttle in Calais the day before. Half an hour from Folkestone and then just over two hours to Brakel, a small town in the south of Flanders easily placed for the Ronde van Vlaanderen loops, three circuits of the region: red, yellow and blue, 80km to 115km each It has been carefully planned to find the steepest hills in this flattest country, all punctuated by tooth-shattering cobblestones.
Our accommodation at the Hotel Flandrien in Brakel is a haven for cyclists: locked bike storage, space and tools for maintenance, laundry facilities and even a pressure washer. A high-carb breakfast is included and is still coming; while the communal breakfast/bar area is filled with plenty of classic racing bikes to keep gearheads salivating.
But we’re here for a teeth-shattering experience on these infamous cobblestones, and so we must commit. Day one is the 115 km red route and the legendary Muur van Geraardsbergen, an indispensable part of the Tour of Flanders. Its narrow, winding and uneven cobblestone route reaches a gradient of 20% in places, causing the wheels to spin back as they are desperate to hold on to the oily surface. Sometimes you can’t move fast enough to stay upright, and the final blast to the top of the viewing platform above the chapel leaves you teetering on the edge of a backflip.
Fortunately, from here from the high point the route heads downhill into the countryside, through fields and small villages on quiet roads. The first day ends with us collapsing on sun loungers at the Flandrien Hotel and soaking up the afternoon sun: not all of us have covered the entire 115km, but our second day will offer us another chance when we hit the 102km yellow route.
The start and finish are at the De Ronde Center in Oudenaarde. The center has a cafe, bike shop, occasional free shuttle and shower facilities for cyclists. You can leave your bikes open on the racks and find them there when you return after visiting the centre’s exhibition on cycling history in the area. Here you can also have your name written on the wall with a plaque; All you have to do is complete the Flandrien Challenge on Strava: complete 59 mountain and cobblestone sections in less than 72 hours. I saw that there was a lot of space left on the wall…
The yellow route is all about cobblestones. The sections, up to 2.5km long, keep coming, shaking water bottles and causing teeth to break. It feels like you’re holding a jackhammer rather than the handlebars. When the smooth parts come, it’s like slipping into bed on silk sheets at a boutique hotel after a long day.
This time most of us finish the entire route and even our bikes survive. But for me, this is enough stone to last a lifetime.
Scenic routes: three historic and picturesque cycling days in Flanders
Peace route, 45km
The Ypres Salient was a major area of conflict during the first world war and there is plenty to see here. For the tour, you will start from Ypres and pass battlefields and cemeteries including Tyne Cot Cemetery at Passendale, German Soldatenfriedhof at Langemark and Essex Farm Cemetery at Boezinge.
Ghent castle route, 48km
This route winds along the Scheldt river in western Belgium and is home to many grand houses and castles, including the beautiful moated Laarne Castle, built in the Middle Ages. You can also pass through the castles of Destelbergen, Heusden, Beervelde and Lochristi, as well as reach the parks and nature reserves at Gentbrugse Meersen and Kalkense Meersen.
Flanders coastal road, 93km
Launched as part of a plan to create eight new long-distance cycle routes that will combine to form the much larger Flanders Route, this 93km wildlife-friendly coastal route takes you past beaches, dunes and forests, past the port of Zeebrugge. and finally being finished near the Dutch border.
For information about these and other cycling routes, visit fietsroute.org and Cyclinginflanders.cc.