We ride Flanders!

A brief report of my Ronde Van Vlaanderen experience and some tips for you!

For many people newer to cycling, the Ronde van Vlaanderen might just be a race, but for someone growing up in the cycling culture, the Tour of Flanders is Christmas.
Some people count sheep to fall asleep, cycling addicts name the Muurs, and they know each one of them.
The Ronde is cycling culture at its finest, in the two wheels motherland. With its narrow country lanes full of crowds and cheering kids, Belgium is undoubtedly cycling spiritual capital.

Riding on the roads of the Tour of Flanders hasn’t always been a dream of mine, because dreams are aspirations and for me riding on those roads has never been an aspiration, but a natural need.

It was there, among the cycling things to do at least once in a lifetime, and it was time to tick it off, so I googled the We Ride Flanders website and subscribed, without thinking much about it but feeling the anticipation growing.

The Route and the road that bought me there
I decided to ride the 144 km distance, that features only 2200 meters of climbing, way too many Muurs and cobble sectors you don’t want to underestimate.

The Tour of Flanders route is pure evil: you are in one of Europe’s flattest areas, where the highest point is something like 450 high, yet you keep climbing and you wonder how is that possible?
Yet the route, for how weird it might sound, is also sweet, and it reminds me of home, of where it all began.

I grew up in a very flat area and yes, mountains are not too far but neither too close. In my area you must use your inventive to have some fun and you start looking for old, narrow roads that go up to nowhere, or more often to churches.
In the Martesana, somewhere in between Milano smog and Bergamo mountains, it is just like in the Flanders and I grew up acting like I was on the Kwaremont on every random road. Some years ago, someone even renamed all those old and narrow roads after Flanders Muurs. While riding the We Ride Flanders my mind goes constantly there, where it all began, ages ago and with rim brakes and no fast carbon wheels. And while on the real Flemish roads I am grateful for many things, but especially for my light and fast bike and disc brakes, glad so many years went by!

The Flanders route is challenging and for me, more used to climbing than to pavè, cobbles were the worst part.
Weather played an important part in making the experience a true challenge. Indeed, I was hoping to live a full Flemish experience and that’s exactly what I got, including the awful weather. I tend to suffer cold a lot, to the point fingers lose thier sensitivity until I just freeze like a snowman. That day it was no-stop rain and an average temperature of 6 degrees so yes, cold was definitely the worst part of the experience, even if weeks after I can say I am almost glad it was like that, to add that extra touch of glam to the whole weekend.

The second worst part of the day were the muddy and slippery cobbles. Years ago I rode the Paris-Roubaix and after arriving in the Roubaix Velodrome I firmly said “Never ever again” and I still didn’t change my mind.

The We Ride Flanders route requires some training to be completed, but in dry conditions I am pretty convinced it is not that hard. For sure living close to places like Sormano plays an important role in my evaluation of the route, as I grew up with crazy and long double digits segments. If I compare it to other similar sportives, such as the Granfondo Strade Bianche, I can also hazard it feels easier. The climbs are shorter and a little bit more gentle, the maximum gradients peak for very short distances, some hard pushes and they are done. To give you a better understanding of the scenario: I am not exactly a puncheur so when over 10% I am always on the 34-30. Well, the day of the We Ride Flanders my shifting was feeling depressed and repetetly tried to commit suicide, finally managing to kill itself. After 30 kilometers I lost the possibility to use the 30, soon after the 28 was gone, and then of course the 26 too. Despite this, I managed to ride all the Muurs, except the central part of the Koppenberg (but, ehi also Pogi walked up it during his recognition so I don’t see how Ginevra could have ridden!). I am telling this to reassure you: gradients are hard, but you can overcome them without particular issues.
Flanders wasn’t a big physical challenge, but more a mental one, trying to maintain an high level of attention in order to avoid crashes of the overconfident riders. More than legs and especially if rainish, you will just need decent riding skills and confidence.
Cobbles sectors aren’t awful like in Roubaix, where I truly reconsidered my life choices, but they aren’t gentle either, with Kobbenberg and Kwaremont being the hardest ones. I have no advise about how to survive cobbles, ride fast they say, so it will feel less bumpy, as it was easy riding fast on that thing!
The Muur that concerned me more was the Paterberg, but I must say and without lying, that it is not that hard. It is very short and being ready for the worst, it didn’t feel bad. On the contrary, I enjoyed it, thinking about the many historic attacks that took place there. I was able to hear the screams of history, the excitement of all those April Sundays glued to the television, I could feel the passion that makes us spinning pedals.
The Paterberg feels so nice also because it is the last effort, after that, as we all know, you are basically done. Also the shifting was done and I was stuck on the 34, but at that point I couldn’t care much about it, the only thing I cared about was the beer waiting for me in Oudenaarde.

Oudenaarde and a random tip

The last kilometres of the We Ride Flanders go through Oudenaarde downtown, passing in front of the city’s landmarks: the cute main square and the Centrum Ronde Van Vlaanderen. I highly recommended a visit to the Centrum, that hosts the Tour of Flanders Museum, probably the best cycling museum out there, but avoid buying memorabilia in its shop, as everything is overpriced.

To bring home some Flemish goodie, take note of this instead: next to The Qubus, where you will pick up your We Ride Flanders bib, there is the biggest beer shop you can wish for. It is calles PedeDrinks Oudenaarde, it is increadibly cheap and it has the hugest beer selection (plus some nice Ronde gadgets). Pay it a visit and get ready to swipe that credit card! If you don’t like beer and please don’t tell me that, in the city centre there are some nice chocolate shops worth it (and for sure cheaper than the airport shops)

So, are you going to ride it? Did I menage to reassure you or did I scared you? Let me know!