Yet Another Cycling Forum

General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 November, 2023, 10:01:21 pm

Title: True Flandrian
Post by: LittleWheelsandBig on 27 November, 2023, 10:01:21 pm
From https://www.cyclinginflanders.cc/flandrien-challenge#!
“Flanders, the heartland of cycling, is calling you for an unbelievable experience. Hit 59 iconic berg & cobble segments, marked on the road and tracked online, in less than 72 hours.

If you succeed, we’ll make you a legend: with your own personalised stone on the wall of fame of the Centre Ronde van Vlaanderen in Oudenaarde.”

This looks quite tempting for an ego-boost. I’ve ridden the Ronde van Vlaanderen sportif and really enjoyed the pave and bergs. I suppose this is the next step up with about 5500m altitude gain in a bit over 400km. Being a permanent, you don’t have to weave your way around the middle-aged blokes also having problems up the steep bits during the Ronde and might even have decent weather.
Title: Re: True Flandrian
Post by: sam on 28 November, 2023, 12:07:33 am
I guess when they suggest you eat pain for breakfast, they don't mean bread.
Title: Re: True Flandrian
Post by: cygnet on 28 November, 2023, 12:04:57 pm
I guess when they suggest you eat pain for breakfast, they don't mean bread.
The countryside is more suited to a good brood.
Title: Re: True Flandrian
Post by: mattc on 07 January, 2024, 03:21:38 pm
<bump> to help me not lose this. It could be a great ride over 2-4 days, and might make a good basis for a group tour of mixed abilties.

[I won't bore you with my epic pics from the Koppenberg '22 ...  O:-)   
Title: Re: True Flandrian
Post by: Pedal Castro on 07 January, 2024, 03:45:42 pm
This looks very interesting, I think their 3 day route looks good, I'd do the 2 Oudenarde days first probably.
Title: Re: True Flandrian
Post by: CrazyEnglishTriathlete on 08 May, 2024, 10:11:09 pm
Thank you for sharing this.  I did the day 3 route with an additional 56km round trip from Gent, where we are staying, and it was an utterly brilliant day out, even allowing for my Garmin developing a Groundhog Day syndrome on the loop involving the Schapenberg - I did a full repeat before ignoring its instructions for a third go. 

I would never have been able to put such a route together - there were various points where I realised I had been there before, but from a different directions - a sort of Wessex syndrome, and one or two of the hills were ones that Shawn Shaw would have been proud of.  It also gave me (if I didn't already have it) an increased astonishment of the skills of professional cyclists - not in the way that they get up the climbs in less than half the times they do, but the way they drop down the descents at 40mph+

I will watch the 2025 Tour of Flanders with a renewed appreciation.