De Ronde Van Vlaanderen 2008

De Ronde, otherwise known as the Tour of Flanders, is one of the oldest classic races and takes place in April every year. Over recent times they have held an event for amateurs the day before the professional’s race. This is now incredibly popular with over 20,000 riders taking part in one of 5 different routes for road or mountain bikers. If you want the complete Flanders experience then opt for the full 265km route from Bruges to Ninove. I travelled with a group who were completing the 140km route which takes in a circuit from Ninove of 14 of the 17 classic climbs.

Of course when you think of Flanders you think of cobbles and this is really what makes it such a special day. They really are very hard to ride over and even chatting to Rob and Paul about there experiences in Flanders didn’t really prepare me. On the uphill sections with the rain and mud your traction is limited. Low gearing and staying seated as much as possible is important but also placing yourself to the front of your group to get a clear run. I was pleased to get up all the climbs except the Mollenberg where there was just no way through all the walkers. There is not a lot of shame – many of the pros end up walking too!

The ride is well organised for the 20 euro entry fee. The roads are not closed but all junctions are marshalled. Be prepared to get held up at some junctions because they like to group up a few hundred riders and then let you all off together. Also be prepared for bad weather. We had rain, wind and sleet. The pros got blizzards and sub-zero temperatures the next day. Three of my travelling companions packed in because of the cold. Obviously hadn’t been out with the Wheelers on a Saturday ride in the winter!

Highlights for me were training with Team USA ladies squad the day before, the Tour of Flanders museum at Oudenaarde, getting cheered up the Muur-Kapelmuur and watching the pros suffer the following day. I would highly recommend this trip. Travelling is easy by ferry from Hull, the organisation is excellent and the ride is a classic.

Training with Team USA ladies

The Tour of Flanders museum at Oudenaarde