Ronde van Vlaanderen

~ Esmonde Keane

The annual pilgrimage to Bruges and Oudenarde for the tour of Flanders in the company of Brian Kilbride, on his 18th tour and a host of other dodgy characters from the club as well as various members men from the South aka Bray Wheelers went off this year on the 4th of April. In cracking weather we arrived on Friday and, having reassembled the bikes, set out for a shake-down spin to the North-East. We built up a modest speed on the canal path to Damme and, having done so, determined that it would be best not to push our luck, so settled down a round of Zots and then drifted back to Bruges.

The following morning we rose at some unearthly hour and started from the main square in Bruges, with no sign of elephants. The first 100km passes quite quickly through very flat countryside in a large peloton. We regathered at the second stop at 92 km. The hills started in earnest from about 130 km in, with the Kapelmuur included for the sportive. From the final stop at 192 km on the hills came thick and fast as we circled Oudenaarde, starting with the Koppenberg and including the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg before the final descent and 12 km on flat roads to the finish at Oudenaarde from where we got the bus back to Bruges.

 Brilliant trip, arrange it in advance (especially the bus back from Oudenaarde) and note that the start rotates every couple of years between Bruges and Antwerp.