TOUR OF FLANDERS
The paradox presented by the Tour of Flanders is this: to be a contender, you have to learn the route; yet the biggest one-day race in Belgium, changes its parcours every year. The fact that the roads and route are the most complex in the sport - twisting, winding and switchbacking north, south, east and west over the cobbled bergs of the Flemish Ardennes - just makes the challenge even bigger.
The bergs are the race’s focal points, and their order changes and tweaks every year. Currently, the finale takes place over the Kruisberg in Ronse, the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg before the finish in Oudenaarde, and there is a lot of action concentrated in this portion of the race. But what goes before is equally as important - the Ronde is a process of attrition and erosion in which each of the 15 or so climbs that precede the final trio chips away at the cohesion of the peloton and the energy levels of the riders. Not only that, the wind scouring across the flatter earlier portion of the race between the start in Antwerp (a recent innovation) and the climbs can be a factor, and more importantly, the accelerations and fighting that precede each climb also take their toll.
It has been eight years since the organisers moved the finish to Oudenaarde, from Ninove, and they might be well happy that the toughness of the race has defined its winners. There have been five solo winners in that time, and the biggest group to make it to the finish is four, in 2014. On the other hand, there is less suspense - the race situation at the top of the final climb, the Paterberg, has been the same as that at the finish in most years, and the run-in has therefore been flat, both literally and figuratively. But the greatness of this race lies in more than the sport. The Ronde is a defining feature of the Flemish region’s culture, and it has elevated itself into one of the biggest races in the world. The route may chop and change from year to year, but that fact remains remarkably stable.