Felix Lowe
Everyone has a favourite Tour of Flanders. Except for Felix Lowe, of course – he’s got 10
Felix on his favourite Flanders. All 10 of them
Which Tour of Flanders was the best ever? With the 2020 Ronde just around the corner, this question has been playing on my mind a lot recently. Perhaps it was in 1919, when a doped-up Henri van Lerberghe stole someone’s musette and soloed to glory on a borrowed bicycle, stopping off to down beers en route. Or was it the 1939 race, when Karel Kaers thought he was only riding the first half for training but was duped by his manager to continue because he was streets ahead of the field?
With so many to choose from, I narrowed my focus to consider only those in my own living memory, and even then I couldn’t settle on one. Here, then, are the 10 best Flanders of my lifetime, in chronological order.
1985: Kelly’s anti-hero. In biblical weather only 24 riders finished this gruelling edition. While Jan Raas was busy punching a sodden photographer on the Koppenberg, Eric Vanderaerden and his blond perm surged clear. ‘The race was grim, but not as grim as reaching the finish to discover that Vanderaerden had won,’ Sean Kelly later wrote in his autobiography. 1987: Criquielion of Flanders. While victory went to Claude Criquielion, the first for a French-speaking Belgian, this race was best remembered for the moment Danish escapee Jesper Skibby was almost run over by a car on the Koppenberg. The climb wouldn’t feature again for another 15 years.
1992: The impossible made possible. In a race he dubbed ‘the hold-up of the century’, Jacky Durand was the sole survivor of a fourman move that rode clear with 217km to go. Appalled Belgian fans asked ‘Jacky who?’ as the Frenchman rode home alone to win.
1994: Tightest win in history. Defending champ Johan Museeuw fought back for half an hour after a nasty crash on the Kwaremont only to be denied by a celebrating-almosttoo-early Gianni Bugno by just 7mm.
1998: Museeuw’s final roar. The Lion of Flanders notched his third Ronde title, powering clear on the Muur and Bosberg to equal the record for the most Ronde wins. 1999: The definitive Flemish edition.
A brutal battle between three Flandrians saw Peter van Petegem deny the sensational 24-year-old Frank Vandenbroucke what would have been a breakthrough win, and Museeuw a record fourth victory. It was the first time since 1982 that three home riders had populated the podium. 2004: Favourites frustrated. As the big guns fired blanks, three non-sprinters found themselves in a career-defining sprint for an unlikely victory. German Peace Race specialist Steffen Wesemann (how niche) pipped three-time Ronde runner-up Leif Hoste and another Belgian called Dave Bruylandts (me neither). 2010: Spartacus shuttle bus. The way Fabian Cancellara powered away from Tom Boonen on the Muur towards the first of his three Flanders triumphs was so emphatic his Belgian rival later claimed the Swiss powerhouse was aided by a hidden motor. If only UCI officials were armed with those foolproof ipads back then…
2011: Champion mugging. Three years after coming home second, Nick Nuyens outwitted a cramping Cancellara and a looking-back-for-boonen Sylvain Chavanel after a race with more doomed attacks than the Charge Of The Light Brigade, more script changes than a Game Of Thrones finale, more heart-in-mouth moments than a meal at St John… You get the picture.
2017: Phil your boots. Having attacked with 55km to go, Philippe Gilbert’s job was made a whole lot easier when Peter Sagan snared a spectator’s jacket on the Kwaremont, bringing himself and fellow chasers Oli Naesen and Greg Van Avermaet down in the process. The World Champ’s day got worse when Niki Terpstra purposely rode over his sunglasses right before his eyes. Felix is hoping that this year’s race will make next year’s list a top 11