Tour of Flanders

Tour of Flanders
Local name:	Ronde van Vlaanderen
Region:	Flanders, Belgium
Date:	Early April
Type:	One-day race
History
First Edition:	1913
Number of Editions:	89
Firstwinner:	Paul Deman
Mostwins: 3 times:	Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw
Mostrecent:	Alessandro Ballan

The Ronde van Vlaanderen (English: Tour of Flanders) is a road cycling race held in Flanders, Belgium. It is held every spring, exactly one week before Paris-Roubaix, and it used to be part of the UCI Road World Cup. It is now part of the UCI ProTour and is regarded as one of the 'Monuments' of the European professional cycling calendar.

History

File:Wesemann rvv2004.jpg

German road racer Steffen Wesemann climbing the Muur (wall) of Geraardsbergen in the 2004 edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

The race was initiated in 1913 by Karel van Wijnendaele, a former cyclist. Initially not a big success, the race was interrupted by World War I, but continued in 1919. In the 1920s and 1930s, the race became more popular, and is currently considered the most important race in Flanders, where road cycling is extremely popular. The nickname of the race is Vlaanderens mooiste, or "Flanders's finest". The town of Oudenaarde, through which the Ronde habitually passes, has a museum - the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen - dedicated to the race.

Course

The course contains many steep hills, often paved with cobblestones. While it is often compared to the Paris-Roubaix race in that both contain many cobbled sections, the Ronde's inclusion of many steep, and often cobbled, short hills make racing different compared to the flat Paris-Roubaix, where cobbled sections are harder and more technical.

The route does not change much from year-to-year. A major change was the inclusion of the steep Koppenberg climb in 2003, having been refurbished from its previous disrepair. The 2007 edition saw another change with the Koppenberg being dropped once more, the inclusion of the Kluisberg and the Côte de Trieu, which were unavailable through roadworks in past years and the first ascent of the Eikenmolen. Spectators try to watch the Ronde pass as many points as possible [1].

Comments

Belgian cyclist Roger De Vlaeminck riding the Koppenberg in the Ronde van Vlaanderen. De Vlaeminck won the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1977.

• "Only those who are in top condition can say that the Ronde is not hard. For everyone else, it's the Way of the Cross." -Andrea Tafi

Few riders have won both the Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix in the same year:

1. 1923 Heiri Suter
2. 1932 Romain Gijssels
3. 1934 Gaston Rebry
4. 1954 Raymond Impanis
5. 1957 Fred De Bruyne
6. 1962 Rik van Looy
7. 1977 Roger De Vlaeminck
8. 2003 Peter van Petegem
9. 2005 Tom Boonen

The day before the race sees the cyclosportive (open) race version of the Ronde in which amateur cyclists participate in large numbers.

Winners

2005 - Tom Boonen -- 2004 - Steffen Wesemann -- 2003 - Peter Van Petegem -- 2002 - Andrea Tafi -- 2001 - Gianluca Bortolami -- 2000 - Andrei Tchmil -- 1999 - Peter Van Petegem -- 1998 - Johan Museeuw -- 1997 - Rolf Sørensen -- 1996 - Michele Bartoli -- 1995 - Johan Museeuw -- 1994 - Gianni Bugno -- 1993 - Johan Museeuw -- 1992 - Jacky Durand -- 1991 - Edwig Van Hooydonck -- 1990 - Moreno Argentin -- 1989 - Edwig van Hooydonck -- 1988 - Eddy Planckaert -- 1987 - Claude Criquielion -- 1986 - Adri van der Poel -- 1985 - Eric Vanderaerden -- 1984 - Johan Lammerts -- 1983 - Jan Raas -- 1982 - René Martens -- 1981 - Hennie Kuiper -- 1980 - Michel Pollentier -- 1979 - Jan Raas -- 1978 - Walter Godefroot -- 1977 - Rogier De Vlaeminck -- 1976 - Walter Planckaert --

1975 - Eddy Merckx -- 1974 - Kees Bal -- 1973 - Eric Leman -- 1972 - Eric Leman -- 1971 - Evert Dolman -- 1970 - Eric Leman -- 1969 - Eddy Merckx -- 1968 - Walter Godefroot -- 1967 - Dino Zandegu -- 1966 - Edouard Sels -- 1965 - Jo de Roo -- 1964 - Rudi Altig -- 1963 - Noel Foré -- 1962 - Rik Van Looy -- 1961 - Tom Simpson -- 1960 - Arthur De Cabooter -- 1959 - Rik Van Looy -- 1958 - Germain Derijcke -- 1957 - Alfred de Bruyne -- 1956 - Jean Forestier -- 1955 - Louison Bobet -- 1954 - Raymond Impanis -- 1953 - Wim van Est -- 1952 - Roger Decock -- 1951 - Magni Fiorenzo -- 1950 - Magni Fiorenzo -- 1949 - Magni Fiorenzo -- 1948 - Briek Schotte -- 1947 - Emiel Faignaert -- 1946 - Rik Van Steenbergen --

1945 - Sylvain Grysolle -- 1944 - Rik Van Steenbergen -- 1943 - Achiel Buysse -- 1942 - Briek Schotte -- 1941 - Achiel Buysse -- 1940 - Achiel Buysse -- 1939 - Karel Kaers -- 1938 - Edgard De Caluwé -- 1937 - Michel D'Hooghe -- 1936 - Louis Hardiquest -- 1935 - Louis Duerloo -- 1934 - Gaston Rebry -- 1933 - Alfons Schepers -- 1932 - Romain Gijssels -- 1931 - Romain Gijssels -- 1930 - Frans Bonduel -- 1929 - Jef Dervaes -- 1928 - Jan Mertens -- 1927 - Gérard Debaets -- 1926 - Denis Verschueren -- 1925 - Julien Delbecque -- 1924 - Gérard Debaets -- 1923 - Heiri Suter -- SUI 1922 - Léon De Vos -- 1921 - René Vermandel -- 1920 - Jules Van Hevel -- 1919 - Henri Van Lerberghe -- 1914 - Marcel Buysse -- 1913 - Paul Deman --

External links

• The official Ronde van Vlaanderen website
• Cyclosportive - ride the course the day before
• The Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen website - available in English

Ronde van Vlaanderen