All the Flemish Races on one Map

[MattTuck]

Shamelessly stealing this from a r/peloton post. Technology is so cool.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer...1704608686&z=9

Most of the routes look like they were designed by a preschooler with a crayon.

[AZR3]

That’s pretty sweet! Thanks for sharing

[GonaSovereign]

So, so good.
Having ridden a couple of these (the sportifs) and bits of several others, I can attest to the sensation that you never really know what direction you're going in. But it usually feels like a crosswind.

[cadence90]

That's fantastic, thanks much.

Better looking than even the NYC subway maps!


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[GonaSovereign]

Flêche Brabançonne/Brabantse Pijl is missing from the list.

[MattTuck]

Originally Posted by GonaSovereign

So, so good.
Having ridden a couple of these (the sportifs) and bits of several others, I can attest to the sensation that you never really know what direction you're going in. But it usually feels like a crosswind.

How is it riding the cobbled climbs? do you have a favorite? kapelmuur? paterberg? koppenberg? Is there anything comparable outside of Belgium or are these as unique as people say?

[GonaSovereign]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

How is it riding the cobbled climbs? do you have a favorite? kapelmuur? paterberg? koppenberg? Is there anything comparable outside of Belgium or are these as unique as people say?

All the cobble bits are unique, in my limited experience. I’ve ridden in Arenberg in France and that’s just crazy. The cobbles in Belgium are generally more evenly laid and less sever, but they go up hills more often than not. I prefer Flanders.

The Koppenberg is very steep. I’ve ridden it on my own and you think “wow, don’t stand up or you’ll spin out.” If you’re going over for a sportif, make ssure you ride the Koppenberg before the event day….with hundreds of people going up, someone inevitably puts a foot down and then everyone walks.

The muur in Geraardsbergen is super famous, and I think it’s hard because there is a pretty long climbing approach to it.

Molenberg was really nice: pretty uneven, but you can ride it fast with power. Here's a pic looking back down that one:


I have fond memories of the Taienberg, which comes in the last half of Flanders and a few other races. It’s got cement shoulders and you’ll see all the pros trying to get onto them. It drags towards the top and them goes around a corner, which makes it hard. This is a picture of the approach, which doesn't look like much. It is.


There are a ton of cobbled climbs that are randomly skattered around and hardly noticed…the kinds of things that would be legendary if they were in any North American city.

In RVV there’s a long, cobbled section called Haaghoek that just rattles the crap out of you. It's not a climb, but I remember feeling my arms going numb there.




All these pics are from the www. Not mine.

[bheight1]

Originally Posted by MattTuck

How is it riding the cobbled climbs? do you have a favorite? kapelmuur? paterberg? koppenberg? Is there anything comparable outside of Belgium or are these as unique as people say?

As the human cyclist said best, Riding cobbled climbs—difficult, riding cobbled flats—annoying, and riding cobbled downhills—terrifying! Which is timely with Gent Wevelgem this weekend as the backside of Kemmelberg is -20% and cobbled—going down on tops you can’t break (hands on hoods will remove skin) and seeing pros go down at race pace is nuts. There is nothing like these IMO, and having the racing and history over them makes it more unique. As Gona indicates the Haaghoek is a relatively flat rolling cobble section, but still not like, or as bad as, the P-R cobbles. The difference is the age, maintenance, and the gap of the cobbles. I am definitely going back to ride in Belgium again, but after riding the last 4 sectors of P-R, I wouldn’t do that again.

[nooneline]

I live in Philly and there are plenty of cobbled streets here and there. At first it was exciting - now it's not fun to hit up a block or two of cobbles on my way home. Not anymore.

What gets me about cobbles is how much worse they are to ride than they look. Always. Every single time. This section actually looks super smooth - and yet, when you hit it, it's still a completely bone-jarring, tooth-rattling sensation that makes me hope that the block ends soon.


This stretch looks somewhat rugged, but still decent, way better than some of the stuff in P-R, and yet it's still barely rideable. What's particularly terrifying is that the gaps in the stones are in the direction of travel, and they're juuuust about wheel-sized.


Honestly I couldn't imagine doing terrain like that, in a pack, at speed... for like a kilometer or two at a time. The TV footage, IMO, just doesn't capture the absurdity of riding on cobbles.

[Scottremick]

Thanks for the map and photos. Along with the finish to Milan-San Remo, I am now properly pumped up for spring Racing.

[pdmtong]

Matt, thanks for finding this and posting it. Having never been there being able to see the general proximity of these races to each other makes a nice perspective.

I appreciated the comments from others regarding riding cobbles. I only started following these races once the internet made race news and pictures and video more easily obtained. seeing the close ups of the gaps between stones and the height variations - yikes. add some water, race speed and a crowd...YIKES.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by bheight1

As the human cyclist said best, Riding cobbled climbs—difficult, riding cobbled flats—annoying, and riding cobbled downhills—terrifying! Which is timely with Gent Wevelgem this weekend as the backside of Kemmelberg is -20% and cobbled—going down on tops you can’t break (hands on hoods will remove skin) and seeing pros go down at race pace is nuts. There is nothing like these IMO, and having the racing and history over them makes it more unique. As Gona indicates the Haaghoek is a relatively flat rolling cobble section, but still not like, or as bad as, the P-R cobbles. The difference is the age, maintenance, and the gap of the cobbles. I am definitely going back to ride in Belgium again, but after riding the last 4 sectors of P-R, I wouldn’t do that again.

Do they still use the cobbled descent off the Kemelberg? I thought they had been using an alternate descent since that horrific pileup on that cobbled descent a few years back. I think the current route off the Kemmel has a few switchback turns of a sort to keep the gradient down.

[GonaSovereign]

Originally Posted by bheight1

I am definitely going back to ride in Belgium again, but after riding the last 4 sectors of P-R, I wouldn’t do that again.

Without going too far off topic...
Paris Roubaix cobbles are another level entirely. In Flanders it's all up, turn, down, turn, turn, turn, down, up, down, up with lots of bumps. In Roubaix the bumps are like skulls planted unevenly in the ground. Big, ugly and beat you up. This is Carrefour de l'arbre, which is pretty close to the end.


When I rode Arenberg Forest I was completely alone (August in northern France; everyone's on holiday in the south). I was worried I'd crash, break my hip and die of exposure.

[azrider]

Leave it up to Matt to find more cool Spring classics schtuff Thanks for sharing

[rousseau]

Love the map, and great photos in the rest of the thread.

I got a question, though: what happened to the little Street View man on the map? I want to see the street view, but I can't.