2025 Tour Day 31 - Ronde de Flanders

We have some extra time before we need to be in Brussels, and we wanted to experience the Ronde de Flanders since we are right here. We have watched the races, now we want to live them. So we left our tent up, and we left of panniers, and we loaded up our water bottles for a hot day, and an adventure to create our own Ronde de Flanders. 

We set off for Oudenaarde in search of the "museum". It was really more of a store and a cafe, but with lots of jerseys and posters celebrating Belgian cyclists. 

Fun lamps made of bike wheels. 

Racing cookies with our coffee. 

Reminiscent of our Gaspe jersey. Who copied who? 

We bought a map of the 3 routes that have been created and are signed. Blue, red and yellow. 

Today we set out to do a portion of the blue route.  It is the shortest, and has some famous climbs. 

From a cycling website:

The Tour of Flanders brings together all the elements that define the cycling culture of the Flemish region: steep bergs, cobblestones and passion. This Belgian region is a territory that knows how to care for and protect the cobbled roads that are part of its history.

Our route took us first to the Oude Kwaremont. Here is the description:

At 2.2km it’s the longest berg in Flanders, and with its steep mid-section and 1.6km of cobbles, one of the most revered. The first 600m are relatively easy, the road tarmacked and the gradient shallow, but by midway the cobbles are in full flow and the gradient has risen to 12%.

Then suddenly it’s over. Only it isn’t. With a kilometre to go comes a false flat, as punishing to the mind as it is to the legs. Pity the professionals, then, who have to climb the Kwaremont not once but three times at the Tour of Flanders.

Some of the statistics. 

2.2 km climb with 1.6 of it cobblestones 

104 meters of elevation 

Ave grade 4.3%

Maximum grade 11.6%

And we did it!!!!

Cobblestones. Seriously. Who invented them? And who took the trouble to install them on hills in Flanders??

Rolling hills and fields brought us suddenly to our second big, famous climb. 

The Paterberg. 

From Wikipedia:

The Paterberg is a hill in the municipality of Kluisbergen, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With its top at 80 m, it is one of many hill formations in the Flemish Ardennes, close to Wallonia. The slopes of the hill were unpaved until 1986, when a local farmer paved the road in cobbles because he wanted the Tour of Flanders cycling race to pass by his house. The cobbled climb became one of the iconic sites of Belgian cycling, and in 1993 the road of the Paterberg was classified as a protected monument.

When we bought the map and we were getting advice from the lady at the store she just simply said "you will walk this one". 

Um, ya. 

The stats are:

350 meters in length

71 meters of elevation (you end up at the highest point in Flanders). 

Average grade 11.7%

Maximum grade 20.3%

And did I mention cobblestones. 

We had the hill to ourselves. No competitors and no spectators, but honestly it was still very cool, very spectacular! 

More cycling, more heat. 

In Belgium we just don't find the same availability of bakeries or sandwiches. We finally stopped, close to 2pm as we needed a break from the sun. 

A cold beer was welcomed, as was the Billy Joel playing as we ate. 

There were other cyclists out today. Not too many but a few serious ones and some groups. At one point climbing a hill I heard from behind me "Hello Brampton Cycling Club, I saw you at the museum. How are you enjoying your ride?". 

Hehe. I huffed out that I was really enjoying the ride as the group of roadies flew by "on my left". 

Home sweet home with another beer needed in 30 degrees at 5pm. 

Cheers to the Solby Ronde de Flanders, 

2025 Tour Day 30 - Cycling in Belgium (Anzegem)

Today we got to experience cycling in Belgium. That heat map doesn't lie. There are a LOT of cyclists in Belgium. 

We started the day off getting to know our campground neighbors Hetty and Jan from The Netherlands. Super nice and chatty.

Hetty offered to get a shot of the two of us, not a selfie, not Marc's back, a rare treat and appreciated. 

The journey took is along bike paths and bike lanes and basically a bicycle highway. We went along a canal for a while and through small towns and farmers fields. And honestly we saw more cyclists today than probably our last four weeks combined. Roadies, e-bikes, commuters, students, you name it, they have a bike in Belgium! 

There are so many routes and paths to follow, they also have a numbering system you can follow (or not follow?)

Our lunch stop was the lovely city of Kortrijk where we enjoyed the town square / market square.  The city has allowed bicycles to have the right of way. There were about 2 to 1 bikes to cars. Very hard to get used to cars stopping for you. 

This little guy had training wheels on, and was scooting around the cobblestones like he was being chased. Future cycling star. 

Some good graffiti today. 

We ended our day on a farm. The owners have recently added camping to their farm of beef cattle and some crops (corn and hay for the cows and potatoes for the market). Everything is new - hot showers and an indoor kitchen we can use - a frig, and even a friendly cat. 

We pitched in the sun and then dragged a picnic table to the shade, best of both worlds. 

Marc hadn't had enough riding today so he found the kiddie car and took it for a spin.  🤣

Today we had NO CLOUDS. NONE. Not a cloud in the sky. Which made the "beer" and chips reward all the more important. I was even treated to "long chips". Who knew? 

We are in a very pretty setting, and enjoying the peace and quiet of a farm in the countryside. 

Goodnight and sleep well

Strava stats 

2025 Tour Day 29 - Dedicated to my Grampa Drew

Ernest Andrew Wilkinson. 

15th Battalion, 48th Highlanders, Canadian forces. 

(Photo below with his father E. Alfred Wilkinson, British forces.) 

My maternal grandfather fought (for Canada) in WWI. He was injured near Ypres, Belgium, on June 3, 1916. He was transferred to a hospital in Boulogne and he returned home to Canada to recover. 

Today we visited The Battle of Mount Sorrel commemorative plaque on Observatory Ridge, where the battle, and his injury, happened. 

The commemorative plaque is on Observatory Ridge, basically the highest point in the area. The plaque details a nasty battle with the Canadians coming up against an extreme barrage of bullets and bombs from the Germans. So many were lost, but in the end the Canadians helped secure this important front. This next photo shows Mount Sorrel, where the Germans were approaching from. 

The area today is rolling hills of farms and orchards, hedges and trees. But they are still finding (unexploded) bombs and other war artifacts in the fields, and yes, bodies. 

From the plaque. 

The mad crescendo runs
 On the woeful waiting ones 
The huddled world in waiting

'Neath the guns.  

The Maple Copse Cemetery is also nearby, nestled quietly between fields and trees. 154 Cdn soldiers and 154 English soldiers. Resting. In Peace. 

Thank you Grandpa Drew, and the thousands and thousands who gave their lives, for your sacrifice. ❤️

- -

We started the day learning about the farm we are camping on. Eli, the son of the owners, introduced us to the history of the campground and the farm. They bought the farm 6 years ago and have laboured to make it a campground for over 50 RVs + tents. The buildings have been well-preserved since they were built in the late 1920's, and the family has done a wonderful job of creating a well designed and well equipped campground. 

This farmland was a German stronghold in WWI (it sits at a high point). And the English were just across the field in the "railway woods". (See trees in distance behind our tent) 

The fields between us and the woods cannot be ploughed, because it is archeologically protected. Many tunnels were built here, making the current fields show depressions as the tunnels give way. There are also many other war artifacts buried.  Eli says he often finds a bullet or two. 

Eli told us that the first campers to pitch a tent here, hit a bullet / ordinance with their tent peg 😳, (it did not explode), and indeed they have found a few on the property, on display at the front gate. 

They have a pony, Ziggy, and a one year old work horse, Rosie.  Ziggy is very vocal while Rosie is quite reserved.

Rosie in the field and Railway Woods behind her. 

Off to Ypres we went. 

We entered the city through the Menin Gate.  It is a massive gate entering the once-walled city. It is an iconic British war memorial, inscribed with 54,896 names, of those lost, with no other grave stone to identify them. The tradition of a bugle Last Post happens at these gates EVERY evening at 8 pm. This started in 1928, and the Last Post Association has set itself the goal of keeping this transition alive forever.  Over 33,000 continuous nights already. 

From the gate we went to the main market square, the city center, In Flanders Fields Museum and Tourist Office. Heavily damaged in the wars the city has been beautifully restored. 

The Lille gate is a much smaller entry to the city, with a quiet little cemetery between the city wall and the moat. 

Again, many Canadians in this cemetery, as well as many unknown soldiers. 😔

There is a 5+ km walking trail along the ramparts (old wall) of the city. We followed it for a couple of kilometers of lovely trees and art, and quiet places for people to sit. 

Another important stop on our tour was to see the place where John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields.

These are the bunkers, along the canal, where injured soldiers were brought to medics, including John McCrae. We learned today that John McCrae died in a hospital in Boulogne, perhaps the same hospital that helped save my Grampa Drew.

It was a big day full of big emotions. Imagine the horror of the first world war and then having to live through it again from 1939-1945. So much tragedy here, so much destruction. So much history. And so much thankfulness. 

On a lighter note, we indulged in some Beligian specialties at a lovely cafe for lunch. 

But actually it didn't feel so "light" after finishing the whole bowl 🤣

The Strava stats for today - show one big out and back. 

We left our tent up all day, for a nice little change, and we even managed laundry, so tomorrow we can keep on rolling towards Brussels. 

Good night. 

Short days ago 

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, 

Loved, and were loved, 

and now we lie In Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe 

To you from failing hands we throw 

The torch, be yours to hold it high 

If ye break faith with us who die 

We shall not sleep, 

though poppies grow 

In Flanders fields.