Tour of Flanders Cyclo

The ride that lets you feel why Flanders is cycling's holy ground: short, brutal cobbled climbs such as the Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg, ridden the day before the professionals race over them. The 2027 edition is on Saturday, April 3, with four routes of roughly 80, 130, 160 and 240 km. The longest starts in Bruges and finishes in Oudenaarde, while the others loop from Oudenaarde. Total climbing is modest next to an Alpine fondo, but the effort comes in sharp bursts on rough stone, often in cold, wet early-spring weather. Wider tires and a low gear for the Koppenberg matter more here than a light climbing bike, and early-season fitness is the real test.