The course of the Ronde van Vlaanderen for 2007 was announced in Oudenaarde, Belgium, yesterday. The most striking novelty is the omission of the legendary Koppenberg. The organisers were unimpressed by the chaos in this year's pro race, which saw only 8 riders managing to reach the top without having to set foot on the ground. The state of the cobblestones on the Koppenberg has deteriorated again to such an extent that it is not considered safe enough. It is not excluded that the Koppenberg returns to the Flanders race in the next few years, possibly even closer to the finish line. It is a public secret in Flanders that the organisers would like to see the finish of the race in Oudenaarde, with the succession of Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg and Koppenberg as the decisive climbs in the finale.
In 2007, Foreest and Steenberg will be replaced by the Kluisberg, Cote de Trieu and Kortekeer - all three making a return to the Ronde - and an additional 18th climb will be conquered: the unknown Eikenmolen, between Tenbosse and the Muur.
As usual, the cylotour version takes place the day before, on Saturday. People can ride the full distance (256km, start in Bruges) or the 140km, which starts in Ninove (Aalst) and contain all the highlights.
The 2007 Tour of Flanders includes the following climbs with each length, average grade, and maximum grade indicated:
Molenberg 325m, 9.8%, 11.0%
Wolvenberg 800m, 6.3%, 19.0%
Kluisberg 1100m, 6.0%, 15.0%
Knokteberg/Cote de Trieu 1100m, 8.0%, 13.0%
Oude Kwaremont 2200m, 4.3%, 11.0%
Paterberg 350m, 12.5%, 20.0%
Kortekeer 6.0%
Steenbeekdries 700m, 5.3%, 6.7%
Taaienberg 475m, 9.5%, 18.0%
Eikenberg 1175m, 5.5%, 11.0%
Boigneberg 1050m, 5.2%, 12.4%
Leberg 850m, 4.6%, 16.0%
Berendries 900m, 4.7%, 14.0%
Valkenberg 875m, 6.1%, 12.8%
Tenbosse 450m, 6.9%, 8.7%
Eikenmolen 610m, 5.9%
Muur-Kapelmuur 825m, 9.3%, 20.0%
Bosberg 475m, 8.4%, 11.0%
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment