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Visiting the Tour of Flanders

by mmmbop86
Mon, Mar 07, 2016 13:38
10

Hi

I'm hoping to pop over to Belgium to see the Tour of Flanders this year.  Does anyone have any tips on where to stay and whether a car is required or if you can get around on public transport (trains/buses etc)?

Hoping to see the race in multiple locations if possible.

Any advice much appreciated!

Cheers

Chris

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10 comments

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Rapha Nadal | 8 years ago
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You're probbaly best going to Bruges and staying there for a night.  You'll see the start in the main square.  The train station is not that far from the centre of Bruges and a train journey to Oudernaarde costs about €10 and takes about 30 minutes if I recall correctly.

However, I imagine that there's a premium on accomodation during the run up to the race and you'll be lucky to find anywhere not fully booked.

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mmmbop86 | 8 years ago
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Hi all

Thanks once again for the helpful comments. Unfortunately I don't think we'll have bikes with us, so would rely on public transport / our legs!

We were planning on getting the Eurostar to Brussels and then trying to get out to Oudenaade. Does anyone know if its practical to do so the day of the race, or should we look to stay somewhere closer and get to Oudenaarde early doors? We're looking at the option of hiring a camper van to stay somwhere closer by.

As for the day itself, it looks like heading towards the Oude Kwaremont looks like a good place to take in the race multiple times and enjoy the atmosphere? Looking at shuttle times, it seems like heading out there for the first pass will be fine, and presumably a shuttle from the nearby public area will return to Oudenaarde for the festivities afterwards, as that sounds great fun?

Out of interest, is it feasible to walk between the Kwaremont and Paterberg?

Any thoughts on these plans would be much appreciated!

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monty dog | 8 years ago
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For a nice short ride, ride west out of Oudenaarde along the Scheldt to Kluisbergen and then head south to pick-up the Oude Kwaremont.  On the way back to Oudenaard you can ride-up the Paterberg and finally a quick spin up the Koppenberg to finish - do 3 loops for the full mooiste Vlandeerens effect!

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s_dingsdale | 8 years ago
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mmmbop86, it depends on how you plan to get about once you are there, if for instance you are cycling, then I would say you would be able to take in an earlier climb and then cycle to the Oude Kwaremont to take in the riders passing there, providing you have an idea on how to get there etc. If you are reliant on public transport then you may find it difficult, although probably not impossible. The shuttle bus is a great way to get out to the Bergs and the Kwaremont, but it is worth noting that they only run between certain times, I can't remember off the top of my head, but i'm sure that they stopped around 12:00 and then restarted around 16:00 last year, to get people back in to Oudernaarde

I would also highly recommend spending some time in Oudernaarde once the race has finished, last year it had a massive carnival atmosphere, loads of different bars with outside bars and discos etc going on, and even with thousands of people, from all different countries, not one single bit of trouble from what I seen

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mmmbop86 | 8 years ago
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Thanks all, really helpful stuff.

I plan to get the Eurostar over to Brussels on the Saturday morning, but will therefore be without car and reliant on public transport. It looks like staying in Oudenaarde might be tricky, so I'm looking at possibly staying in Ghent for the Saturday and then trying to get a train out to Oudenaarde first thing Sunday. Does that sound sensible to those that have been before?

The shuttle buses look like the best way of getting out to the various bergs so that sounds like a great idea - thanks for the tips on where to view. Is it possible to take in one of the earlier climbs and make it to the Oude Kwaremont too?

Afraid I plan to watch only s_dingsdale!

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s_dingsdale | 8 years ago
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Are there any of you planning on doing the Ronde Sportive on the Saturday? Me and my mate are doing the middle distance (127km) which takes in all the bergs/cobbles/climbs etc that the pro race takes in, and my dad (53 years of age) is doing the short one

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monty dog | 8 years ago
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Half of Flanders gets in their cars to try and follow the race - it's not far between the likes of the Koppenberg, Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont and you'll have more chance on a bike than trying to battle through traffic IMO. My advise would be to find a good spot and enjoy the atmosphere. 

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mistyphil | 8 years ago
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I'm going staying in kortrijk and aiming to cycle out to the paterberg where we will get 3 passes. The itinerary is complex but it should be easy to place yourself on the parcours and see the race pass at least 3 times. Should be magnificent and Belgium is a great place to watch racing. Very knowledgeable and friendly fans. See you out there

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s_dingsdale | 8 years ago
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Hi,

 

I went over last year, and I am also heading back over this year.

We stayed in Oudernaarde (sp?) which is where the race finishes, and where the women's race rolls out from. Depending on how you plan on travelling to Belgium, and how you plan on spending your stay (hotel/camping etc) will probably have some impact on where you stay and where you watch the race from. We are driving to Dover, then ferry to Dunkirk, and then it is about 2 hours or so drive to Oudernaarde.

On the day of the race there are free shuttle busses available from various points that will take you to different locations. We will be catching one from Oudernaarde train station to the Kwaremont to watch this years race, we watched from the top of the Kanarienberg last year.

It is possible to drive between various points, but you will probably find that a lot of the major roads will be closed.

Just to add, we are camping at a place callled 'The Outsider' and it is literally a stones throw from the finish line, if you see an overhead shot of the finish line, you will notice a large lake at the side of it, the campsite we are on is at the side of that lake. Oudernaarde itself is very accessible, with a number of bars, places to eats, cafes, and even the Ronde Museum, you may even see a number of pro riders/teams out and about on their bikes like we did last year.

 

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huntswheelers | 8 years ago
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Just been over for Omloop Het Nieuwsblad & Kuerrne - Brussels.

Tips.... depends on how you travel etc. as we used a Campervan and grabbed a site at Jabbeke for the weekend and travelled out from there both days.... 

Having checked the itinery for both races determined the places to watch and on the Omloop we opted for Haaghoek as they passed us 3 times for example and we opted for 3 different places on the 2km cobbles to get different vantage points. I guess with that in mind you may do the same. Clearly if you manage to grab a hotel neat the route you can cycle to the race route and view and then cycle to another section.....

Start off with the Itinery , decide on location(s)and work out from there....

I do this with all races I watch.... check out the route etc first.... this years Tour of Yorkshire as an example...I'm basing the 'Van at Knaresborough  then as Day 1 comes through the town then that is easy....Day's 2 & 3 I can cycle out to the race stage both days.

http://www.flandersclassics.be/en will give you what you need for route and timings....

 

Enjoy

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