Fantastic Flanders!
The legend of Edwig Van Hooydonck is one of many that has been carved out across the hills and cobbles of the Flemish Ardennes since the inception of the Tour of Flanders in 1913. That he cemented this legacy with exactly the same move in 1991 – this time against Johan Museeuw, Rolf Graz and Rolf Sorensen – earning him the nickname “The Boss of the Bosberg”, Van Hooydonck proved that it is not necessarily the parcours that makes the race, but the rider. This sentiment is debatable, but what is not debatable is the demanding terrain the Flemish Ardennes provides for cycling, and the pristine beauty that lay between the cobbles and hills that connect the tiny villages and their churches, bakeries and bars, schoolhouses and night shops. And while the route of the Tour of Flanders has seen numerous changes over the years – from overall distance, to climbs, to start and finish locations – it was never a question of will the race be hard enough, but purely a question of how hard. Read more
