‘You couldn’t find a small area with more cycling history or more hospitality.’ Ahead of tomorrow’s big race, Wiggo takes us for a spin around his favourite hills, cafes and villages
An hour into our ride through the Flemish Ardennes, Sir Bradley Wiggins is in his element. In this small corner of Belgium, every hill and cobbled road has a tale to tell from a century of cycling history, and he knows them all. It’s a strange experience to have a Tour de France winner – and a man who has played a significant role in the local culture – as your tour guide, but here I am following in the wheels of not just one legend but the hundreds who have helped to shape a region where cycling is much more than a sport.
Starting some 15 miles south of Ghent and accessible via a wide, car-free cycle path beside the River Schelde, the Flemish Ardennes (quite distinct from the other Ardennes in the far south of Belgium) is the canvas on which the Tour of Flanders (Ronde Van Vlaanderen) paints itself each year. The anticipation builds week by week across the region and the atmosphere on the day itself is a combination of the London Marathon and the glory days of the FA Cup final. More than a million people line the roads and there is blanket television coverage.
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