Ronde van Vlaanderen Course Removes a Few Wrinkles

This year’s Ronde van Vlaanderen will be run over a largely similar course as far as the finale goes, but only after a resumption of the Antwerp start and a middle section that takes the pressure off a bit before the race begins in earnest. The net result is 17 climbs, two fewer than last year, and seven cobbles sectors, one more from 2023… but we shouldn’t expect these changes to matter.

We previously covered the start city, where it looks like de Ronde will alternate between Bruges and Antwerp, and it’s Antwerp’s turn in 2024. That of course necessitates a whole different approach to the real part, that first 100km soft-pedal tour of East or West Flanders — East this time, with a touch of Brabant, and not a moment in West Flanders.

But there are some noticeable differences in the middle portion, from the first hills and cobbles to the ascent of the Koppenberg where the race really takes off. Prior to the Oude Kwaremont at km 136, there are no early hills, though two cobbles sectors, the Lippenhovestraat and Paddestraat of previous Ronde lore, are returning after having been left out last year.

Photo by JASPER JACOBS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

As for the first half of the climbs, returning are the Kappelleberg and Nieuwe Kruisberg, while the Korte Ast, Korte keer, Eikenberg and Kanarieberg are all left out this time. Ronse gets two downtown passages, with the parallel Nieuwe and Oude Kruisbergs each getting a turn. But it’s not unusual for the race to shuffle the deck a bit prior to climb 10, the second appearance of the Oude Kwaremont with 55km to go, and the hardest work of the Wolvenberg-Molenberg-Marlboroughstraat-Berendries-Valkenberg string of climbs is still there. I will miss the Korte Keer, a lovely ascent for us amateurs, but for the race it barely registers except as maybe a reminder to take off the leg warmers.

Photo by POOL NICO VEREECKE/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

The last notable change is that after the Oude Kwaremont-Paterberg sequence, the race heads for the Koppenberg, as usual, but not via the tiny farm roads that they usually stick to, twisting and turning at sharp angles until suddenly they are headed up the climb. Rather, the race drifts northward on Neerhofstraat and the Hevelweg until it hits the N8 route to Melden, giving the riders a chance to get their thoughts together just prior to the fearsome Koppenberg. The organizers touted the safety benefits of doing so, and suggested that it would help the racing too, which is probably right, given that the riders will have already spent an ungodly amount of time on the tiny farm tracks, and a chance to catch their breath doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all.

From there, de Ronde will play out as it always does, taking the N60 to Mariaborrestraat for the Steenbekdries/Stationsberg/Taaienberg sequence, then back to Ronse for the Oude Kruisberg/Hotond sequence leading to the final Kwaremont/Paterberg ascents and the finish. I would rate this a tolerable amount of tinkering, and a fine setup for the 2024 Ronde.