Did anyone find a time when the Koppenberg wasn’t completely packed? We went through at about 12:30 and it there was barely any space but some Canadians we talked to who did the full ride went through between 16:00 and 17:00 and had a clear run. Was just wondering if anyone went through a bit earlier and found it not so packed so we can find a better start time for next year

Still a brilliant day though 🙂

it was packed when i went up it, but i managed to clear the climb, just…

but i did have an electric fat-bike ahead of me (there’s always one isn’t there) that created a bit of a gap and i wasn’t afraid to get a bit shouty and elbowsy, which also helps

didn’t make it up the bottom bit of the Kwaremont though, that was rammed

you need to start as early as possible (if you’re doing the middle distance) and not hang about to get a decent chance, though this year the Koppenberg was well into the ride but last year it was only after about 10km, that was messy

but i did have an electric fat-bike ahead of me

That came by me at one point as well at which point I spotted the big battery. I managed a similar trick when there was a Flemish bloke in front of me shouting something all the way up the Koppenberg that magically seemed to clear a way without getting people upset. In fact they seemed quite happy to clear a space. Do love the atmosphere

What time did you start out? We started just before 9 but I’m caught between trying to start much earlier and starting much later. It was cold enough without having to start at 7 🙁

we started at about 8, it was pretty busy all the way round but we seemed to hit a particularly dense bunch on the Kwaremont and Paterburg
and the run into town was *very* scary, after a couple of close calls with numpty riding and yellow bollards we decided it was best to sit on the front on the road and drill it home

aiming to start earlier is always best, starting late means you’re just travelling through everyone that’s already started before you and all the randomness that attracts

“get behind an angry Belgian” was the sage advice I got for the cobbled climbs the year I did it, served me well.

With the risk of getting a slightly biased answer, are these, (PR included), sportives actually worth doing? As opposed to riding them on your own/with a bunch of mates earlier/later in the week?

With the risk of getting a slightly biased answer, are these, (PR included), sportives actually worth doing? As opposed to riding them on your own/with a bunch of mates earlier/later in the week?

I’ve often wondered that myself, especially as they aren’t usually held on closed roads.

However I guess the analogy is a bit like comparing going to a concert with listening to music at home. Both are very enjoyable and in some ways you hear more of the music at home, but you go to the concert for the atmosphere and the thrill of just ‘being there’.

I guess this is particularly true of the sportive versions of the Five Monuments and other great sportives like the Marmotte and the Tour E’Tape

The Swedish Chef
With the risk of getting a slightly biased answer, are these, (PR included), sportives actually worth doing? As opposed to riding them on your own/with a bunch of mates earlier/later in the week?

depends on your value of ‘worth’
for the entrance money you get a lot more than a UK sportive, for less money, feed stations, marshalling at junctions, and signage – which means to having to stop at every little road to check the map, which considering the wiggly nature of the route and maze of little Belgian lanes is a *lot* of times, although there are several signposted routes from Oudenaarde you can do any day of the year, but they’re not the RvV route

the event is a bit of a bun-fight though, the standard of riding is variable, some of the bergs can be jammed so you have to get off and walk and they have a weird, and quite dangerous at times, need to use the bike lanes whenever possible
but it’s a very social event, for all the annoying bits there’s an equal amount of fun bits
some people need that date on the calendar to get inspired and motivated, for me it’s an excuse to round up a bunch of mates, do the event, watch the Pros the next day and have some beers in the gaps

i’ve done the RvV and i’ve ridden around the area on any other day and they’re a very different thing, both have their appeal

Thanks, yes I imagine the signage/route finding would be the biggest issue of doing it outside of the official event.

“get behind an angry Belgian”

Did that for a few of the climbs for a nice traffic free run. The Koppenberg was rammed though. Good ride though and will be back next year for sure

“get behind an angry Belgian”

That’s funny. That’s exactly what I did by accident and it worked a treat.

The Swedish Chef
With the risk of getting a slightly biased answer, are these, (PR included), sportives actually worth doing? As opposed to riding them on your own/with a bunch of mates earlier/later in the week?

We chatted with some Canadians who had come across for this and had obviously done many others but said there was nothing quite like this. There were people at the side of the road practising their cheering for the next day. You also get to see just how difficult some of the climbs are and how fast the pros go up them. It’s ace

How easy is it to get a place on this? I’m hoping to ride as a ‘treat’ for my birthday next year.

It’s very easy to get a place. Harder is to find accommodation.
It’s not really a sportive though, more like a ride the route day out with 16,000 other people.
We’re off to Roubaix this weekend again, for the last time I think, as the Saturday ride has now been discovered by Brits so I’m expecting to get knocked off and sworn at.

Fairly easy, there’s 16,000 places. As long as you do it within a reasonable time of the opening date should be no problems.

The Swedish Chef – Member
With the risk of getting a slightly biased answer, are these, (PR included), sportives actually worth doing? As opposed to riding them on your own/with a bunch of mates earlier/later in the week?

I ride the routes after the events, sometimes the signs are still up a couple of months later and not only that, in Belgium, other road users tend to give you the road or enough of it.

I’m planning a June trip to do this route, on my own. Just looking for a decent Hotel as I type.

Edit: I’ve just got hold of the 2015 gpx file and booked a great place in Oudenaarde that looks after your bike too !

I had a fairly clear run at the Koppenberg late on in the afternoon (we’d stopped for a full hour at a cafe at 100km, because after that incessant rain I was shivering so hard I couldn’t brake or change gear). I still didn’t make it on that slippy mud though. Smashed the Paterberg later on, although a couple of mopeds slowed me down a bit 😈

I had a great day out, well worth the 30 euro entry fee (plus 22 euros for a bus to the start, as it’s a point to point and our hotel was close to the finish.

some of the bergs can be jammed so you have to get off and walk

Each to their own ‘n all, but surely the point of doing the RVV would be to ride the helligen.

yes, the point for most of the riders is to try and ride the hellingen, sometimes they can’t and have to put a foot down or they fall off, meaning the person behind them has to stop, and the person behind them, leading to a domino effect and a traffic jam, it’s the inevitable consequence of riding with 16.000 other people

if that’s not your thing then you don’t have to do it, that’s ok, it’s not a compulsory event

I’m doing P-R this weekend and already tingling with anticipation. Normally I’m a determinedly solo rider but once every few years I enjoy sharing the experience with thousands of fellow cyclists. Yes, I could ride the route on my own at another time but a) I probably wouldn’t have the motivation to book everything and make the trip alone and b) I think the other riders will add to the atmosphere. I like the music analogy.

Whilst the crowds can sometimes make the climbs a bit frustrating, they also add to a great atmosphere – this was probably a big contrast to when I rode the Roubaix sportive which has far less numbers. I think Flanders this weekend was extended to almost 20000, whereas Roubaix has only a couple of thousand or so.
Flanders is still a great weekend, a really good choice for a trip away with family and mates – I keep going back for sure!

” I’ve just got hold of the 2015 gpx file and booked a great place in Oudenaarde that looks after your bike too !”

What place is that Bikebouy? I’m looking to return and do the route again too.
I got in a right state. I didn’t think the rain would last and so didn’t put my cape on in Brugge. By the time I realised it just wasn’t going to stop I was soaked through and very cold. I couldn’t feel my hands, apart from the pain of them being so cold. Had to ride hard in a fast group just to try and keep warm. This was to be my 14th ride doing the full route but I had to abandon in Oudenaarde. I got ill last year after being under dressed at the start and freezing for the first two hours, so I couldn’t afford to get ill again. It was very upsetting for me as I do it to remember my son but I think I’ll feel better about it if I pop over in the next few weeks to finish it off.

Loads of stuff there but I didn’t really get an answer to what I was hunting for which was to try and find out if there was a best time to start. Conventional wisdom has it to start as early as possible which is 7am but that means that you are going to spend most of the ride quite cold and in this case wet 🙁

So, being at a bit of a loose end, I went on to the photo site for the event which you can conveniently sort by location and time to try and see if there were particular times where the Koppenberg wasn’t completely rammed.

The short answer is that if you are doing the middle distance, the 134, then you either want to start first thing (7am) or last thing (10am). The Koppenberg was at 74k and was starting to fill up at around 9:30 but that was nearly all folks doing the short distance. It then emptied again and started to fill up at around 10:30 getting really quite full by 11 and not really thinning out until 13:00. After 14:00 it was fine but by then only the 230k folks are going through.

So, if you are prepared to start last thing then you might actually be better off.

Other stuff of note was that it was patchy. There were points where it was packed and then it seemed to clear again. Also, I had assumed that people were getting off because they couldn’t find space but actually it is just a tough climb and not everyone was making it, especially as it was muddy and slippery this year. Chapeau to those who did

Finally, you can see on the vids that even when it is packed there are still angry Belgians making their way up. gotta love ’em

edit: and bad luck plop_pants. Getting to Oudenaard and having to stop must have been tough but it was horrible weather because it wasn’t clear you needed full rain gear. We met a few people who got caught out with that

I just did the decent thing and jumped off at the bottom. No way was I riding that on my singlespeed, no matter how quiet it was! And it wasn’t, it was rammed. We started about 9.15 I think.

The first half of the 134k was really quiet. I suspect due to the weather loads of people just sacked it off and started the short route later.

Did you sample the Kwaremont beer?. Lovely.

Did you sample the Kwaremont beer?. Lovely

not that day but came back the following day and had some and it was indeed lovely. I suspect the hills would have been a challenge on a singlespeed. I kept looking for more gears with no luck

Bloody brilliant weekend, first time over there and best day I’ve had on a bike I’ve had. Very busy, couldn’t get up the Koppenberg or Paterberg but it didn’t matter. The organisation and atmosphere was fabulous. Definitely on the list for next year. We had one of those weekends where everything went well, just worked out great for us.

Great event and atmosphere!
First time this year.
Jammed on the Koppenburg.
Germans falling left, right and centre on the Kwaremont,
And finally an event vehicle slipping down the Paterburg blocking all the riders!
Other than that really enjoyed it,
Would love to do the full distance next year.
Thanks,
Max

Turnerfan, sounds like you were on the Paterberg when we were, stuck behind that 4×4.

House does a4x4 get stuck up there?

I just checked my times and went through the koppenberg at 10:30 and the paterberg about 12:30. Both were pretty clear. An assertive oop oop oop tends to clear the walkers. Last year was much busier at the same point and I engaged angry Tourette’s mode and made it through. Some folk insist on walking up the middle blocking the way for some reason.
In short leave as close to 7 as possible.
I reckon for a weekend away with your mates cycling it’s hard to beat

Excellent info, thanks mikeyp. It is indeed a brilliant weekend if you take in the Sunday as well, especially as at some of the spots you get people coming by 3 times
(taken by my nephew)

Totally agree. Great atmosphere on the Saturday, cops stop the traffic. And it’s a massive flandrian party on the Sunday. Watched on the molenberg and managed to see the pros twice. My mates stayed later and say them pass 4 times