Turn of Flandres

The Tour of Flandres is an annual cycle race reserved to the professionals. It takes place at the beginning of April, in Flanders and is since years one of traditional most important. It started in 1913 on an idea of Karel Van Wijnendaele, founder of the sporting magazine Sportwereld, which gave the practice to the editors and to the journalists to organize races. Since 1919, the turn, De Round van Vlaanderen or De Ronde, like one say in Flanders, took place each year, even during the Second world war. The Belgians call affectionately “most beautiful”.

At the beginning, and until after the war, the Turn of Flanders was primarily a match between Belgians; moreover at the beginning it often took place the same day as Milan-San Remo. The best Italian runners and French generally chose this last test, which explains why to the war the Ronde knew one gaining not Belgian.

After the Second world war, the turn started to become an important international competition. Inter alia because it was retained among the tests cash for the Challenge Desgrange-Colombo, a kind of world prize list, and it became one of the tops of cycling with Paris-Roubaix being characterized some by the presence from many small valleys. Since 2005 the Turn of Flandres belongs to UCI ProTour.

Those which generally gained it are the Belgians Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman and Johan Museeuw as well as the Italian Fiorenzo Magni (three victories for each one). As for the Netherlander Jan Raas, it was twice first and twice third.

Andrea Tafi said Turn of Flandres: " Seulement those which are with the signal of their condition can say that this race is not difficult. For all the others, it is a way of cross "

Prize list

Random links: