The 2011 edition of the Ronde van Vlaanderen will be slightly shorter but feature two more hills than in 2010, according to Sporza. The race, known as “Vlaanderens Mooiste” (Flanders’ finest) will cover 257.7km, compared to 262.3km this year, but will climb 17 hills, two more than this year’s race.
Three of the “hellingen” from this year’s race, Den Ast, the Kluisberg and Berendries, will be dropped, says Sporza, but will be replaced by five more. The Tiegemberg, Nokereberg, Rekelberg, Kruisberg and Valkenberg will come in to make the slightly fewer kilometres a little tougher for the peloton.
The Berendries has been a fixture in the race since 1983, as one of the hills around Brakel that break up the course between the cobbled slopes around Oudenaarde and the Muur van Geraardsbergen. The hill, which consists of a residential street climbing out of the village of Sint-Maria-Oudenhove will be undergoing roadworks in April. It will be replaced by the nearby Valkenberg, which itself was dropped last year after featuring in five consecutive races.
As well as the differences in the hills, the course will switch from its northerly start of 2010 to a southerly one in 2011.
“There will be a shorter section in West Flanders,” explained Wim Van Herreweghe of race organiser Flanders Classics, “some 70 or 80km instead of 100km. For example, we will not head up to the coast but go right down to Kortrijk. For the first time there will be an intersection on the course, a place where the race will pass twice.”
He stressed though, that this was not the definitive route as arrangements still had to be made with the local councils. Although it is surely unlikely that any town or village would object to the Ronde passing through.
“The applications have still be sent to the municipalities,” he said. “There can always be changes, but basically this is what we want.”
The course will once again start in Brugge, the capital of West Flanders, and finish in Meerbeke, in the district of Ninove. It has run between those two cities since 1998, but has finished on the uphill drag of Meerbeke since 1973 and the current deal comes to an end after 2011. The Ronde is one of the biggest events in Belgium, so unsurprisingly there are some other cities applying for that honour.
“There are still some full stops and commas to be added,” said Van Herreweghe. “We are happy to be working with Brugge and Ninove, but there are times when you have to consider other things.
“Oudenaarde and Ronse are candidates for the finish,” he confirmed, “but there’s nothing to say that we won’t continue with Ninove for another ten years. In May or June we’ll look at them side by side and we will consider what is best for De Ronde.”