The Flemish Ardennes (Dutch: Vlaamse Ardennen) is an informal name given to a hilly region in the south of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Highest summit is the Hotondberg (145 m). Main characteristics of the region are rural hilly landscapes with hilltop bluebell woodlands (Muziekbos, Brakelbos, Kluisbos), windmills and watermills.
The area is distinct and not adjacent to the larger Ardennes, which is further to the south east of the country in Wallonia, France, Germany and Luxembourg.
Among the largest towns in the area are Oudenaarde, Ronse, Zottegem and Geraardsbergen.
Cycling is particularly popular in the Flemish Ardennes. Many major bike races are held here, including a large part of the Tour of Flanders. Most of its toughest climbs (Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Molenberg, Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont, Muur van Geraardsbergen, Eikenberg) and most of its cobblestone-street sections (Paddestraat) are situated in the Flemish Ardennes. [1]
Zottegem is a town located in Belgium and more particularly in Flanders, in the province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Zottegem proper and the villages of Elene, Erwetegem, Godveerdegem, Grotenberge, Leeuwergem, Oombergen, Sint-Goriks-Oudenhove, Sint-Maria-Oudenhove, Strijpen and Velzeke-Ruddershove. On 1 January 2018, Zottegem had a total population of 26,373. The total area is 56.66 km2 which gives a population density of 470 inhabitants per km2.
Oudenaarde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of Bevere, Edelare, Eine, Ename, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater, Melden, Mullem, Nederename, Volkegem, Welden and a part of Ooike.
The Tour of Flanders, also known as De Ronde, is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organized by Flanders Classics. Its nickname is Vlaanderens Mooiste. First held in 1913, the Tour of Flanders had its 100th edition in 2016.
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe, and holds significant prestige because of it. Since 2017, the race is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's top-tier professional events.
E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kilometres, mainly in the Flemish Ardennes.
The 2007 Tour of Flanders cycle race was the 91st edition of this monumental classic and took place on April 8.
The Tour of Flanders, formerly the Tour of Flanders for Women, is an annual road bicycle racing event in Flanders, Belgium, held in early April. It is held on the same day as the men's race, on much of the same roads but at a shorter distance. Dutch riders Mirjam Melchers, Annemiek van Vleuten, Belgian Lotte Kopecky and German Judith Arndt hold the record with two wins each. Lotte Kopecky won the most recent edition in 2023.
Melden is a village belonging partly to the municipality of Oudenaarde and partly to the municipality of Kluisbergen. It is located in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the province of East Flanders, Belgium.
The 2012 Tour of Flanders was the 96th edition of the Tour of Flanders single-day "Monument" cycling race. It was held on 1 April 2012 over a distance of 256.9 kilometres – between Bruges and Oudenaarde – and was the eighth race of the 2012 UCI World Tour season.
The 69th running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race took place on 7 April 1985. It was won by Belgian Eric Vanderaerden in an average speed of 39,605 km/h. The race was affected by abysmal weather, when a storm accompanied by wind and torrential rainfall, broke in the afternoon. Only 24 of 173 participants arrived.
The 83rd running of the Tour of Flanders cycling race in Belgium was held on Sunday 4 April 1999. It was the second leg of the UCI Road World Cup. Belgian Peter Van Petegem won his first victory in the monument classic. The race started in Bruges and finished in Meerbeke (Ninove).
The 2017 Tour of Flanders was the 101st edition of the Tour of Flanders, a one-day cycling classic, that took place on 2 April 2017. It was the second monument race of the 2017 cycling season and the thirteenth event of the 2017 UCI World Tour. The race marked the pinnacle of the Flemish Cycling Week.
The third running of the Tour of Flanders for Women, a women's road cycling race in Belgium, was held on 2 April 2006. The race started in Oudenaarde and finished in Meerbeke, taking in 12 climbs and covering a total distance of 112 kilometres. It was the third round of the 2006 UCI Women's Road World Cup. Dutch rider Mirjam Melchers-Van Poppel won her second consecutive Tour of Flanders in a two-up sprint with Austrian Christiane Soeder.
The 16th running of the Tour of Flanders for Women, a women's cycling race in Belgium, was held on 7 April 2019. It was the sixth event of the 2019 UCI Women's World Tour. Anna van der Breggen was the defending champion. The race was won by Marta Bastianelli.
The Zwalm or Zwalmbeek is a tributary of the Scheldt and one of the main watercourses in the Flemish Ardennes in the southern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders.
50°49′N3°40′E / 50.817°N 3.667°E