As one of the five Monuments in professional cycling and the biggest race in Belgium, the Tour of Flanders has a long and impressive history. It’s widely known as the Ronde van Vlaanderen in Dutch or De Ronde.
The Tour of Flanders started in 1913, making it one of the oldest one-day on the professional cycling calendar. It takes place annually in early April in the Flemish region of Belgium, except between 1915 to 1918 due to World War 1.
Several factors make the Tour of Flanders unique and special among cycling fans.
- First, it is one of the world’s oldest professional cycling races, having been running since 1913.
- Second, it takes place in a part of Belgium called Flanders, known for its rough and challenging terrain. This makes the race one of the most demanding one-day races on the professional cycling calendar.
- Third, it’s one of the five cycling monuments beside Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and Giro di Lombardia.
Tour of Flanders route
The route of the Tour of Flanders race has changed over the years, but it has always stayed in the Flemish area. In 2023, the race starts in Bruges and finishes at Oudenaarde.
The 2023 route is about 273.9km (170.2 mi) long and includes famous climbs like the Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont, Koppenberg, and the Muur van Geraardsbergen. The longest Tour of Flanders was in the first edition (1913) at 324km (201 mi) long. The shortest Tour of Flanders was in 1941 at 198km (123 mi) long.
The Tour of Flanders had various starting and finishing lines in the past.
| Years | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Ghent | Mariakerke |
| 1914 | Ghent | Evergem |
| 1919 to 1923 | Ghent | Gentbrugge |
| 1924 to 1927 | Ghent | Ghent velodrome |
| 1928 to 1941 | Ghent | Wetteren |
| 1942 to 1944 | Ghent | Ghent velodrome |
| 1945 to 1961 | Ghent | Wetteren |
| 1962 to 1972 | Ghent | Gentbrugge |
| 1973 to 1975 | Ghent | Meerbeke |
| 1977 to 1997 | Sint-Niklaas | Meerbeke |
| 1998 to 2011 | Bruges | Meerbeke |
| 2012 to 2016 | Bruges | Oudenaarde |
| 2017 to 2022 | Antwerp | Oudenaarde |
| 2023 | Bruges | Oudenaarde |
Tour of Flanders winners
The winner of the 2023 Tour of Flanders was Tadej Pogacar. He joins Eddy Merck and Louison Bobet as the only riders who have won the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders.
In recent years, many high-profile cyclists, such as Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara, Greg Van Avermaet, Peter Sagan, and Mathieu van der Poel, have won the Tour of Flanders. Philippe Gilbert was the last Belgian rider to win the Tour of Flanders race 2017.
The record for most wins is three, shared among six riders.
3 wins
- Achiel Buysse (1940, 1941, 1943)
- Fiorenzo Magni (1949, 1950, 1951)
- Eric Leman (1970, 1972, 1973)
- Johan Museeuw (1993, 1995, 1998)
- Tom Boonen (2005, 2006, 2012)
- Fabian Cancellara (2010, 2013, 2014)
The table below lists all the past Tour of Flanders winners and their winning times.
| Year | Winner | Winning time |
|---|---|---|
| 1913 | Paul Deman | 12h 3′ 10″ |
| 1914 | Marcel Buysse | 10h 20′ |
| 1919 | Henri Van Lerberghe | 7h 41′ 18″ |
| 1920 | Jules Van Hevel | 9h 30′ |
| 1921 | René Vermandel | 9h 56′ |
| 1922 | Léon Devos | 8h 55′ 20″ |
| 1923 | Heiri Suter | 9h 16′ 15″ |
| 1924 | Gérard Debaets | 10h 0′ 19″ |
| 1925 | Julien Delbecque | 8h 49′ |
| 1926 | Denis Verschueren | 7h 12′ 30″ |
| 1927 | Gérard Debaets | 7h 12′ 30″ |
| 1928 | Jan Mertens | 6h 55′ |
| 1929 | Joseph Dervaes | 7h 1′ 50″ |
| 1930 | Frans Bonduel | 7h 3′ |
| 1931 | Romain Gijssels | 6h 52′ |
| 1932 | Romain Gijssels | 6h 29′ |
| 1933 | Alfons Schepers | 6h 51′ |
| 1934 | Gaston Rebry | 7h 0′ |
| 1935 | Louis Duerloo | 7h 27′ |
| 1936 | Louis Hardiquest | 7h 30′ |
| 1937 | Michel D’Hooghe | 7h 29′ |
| 1938 | Edgard De Caluwé | 7h 42′ |
| 1939 | Karel Kaers | 6h 32′ |
| 1940 | Achiel Buysse | 6h 2′ |
| 1941 | Achiel Buysse | 5h 38′ |
| 1942 | Briek Schotte | 6h 26′ |
| 1943 | Achiel Buysse | 6h 7′ 58″ |
| 1944 | Rik Van Steenbergen | 6h 23′ |
| 1945 | Sylvain Grysolle | 6h 12′ |
| 1946 | Rik Van Steenbergen | 6h 51′ |
| 1947 | Emiel Faignaert | 7h 5′ |
| 1948 | Briek Schotte | 6h 43′ |
| 1949 | Fiorenzo Magni | 7h 21′ |
| 1950 | Fiorenzo Magni | 8h 15′ |
| 1951 | Fiorenzo Magni | 7h 43′ 3″ |
| 1952 | Roger Decock | 7h 27′ |
| 1953 | Wim Van Est | 7h 19′ |
| 1954 | Raymond Impanis | 7h 33′ |
| 1955 | Louison Bobet | 7h 27′ |
| 1956 | Jean Forestier | 6h 9′ |
| 1957 | Fred de Bruyne | 5h 58′ |
| 1958 | Germain Derycke | 6h 7′ |
| 1959 | Rik Van Looy | 6h 14′ |
| 1960 | Arthur De Cabooter | 5h 52′ |
| 1961 | Tom Simpson | 6h 22′ |
| 1962 | Rik Van Looy | 6h 39′ 56″ |
| 1963 | Noël Foré | 6h 8′ 42″ |
| 1964 | Rudi Altig | 5h 45′ 27″ |
| 1965 | Jo de Roo | 5h 47′ 29″ |
| 1966 | Edward Sels | 5h 53′ |
| 1967 | Dino Zandegù | 6h 16′ |
| 1968 | Walter Godefroot | 5h 52′ |
| 1969 | Eddy Merckx | 6h 20′ |
| 1970 | Eric Leman | 6h 24′ |
| 1971 | Evert Dolman | 6h 12′ |
| 1972 | Eric Leman | 6h 4′ 30″ |
| 1973 | Eric Leman | 6h 17′ |
| 1974 | Cees Bal | 6h 10′ |
| 1975 | Eddy Merckx | 6h 16′ |
| 1976 | Walter Planckaert | 6h 10′ |
| 1977 | Roger de Vlaeminck | 6h 44′ |
| 1978 | Walter Godefroot | 6h 12′ |
| 1979 | Jan Raas | 6h 31′ 0″ |
| 1980 | Michel Pollentier | 6h 35′ 40″ |
| 1981 | Hennie Kuiper | 6h 32′ 37″ |
| 1982 | Reneé Martens | 6h 35′ 40″ |
| 1983 | Jan Raas | 6h 37′ 27″ |
| 1984 | Johan Lammerts | 6h 45′ 47″ |
| 1985 | Eric Vanderaerden | 6h 49′ 50″ |
| 1986 | Adrie van der Poel | 7h 10′ 50″ |
| 1987 | Claude Criquielion | 7h 15′ 30″ |
| 1988 | Eddy Planckaert | 7h 27′ 28″ |
| 1989 | Edwig Van Hooydonck | 7h 1′ 0″ |
| 1990 | Moreno Argentin | 6h 47′ 25″ |
| 1991 | Edwig van Hooydonck | 7h 2′ 0″ |
| 1992 | Jacky Durand | 6h 37′ 19″ |
| 1993 | Johan Museeuw | 6h 33′ 0″ |
| 1994 | Gianni Bugno | 6h 45′ 20″ |
| 1995 | Johan Museeuw | 6h 36′ 24″ |
| 1996 | Michele Bartoli | 6h 27′ 0″ |
| 1997 | Rolf Sørensen | r 57′ 1″ |
| 1998 | Johan Museeuw | 6h 50′ 2″ |
| 1999 | Peter Van Petegem | 6h 15′ 0″ |
| 2000 | Andrei Tchmil | 6h 48′ 17″ |
| 2001 | Gianluca Bortolami | 6h 10′ 23″ |
| 2002 | Andrea Tafi | 6h 1′ 0″ |
| 2003 | Peter Van Petegem | 6h 18′ 48″ |
| 2004 | Steffen Wesemann | 6h 39′ 0″ |
| 2005 | Tom Boonen | 6h 22′ |
| 2006 | Tom Boonen | 6h 24′ 26″ |
| 2007 | Alessandro Ballan | 6h 10′ 15″ |
| 2008 | Stijn Devolder | 6h 1′ 0″ |
| 2009 | Stijn Devolder | 6h 1′ 4″ |
| 2010 | Fabian Cancellara | 6h 25′ 56″ |
| 2011 | Nick Nuyens | 6h 1′ 20″ |
| 2012 | Tom Boonen | 6h 4′ 20″ |
| 2013 | Fabian Cancellara | 6h 6′ 1″ |
| 2014 | Fabian Cancellara | 6h 15′ 18″ |
| 2015 | Alexander Kristoff | 6h 26′ 32″ |
| 2016 | Peter Sagan | 6h 10′ 37″ |
| 2017 | Philippe Gilbert | 6h 23′ 45″ |
| 2018 | Niki Terpstra | 6h 21′ 25″ |
| 2019 | Alberto Bettiol | 6h 18′ 49″ |
| 2020 | Mathieu van der Poel | 5r 43′ 17″ |
| 2021 | Kasper Asgreen | 6h 2′ 12″ |
| 2022 | Mathieu van der Poel | 6h 18′ 30″ |
| 2023 | Tadej Pogacar | 6h 12′ 07″ |
Biggest winning margin at Tour of Flanders
The biggest winning margin was by Henri Van Lerberghe, who won in 1919 by 14 minutes over Léon Buysse.
This is followed by Frans Bonduel (1930, 9′ 15″) and Léon Devos (1922, 7′ 40″)
The table below shows the ten biggest winning margins at the Tour of Flanders.
| Year | Winner | Winning time | Winning margin | Second place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Henri Van Lerberghe | 7h 41′ 18″ | 14′ | Léon Buysse |
| 1930 | Frans Bonduel | 7h 3′ | 9′ 15″ | Aimé Dossche |
| 1922 | Léon Devos | 8h 55′ 20″ | 7′ 40″ | Jean Brunier |
| 1969 | Eddy Merckx | 6h 20′ | 5′ 36″ | Felice Gimondi |
| 1951 | Fiorenzo Magni | 7h 43′ 3″ | 5′ 35″ | Bernard Gauthier |
| 1934 | Gaston Rebry | 7h 0′ | 4′ 16″ | Alfons Schepers |
| 1929 | Joseph Dervaes | 7h 1′ 50″ | 4′ 10″ | Georges Ronsse |
| 1964 | Rudi Altig | 5h 45′ 27″ | 4′ 5″ | Benoni Beheyt |
| 1932 | Romain Gijssels | 6h 29′ | 3′ 15″ | Alfons Deloor |
| 1950 | Fiorenzo Magni | 8h 15′ | 2′ 15″ | Briek Schotte |
Fastest Tour of Flanders average speed
The fastest Tour of Flanders was in 2001, won by Gianluca Bortolami with an average speed of 43.58km/h (27.08mph).
| Year | Winner | Winning time | Avg. speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Gianluca Bortolami | 6h 10′ 23″ | 43.58 |
| 2009 | Stijn Devolder | 6h 1′ 4″ | 43.45 |
| 1971 | Evert Dolman | 6h 12′ | 43.225 |
| 1999 | Peter Van Petegem | 6h 15′ 0″ | 43.2 |
| 2022 | Mathieu van der Poel | 6h 18′ 30″ | 43.197 |
| 1997 | Rolf Sørensen | r 57′ 1″ | 43.023 |
| 2020 | Mathieu van der Poel | 5r 43′ 17″ | 42.525 |
| 2011 | Nick Nuyens | 6h 1′ 20″ | 42.509 |
| 1968 | Walter Godefroot | 5h 52′ | 42.44 |
| 2019 | Alberto Bettiol | 6h 18′ 49″ | 42.29 |
Slowest Tour of Flanders average speed
The slowest Tour of Flanders was in 1921, won by René Vermandel with an average speed of 25.17km/h (15.64mph).
| Year | Winner | Winning time | Avg. speed (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | René Vermandel | 9h 56′ | 25.17 |
| 1925 | Julien Delbecque | 8h 49′ | 25.86 |
| 1920 | Jules Van Hevel | 9h 30′ | 26.11 |
| 1923 | Heiri Suter | 9h 16′ 15″ | 26.21 |
| 1919 | Henri Van Lerberghe | 7h 41′ 18″ | 26.42 |
| 1913 | Paul Deman | 12h 3′ 10″ | 26.88 |
| 1914 | Marcel Buysse | 10h 20′ | 27.1 |
| 1922 | Léon Devos | 8h 55′ 20″ | 27.96 |
| 1924 | Gérard Debaets | 10h 0′ 19″ | 28.39 |
| 1926 | Denis Verschueren | 7h 12′ 30″ | 30.1 |
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.