One of Flanders’ most emblematic climbs will be in the spotlight again this spring.
Paterberg. A name that commands respect not just in Flanders, but in the whole world of cycling, a beast that needs to be tamed each spring by those in search of glory at the Ronde van Vlaanderen. A short climb, just 300 meters in length, but boasting viciously steep gradients that can pour lead in the riders’ legs after 250 kilometers, as they approach Oudenaarde and begin dreaming of a career-defining victory.
But this wasn’t the case in the past. The hill sitting in the municipality of Kluisbergen has been a regular feature on the course of the Flemish Monument since 1986, and just like Pink Floyd – who was transitioning to its David Gilmour years – Paterberg too made a transition from a tarmac to a cobblestone climb that would achieve legendary status. Even then, it didn’t have a huge role in the final outcome, being one of the many hills that the peloton had to tackle in the final 100 kilometers of the race, but everything changed in 2012.
That year, as the organisers shifted the finish from Ninove to Oudenaarde, Paterberg began carrying more weight, as it came twice in the riders’ way, the second of these ascents less than 15 kilometers from the finish. In that first year that it became the last ascent of De Ronde, Tom Boonen wrote another page of history for our team, making it over the top part of a three-man leading group before sprinting to a third victory in the race, a triumph that put him in the pantheon of the greatest riders in the history of Flanders. Since then, Paterberg began playing a decisive role at the season’s second Monument and many times it ended up being the launchpad to victory for those capable of overcoming all the suffering.
For the closing words we reached out to the man who made it over the Paterberg numerous times on his way to victory and immortality, not just in De Ronde, but also in E3 Harelbeke, the one and only Tom Boonen: “Paterberg is one of the hardest climbs in Flanders, but this isn’t something new. It’s also a climb where you need to adapt your strategy depending on the side you are tackling. In De Ronde, you must stay in the front, because you come up with a lot of speed. In Harelbeke, you arrive at the bottom from a different side, which means that the speed is missing, and you are slower.”
“The cobbles are really difficult, and you need to be at the front, but not too exposed, and wait for the final 50 meters, because that’s where you can make a difference, especially if you are capable of another acceleration just after the top. It’s a brutal climb, and you really need to be on top of your game to make it there.”
28 March & 6 April. Save the dates of this year’s Paterberg rendez-vous.
Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images