Muur van Geraardsbergen

As a " Wall of Geraardsbergen " is an increase on the Oudeberg within the Flemish town called Geraardsbergen, which is primarily known as an important stretch of the Tour of Flanders.

Road

The well-known in Flemish as Muur van Geraardsbergen or Muur - Kapelmuur, in French as Mur de Grammont increase is a narrow, roughly paved road, which was until 2011 every year, traveled in April at the Tour of Flanders, one of the most famous classic one day races of cycling.

The road begins in the center of the river Dender and initially rises about 500 feet long to moderate. After that overcomes the key, marked by a characteristic curve to the left of the increase over a length of 475 meters a height difference of 44 meters. The average gradient is 9.3 %, the maximum slope of almost 20%.

The traditional cobbled street was 2003/ 04 extensively renovated for more than one million euros. The reopening of the road just before the Tour of Flanders in 2004, among others, the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was present.

History and Significance

The Muur was one back in the early 1950s and in the 1970s the program of the Tour of Flanders. Finally, the " Wall of Geraardsbergen " was until 2011, traveled as a penultimate hill of the race, around 16 kilometers from the finish in Meerbeke and was the culmination of the classic. Last rise of the Tour of Flanders until 2011, also located near Geraardsbergen Bosberg. However, the most well-known in addition to the increase in the Muur is the classic in recent years infrequently traveled Koppenberg. Since 2012, the wall of Geerardsbergen is for the time being no longer on the Tour of Flanders program.

The "wall" is traveled in other Flemish cycling race regularly about the first spring classics Omloop Het Volk. 2004 was a stage of the Tour de France on the rise.