Flandrien Challenge - 4 days - Day 1

This is the steepest and longest side of the Kemmelberg, with a maximum gradient of over 20%. Gent-Wevelgem used to descend this way but a Jeremy Roy crash in 2002 underlined the danger of using steep, tree shaded cobbled descents in the finale of a big race.

Riding out of Kemmel, you turn right onto the stones which trick you into thinking the summit is just around the long left hand bend before kicking you in the teeth with the last 20% ramp before the summit at the Ossuaire built to honour the remains of some 5294 French troops killed in fighting over the possession of the hill, who's guns overlooked the entire Ypres Salient. Of these, only 57 were identified. It is the largest French military monument outside of France.

The Zandberg leads up to 'Café in de Zon'. Owner Dirk Ghyselinck is a retired professional cyclist himself and still knows lots of people in the sport. This berg connects to the Scherpenberg.

The Schomminkelberg is a climb which the professionals stay away from, despite it's popularity in amateur races. It is narrow and steep, gaining more than 65m over the last 1.1km - the deceptive average gradient of 4.4% includes the gentle pitch out of Westouter, but it's really in the last kilometer, including a ramp of 17% in the steepest section, where the climb does it's damage. You may wish to fortify yourself at the excellent frituur on the way out of the village. Westouter is also a great spectating point for Gent-Wevelgem and In De Zwaan is a great traditional Flemish cafe.

At 156 meters the Kemmelberg is the highest point in West Flanders. Named after the village of Kemmel on its eastern slopes, during World War One it was the scene of brutal slaughter, the roads up it's slopes were only constructed to allow the hauling of munitions up to the gun emplacements on top. Today, it is the showpiece of Gent-Wevelgem, one of the great Classics and whose two ascents of the Kemmelberg’s notorious cobbled pavement, or pavé, continued to court controversy. For if the riders must climb from the south-east the Kemmel twice, for a while they also had to descend down the northern face. With its 20 per cent gradient over unpredictable terrain, the Kemmelberg has witnessed some truly horrendous crashes.