THE ROUND OF FLANDERS...

My first memories take me back to Muntendam, I was only small.
Yeah, really, I think it was supposed to be around my seventh to eighth year of life.

The television showed us only summaries on the Netherlands 1 & 2.
Oh no wait, Germany already participated...

Studio Sport showed some Belgian spring class cycling images every now and then.
Well, dear people, for me it was a party and don't think they ever bored me.

No, on the contrary, and with a lot of effort, the antenna was on the roof and Belgium was far from Groningen...
Yes, with great difficulty I saw the cycling heroes on the screen at a very young age, for the first time in my life.

It's really true, on the Oldambtlaan I saw my very first images and I was grabbed right away..
Cycling became my passion for life and it is still that way, that has been proven by now.

I think the Round stole my heart most of all the spring classics, because seeing for me was a start of a love never to let go again.
No, this is true. Cycling is in my heart and so she will always stand as a kind of passion.

If we really look back, we can see that the Tour was already founded in 1913 and to date, even with Corona, it still shows us its survival.

Do you fancy a little bit of history or just like to read Johan Huis's tribute.
Then hang on for a while, the Ronde van Vlaanderen is praised a little more in this poem.

Ok, as mentioned earlier, the Tour was already created in 1913, thanks to the sports newspaper Sportwereld and to this day this Tour is truly revered by more than half of Belgium.

At that time, it was quite common for publishers of newspapers and magazines to organize cycling races to promote their expenses.
Léon Van den Haute, a very strong man behind the scenes at Sportwereld, was the founder of the first Ronde and in that he did not fail.

Yes, really, this man gets in terms of boot really true absolutely all, all honor, but...
Karel Van Wijnendaele caused a kind of reversal after the Second World War.

He was the man of marketing and it was precisely he who gave the Round the typical appearance of today... well, today? Er, unfortunately... no!

Today everything is different, Corona is turning the whole world upside down.
Yes, unfortunately, everything is different and even feels like a noose.

But anyway, thanks to Karel Van Wijnendaele, Vlaanderens Mooiste got a more international allure and her start date, which previously coincided with Milan-San Remo, was changed very cleverly.
Yes yes, really heeeeeeeeeeeeeel smart!
Before the war, the Tour was quite Belgian and only one non-Belgian winner surprised all Belgian starting riders.

The Swiss Heiri Suter was the only non-Belgian to take the cup of victory.
He delivered an unparallable performance and there is really no rider who will ever be able to claim it.

No, that's not possible, what's been, has been, that's not coming back, that's really past.
It is therefore extra special that 'The Hoogmis' has not left us, while half of Belgium is actually fighting against Corona.

The Round has remained, even against better knowledge in?
No, not, and I praise the people, the people of Belgium, they remained really full of meaning.

The Tour did not have to leave, even with a country 'full' Corona.
She only had to leave once in her life, that was the years 1915-1918, because of the First World War it was unfortunately, but understandably not continued.

Thousands of riders managed to pass the finish line over the years,
But there are “only” 104 who are allowed to honor themselves with the title of victorious.

Yes, folks, winning the Tour of Flanders is truly unique, so it is amazing that there are drivers with more than one victory.
The exact route changes a little bit each year, but always the riders have to cross about twenty kilometers of cobblestone sections and about fifteen to twenty slopes, man, what a pain!

Record holders are the Belgians Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, Italian Fiorenzo Magni and Swiss Fabian Cancellara, they won the Tour but love three times.
But... beware, Magni excels, he's the only one who won three times in a row, well... that's probably never gonna happen again.

To win this competition as a world champion is exceptionally unique and it happened, over a century 'only' five times... that is roughly an average of one every 20 years.!
Louison Bobet (1955), Rik Van Looy (1962), Eddy Merckx (1975), Tom Boonen (2006) and Peter Sagan (2016) are the only riders to pass the line as world champion and winner.

The Tour is something magical and happy in Belgium, yes fortunately this year it has not come to a mutiny...
No luckily not, the Round started by Corona a little later, but it was not taken away from the people.

No really luckily not, the Belgians would know for sure and have stood in very large numbers,
if De Ronde, their most beautiful of Flanders had not gone through.

The Tour with its many cobblestone slopes such as the Koppenberg, the Kruisberg, the Kwaremont, the Father, the mill mountain, the turf... oh man what there are many, they really can not be counted.
Since 2004, De Ronde has already been able to torment many a lady.

The longest edition was 324 km, the slowest 26 hours and the fastest had an average of 43.5... man, what an unimaginable time.
The youngest winner was Rik Van Steenbergen (19) and the oldest was Tchmil (37), who certainly had no regrets of his questioned start.

De Ronde is one of the five monuments and has as epic centre the Flemish Ardennes, dear people I can't stop anymore, I keep writing, I keep telling!
BUT:
The Tour... Tour of Tours, A BLOOEDER OF LIFE FOR THE PEOPLE, yes, really a blood killer, that's how we can put it!

by: a Voice of Thoughts
www.angelienahuis.nl / info@angelienahuis.nl
A poem written for Johan Huis

#roundevanvlaanderen
Tags: #cycling #cyclingoptv #cyclist #cyclists #touristmedeinzevlaanderen #flanders #belgium #belgium #mintendam #groningen #wielerflits #wielercalendar #springclassiers2019 #springclassics