New route for Tour des Flanders 2012 unveiled
This year’s Tour des Flandres is scheduled on April 1, 2012, and the organisers have been working hard to make it the most challenging edition so far.
It was announced in September 2011 that the route of this year’s race will not include the famous climb of Muur van Geraardsbergen.
It was also revealed by the race organisers that the opening stage of the race will now conclude at Oudenaarde instead of Meerbeke.
Further details about the race were announced yesterday as Wouter Vandenhaute, Head of the Organising Committee briefed about the new parcours of the race.
He told Sporza, "The Oude Kwaremont could take over the role of the Muur. The decision was very difficult to take, because the Muur is a tradition in the Ronde and we had to be careful changing that".
Wouter also briefed that the inclusion of Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont in the new route will certainly add up to the excitement of the race.
He also explained that the new path is designed in such a way that it passes the areas surrounded by a huge amount of spectators.
For instance, this year’s finale at the Flemish Ardennes has massive support for the game than previous years that featured Meerbeke.
Vandenhaute cited that the previous versions of the race took the cyclists away from the hilly zone and the straight long roads used to go across the areas with no spectators.
The Belgian expressed, "If this finale turns out good, then we'll have it like that for six years. If this succeeds, then the Ronde can be a model for all one-day races. Racing from point A to point B has had its time".
Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step cyclist Tom Boonen was excited about the new route of his home tour.
He won the race back in 2005 and 2006 and is looking ahead to claim his third overall win at the race.
Second place finisher at the most recent edition of the race, Sylvain Chavanel, also accepted the changes and is optimistic for the 2012 edition of the race.
Tour des Flandres started in 1913 and Belgian rider, Paul Deman was the first winner of the race.
Nick Nuyens (Belgium) won the most recent edition of the event and Achiel Buysse (Belgium), Fiorenzo Magni (Italy), Eric Leman (Belgium) and Johan Museeuw (Belgium) won the race for a maximum number of three times each.
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