Ultimate Flanders 525

The number is the point. Ultimate Flanders 525 covers 525 kilometres for a reason — it mirrors the tally of professional victories credited to Eddy Merckx, cycling's most decorated rider. The route runs west across the full width of Flanders, opening in the rolling fruit country of the east and closing beneath the medieval belfry of Ypres, with close to 6,000 metres of climbing packed in along the way — a reminder that "flat" is not a word this route earns.

Haspengouw and the Hageland. The ride begins in Tongeren, Belgium's self-declared oldest city, before pushing into Haspengouw's orchards and rolling farmland — cycling country still building its own traditions, anchored by climbs like the Kolmontberg and the cobbled sector at Manshoven, both regulars on the modern Tour of Limburg. Further west, the Hageland brings sunken roads carved deep into the soil by centuries of use, and a detour through Meensel-Kiezegem, Eddy Merckx's birth village, where a mural and statue mark the house he grew up near.

Leuven, Brabant, and the Sonian Forest. Around the 125-kilometre mark, Leuven makes a natural overnight stop — home to the cobbled Ramberg climb from the 2024 Gravel World Championships and host of the 2021 UCI Road World Championships. From there, the route absorbs some of the Brabantse Pijl's harder tests, including the 17%-gradient Smeysberg and the cobbled Moskesstraat, before threading through the beech cathedral of the Sonian Forest on a stretch of gravel between Overijse and Brussels' southern edge.

The cycling heart of Flanders. By Geraardsbergen — a natural stopover around the halfway point — the route has crossed into the region most associated with Belgian cycling itself. The Bosberg, the Muur van Geraardsbergen, and then the full roll call of the Flemish Ardennes follow in succession: Tenbosse, Valkenberg, Berendries, Haaghoek, Molenberg, the Koppenberg, Taaienberg, Paterberg, and the Oude Kwaremont — climbed three times in the professional Tour of Flanders, once here on a bikepacking rig.

Kortrijk to the coast of memory. West of Oudenaarde, after the ridge between Ronse and Kluisbergen finally flattens out, a long towpath along the Leie into Kortrijk offers the trip's first real flat kilometres. From there the route re-enacts Gent–Wevelgem's finale: the Ploegsteert "plugstreets," gravel paths named for British soldiers' mangled pronunciation of the Belgian village, threading past war cemeteries and the Christmas Truce memorial before a final climb over the Kemmelberg's cobbles.

The finish. The last kilometres into Ypres descend gently toward the medieval Cloth Hall's belfry, ending fittingly beneath the Menin Gate memorial. Riders with energy left can continue on to Roeselare, home of the KOERS cycling museum, for a final coda to the trip — Eddy Merckx's own race jerseys among more than 300 bicycles on display.

Practical notes: A road bike with light bikepacking bags suits the terrain best; wider tyres add comfort across the cobbled and unpaved sections. The route can be ridden in one long push or split across several days, with bike-friendly accommodation available near Leuven and Geraardsbergen in particular. Both Tongeren and Ypres have good rail connections for riders travelling with a bike.