1913: Paul Deman wins the first event
The first start of today's classic took place on 25 May 1913. 324 kilometres from Ghent through the major cities of West and East Flanders before Paul Deman crossed the finish line at the Mariakerke velodrome in Ghent after twelve and a half hours as the first of a total of 37 riders. Deman came out on top of a five-man group in the final sprint. The average speed of the winner on the almost exclusively cobbled course was just under 27 km/h - almost unimaginable these days.
1964: Rudi Altig is the first German to win
Rudi Altig is the first and so far only German winner of the Tour of Flanders. In 1964, the Mannheim-born rider broke away in a strong headwind around 60 kilometres before the finish and won as a soloist in the new finish town of Merelbeke. With an average speed of 41 km/h on the 236 kilometre route, Altig set a record, which was also due to the improved road conditions.
1975: Eddy Merckx dominates in the rain
Cycling legend Eddy Merckx should of course not be missing from the list of iconic moments in a great race. At the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Belgian in the rainbow jersey broke away from the field of riders 104 kilometres before the finish together with compatriot Frans Verbeeck and won after a total of 6 hours and 16 minutes, 30 seconds ahead of Verbeeck. The dominance of the race is remarkable, especially in view of the poor weather conditions and the many defects of the other riders. Of the 179 riders who started, only 50 finished.
2010: Duel between Cancellara and Boonen
The two riders Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen won several classics in the 2000s. In 2010, there was a duel between the Swiss and the Belgian at the Tour of Flanders, which began with the attack on the Molenberg, around 44 kilometres before the finish. The two broke away from the peloton and rode the next few kilometres together. At the Geraardsbergen wall, Cancellara picked up the pace once again, leaving Boonen behind and becoming only the second Swiss rider to win the "Ronde". The attack is considered one of the most famous in modern cycling.
2020: van der Poel imitates his father
The 2020 Tour of Flanders was a special event simply because of the coronavirus pandemic that had just begun, as it took place in October. Without spectators, it came down to a duel between cyclocross specialist Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert. Around 40 kilometres before the finish, the two of them broke away together with world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who collided with an accompanying motorbike, crashed and dropped out. The final sprint was decided by centimetres, with the happy ending for Mathieu van der Poel, who won the Belgian classic for the first time 34 years after his father Adrie van der Poel.
Lukas Niebuhr
Working student
