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It\u2019s barely a two-kilometer walk from the main train station of Antwerp to its town square. One wouldn\u2019t normally expect to encounter many others during that walk on the early morning of Easter Sunday, but the opposite rings true. A constant flow of people walking towards Antwerp\u2019s historical center suggests that something is going on.<\/p>\n
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Not just something, but an event that is among one of the highlights of the year for many people from Flanders: the Tour of Flanders \u2013 De Ronde van Vlaanderen<\/em>. It is an unofficial national holiday for northern Belgium. Reason enough that even well before 8 in the morning, there are already a few hundred people waiting for the team presentation.<\/p>\n De Ronde<\/em>, as people affectionately call it here, is the culmination of the Flemish classics. It is rather interesting to consider that after a month with some of the most important races of the year, the absolute most prestigious of its kind is yet to come.<\/p>\n Races like Omloop het Nieuwsblad or the E3 Saxo Classic can already make a pro cyclist\u2019s career a success, but the Tour of Flanders is something else. It\u2019s on a completely different level.<\/p>\n Merely describing De Ronde<\/em> as one of the biggest cycling races of the year does it a disservice. It is a treasure of the local culture and a day which is celebrated by many in Flanders, if not everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something we grow up with. Early in the morning, the TV would already be on for the broadcast of the Tour of Flanders. And then we\u2019d watch the race the entire day, with the rest of the family,\u201d says Glenn, an Antwerp local who is out at the start to see the riders take off for 278 kilometers through Flanders.<\/p>\n \u201cAlso in my household, the television would always be on if there was cycling, and I\u2019ve only learned to appreciate it more and more as I grow older,\u201d his friend Thomas adds.<\/p>\n The most fanatical racing fans will choose to follow the race from home as it simply allows them to follow the action best, but many people will cheer the riders on from the roadside. This year alone, around 1 million people were expected to be out on the roads \u2013 out of a total of 7 million Flemish citizens.<\/p>\n When you live in Flanders, you simply know what De Ronde<\/em> is, even if you\u2019re not into cycling.<\/p>\n And if you don\u2019t watch the race \u2013 which is highly unlikely \u2013 you\u2019ll hear about it somehow. From family, friends, on social media, or on television. In a region where cycling is by far the number-one sport, no one can avoid the most popular race.<\/p>\n Many Flemings confirm that cycling is something they simply grew up with. It was always there, says Julie, who is out at the finish with her son Miel.<\/p>\n \u201cThere would be so much chatter about cycling at home, that from a young age I heard about it a lot. As a child I would go to all the races with my father, so his love for cycling transferred to me. And now he loves it too,\u201d she says as she points to her son.<\/p>\n The same goes for father and daughter Peter and Ellen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is passed on from generation to generation. You would watch it with your grandfather, and I watched it with you,\u201d Ellen says to her dad.<\/p>\n \u201cWe watch all the cobbled classics and we love them all. We too were actually wondering why Flanders is so much more important. Of course you see all the really big riders coming here, but the parcours is 90 percent the same from the other races,\u201d says Peter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have three hills, so we repeat those,\u201d his daughter Ellen adds jokingly.<\/p>\n The race is loved by the Flemish supporters, but equally so by Flemish cyclists.<\/p>\n Historically, the Flandriens would dominate the race and often take the win, but the last Fleming to win was Tom Boonen in 2012. A 14-year drought for the locals is unseen.<\/p>\n Undoubtedly it is one of the reasons that whenever Wout van Aert passed through the pits of the starting area, a wave of sound would come from the audience. You needn\u2019t look for Wout: the roars of support that follow him announce his arrival.<\/p>\n But even without the drought of Flemish wins, the Tour of Flanders is something Flemings dream of.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course I woke up with a healthy bit of tension, because this is the biggest race of Flanders,\u201d said debutant Milan Lanhove.<\/p>\n As a Flemish rider in a completely Flemish team, Flanders Baloise, it was set to be a special day for him.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a young boy, I would always go to see the races, and nowadays these are my training grounds, so it\u2019s always been a dream to start here,\u201d Lanhove, 22, says.<\/p>\n That love for the race is reflected everywhere, says motard Frank.<\/p>\n He\u2019s been part of the race for dozens of years as one of the safety stewards, signaling the peloton in which direction to ride or what obstacles to look out for.<\/p>\n \u201cWherever we ride, we see people. Sometimes, on the hills, you\u2019ll see six or seven rows of people,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a wall of people effectively. And some of them will even cheer for us. The atmosphere is so special, there\u2019s generally just so much joy.\u201d<\/p>\n What exactly that makes the race so special is something that\u2019s hard to pinpoint.<\/p>\n Everybody has their own reasons.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s also the geography of the area. It\u2019s such a beautiful place to ride a bike; it\u2019s truly mythical,\u201d says Julie.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an entire people coming together,\u201d Peter said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to put into words, but there are so many reasons why De Ronde<\/em> is so special,\u201d Glenn explains.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the biggest, it is drenched in history \u2026 It is unique. And it is a monument that\u2019s close by our homes. That\u2019s something special as well. Liege-Bastogne-Liege is also a monument but De Ronde<\/em> \u2026 De Ronde<\/em> is De Ronde<\/em>,\u201d Glenn continues.<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s one overarching term that most people use to describe the day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a national holiday,\u201d Glenn explained.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere the Dutch celebrate King\u2019s Day, we celebrate the Tour of Flanders,\u201d Julie describes the national festivity.<\/p>\n The screams. \ud83e\udd29\ud83e\udd29\ud83e\udd29 #RVV26 #FLCS pic.twitter.com\/2sz0OtRuLW<\/p>\n \u2014 Ronde van Vlaanderen (@RondeVlaanderen) April 5, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n One thing is for sure: the Tour of Flanders is a day that unites the entirety of Flanders and all its inhabitants.<\/p>\n It is a day that millions of people in Flanders wake up with butterflies in their stomachs, knowing that something extraordinary is bound to happen. Knowing that history is bound to be written.<\/p>\n Whether you love road cycling or not, De Ronde<\/em> is a holy day for a Fleming and a day to be a proud Fleming. It is an event most will have grown up with, and they will equally raise their children with. It is a perfect display of unique cultural heritage.<\/p>\n For one Fleming, his dream of racing Flanders came true that day.<\/p>\n Although at the end of the day, he seemed to be more occupied with his racing ambitions and chasing the next dream, analyzing the race like a seasoned pro.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was harder than I had expected, but it was a really nice day,\u201d Lanhove says. \u201cWhen the big guys attack, there\u2019s not much more to it than just chasing.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, a dream come true is a dream come true.<\/p>\n \u201cThe young kid who dreamt of this would have considered it a nice experience.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/velo.outsideonline.com\/road\/road-culture\/why-tour-of-flanders-belgiums-holiest-day\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8A_8192.jpg”] Ties Wijntjes Updated April 7, 2026 10:15AM It\u2019s barely a two-kilometer walk from the main train station of Antwerp to its town square. One wouldn\u2019t normally expect to encounter many others during that walk on the early morning of Easter Sunday, but the opposite rings true. A constant flow of people walking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,71],"class_list":["post-1871550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-velo-outsideonline-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1871550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1871550\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1871550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1871550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1871550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}A tradition passed from one generation to the next<\/h2>\n
![\"Tour](\"https:\/\/velo-cdn.outsideonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Z8D_1568-1200x800.jpg?width=3840&auto=webp&quality=75&fit=cover\")
The Tour of Flanders: An event of the people<\/h2>\n
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Cultural heritage: \u2018De Ronde is De Ronde\u2019<\/h2>\n
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