Oude Kwaremont
Attraction · Flanders
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This 2.2-kilometre cobbled climb is the longest in the Tour of Flanders, gaining 92 metres at an average 4 percent but pitching to 11.6 percent partway up. Introduced to the race in 1974 after concrete replaced the original Kwaremont cobbles in 1968, it has since become the route's decisive stretch. Since the 2012 route redesign, riders climb it up to three times, often paired with the Paterberg in the finale.
The lower 600 metres run on smooth asphalt before 1,600 metres of cobblestones take over, and the first 500 metres of stones, where the gradient bites hardest, are the roughest and most uneven of the whole climb. Just past that steep section, Kwaremontplein gathers a handful of Flemish cafes where riders regroup before the run into Oudenaarde. Despite the name, the Oude Kwaremont is not itself a hill: it is the cobbled road climbing the Kluisberg, one of several rises in the Flemish Ardennes near the Walloon border. The climb keeps deciding modern Tour of Flanders finishes: in 2026 Tadej Pogacar launched the winning solo attack here to seal his third Ronde title, matching Mathieu van der Poel's tally, and Demi Vollering rode away on the same slope for her first win in the women's race.
part of: Cafés at the foot of the climbpart of: The pavé of Paris–Roubaixtour of flanderskluisberg