Oudeberg
Viewpoint · Flanders
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The Oudenberg is a witness hill in the Flemish Ardennes, its western slope cut into a deep valley by the Dender river while the eastern side falls away more gently. Cyclists climb it via the cobbled Muur van Geraardsbergen, and from its 110-meter summit, topped by a chapel, there is a fine view over the surrounding countryside.
The climb has featured in the Tour of Flanders since 1950, used only occasionally at first and then almost every year from 1970; a stretch to the chapel was added to the route in 1981, giving the ascent its Kapelmuur nickname. The 2012 edition dropped the Muur when the finish moved to Oudenaarde, but the climb returned in 2017, now placed much earlier in the race, around 95 kilometers from the finish. It has also featured in Gent-Wevelgem, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the E3 and the Eneco Tour. The chapel at the summit holds a small oak statue of Mary carved from a single green branch in the early 1600s; hidden during the French Revolution, it was returned to the chapel in 1807 and is still credited locally with healings. Amateur riders now treat the last stretch to its door as a ritual stop, photographing themselves at what one cycling writer called some of the most photographed real estate in all of cycling.
What you see
The final meters narrow to a single cobbled lane between houses, closing at the chapel's brick wall at the very top of the street.
Practical
The cobbles are rough, uneven and badly cambered in places, and riders share the narrow lane with vehicle traffic, so line choice matters as much as power.
part of: The cobbled bergs of Flanderstour of flanderskapelmuurwitness hill