‘The Muur shall decide’ is an old saying in Flemish cycling. It refers to the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the steep cobbled climb’s strategic position on the parcours of the Tour of Flanders, the biggest race in the region and a monument of cycling.
The Muur was the penultimate climb, the last hard one and only 16 kilometres from the finish. It’s not on the Flanders route now, but we see its effect every year in Het Nieuwsblad. Mathieu van der Poel used with devastating effect to win this year, so let’s go back to 3 similar attacks, starting with today’s picture from 1998.
Johan Museeuw was awesome all the way up, riding in the big ring until the end of the Vesten stretch. He took 3 minutes and 16 seconds from bottom to top and continued alone to win his 3rd Tour of Flanders.
In 1996 one of the most stylish Italian cyclists ever, and that’s saying something because Italy has superstar stylists, Michele Bartoli made a spectacular attack on the Muur that left everyone standing. He powered down the other side and rode alone to victory in Meerbeke. From the Muur to the finish he put 1 minute into his nearest rival; another Italian, Fabio Baldato.
In poured down in 1985, and when it does the Muur’s vicious cobbles are treacherous. Hennie Kuiper attacked before the Muur, but Eric Vanderaerden set off in pursuit halfway up the climb.
Phil Anderson followed, but both he and Kuiper suffered wheel spin taking the normal inside line around the bends. Vanderaerden, an experienced cyclo-cross rider, wasn’t fooled. He went wide and left Anderson, catching Kuiper by the top and winning by 41 seconds from Anderson in a Panasonic 1-2.
That Flanders edition was epic. It rained for 260 of the 270 kilometres of the race, and out of 173 starters only 24 finished, some more than 20 minutes behind Vanderaerden.
There are more accounts of this and other incredible races, as well as interviews with Johan Museeuw and Eric Vanderaerden in our book about Flemish cycling, Cycling Legends 04 Frandriens, cult heroes of the cobbles. Find out more here.
Photo Credit - John Pierce, Photosport International
