Tour of Flanders cycling route: red loop

6th day of the Tour of Flanders by bike. Like the previous day, this one is also dedicated to the exploration of the iconic walls and streets of the Ronde, the Tour of Flanders. Having to return to Brussels the same evening, the initial idea was to make Oudenaard-Brussels as the last stop, building the walls that were missing from yesterday's appeal, including the Wall, namely that of Geraardsbergen, also known as the Wall of Grammont. The day before we realized that it wouldn't be a very smart thing and so we preferred to do the RVV Red route suggested by the center of the Ronde and then, once the tour was over in Oudenaarde, pack the bikes with our luggage and go to Brussels by train. We had time and light. So we faced the last effort of the journey with a lot of anticipation for what awaited us. Compared to the day before, the red course has much less pavé. However, it has more difference in altitude and it seems to me a fair equation of difficulty. The arrival in Geraardsbergen happens almost suddenly. You enter the town and identify a possible road that climbs up the hill. However, what cannot be seen is the famous church. Having taken the road from the main square, in fact, you have to go all the way up the ramp before finally seeing it at the end of the climb. It is really exciting to see it appear and it is probably for Flemish cyclists what the Madonna del Ghisallo is for those from Lombardy. It's a real shame that this wall was taken off the Tour of Flanders. Let's hope it gets fixed sooner or later. Many tourists await us and others on the summit, who applaud anyone who reaches the top of this magical wall. We have our usual photo taken by a group of Belgians and then we have a chat with a group of Italians who are also on a cycling pilgrimage. We take a photo from the viewpoint - a bit disappointing, to tell the truth - and then we set off to return to Oudenaarde, avoiding the double passage through Geraardsbergen compared to the official route. Let's assault the last walls, which with the afternoon heat become a little more difficult, but not impossible. The last walls are particularly difficult, because they are paved. There's a long, slightly uphill stretch that you do at a moderate speed, and it's terrible. It comes to mind how much self-harm one must inflict on oneself in the Paris-Roubaix sectors in order not to waste time. On the last wall, the Eikerberg, there would be the ploy of doing it on the asphalt strip on the side of the road, courtesy of the local administrations for those who don't really find the meaning of this self-torture, but for us they are stones that we really want to enjoy until at last. We arrive in Oudenaarde and have time to take a photo of the church and to buy the last souvenirs in the center of the Tour of Flanders. There we recognize Johann Museuw, the Lion of Flanders, winner of 3 editions of the race, as well as 3 Paris-Roubaix. To top it off we have a drink, for me obviously a Kwaremont beer, and then we go home to prepare the bikes to go back to Brussels. The cycling holiday is practically over. I have one tourist day left for Brussels, which I will walk around, while Sara will go home. Cycling here in Belgium is really beautiful and you already want to think about the next ride, perhaps in Wallonia to discover the climbs of the other classics, such as the Liège-Bastogne-Liege and the Freccia Vallone.