The Paterberg: The Tour of Flanders’ instant classic

The Paterberg was a steep dirt track until 1985. It was paved with cobbles and used in the Tour of Flanders. The farmer who lives on the climb was envious of his friend who lived on a climb called the Koppenberg. He wrote to Kluisbergen council to get permission to pave the dirt road. Council agreed and the Patersberg made its debut in 1986. . . The Patorsberg is a hill that is used for cycling events.

The Paterberg was once seen as a minor climb in the Tour of Flanders. It was only considered significant because of the Muur van Geraardsbergen/Bosberg, which concluded the race since 1973. Tour owner Wouter Vandenhaute changed the route in 2012 to make the event more profitable. The finish in Meerbeke was changed to Oudenaarde and the iconic double of Muurs/bosburg was replaced by the Oude Kwaremont and Patersberg.

The Paterberg is the shortest Classic Climb that Cyclist has ever featured. It has a maximum gradient of 21% and an average of 12%. Mathieu van der Poel won the Tour of Flanders on the Patersberg.   The most recent winner of the tour was Tadej Pogačar. The Patorsberg has an estimated average gradient and a 12% average. There is a narrow gutter on this road.

The Paterberg has only seen the race-winning move on two occasions in its decade as the final climb. The first time was in 2013 when Fabian Cancellara rode away from Peter Sagan and Jurgen Roelandts. In 2016, Sagan achieved redemption by shelling Sep Vanmarcke on its slopes.