Koppenberg (literally "Heads Mountain") is a high hill in Oudenaarde, the Flemish Ardennes, Belgium. "Koppen" is an abbreviation for cobblestones which in Dutch slang language are called ''kinderkoppen'', or "children's heads". This climb is part of the route of the Tour of Flanders professional cycling race and feared by many because of its steepness (22% on the trickiest parts) and because of its cobblestones. This makes the Koppenberg difficult even for top professionals. Quite often, riders slow to the point of losing their balance, especially those at the back of the peloton who have to dismount and scramble to the top on foot. In the

2006 Tour of Flanders The 2006 Tour of Flanders was the 90th edition of the Tour of Flanders cycling classic, taking place on 2 April 2006. Last year's winner Tom Boonen was the favourite before the start and he won the second time in a row. General standings 02-04-20 ...

, it was on km 185 of 259. Even if a breakaway forms on the Koppenberg it is difficult for riders to hold off the peloton in the finishing stages. In the

2012 Tour of Flanders The 2012 Tour of Flanders was the 96th edition of the Tour of Flanders single-day "Monument" cycling race. It was held on 1 April 2012 over a distance of – between Bruges and Oudenaarde – and was the eighth race of the 2012 UCI World Tour se ...

the Koppenberg was moved to 60 km from the finish line and raising its importance.

Koppenberg history

Koppenberg was first climbed by the Tour of Flanders riders in 1976 and featured annually until 1987. In that year, Danish rider Jesper Skibby broke away from the peloton early in the race and had been riding by himself when he approached the Koppenberg. With a lead of nearly two minutes, he began the climb but when started to slow, the race commissaire following close behind in his car - pressured by the encroaching peloton - ordered his driver to move so they knocked Skibby who fell to the ground then the car ran over his back wheel, just narrowly missing his leg and ending his race. After the incident, the Koppenberg was excluded for 15 years. Following renovations, which included widening the road and re-paving it, the climb was re-introduced in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. The Koppenberg was again excluded from the Tour of Flanders because of its deteriorating and unsafe conditions in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. Following further renovations that year, it was again included in the 2008 edition of the race, and has been featured in each edition since. The Koppenberg hillside is also used for the annual Cyclo-cross Koppenberg race. The cyclo-cross course follows only part of the cobbled road, using some of the surrounding fields and roads for the other sections of the course.

Gallery

File:Koppenberg5063.jpg, The Koppenberg from the bottom of the hill File:Koppenberg_hill_1.jpg, The Koppenberg during the

2009 Tour of Flanders The 2009 Tour of Flanders cycle race is the 93rd edition of the monument classic and took place on 5 April. The course is 259.7 km long and goes from Bruges to Meerbeke. The weather during the race was sunny and warm at 12 °C. The rac ...

File:Koppenberg_hill_2.jpg, The Koppenberg during the 2009 Tour of Flanders File:Koppenberg_cobbles.jpg, Closeup of the Koppenberg's cobblestones File:Melden - Koppenberg - View.jpg, View from the top of the hill

References

External links

Koppenberg race photos on grahamwatson.com
{{coord , 50.81057, N, 3.5823, E, region:BE_type:mountain, display=title Climbs in cycle racing in Belgium Tour of Flanders Mountains and hills of East Flanders Oudenaarde