The Paterberg is a hill in the municipality of
Kluisbergen, in the
Belgian province of
East Flanders. With its top at 80 m, it is one of many hill formations in the
Flemish Ardennes, close to
Wallonia. The slopes of the hill were unpaved until 1986, when a local farmer paved the road in cobbles because he wanted the
Tour of Flanders cycling race to pass by his house. The cobbled climb became one of the iconic sites of Belgian cycling, and in 1993 the road of the Paterberg was classified as a protected monument.
Cycling
The hill is best known from
road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and ...
, where it is a regular climb in the Flemish races in spring, most notably the
Tour of Flanders. Together with the
Koppenberg and
Oude Kwaremont it is one of the most arduous climbs in the region, because of its steep slopes and narrow cobbled road. Its average gradient is 12,5% with its steepest point, 20%, stretching for more than 100 m.
The Paterberg was included in the Tour of Flanders every time since its first inclusion in 1986, a record it shares only with the Kwaremont. Until 2011 it was usually part of a trio of climbs in the race trajectory, located in between the Oude Kwaremont and Koppenberg, but far before the finish. Since 2012 it is the ultimate climb of the Tour of Flanders, as part of the restyling of the race. Riders needed to climb the hill three times in
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and two times as from
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. Because of its place as ultimate difficulty, it often marks the decisive site of the race.
For instance, in 2013 and 2016
Fabian Cancellara resp.
Peter Sagan dropped their last companions here on their way to winning the race.
The Paterberg is also regularly included in the
E3 Harelbeke and
Dwars door Vlaanderen, as well as in the
Tour of Flanders for Women.
Gallery
File:Paterberg - Zulzeke - Kluisbergen - België.jpg, Paterberg in Kluisbergen
File:Paterberg - Kluisbergen - België.jpg, View from the top
File:Paterberg 2014 - België.jpg, Balustrades being placed before the 2014 Tour of Flanders
The 2014 Tour of Flanders was the 98th edition of the Tour of Flanders single-day Monument classics. It was held on 6 April 2014 over a distance of from Bruges to Oudenaarde. In a four-rider sprint finish, Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara won the r ...
File:Paterberg - 15 10 2011 - Belgium.jpg, View towards the top
File:Ruien - Power plant (from_Tiegemberg).jpg, View on the Paterberg hill from Tiegemberg
References
{{Reflist
External links
Paterberg Trajectory on Google Maps
Climbs in cycle racing in Belgium
Tour of Flanders
Mountains and hills of East Flanders