Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen, Cycling museum and cultural center in Oudenaarde, Belgium.
Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen is a cycling experience centre in Oudenaarde, opened on 25 February 2003 by the province of East Flanders. Its exhibition covers the Ronde van Vlaanderen and cycling more broadly, with an archive of old radio and television reports. Visitors can ride a cobblestone bike or a climb bike, or use a VR experience to take on the role of Paul Deman.
The province of East Flanders opened the center on 25 February 2003 as an interactive visitor center about the Tour of Flanders. Rik Vanwalleghem, former cycling journalist and editor-in-chief of Het Nieuwsblad-De Standaard, directed it from 1 January 2006 to 30 September 2016, succeeded by Geert Joris. In 2022 it was announced that a new Cycling in Flanders hub would move the center to the Abbey of Maagdendale.
The centre's name comes from the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the one-day classic known in Flanders as Vlaanderens Mooiste. Former pro Freddy Maertens, runner-up in his 1973 debut behind Eric Leman, acts as host, and ex-journalist Rik Vanwalleghem directed the centre from 2006 to 2016. The Rondeshop sells cycling-themed souvenirs.
The facility has showers and a bicycle rental service for visitors who want to ride after their visit. Three cycling routes of different difficulty levels can be started from here.
Visitors can experience riding alongside famous cyclists on virtual cobblestone roads through computer simulations at the center. These simulations give an impression of what it means to tackle such difficult terrain.
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