Steenbeekdries

Steenbeekdries is an uphill cobbled road in the municipality of Maarkedal, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. With its top at 69 m altitude, its is one of many hill formations in the Flemish Ardennes, in the south of East-Flanders. The entire road is paved in cobbles; in 1995 the road of the Steenbeekdries was classified as a protected landscape monument.

Steenbeekdries
Location Flanders
Belgium
StartEtikhove, Maarkedal
Gain in altitude59 m (194 ft)
Length of climb820 m (2,690 ft)
Maximum elevation69 m (226 ft)
Average gradient7.6 %
Maximum gradient12.8 %

Cycling

The site is best known from cycling, as it regularly features in the spring classics, most notably the Tour of Flanders. The 800 m climb immediately follows the Mariaborrestraat, a long flat sector of cobbles, and at 7.6% average gradient, is not very steep. The descent following the climb, the Stationsberg, is a straight poorly-paved cobbled road and in fact steeper than the Steenbeekdries.[1]

The Steenbeekdries was first included in the Tour of Flanders route in 2002 and has remained a fixed location in the race. In recent years, it comes at 39 km from the finish in Oudenaarde, usually the first climb after the notorious Koppenberg.[2][3]

The Steenbeekdries is also regularly included in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders for Women.

gollark: That's the point.
gollark: ALL the starboard is contextless.
gollark: `quodquod` is so useful.
gollark: Will you tell me the reason or just quodquod?
gollark: ```to quodquod - to reply "because"```

References
  1. "Insider's guide: Climbs of the Ronde van Vlaanderen". Cycling News. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
  2. http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/en/elite-men/race/track
  3. http://www.nieuwsblad.be/sportwereld/extra/rvv2015/parcours
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