The APOCALYPTIC 1985 Tour of Flanders
The 1985 Tour of Flanders was one of the most brutal editions in history. Biblical rain turns the Koppenberg into a sheet of ice. Of the 173 riders who start, only 24 reach the finish. Eric Vanderaerden, a 23-year-old sprinter in the Belgian champion’s jersey, punctures just two kilometers before the Koppenberg and is forced to chase back into the chaos. Around him the storm takes rider after rider: Laurent Fignon crashes out, Jan Raas is dropped, Sean Kelly slides into the ditch.Vanderaerden fights his way back. 36-year-old Hennie Kuiper launches a dangerous solo move. Vanderaerden refuses to let it go and bridges across with teammate Phil Anderson. The three of them reach the base of the Muur van Geraardsbergen as the last men with a chance of winning. On that final wall, Vanderaerden simply rides away. Kuiper, hampered by a bent pedal, can't respond. The sprinter who wasn’t supposed to survive the day becomes the solo winner of the Ronde.
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