Braine-l’Alleud, Belgium 7 – 10 mai 2025

Source: https://raceacrossseries.com/race-across-belgique-2025/ and https://www.instagram.com/raceacrossseries/

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Statement Dizzy

Ralph “Dizzy” Diseviscourt

My first race in 2025 will bring me to cycling’s heartland

Looking forward to be back at Race Across Belgium 1,000km after my victory in the 2022 edition (supported category)! This time it will be in the unsupported category though

A sneak preview of the Race Across Belgium

When ultra-cycling meets Belgian cycling legends…

Every country has its legendary roads. Italy has its Alpine passes, France its legendary Tour climbs. And Belgium? It has its cobbles, its steep climbs, and a passion for cycling etched in stone and mud.
The Race Across Belgium, a 1000km ultra-cycling event, is not just a long-distance ride. It’s a cycling pilgrimage. A crossing of the country and its heritage on two wheels. An immersion in the most raw, beautiful and symbolic things Belgium has to offer.

A test of endurance… and history

The event is run autonomously (or semi-autonomously, depending on the distance), which means that each participant has to manage his or her stops, sleep and diet… while respecting a route that takes in a series of legendary mountain passes. But there are no great altitudes here. It’s the short, steep and often cobbled slopes that hurt. Very hard.
Here’s an overview of the most emblematic climbs that participants will have to tackle along the way:

In Flanders: cobbles, power, pure tradition

Paterberg: Perhaps short (360 metres), but formidable with its 20% gradient on cobbles that are as uneven as they are slippery. The silence of the surrounding fields only amplifies the pain.
Koppenberg: This takes things into another dimension. 600 metres, with a gradient of up to 22%, on a cobbled strip that is as narrow as it is hellish. Even the professionals sometimes put their foot down here. The Koppenberg is not a climb: it’s an ordeal.
In the Ardennes: the walls that break your legs
Mur de Huy: It needs no introduction. The gradient rises to 26% in places, on a narrow road that seems to climb vertically. It was the scene of the explosive finale of the Flèche Wallonne.
La Redoute: One of the most emblematic stages of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. It’s not long, but its breaks in pace and aggressive gradients make it devastating.
Stockeu: At the foot of Stavelot, this steep, dark wall leads straight up to a statue of Eddy Merckx. It’s both a tribute and a warning: here, you suffer like the old-timers.
Thier de Coo: A climb that winds through the forest, with irregular and demanding gradients. Little known to the general public, but much feared by cyclists.
Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons: More recent in the history of Belgian cycling, but a decisive one. Technical and tough, it can break up a peloton on its own.

Crossing the country… and yourself

Taking part in the Race Across Belgium is more than just racking up the kilometres. It’s about experiencing the essence of Belgian cycling: a mixture of solitary effort, battling the elements, and respect for a land that has vibrated to the rhythm of pedals for generations.

The fatigue is real. Doubt too. But every cobbled road climbed, every mountain pass conquered becomes an invisible medal clinging to your soul. And when you cross the finish line, you don’t just come back from a long journey… you come back transformed.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/ralphdizzy

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)