The Tour of Flanders Centre in Oudenaarde is packed with memorabilia from the 100-year-old cobbled classicBen Delaney / Immediate Media
The cobbled climbs were just as steep back in the ’70s as they are today — and the gearing was even biggerBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Like many races, the Tour of Flanders was conceived as a newspaper promotion, and the event continues to generate media coverage todayBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Videos of recent editions of the race run in loops inside the museumBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Think getting up a steep hill in your little ring and big cog is hard? Try climbing on a 13.5kg/30lb singlespeedBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Tom Simpson’s 1962 Gitane boasted a 52/42 crank with a 13-17 cassette. Weight was 11kg/24.3lbBen Delaney / Immediate Media
This Freddy Maertens Flandria is a tough-guy bike: one bottle cage (no rivets for a second), and 52/42 x 12-18 gearingBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Shimano Dura-Ace brake calipers have certainly gained in mechanical efficiency over the years, but the barrel adjuster and quick release are nothing newBen Delaney / Immediate Media
In 2015, Team Sky rode the Tour of Flanders on an elastomer-suspended road bike, the Pinarello Dogma K8-S. But it certainly wasn’t the first. This Discovery Channel Trek borrowed the elastomer suspension design from then-sister brand KleinBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Mavic calipers were a bit of a flash in the pan. This set was on Johan Museeuw’s 2004 Time bikeBen Delaney / Immediate Media
The basic components are the same, but the designs have certainly changed over the yearsBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Goggles, ‘hair net’ helmets and toe clips look downright antique by today’s standardsBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Nasty crashes have always been part of the sportBen Delaney / Immediate Media
Many of the artifacts were provided to the museum in seemingly the same state they were in following the raceBen Delaney / Immediate Media