{"id":591,"date":"2023-07-07T20:44:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-07T20:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeodyssey.cc\/the-allies-odyssey\/?p=591"},"modified":"2023-07-24T09:45:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T09:45:55","slug":"allies-day-17-ypres-to-oudenaarde-july-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeodyssey.cc\/the-allies-odyssey\/2023\/07\/07\/allies-day-17-ypres-to-oudenaarde-july-7\/","title":{"rendered":"Allies Day 17 Ypres to Oudenaarde July 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s ride was 100.8km and 601 vertical metres with some of the extra loop and the temperature hit 30 C. Coffee was in Moorsele and lunch was in Knokke by the road under some shady trees. We had one flat tyre but otherwise, it was a pretty straightforward day. We also welcomed our new Stage 2 rider Tyler \u2018Tinker\u2019.<\/p>\n

We said goodbye to Kenny, Bob, Fergie and Liz and Russell this morning ???? and began our Stage 2 ride towards the Rhine.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Our new kits<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Our amazing American friend Bob<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our ride was relatively flat, or as the iconic Belgian songwriter Jacques Brel used to sing, “le plat pays dot\u00e9 de cath\u00e9dral pour uniques montagnes”<\/em>\u00a0which means the flat country (referring to Flanders) where the only mountains are the cathedrals. We rode through the Flemish countryside on secondary roads or bike paths where the highest points were the bell towers from the churches which can be found in every village or small hamlet. Our final stretch into Oudenaarde was mostly on bike paths and back roads, but beware of the cobblestones, as we are in the land of the legendary Tour of Flanders, where cobbles are part of the biking experience!\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were going to ride through the Menin Gate but were unable to because of the renovations. We also made our way out of the city past a very innocuous roundabout which during the war was known as Hellfire Corner<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hellfire Corner<\/strong> was a Road Junction where the main supplies for the British Army this sector passed along the road from Ypres to Menin – the famous Menin Road. A section of the road was where the Sint-Jaand the Ypres-Roulers (Roeselare) railway (line 64) crossed the road. The German Army positions overlooked this spot and their guns were registered upon it so that movement through this junction was perilous, making it the most dangerous place in the sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We then rode up to Sanctuary Wood and Hill 62 to visit the Canadian memorial. They lost and then retook this strategic position overlooking Ypres at great cost in mid-1916.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whoever held Hill, 62, had a commanding view of Ypres and Hellfire Corner <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And almost imperceptible climb up to Hill, 62 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Canadian memorial at Hill, 62 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n