Vlagheideberg to debut in ZLM Tour cycling race

The ZLM Tour will feature the debut of the Vlagheideberg, a newly established hill located near Eerde in the province of Brabant. Built on a former landfill, the landscape park officially opened in July. The climb, which is approximately 550 meters long with an average gradient of 4.3 percent, includes steeper sections such as the ‘Opgang Spitfire’ with gradients reaching 13.3 percent.

Before the professional peloton tackles the climb during the fourth stage of the ZLM Tour, recreational cyclists will participate in the inaugural ‘Hart Klimmen Challenge’. This charity event aims to raise funds for the Hartstichting. Participants, including Rik Bouwmans-Booij, will climb the hill repeatedly to support the cause. Bouwmans-Booij noted the emotional significance of the location, as his father passed away from a heart attack during a cycling trip at a similar landfill-based hill in Drenthe.