The Day The Cannibal Had To Walk: Koppenberg 1976

In 1976, the Koppenberg entered the Tour of Flanders for the first time and broke the peloton.

This archive footage captures the very first ascent of what would become one of Belgium’s most feared cobbled climbs. Steep, narrow, and paved with brutally uneven cobblestones, the Koppenberg turned that year’s race into chaos. Even Eddy Merckx — The Cannibal, five-time winner of the Tour de France — was forced off his bike and had to walk.

The Koppenberg would go on to feature in the race until 1987, when a crash involving Danish rider Jesper Skibby led to its temporary removal.

It returned in 2002 after the road was fully rebuilt, and remains one of the most iconic — and hated — climbs in the sport today.

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