Ultra-endurance athlete completes 1,000km ride around Flanders
He was on his bike for more than 34 hours to pay tribute to the cancelled De Ronde

While many cycling fans spent the weekend mourning the loss of the Tour of Flanders, one ultra-endurance athlete used the spare time very productively.
Maxim Pirard completed a 1,001km ride around the north of Belgium, which took him 34 hours and 31 minutes, only resting for 11 hours and clocking an average speed of 29km/h.
He burned over 16,000 calories during the ride, which also took in over 4,000m of elevation. Pirard, who raced as a stagiare for Bahrain-Merida in 2018 but is currently not riding for a pro team, also had to cycle past his own house when he arrived back home as he was only on 999km and wanted to make sure he hit 1,000km.
"I had already made this plan during the winter but I wasn't sure when I would implement it. Now that we are out of races I wanted to pay tribute to the Tour and there was no better time than last weekend," Pirard told Sporza.
>>> Moment in time: Coryn Rivera becomes the first American to win the Tour of Flanders
"I checked it beforehand. I didn't cross any borders and I barely cycled with anyone else. I may have followed the advice to avoid extreme efforts a little less but I knew what I was getting into. This was not my first time."
And how did he feel the morning afterwards?
"Did I get up with cramps? My legs fell off my body yesterday. I don't feel anything anymore. Could the police bring me a chicken soup? I think I'll go for some fries now. Andalouse sauce."
Belgium's interior minister, Pieter De Crem, said last week that France's limit on cycling, keeping people within 1km of their home, was tighter than needed but that a 70km bike ride was too much.
Last month, Pirard completed another monster ride alongside Ag2r La Mondiale's Oliver Naesen.
They took on an immense 365km ride around East Flanders on March 18, spending more than 12 hours in the saddle.
The pair averaged 30.4km/h on the mostly flat terrain, while Naesen averaged 182 watts and hit a maximum power of 861. Naesen also says he burned around 8,000 calories for the ride.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Hi. I'm Cycling Weekly's Weekend Editor. I like writing offbeat features and eating too much bread when working out on the road at bike races.
Before joining Cycling Weekly I worked at The Tab and I've also written for Vice, Time Out, and worked freelance for The Telegraph (I know, but I needed the money at the time so let me live).
I also worked for ITV Cycling between 2011-2018 on their Tour de France and Vuelta a España coverage. Sometimes I'd be helping the producers make the programme and other times I'd be getting the lunches. Just in case you were wondering - Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen had the same ham sandwich every day, it was great.
-
-
MADE Bike Show outgrows original venue; opens ticket sales
A new handmade bike show is coming to Portland, Oregon, this fall with 200+ builders and brands from the globe over displaying their goods.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
From doubts to a first pro win: Mikkel Bjerg takes stage four and yellow jersey at Critérium du Dauphiné
Jonas Vingegaard most impressive of general classification contenders on hot day in the Loire
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Hackers can find your home on Strava even if you use privacy settings, researchers find
Belgian study shows "protected zones" can still be accessed by hackers 85% of the time
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Tadej Pogačar claims Kwaremont-Paterberg Strava KOM in Tour of Flanders romp
The two-time Tour de France winner took a host of Strava trophies in Flanders on Sunday
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
American cyclist aims to break Strava record with a 950-mile cross spanning three states
The Guinness World Record attempt will traverse three state lines and is expected to take seven days to finish
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
Strava recognises French velociraptor as largest GPS drawing ever made by bike
Velociraptor measuring 1,024.72 kilometres took more than 43 hours to complete
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Strava insists new pricing structure is legal
The company is varying its subscription prices depending on the user's country of residence
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Strava apologises for 'confusing' subscription price hike
Fitness tracking app has sought to clarify changes to pricing after initial "very confusing" messaging
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'Strava inflation' takes on new meaning with price rise above 25%
'Strava inflation' could previously be applied to the growth in user numbers and subsequent increase in segment speeds, now it signifies a notable price rise
By Jack Elton-Walters • Published
-
The Strava community has spoken… here are the changes they want to see made to the app in 2023
One request cropped up more than anything else
By Adam Hart • Published