Our LILLE base camp is located 10 km from French Flanders and Western Belgium.
This landscape preserves many traces of the First World War; it is a major territory for international remembrance tourism. You will discover necropolises, memorials, museums, remains of trenches, and villages marked by fighting that lasted more than 4 years.
It is also a network of border roads that allows for a different approach to this history.
At LASTCOBBLE, we cycle through these places on a spectacular day that is radically different from the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix or the Tour of Flanders.
We take the time to understand the events, to read the landscape and its hilly geography, and to connect the remembrance sites in a spirit of reflection, discovery, and transmission. The front line was located in the plains of the Lys and Flanders.
This flat country is punctuated by a few “Mounts” which were a strategic ridge line for each of the belligerents, and therefore the scene of particularly deadly combat during the 4 years of war.
Today, these “mounts” are the daily meeting point for local cyclists looking for a bit of elevation to break the relative monotony of the plains.
Lille is therefore our starting point for a cycling exploration towards Fromelles, Ploegsteert, Kemmel, Messines, and Ypres, which can extend to the coast. These places tell the story of the soldiers’ experience, that of the civilians, the destruction, the occupation, and then the reconstruction.
Remembrance tourism in our border region is based on a great diversity of sites. In France, the remembrance trails highlight the former sectors of the front, the large Commonwealth (https://www.cwgc.org/) military cemeteries, memorials, and interpretation centers dedicated to the Great War.
On the Belgian side, the Flanders 14-18 Route connects several iconic locations over about 100 kilometers, from Nieuwpoort to Messines. You come across major sites such as the Menin Gate, Polygoonbos, Hill 60, Hill 62, and the Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Together, they form a memorial space of great density, where European history can be read directly in the hilly landscape. Cycling is a particularly relevant way to discover the remembrance landscapes of the Great War. It allows you to easily connect several sites in the same day, while maintaining direct contact with the terrain, canals, plains, and villages that structured the former front.
This also fits the spirit of these routes: observe, stop for a coffee break, read, visit, and then get back on the road without rushing. Along the way, you discover museums, bunkers, reconstructed trenches, military cemeteries, and large memorials.
What strikes cyclists during this ride is the tone of the journey, which quickly becomes imbued with respect, mindfulness, and introspection regarding the terror and ignominy of that era.
The European dimension allows for the crossing of French, British, Belgian, Canadian, Australian, Indian, Portuguese, and German memories.
Make no mistake, today it is primarily the terrain of the famous Ghent-Wevelgem In Flanders Fields Classic, which delights cycling enthusiasts as it is another form of battle that drives the riders every year.
Honestly, while the vegetation is certainly different, the landscapes you cross are very similar and just as magnificent as Tuscany. It is a hidden gem that you absolutely must discover.
To go further, the First World War in a few figures:
Duration of the conflict: July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918.
More than 70 million men were mobilized.
Military deaths: over 10 million
Civilian deaths: over 9 million.
Wounded: over 20 million.
The front stretched from the North Sea to Switzerland for about 750 km depending on the period.
Number of killed:
Germany: about 2,000,000
Russia: about 1,800,000
France: about 1,400,000
Austria-Hungary: about 1,200,000
British Empire: about 1,000,000
United Kingdom: about 760,000.
Italy: about 650,000
Belgium: about 45,000
United States: about 116,000
Canada: about 60,000 to 67,000
Australia: about 62,000
New Zealand: about 18,000
….
It is often mentioned that over 1 billion shells were fired during the conflict.