Belgium
Eneco Tour stage 6 La Redoute
After that first lap in Riemst, we jumped in the car and drove to Aywaille so we could see the riders climb La Redoute 3 times. To put it mildly, this is Philippe Gilbert territory. He’s originally from here, his fan club is based here and the climb itself which was recently repaved, thereby covering … Continue reading
Eneco Tour stage 6 sign on & departure
What a tremendous day of cycling! Stage 6 began back in Belgium which meant Fien and I got up early to leave the Netherlands via train and bus before we walked down a residential street that was the official border of Belgium and the Netherlands. All the cars parked in driveways on the right had … Continue reading
Eneco Tour stage 2
After yesterday's excitement, I woke up an hour before my alarm in anticipation of today's stage. The logistics of reality insisted that we only catch the sign on and not the race itself but I'm happy to take what I can get. We returned to Ardooie, the town where stage 1 finished, and we … Continue reading
Eneco Tour stage 1
So what do I do when I get to the sign on well before the cyclists (and the rest of the fans)? Today I used the time to finish a new sign for Garmin I started late last night while watching Tom Danielson win the Tour of Utah. Eventually, more fans showed up and … Continue reading
Eneco Tour team presentation
Before the week long Eneco Tour travels through Belgium and the Netherlands, it got started tonight with the team presentation in Koksijde. To get the crowd excited, the emcees had children throw hats into the crowd. One of them nailed me right in the eyeball, but it was just a temporary injury and shouldn’t … Continue reading
Bruges
Bruges is every bit the cute fairy tale town I had expected. Aside from the masses of tourists, the only ugly thing in the whole town was the Ito Pavilion. When the city was named a European Capital of Culture in 2002, Toyo Ito's Pavilion was constructed, intending to link the past and present. I'll … Continue reading
Belgium miscellaneous
In case you were wondering about fines for failing to clean up your dog’s poop, Antwerp and Bruges make it pretty easy to find out. Two museums I skipped but could have easily been persuaded to visit. With staircases as narrow and steep and winding as this, it’s no wonder Ikea and their … Continue reading
I don’t speak Flemish…
…but I've certainly enjoyed reading the signs in Belgium! (This last one means blind donkey street.)
Hungry for Belgium
A couple of quick notes on food here. Of all the chocolate shops in Brugge, Dumon is one of just four that still makes its own chocolate. Belgian beers are much tastier but also much stronger than others. After just one, I can feel a grin slowly spread across my face and … Continue reading
Antwerp
There’s a statue of artist Peter Paul Rubens and plenty of shops, restaurants, and pigeons in Groenplaats, Antwerp’s main square. Fun fact: this spot was the city’s main cemetery until the 18th century. The Cathedral of our Lady sits in the main square. It took about seventeen decades to build this gothic church and … Continue reading