Invite to Tour of Flanders weekend - 01-12-2008
Tour of Flanders Week-end 2009.
Latest update - five of us
are currently booked. Terry has booked 4 rooms at the three star
Station Hotel at Aalst. Rooms are 88 euros per night including
breakfast. With two to a room, that cost will be shared. Attendees so
far are Terry, Mark Beckett, Anthony Hitchings, Greg Rowe, Eddie Land.
The plan….and plans are made to go wrong.
Friday 3rd April. Travel early by car to Dover then ferry to
Calais or Dunqerkue, We then head to
Oudenaarde, about 70 miles inland to visit the Tour of Flanders museum…I highly
recommend it… then a spot of lunch or afternoon tea before driving to Aalst
(about 20-25 miles) to stay in hopefully the Station Hotel (3 star)….there are
others if it is full. Dinner in the evening and a nice glass of orange juice.
Saturday 4th April.
Breakfast. We cycle along the canal,
about 10 miles to Ninove for the start of the Flanders sportive you have a
choice of two distances either 140km which takes in all 17 of the race climbs
or the 75km route which includes a good
few of the lumps. there is a full 262km route starting in Bruges but its flat
and windy and starts at 0700. you are
not missing much out by avoiding it. We finish back in Ninove (where the pros
finish) and then back to the hotel in Aalst (slowly!)
The evening can be spent with a
Belgian beer expert (me).
Sunday 5th April. Train or car from Aalst to
Bruges (approx 1 hour-ish) to watch the start of the race in the Grote Markt in
the centre of Bruges, see the riders sign on, it really is a great atmosphere.
if you have never been to Bruges you have missed out. Pancakes in the square
then train back to Aalst, pack away bikes then drive 15 miles to Gerardsbergen
to watch the race come through. The reason I pick this town is because the
famous climb of the “Muur” is situated here and the race is normally decided on
the Muur. Also it has a big screen to watch the rest of the race and a great
atmosphere. After we head back to the ferry and home.
Everything mentioned above I
have done before, its an action packed weekend but you get to see and do so
many different parts of this great Flemish race.
Remember the sportive is not
obligatory, if you just want to come and ride your bike around Belgium and see
the race feel free.
I want to book this as early as
possible so let me know pronto (this side of Christmas).
Prices….we share petrol, hotel is about 30 euros per person per night,
inc breakfast, sportive is 20 euros entry, you will need extra for dinner and
beer.
This sportive is not a race, you
start when you want (between 7-9 am), there are about 15000 doing it on all
types of bikes so don’t feel you are not up to it.
Any questions feel free to
contact me on 01689 829329.
A little taste of what is in store
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