We are Belgium

We are Belgium

What springs to mind when you think of Belgium? When we ask this question to people outside of Belgium the answers always include the best beer in the world, fine chocolate and frites with mayonnaise. Luckily for us Belgians, we also love to cycle which is why we can afford such indulgences.

Cycling courses through the veins of us as though it’s part of our biological make up. The major components of any Belgian village, in no particular order are – bakery, café, church and of course a bike shop. Every Belgian owns at least one bike from children to grandparents. We use our bikes to commute to school, work, to run errands and of course we also race. During the race season there are many club and national races taking place all throughout the week. On weekends, you will see hundreds of riders out on their club runs, in all levels of ability and in all weather.

Belgium is the home of the Spring Classics with the Ronde Van Vlaanderen being the most prestigious and dating back to 1913. Infamous for the harshest riding conditions, bone rattling pave and ever changing weather, the Ronde epitomizes the Belgian obsession for cycling. For a Belgian rider, it’s more important to win the Ronde than the yellow jersey.

Every year regular cyclists have the chance to ride the Ronde course. This year we took our Japanese distributor, JP Sports to ride with us along with 19,000 other participants. We had the perfect Ronde weather, rain, more rain, heavy side-ways rain, sleet, wind, just a little bit of sun shine and big painful hailstones. As if the cobbles and climbs weren’t enough to contend with. But this is what makes the Ronde, this and the spectators lining the course on the most difficult –read entertaining- climbs such as het Muur, cheering on the participants.

We were happy when we reached the finish line, soaking wet and cold, but with another Ronde in our legs. Naturally we toasted the day with a local beer and frites with mayonnaise J

This is our culture, we are Belgium.