The Tour of Flanders

This tour came about after a chat with my friend Alvaro about the 420 Tour I had done the previous year and wanted to do something similar again. Alvaro, a dedicated road rider and as we find out second to none to both planning and executing at ‘getting shit done’, had Eurostar tickets booked the following day and two other friends drafted in to join us. The route was planned: Day 1 would be Brussels to Bruge via Ghent; Day 2 Bruge to Rotterdam joining up at he ferry port where the 420 Tour had to turn back; Day 3 would be Rotterdam to Amsterdam. And on the 4th and 5th day we would rest in Amsterdam.

There was no insane ‘Tim challenge’ this time or the need to draft any unsuspecting scooter riders. All we had to do was enjoy the ride and get us and our bikes in eight pieces to that nights’ AirBnb.

The road out of Ghent had all the shades and smells of urban grey with only a quick reprieve offered by the Delerium Brewery of bright blue and pink with the smell of its mash masking that of the traffics. Arriving into Ghent was a welcome break to our necks as much our eyes as the architecture constantly invited us to look up more and less down at the road, though you always have to keep an eye out for the ‘will fit your front wheel perfectly’ tram tracks. The first proper fuel and rest stop was at the Bidon cycle cafe. A perfect spot for a quick sandwich and some of the local (high percentage) beer we, I more so, would come to get to know well during the tour.

Beered and fed we left the neck stretching beauty of Ghent with a reminder to come back and explore the city more. The route to Bruge consisted of long interconnecting canals carved through fields, towns and many other canals. It was the first instance of the tour with no traffic only that of local couples leisurely going from point A to point B with little care if they ended up at point D by accident. It proved to be a place where we could relax in our saddles and ourselves, have a chat and just spin spokes in the Sun alongside a dead straight canal. Even Alvaro was given a break from tracking our route and telling us in his strong Spanish accent the distance to the next turn. All we had to do was keep the canal on our right and Bruge would soon appear up in front.

The scenery dramatically changed leaving Bruge with nothing but every shade of green and blue. Like a well crafted stitch in the landscape the unnatural straightness of the ‘off into the distance’ canals lined with trees planted with military precision didn’t detract from the natural aspect of the beautiful countryside around it. A route I’m sure to come back to and explore further.

We arrived at the ferry terminal where the 420 Tour had to turn back with ten minutes to spare, which helped us make Rotterdam that night but unfortunately just missing out on the bars being open but gratefully not Domino’s pizza. We had a storm on our tail which we were able to outrun. Alvaro ever checking the GPS to ensure we were en (the right) route. Having ridden the route up to where the ferry was taking us I was looking forward to showing Alvaro, Alun and Matt the coastal route that was a highlight of the tour for me. A coastal route though quiet towns joined by several massive engineered dams holding back the ocean from both sides.

Approaching Amsterdam watching the planes come into Schipoll there’s a long stretch of canal you can loose yourself in. Here you can see Dutch life on the outskirts of Amsterdam. A waterway community of houses and restaurants on the left side and jury rigged benches and couches across the road on the right. Though not in use as we passed you could easily imagine neighbours and friends alike sharing end of day tales with the sun and more local high strength beers equally going down together.

16 hours and 370km in the saddle Amsterdam was a destination worth every pedal stroke with it’s familiar Jupiler beer signs, restaurant and bar street culture and thin lazy houses leaning against one another overlooking picturesque canals. Coming into the town centre my riding was still on dead straight canal cruise control and I hadn’t switched into city mode so the first crack in the side walk had the front end folding underneath me and my leg taking the weight and brunt of me and my embarrassment. Nothing to see here people. The remaining two days were on foot and a slight limp. Alvaro, Alun and Matt took in the galleries and art scene as I went and explored the canals and got to know Amsterdam more.