Belgium racing series: an index

I think it is time to bring some order to my posts about Belgium and bike racing in Belgium. So far I have posted 32 articles about Belgium, life in Belgium, how to get there, local customs, and what bike racing in Belgium is like. Here is an overview of those posts:

If you wonder why so many people dream of racing in Europe but never seem to be able to get there, read
Racing in Flanders, and Racing in Flanders continued.  Racing in Flanders: critical mass, explains why you really should go to Flanders if you want to experience bike racing, especially when you are a junior.  Junior racing in the US tells you why racing here is different and how it can be changed.

It is not hard to organize a trip to Belgium. What you need tells you about the license and documents you need and where to get them. Traveling to Belgium for bike racing explains how to get there, how to ship your bike and what items to pack. Where to stay looks at what cities and regions are best for cycling, and How to get around tells you all you need to know about public transportation and car rentals. I discuss cyclist housing in Belgium as well.

A closer look at the calendar teaches you how to read the WBV calendar on the web, while Liability and medical issues tells you what you should know in case a problem develops.

If you want to know about Belgian laws, habits or understand why some things are different, read Riding a bike in Flanders, Belgian cuisine, Shopping or Ordering drinks. These are based on real life experiences of Americans visiting Belgium. They can save you a lot of headache and avoid nasty surprises.

For the better things in life, check out Belgium: haute cuisine, Belgian Beer, More on Beer, and Belgian Cartoons. I will post on chocolate soon.

Enjoy reading.

Flanders: critical mass

I am always surprised how far Americans will travel to race their bikes. Granted we live in a big country and in the West in particular, the distances between population centers are huge. Even so, it is remarkable that amateur racers living in the Bay Area think nothing of going to Phoenix to race and have their kids race in Valley of the Sun; or driving to LA to have those same kids ride the track at ADT.

These treks are in stark contrast to the disinclination many feel towards European travel, especially when it comes to racing. Bike and wine vacations in France and Italy may be popular with adults, but the idea of sending the kids to Belgium to race appears frightening to most.

Just recently I talked to a family who had spent almost $5,000 to go to Quebec so their junior could race in Tour de l'Abitibi. The unhappy youth had crashed on the first stage and the family was forced to return home after that. The end result was much money spent for no racing. Yet the idea of going to Belgium sounded outlandish and expensive to them.

I think it is time to set the record straight. Belgium is a very safe country and 16yr olds come and go everywhere and anywhere they please. Unlike American kids who are chauffeured around and escorted, Belgian kids freely ride on their bikes unescorted, even at night.

While there are occasional incidents of fighting, especially at nightclubs and parties, the level of violent crime in Belgium is way below that of an average American city. Nearly all of Belgium is a perfectly safe place for a teen to wander around.

Secondly, when it comes to money spent, $5,000 will easily get you a very rewarding month-long stay with plenty of races and more competition than you will see in a decade in America. If you happen to be unlucky and crash in one race, there will be plenty of others within riding distance where you can try again. The reason for that is simple. It is called critical mass.

Just like you should think twice about taking a high tech job in the Midwest, or an acting gig in the Deep South, or a movie enterprise on the High Plains, you need to sit down and reflect about racing anywhere in America (except close to home).

It is not that there aren't any good business people in the Midwest, or artistic talent in the Deep South or promising directors born on the High Plains. Talent, like other human attributes is widely distributed and can indeed be found anywhere. But for talent to thrive and to mature, a critical mass is needed.

Critical mass is the secret behind Silicon Valley, Broadway and Hollywood. And the same applies to bike racing and Flanders. Critical mass means you won't be stuck when your original plans fall short. In Silicon Valley, when your start-up fails, all you have to do is walk across the street and you'll have another job. Good luck trying that anywhere else in the country.

The same applies to racing in Belgium. There are so many races within such a small area, that no matter what happens, you will always be able to find what you are looking for and more. If you manage to get to Belgium in good health with your bike, you will be able to race without spending hardly any additional money. That is true anywhere in Flanders, from March to October. No matter what age group you are in, you will find more races than you can possibly enter, and you will find more competition than you can possibly handle.

And that is why you should consider Belgium before you board that next flight that will take you to some small race, in the middle of nowhere, at the crack of dawn. Why not race in a big race, with plenty of spectators, in the center of town, at a reasonable hour instead?

Do what so many other people from the Netherlands, France, Israel, Britain, and other countries do. Go to Flanders and race where racing is king.

Racing in Flanders Belgium

I will post some information on racing in Belgium for juniors starting next week. Most American juniors dream of racing in Europe but think it is impossible to do unless one is a pro or part of the National Team. They believe one has to be selected by the National Federation -in this case USA Cycling- in order to be allowed to race in Europe. Others are aware of alternatives but think racing in Europe is restricted to the adventurous few. They believe it is really difficult to arrange or horrendously expensive to do.

In my opinion, cost may be an issue for some but ignorance is the main culprit. Most Americans spend far more money driving to races in America than they would for a comparable period of stay in Belgium. When it comes to cost, Belgium is a bargain. So why are people holding back?

Parents simply do not know how to go about organizing a trip to Europe for racers. They don't know where to go or what needs to be done. Even parents who are familiar with the American racing scene are baffled when faced with the logistics; to say nothing of European rules and regulations.

Language is another barrier. Americans do not speak foreign languages and they find it hard to communicate with foreigners. The problem becomes much more acute when they aren't simply traveling for fun, but are instead trying to obtain permission or make practical arrangements.

All of this can be remedied quite easily and that is my main objective here. Make it easy for people to find out what Euro-cycling is all about and how one goes about doing it.

I will be focusing on Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium because, when it comes to cycling, that is where the action is. Although many Americans think Italy or France are key countries when it comes to bicycle racing, the truth is that Belgium, and especially the Flemish region of Belgium stands head and shoulders above any other country or region.

If you dream of bicycle racing in Europe, Flanders is the place to be. Nothing even comes close. Lance Armstrong may well have lived in Girona, Spain or Nice, France, and those places are indeed ideal if you want to avoid jet-lag during the season and like nice weather for training rides, but when it comes to racing, Flanders is the center of the universe and Girona and Nice are places you want to avoid.

Paterberg--again

Yesterday I took the day off to go shopping with my mom. Ironically enough it turned out to be the nicest and hottest day so far. The sun was out all afternoon and so were legions of bike riders. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about it as we had gone to Bruges and would not be back before dark.

Today started out quite cold with frost on the grass, but sunny. After an hour or so it turned grey and we did not see the sun all day. I set out anyways and rode to Anzegem and from there to Ingooigem, Vichte, Tiegem and other villages I had never been to. In Tiegem I found a bike store and stopped by to pick up some goodies. It turned out Carinne, who lent me the bike lives in Tiegem and she was well known there. Her ex is a pro rider and so is her son. I spent some time talking to the bike store owner and received a free energy bar. Life is good.

I rode to Ronse and onto Hotond, then picked up the Tour of Flanders route again to the Paterberg. This time I was much better oriented and had no trouble finding out where I was or where I was going. I climbed the Paterberg and followed the route to the Koppenberg almost without having to look for signs. I did not climb the Koppenberg, but rode back to Oudenaarde and then to Wannegem, this time exploring little side-streets.

It turned out part of my disorientation had to do with my internal map. I thought the village of Kwaremont was south of Kluisbergen and that turned out to be wrong. After checking with Google last night, I created a better map. With that "map" things were easier.

I was pretty cold today but fairly dry so it wasn´t too bad out there.