favourite days: Flanders with Museeuw
Someone asked, “What’s your greatest day on a bike?” during an Instagram Live conversation. There are so many, so I thought I’d share a few for #TBT.
I caught up with my friend, Chris Hall the other day. He reminded me of our epic ride across the parcours of the Tour of Flanders, our favourite race.
“Riders that suffer together, stay together.”
All of my ‘best days’ involve good company and a good degree of suffering. Hardship and a joint sense of achievement are what really connect people.
I live for the Spring Classics, so what could be better than riding around Belgium with the Lion of Flanders, Johan Museeuw and my friends Chris Hall, Francis Cade, Dries Verclyte, Josephine Van Steenbrugghe, Andy Hawes and Stefaan Maene?
On Tuesday 31st October 2017, Chris, Francis and I travelled over to the pond to ride Gent Wevelgem & Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), before escorting our Belgian friends over to the Rouleur Classic event in London.
We met Museeuw at a restaurant in Ypres. There was only one option on the menu - the old-school-pre-race-fuel-plan (ten kilos of spaghetti).
Johan took us to watch the Last Post (a 90-year-old daily ceremony held at the Menin Gate memorial), to pay respect to the fallen soldiers of WWI. 2017 held particular significance, as it marked 100 years since the Third Battle of Ypres.
The ceremony struck a nerve. Despite being many generations removed from the great war, seeing my family name among the lists was very ‘real’. There were dozens of Winter’s engraved on the wall.
We headed back to our hotel, which was basically a war museum.
Riding the Parcourse of war-torn Gent Wevelgem, past the Plugstreet memorials, Messines Ridge, and Flanders Fields, gave a better understanding of the devastation and the beauty/importance of remembrance.
It was freezing. I admitted defeat and drifted back to the support vehicle for a pair of gloves. I hate wearing gloves. Our ‘DS’ handed me a bottle and said, “This will warm you up.” It was filled with beer. I thanked him and stuck it in my cage, which was far easier than handing it back. Belgians don’t understand the term ‘teetotal’.
Johan Museeuw has won De Ronde three times, making him a god in my eyes. I was in disbelief riding side by side with him, sharing his roads.
Johan stitched the Parcourse of Gent Wevelgem seamlessly onto the Ronde Van Vlaanderen. The pace lifted.
Here’s a video of Museeuw scaling the Kappelmuur in the 1998 edition of RVV - a demonstration of power and panache:
Johan’s effortless style hasn't diminished one bit. Cycling is clearly the secret to eternal youth.
When you meet exceptional people, like Museeuw, you have to ask yourself, "what can I learn from them?" It’s a brilliant opportunity for self-improvement. All you have to do is sit back and observe.
With Johan, I think his head is stronger than his rivals. He maintains high morale and never shows any indication of the effort he is producing. Fitness is important, but a strong mind will conquer all.
My ride highlights were the Flemish ‘bergs’ - especially the Koppenberg, Kwaremont, and the Muur van Geraardsbergen. We all had a good dig and regrouped at the top.
Francis kicked on the Kwaremont. Holding his wheel was enough, let alone coming round. Dries (Cycling in Flanders) shared stories about the history of RVV ar we approached each sector.
I emptied the tank on our final climb of the day - the Muur. It wasn’t a race, but I guess I wanted to impress my hero. It worked, he paid me a quiet compliment - something I’ll treasure.
After the ride, we headed over to the Hotel Brasserie Grupello in Geraardsbergen. I have stayed here many times during the Spring Classics. I love this place because you are greeted by promiscuous stuffed animals…
Chris and Francis ordered a vegetarian breakfast. Vegetarianism has made it to this part of Belgium, yet:
The Rouleur Classic
We got the train over to London on Thursday morning for the Rouleur Classic (the most prestigious off-bike event in London’s cycling calendar). The best cyclists and influential people in cycling culture gather under one (ornate) roof, to lust over a sea of bike porn, history, inspiration, and knowledge.
Johan and Cycling in Flanders were the headliner’s, with a fantastic collection of ‘100 years of RVV history’ - including Museeuw's RVV winning Colnago C40.
The whole Rouleur Flanders Monumental Ride was a fantastic experience and I made some friends for life.
Gareth.