Back in October 2017, I traveled over to Belgium with Rouleur Magazine to meet 1996 World Road Race Champion, 3x winner of the Tour of Flanders & Paris Roubaix, etc, etc, the Lion of Flanders himself - Johan Museeuw.

After dinner in Ypres, Museeuw took us to ‘the Last Post', a 90-year-old ceremony held at the Menin Gate memorial, to pay our respects to the fallen soldiers of WWI. Despite being many generations removed from the Great War, seeing the ‘Winter’ family name among the lists made it feel ‘real’.

(This interview might give you an idea of how excited I was to meet him.) Filmmaker: Francis Cade, Audio Mix: Justin North

The next day, we rode the parcours of war-torn Gent Wevelgem. The significance of WW1 really sank-in as we rode past the memorials of Plugstreet, Messines Ridge and Flanders Fields.

This was a very humbling experience. Thank you, Johan, for sharing.

Now the history lesson was over, it was time for a new topic… Belgian cycling, from the headmaster himself.

Johan joined the route seamlessly onto the parcours of the Tour of Flanders - MY FAVOURITE RACE OF ALL TIME. Museeuw has won this race three times, which makes him a god in my eyes, that is why this jersey is so important to me.

Photography: @toosoontoolate

From the Dandy-Lion 🦁🌼 to the Lion of Flanders 🦁 🇧🇪 , thanks for signing my jersey and being an absolute gent.

I look forward to sharing the road with you again some day.

Gareth ‘Dandy Lion’ Winter.

(Dandy Lion: dapper dresser with a Flemish heart - not because I might blow away in the wind.)

Stay tuned for my next heirloom: 2015 Team Sky Jersey. Signed by… the whole team.