Tour of Flanders 2011 - Going to the Race

[bikeriderguy]

This is my first thread, and I'm new here. I searched, but I didn't find anything right on topic.

I am finally going to live a big dream and travel to Belgium from the U.S. to see the 2011 edition of the Tour of Flanders (and generally to take a vacation in Belgium). I'll be staying in Brussels.

On race day, I would love to be able to set up on the Koppenberg and then move to the Mur de Grammont (or somewhere else further along). I'm going to need a rental car, but I'm a little worried about road closures and so on. Would anyone here have any experience with seeing the race and be willing to share some tips for getting to the race from Brussels and where best to set myself to view the race? Or any advice at all. I've never been to Belgium, won't be able to speak the language, and I'd like to be able to sort out as much as possible before I buy my plane tickets and reserve my hotel room. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Choocher]

My wife and I went last year--it was amazing. We were totally blown away. Actually, we went to the E3 Prijs, Gent-Wevelgem, 3 Days of De Panne, and the RVV. Our favorite part was staying in Oudenaarde, about 1.5 hours from Brussels by train, and about 5k from the Koppenberg.

We hired Chainring Tours to drive us around on race day at the RVV--this is really indispensable, we found. Gregg and Holly are great people and very helpful and knowledgeable. A lot of people on the Koppenberg said there was no way we could make it to the Muur in time, but we did because Gregg has some bad-a$$ rally driving skills and knows all the roads in the region from his riding days (former pro based in Oudenaarde).

Here is their link--check them out. I am a very satisfied customer, and I will definitely be getting in touch with them when we go back to the Classics.

http://www.chainringtours.com/aboutus.htm

 

[simo1733]

local knowledge

Totally agree with chocher knowledge of the local roads can get u to see the race 3/4 times before u find a bar where u can watch the finnish over a couple of leffe's. Have u thougt of bringing the bike and doing the sportif the day before?

 

[craig1985]

Ask Scott Socal.

 

[Anonymous]

You won't have a language problem. Nearly everyone speaks English in Flanders.

Best advice? Get a GPS with Westen Europe loaded on it. Buy before you go because the rental companies charge around 10 euro per day for one.

Brussels is very expensive. If you are staying a week or so you may consider renting a house. It is much less expensive and you can cook meals and do your laundry. http://www.homeaway.com

You can see the course in several places but if you don't get to the Kappelmuur at least 3 hours before the race comes through you won't be able to see much unless you are near the foot of the climb.

Don't forget, there is a cyclotourist event the day before. It's a great event if you want to participate.

 

[L'arriviste]

I live in Brussels and I was on the Muur this year for the Ronde.

Depending on the precise permutations of the 2011 route, it's almost impossible to do both the Koppenberg and the Muur. For a race like the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, you could probably cover that sort of itinerary, but for the Ronde it would be close to impossible if you actually want to enjoy your day.

The main reason for this is that, once it reaches the area, the Ronde twists and turns like a snake through the lanes between Brakel, Oudenaarde and Geraardsbergen.

For the riders, most of the selections and the decisionmaking gets done around here.

For the spectator, it means that road closures are difficult to predict especially since the ladies' race precedes the mens' by at least an hour on some parts of the route, but the one thing you can count on is an extraordinary volume of people with the same idea as you.

I did the Ronde museum in Brakel and then moved on to the Muur. I walk in the area and I had already watched the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (Muur then Molenberg) and the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (Oude Kwaremont) so I was ready and prepared.

I got a great spot on the Kapelmuur, in a comfortable, fun atmosphere with food and beer stalls and mobile toilets but I needed three hours in hand to get that spot.

Any questions you have, let me know. I was asking them last year and now I'm in a position to answer them myself Also, anything you'd like to know about Brussels or Belgium in general, I can probably help you with that too.

 

[L'arriviste]

Kapelmuur, c.3.5hrs before Ronde passage:

Kapelmuur, c.75mins before Ronde passage:

Kapelmuur, c.45mins before Ronde passage:

 

[Irish2009]

Bring your bike and ride the sportive event on the saturday, followed by the big race on sunday. As your coming over from the states it would be a sin to miss out on Belguim beer. I stay in Brugge and watch the sign-on & start & then drive to Chaple Muur & watch it on the big screen as the race approches. when they are 20k away you could make your way up the Muur and you'll see sweet f all. Stay near the big screen & you'll hear & see all of it

 

[Anonymous]

might be of some use.. go to teamskyfans.com and look under the blogs menu for Neil Care and have a read of his flanders blog.

He headed over from england and only arrived in calais at 10am european time and still managed to watch the race in three different places. Will also give you an idea from what to expect. His blogs from the classics where really good.

ps. depending on dates we will be doing a couple of classics hopefully next year as we can now ferry fairly easily. might be willing to contribute to car hire costs if you can get us from brussels to the course..

 

[ProfRichie]

Totally agree with the above sentiments. I highly recommend the sportive the day prior to the Ronde. It is still one of my greatest cycling highlights, albeit a rainy, muddy and cold highlight. The entire week is not to be missed, as the other races tend to be more accessible and you see most of the same riders in preparation for the Ronde or Roubaix. Also, there are many people who ride between towns/ climbs. This will give you 100km or so per race and you can do the climbs if you get there early enough. I followed the Gent-Wevelgem on bike and did the Kemmelberg before the race arrived, then sat at the top in a beer tent watching until the race passed outside. Then followed it all the way to Wevelgem with about 20 others, essentially racing each other. Perfect day!
Don't stay in Brussels. I feel its a bit to far from the action and the smaller towns in Flemish Brabant or West Flanders are nicer. Highly recommend Oudenarde, Brakel or Kortrijk. Don't get too hung up on the language. As mentioned above, the standard of English in Flemish-speaking Belgium is excellent and I found myself asking things in poor Flemish, only to get a reply in perfect English. That said, I am a strong believer that it is only polite to learn basics in the native tongue.

 

[craig1985]

Is it pretty easy to get around and see the race without a car? I've never driven a car on the right hand side of the road and the steering wheel on the left, but I suppose it isn't that hard once you get used to it, but rather me trying to avoid having any accidents. The homeaway site that Scott posted the link for looks interesting, and all I really need is somewhere cheap (or even a spare bedroom) where I can park my bike and stumble home from after a night of sampling the local beers

 

[L'arriviste]

Is it pretty easy to get around and see the race without a car? ...

On a bike, Craig, yeah. You could probably pull off several of the bergs on the denser section of the route south of Oudenaarde. Here's a map with everything of interest courtesy of the CRVV.

The route varies slightly from year to year but it's a good basic idea of the story. Get the roadbook as as soon as it's published and check all the timings to figure out a bike route.

 

[bikeriderguy]

Thanks for all the advice. Some great stuff here, and I'll definitely contact a few of you with more questions when I've had a chance to absorb what has already been posted.

As for staying outside of Brussels or riding the sportive the day before, this is a bit of a compromise vacation with my wife. I get to see the race, she gets a week of tourist/sightseeing stuff in Brussels, around Belgium, and maybe to Paris on the train for a day. I might be able to ride the sportive, but I think I would rent a bike for that (I expect it would cost more to pay the highway robbery fees most airlines charge for bikes, but I'll look into it).

 

[Parrulo]

nvm wrong thread

sorry

 

[L'arriviste]

As for staying outside of Brussels or riding the sportive the day before, this is a bit of a compromise vacation with my wife. I get to see the race, she gets a week of tourist/sightseeing stuff in Brussels, around Belgium, and maybe to Paris on the train for a day. I might be able to ride the sportive, but I think I would rent a bike for that (I expect it would cost more to pay the highway robbery fees most airlines charge for bikes, but I'll look into it).

I live in Brussels and I don't recommend staying here. If you're interested in beer and/or art there are a couple of things worth doing here but I would not recommend it. It is a travel hub, that's true. But it isn't reasonably priced and downtown it's a bit seedy. It is also emphatically not Belgium, whether Flanders or Wallonie.

If you want something truly memorable outside of the cycling, stay in Brugge (Bruges to francophones) or Gent. Public transport between them is good. The film In Bruges with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, besides being brilliant, is a nice romantic look at the city and it will definitely win you over to the idea of staying in Brugge! (book early because things get busy when the Ronde starts there).

See Gent and Brugge for sure. Visit the seaside, catch the Three Days of De Panne race in the same week - even Marvin Gaye was a sometime resident of De Kust while he was cleaning up - and maybe even Antwerp if you're art/fashion people.

Whatever you do, don't try to cram it all in. Paris can't really be appreciated in a single day. As for Belgium, like the beer, this great country of regions should be enjoyed slowly!

 

[GreggGermer]

This is my first thread, and I'm new here. I searched, but I didn't find anything right on topic.

I am finally going to live a big dream and travel to Belgium from the U.S. to see the 2011 edition of the Tour of Flanders (and generally to take a vacation in Belgium). I'll be staying in Brussels.

On race day, I would love to be able to set up on the Koppenberg and then move to the Mur de Grammont (or somewhere else further along). I'm going to need a rental car, but I'm a little worried about road closures and so on. Would anyone here have any experience with seeing the race and be willing to share some tips for getting to the race from Brussels and where best to set myself to view the race? Or any advice at all. I've never been to Belgium, won't be able to speak the language, and I'd like to be able to sort out as much as possible before I buy my plane tickets and reserve my hotel room. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

bikeriderguy,

I'm the Gregg from Chainring Tours. Glad to hear you are planning to come over to Belgium to see the RVV. It's an amazing experience and something you won't forget.

To answer your questions:

RE: Language, no worries there. Most everyone speaks English.

RE: Brussels ... ditto what L'arriviste said on Brussels, a great city, but not the best location. There are tons of great B&B's in Flanders to pick from, I would go with them over a hotel in Brussels any day.

RE: Race Day - My advice is planning. Plan the points you want to see, print maps, have a GPS and anticipate the time (both drive time and the pack) between sections. To get from the Koppenberg to the Muur is not impossible, but it's hard. You need to know which roads to take and have to get ahead of the caravan (which can be complicated if there is a long break). The real problem I can tell you is parking in Geerardsbergen. Finding parking and getting to see the race is a huge pain. Two years ago I had to drop off the group, park almost 2 miles from the course and then run it to the course to see the race. I had 2 minutes to spare.

My old neighbor was the head T-mobile mechanic for a number of years, one year his wife rode the back of a motorcycle with a friend of his and saw the race 8 or 9 times, but even he says that would be hard these day with the number of fans on the roads.

RE: Seeing the race - Every year the CRVV puts out a great google map of the course. It's very useful and would make planing to see the race via a bike fairly easy. Plan to see maybe 3 to 4 places if you know where to go.

Overall if you don't feel comfortable with chasing the race (the traffic gets worse every year and the police are more strict each year) my advice is pick one place (koppenberg or the Muur) and park it there for the day at a bar with a TV. Watch the race unfold, grab a few beers, make some good friends with strangers, wait for the build-up of fans and live in the excitement of the 5 minutes the race passes.

For the rest of your trip there is Gent, Brugge, Oudenaarde and Antwerp to see. But the reality is for a cycling fan, at that time of year, even a 10-day trip can't get it all in. Hell, I've been here off and on since 2002, raced in most of the major pro races here, run a tour company for the last three and still haven't seen it all! It's a small country, but there is so much to see.

For those interested we do run a Tour of Flanders VIP day-trip option in addition to our full Spring Classics tour with Chainring Tours. I just updated the website two days ago with new information.

And if all this talk of the RVV makes you want more here are some photos from the Spring Classics Tour last year:
http://www.facebook.com/TheChainStay?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=161727&id=99237268786

Any more questions feel free to post here and I will reply as best I can (but no revealing my trade secret path from the Koppenberg to the Muur ).

Gregg Germer, Owner Chainring Tours and The ChainStay

 

[craig1985]

Just wondering, short of camping, what is the cheapest way of staying during during the Classics period? As long as the place has a roof, a bed and somewhere I can safely store my bike and a kitchen, then TBH I'm not fussed at all.

 

[rghysens]

Just wondering, short of camping, what is the cheapest way of staying during during the Classics period? As long as the place has a roof, a bed and somewhere I can safely store my bike and a kitchen, then TBH I'm not fussed at all.

couchsurfing?

 

[GreggGermer]

Just wondering, short of camping, what is the cheapest way of staying during during the Classics period? As long as the place has a roof, a bed and somewhere I can safely store my bike and a kitchen, then TBH I'm not fussed at all.

I would look into the B&B's in the area, some are very resonably priced, especially in the smaller towns between Oudenaarde, Brakel and Ronse. The CRVV website has a list of them on there, but I am sure there are others.

Making friends with Belgians on the forum and scoring a place is one way also.

If you can get a group of friends together there are several vacation rentals in the area that would drop down to less than 100 a week with 5 people.

Maybe a house switch? There are some Belgians that would love to go somewhere warm during the first week of April.

Those are my best suggestions.

 

[craig1985]

I would ask if I could stay at L'arriviste's place, but that might seem a little bit weird

 

[L'arriviste]

I would ask if I could stay at L'arriviste's place, but that might seem a little bit weird

It does, Craig, yeah. You could be an axe murderer!

Seriously though, this is Bruxelles, not Flanders. We live in a small apartment at least an hour by car from the Ronde hotspots. Gregg's in the thick of that and I'm sure he doesn't cost the earth.

I have a colleague who goes home to France at weekends and he has a little place that's empty at least during Sat-Sun here in Bruxelles. I'm not sure if he'll still be in Belgium by next April, but I'll ask him and PM you the result.

 

[pedaling squares]

bumping this so I can find it quickly as I plan my trip.

 

[Anonymous]

bumping this so I can find it quickly as I plan my trip.

Only something like 12 weeks away. Crazy, eh?

 

[pedaling squares]

Only something like 12 weeks away. Crazy, eh?

Yeah I'm really looking to that week. Loving all the tips n' tricks on this thread. Forum members need to meet for beers.

 

[krebs303]

Just wondering, short of camping, what is the cheapest way of staying during during the Classics period? As long as the place has a roof, a bed and somewhere I can safely store my bike and a kitchen, then TBH I'm not fussed at all.

Warmshowers has quite a few hosts in Belgium. Check out the map there could be hosts right on the race routes