Visiting Tour of Flanders - 2016

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ipenguinking
Posts: 743
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:14 pm
Location: Sunny So Cal

by ipenguinking

My wife and I are planning to visit the start of Tour of Flanders in April. Since this is our first time visiting Belgium and Ronde, we need good suggestions from fellow weightweenies.

1. Will it be difficult finding train ticket from Brussels to Bruges on April 2? The day before Ronde. We are planning to arrive Brussels from London on April 1st.
2. What's a good area to stay in Bruges? Obviously we need to get to the start line in the morning therefore it can't be too far. However we are planning to stay in Bruges for 3 nights so we want to stay in a nice area.
3. What's a good viewing area for the start line? Is it possible to mingle with riders next to the bus like other races?
4. Is it worth the money to buy one of the less expensive tickets from the official website?
http://app.mijnevent.be/en/default/even ... deren-2016
5. Is it possible to catch part of race in person after the peloton left the start line?

We are planning to spend 10 days in the Belgium. Seeing the Ronde in person will be just one of the highlights of the trip. We are also planning to visit Brussels, Liege and Antwerp.

Any suggestions are welcome and much appreciated.
Last edited by ipenguinking on Sun Jan 31, 2016 4:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Swannie
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by Swannie

Hi, nice to see you come all the way to de Ronde from so Cal :) bring warm clothes :twisted:

I think u mean Brugge by Bragu?
U can buy train tickets @ the station, the moment u take the train, no need to buy them now!
If u want 2 ride the ronde for tourists on saturday, you should buy your ticket now, it's almost sold out!

Get in contact with belgianbiking.be they can arrange nice stayings here.
Don't forget to visit 'van eyck' in Aalst.

:beerchug: :welcome:

by Weenie


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Swannie
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by Swannie

Why are u going to liege? Better go 2 Gent!
if i where you: i'd do Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge and Gent.
No need to go further, unless you plan on doin' Liege-bastogne-liege by bike.
Friends of mine own a real nice b&b in Antwerp :thumbup:
If you want to do a groupride when in Antwerp => chech out 'velodome'.

ipenguinking
Posts: 743
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:14 pm
Location: Sunny So Cal

by ipenguinking

Sorry I mean Bruges where the start will take place. We just bought the plane tickets yesterday and we are still trying to figure out where to go and for how many days?

So is there a strategy for seeing the start in person? Personally i would like to see riders doing prep next to the bus and rolling off to the start line. Watching the race in a bar with locals is another thing I want to do. I've done that for Le Tour and Tour of California but this is my first visit of a Classic in Belgium so I'm not quite sure what it's like.

Unfortunately I won't be able to ride a bike yet. I'm still recovering from a couple surgeries done on my achilles tendon last year. This trip is actually a celebration of good recovery as I'm no longer have to worry too much about walking. I was suffering so bad before the surgeries that walking more than 10min is a hardship.

Thanks again for all the suggestions.

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de zwarten
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by de zwarten

ipenguinking wrote:1. Will it be difficult finding train ticket from Brussels to Bruges on April 2? The day before Ronde. We are planning to arrive Brussels from London on April 1st.

no. You simply go to the ticket office in the railway station in Brussels, you ask for 2 tickets one way in 2nd class, and you step on the next train.
ipenguinking wrote:2. What's a good area to stay in Bruges? Obviously we need to get to the start line in the morning therefore it can't be too far. However we are planning to stay in Bruges for 3 nights so we want to stay in a nice area.

There are many hotels in Bruges, but many will be sold out quickly. Everything in the city center is walking distance.
ipenguinking wrote:3. What's a good viewing area for the start line? Is it possible to mingle with riders next to the bus like other races?

Check the night before on the market square in Bruges where you would like to position yourself the next day (the buses will already be parked, and the barriers will stand, so you can guess where to position yourself). The start line area fills up quickly in the morning, so be there early! And remember that you cannot move too much as the square will be really full of people.
ipenguinking wrote:4. Is it worth the money to buy one of the less expensive tickets from the official website?

I have no experience with those arrangements. A lot of those deals are bought by companies for their employees or customers.
ipenguinking wrote:5. Is it possible to catch part of race in person after the peloton left the start line?

Yes, but you need a car and preferably a driver who knows the best way around the area. Maybe I will do that myself on the day of the RVV, but I won't commit myself yet. I would visit my parents who live very close to the parcours and see the race in 2 or maybe 3 places passing by, before settling in a local café. If you just want to follow the action in a café, there are plenty in Bruges, and your hotel owner should be able to give some names.
ipenguinking wrote:We are planning to spend 10 days in the Belgium. Seeing the Ronde in person will be just one of the highlights of the trip. We are also planning to visit Brussels, Liege and Antwerp.

As Swannie said, don't forget Ghent. Until shortly the most underrated city of Western Europe, but now (rightfully) always in the top 10 of smaller cities to visit in Europe. Liege is interesting to say the least, but you would need a bit of Belgian history to fully appreciate the city.

liam7020
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by liam7020

As de zwarten says you need to get down to the Grote Markt early on De Ronde morning. The race normally rolls out just before 10 so to get a decent spot you may need to in position not much after 8ish. I've found that the barriers outside the restaurants directly across the Markt from the Belfry Tower/stage is a good spot. The peloton and entourage tends to amass there before the roll out, so you get a really good opportunity to see the riders, bikes etc. Also great place to see some famous names - I've spotted Peter van Petegem, Paul Herygers, Cees Priem, Walter Godefroot. Enjoy the day - there's absolutely nothing in the cycling world as good as Brugge on De Ronde morning! Getting goose bumps just thinking about it!!
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alanmclean
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Location: Inverclyde, Scotland

by alanmclean

Great adventure, the buses are in a sealed off square a few 100m from the main square so you it would be difficult to get to a bus but the pros ride up a small narrow street to sign on and you will see loads of top riders about 1-2m from you. The Market Square is packed, either go right to barriers and stay there for hours or get a table in one of the cafes and just enjoy the atmosphere, you should get some sights of the sign on, it is on a big stage. (We were lucky to coincidentally share the Campanile hotel with Tommy Voeckler and Europcar team so you never know who you might meet.)

After the start the pros do a lot of flat riding before the main bergs so there is time (couple of hours) to get to the famous climbs but ideally you need a car to get out of Bruges. A couple times we easily parked in Melden, only 5 mins from the bottom of the Koppenberg and found great viewing spots but you need to be there an hour or two beforehand because the good pitches are grabbed quickly. Crowds are four or five deep. Koppenberg is great because there is beer and food tent at the bottom and you can tell everyone you have been there. So stake a claim and send relays of people down for supplies. Then back to the museum in Oudenaarde and watch the rest of the race on big TV or cinema screen with a beer! You may be able to get train/taxi combo to Oudenaarde/Melden, someone here will know.

Have fun.

Alan

ipenguinking
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Location: Sunny So Cal

by ipenguinking

Thanks everyone for valuable input. We booked hotel room few minutes walking distance from Grote Market and we also decided on cities we'll be visiting. We can't wait to visit Belgium in 2 month. Weightweenies is such a great community.

The next search is to look for best beer, moules frites and chocolate. Cheers.

Swannie
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Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:48 pm
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by Swannie

best beer? pfew! now that's a real hard one!

Duvel, Karmeliet, Westmalle Tripel, Vals Paterken, Chimay, Westvleteren, Gouden Carolus Tripel...

when in Antwerp, u should go to 'estaminet oud arsenaal' or 'Paters Vaetje'!
:beerchug:

defride
Posts: 142
Joined: Fri May 09, 2014 4:26 pm

by defride

ipenguinking wrote:Thanks everyone for valuable input. We booked hotel room few minutes walking distance from Grote Market and we also decided on cities we'll be visiting. We can't wait to visit Belgium in 2 month. Weightweenies is such a great community.

The next search is to look for best beer, moules frites and chocolate. Cheers.


You'll not need to search for good beer in Belgium!

ipenguinking
Posts: 743
Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:14 pm
Location: Sunny So Cal

by ipenguinking

Swannie wrote:best beer? pfew! now that's a real hard one!

Duvel, Karmeliet, Westmalle Tripel, Vals Paterken, Chimay, Westvleteren, Gouden Carolus Tripel...

when in Antwerp, u should go to 'estaminet oud arsenaal' or 'Paters Vaetje'!
:beerchug:


Thanks. I already bookmarked estaminet oud arsenaal' and Paters Vaetje on my Google Map. Cheers!

Swannie
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by Swannie

how did you enjoy your stay in our little country?

ipenguinking
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Joined: Sun Jan 09, 2005 5:14 pm
Location: Sunny So Cal

by ipenguinking

We did not make it to Belgium as we changed our itinerary after explosions in Brussels. Both my wife and myself felt that the mood wasn't right and attending a mass gathering event like De Ronde just wasn't the smartest thing. We ended up visiting London, Hamburg and Berlin. We had a lot of fun and went home with a lot of Neuhaus chocolate bought in Berlin. Well it's about time to start planning another vacation and Belgium is definitely on top of our list.

by Weenie


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Dodger747
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Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 2:44 pm
Location: Belgium

by Dodger747

Shame - I live in Brussels and it's a great little city [despite it's many faults]... thoroughly recommend visiting Belgium for some Flandrian and Ardennes cycling, with the world's best beer to look forward to when you finish...

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