Gruppo Pumpkincycle: Tour of Flanders (Part 3)

(Part 3)

With almost everyone speaking English, never as strange as our trip to rural Italy, but much more of a "culture shock" than our trip to London. Many unique local customs. One little thing that was "different"--you can't get a glass of tap water at a restaurant--where there was a nice markup on the local bottled water. So I'd sit with a huge beer served in the specific brand glass, while Mrs Pumpkin almost paid the same amount for a much smaller glass of water or soda. Coffee was always good but very few "quick takeout" places, so usually had to kill some time at a cafe.

Meals usually meant long sit down affairs where they were reluctant to bring over the check--usually our long (expensive) meal was dinner. Otherwise it was sweet "Liege" waffles from a stand in the morning (could load them with toppings, plain was fine by itself.) I liked the odd shaped Liege waffle with sugar put in the batter much better than the square and dry Brussels waffle that had powdered sugar dumped on it. Found some good bread shops in our travels. Farm frites--french fries--were OK but nothing special, and had them for lunch snack or they were the usual vegetable that accompanied Flemish stew. In Amsterdam the pancakes, which are almost as thin as crepe shells, were very good.

Photos from Geraardsbergen (The Muur)

The Muur of Geraardsbergen was the seminal climb in the Tour of Flanders

(Ronde van Vlaanderen) bike race--one of the two most important one

day races. It features a dozen and a half short but steep climbs over 160 miles,

many over narrow cobblestoned roads. The seminal climb in this race was the

Muur of Gerardsbergen--which was unfortunately taken out to accommodate a new

course with more paid spectators. As you can see from the sign on the course it is 2/3rds

of a mile long with an average grade of close to 10%, but it kicks up

near the top.

I wanted to walk the Muur, and was going through old race videos and trying

to match the buildings to Google Earth. Problem is that at one point the

climb really takes back roads that are not pictured on Google Earth. Even though I

had the route mapped out before we left, there was no problem as plenty of
signs along the way that detail the Ronde.

Out of the train station the location of the Muur is well marked.

We're not on the Muur yet, but on the flat run in. Besides its other unique features,

this climb was the only one that took place in a town. A few blocks behind me

is a bridge and then the fun begins--the pointed building over my right shoulder

is on Markt Square (@2 on climbing chart)

Mrs. Pumpkin on the bridge--after this the climb starts for four blocks
through town on the Brugstraat (1>2) taking the riders to
Markt Square (2).

Looking back down the Brugstraat

End of the Brugstraat and about to enter Markt Square. (2)

The start of Markt Square--riders will take a right tun in front of the Stadhuis

(city hall.)

A young fan quietly waits in front of the stadhuis for the Tour of Flanders

to return to Geraardsbergen. More on this special fan later.

Looking down back at the @4 block climb up from Markt Square before the

right turn onto Vesten. (3>4)

Vesten (4) is a divided street with parking in the middle--another @4 block climb.

EZ for me to say-Vesten didn't look too steep from the bottom--half way up the

block we can see how steep it is.

The top of Vesten looking back.

About to make the right turn on the narrow-roughly cobbled, steeper

Oudebergstraat (5) Cars going to the top are sent the other way.

There will be more signs about the Ronde

and funky statues along the way.

The start of the Oudebergstraat (5)

Looking back down the start of the Oudebergstraat.

This reminded me of when I walked though the catacombs of old Comisky Park--
about a half dozen strange modern and classic statues on the side of the road.