Tuesday evening: 6 guys 6 bikes 1 Vito van left Bournemouth and drove to Dunkirk via Dover/Calais. We lost an hour, but we'll get it back later. Arrived at the Formula One at past midnight 3 to a room 110 francs per room.

Wednesday: Having had a spot of breakfast it was
back in the van and along to Ghent Velodrome (venue of the 6 day). The starting area for Ghent-Wevelgem is now spread through a park that surrounds the velodrome and is totally accessible and photo opportunities abound. By this time the whole thing has taken on a surrealistic air: having watched these guys on the TV, to be just feet away from
the likes of Museuw, Tchmil, Ballerini, Hincapie (eventual winner) the list goes on. Having wandered around shellshocked for a couple of hours, the race started and it was back in the van and off to the Kemmelberg to watch 2 ascents of same, although this year for the first time we watched the descent once (highly recomended). Then a short walk back to the village and into the nearest accessible bar to watch the finish on the box surrounded by enthusiastic cycling fans whilst necking a few beers. Into the van again and off to Tournai amid much after race discussion. Tournai deserves a special mention here. Hometown of the now legendary Jos Bruyerre
impersonator, Andre Godeau alias the Jolly Belgian. The town centre was bombed flat during the war and has been rebuilt in traditional Belgium style. The whole town square and the magnificent Notre Dame Cathederal are splendidly lit at night, a truly wonderful sight believe you me. So, having booked into the Hotel Europa (£20 per person
B&B sharing a twin) we ventured to the "Dragon Bar" known to us, and I use this term with utmost reverence, as "The Leffe Bar" to sample some of the same, but I cannot linger here as the full Leffe experience was yet to come.

Thursday: In order to instil a sense of tradition into events, those new to the trip were informed that, "we always go to Gerardsbergen on the Thursday". The Mur de
Grammont being the main objective, the six of us set forth across the Flandrian landscape. THE SIX: Riff Tilbury, Mick Tarrant, Ian Perkins (BJW), Tony Saunders (Poole Wheelers), Tim O’Donnell (Team Transvestite) and Sam Sherwood (Unattached but
Young and strong!) Rumours were the Edgeware Road lot might be at Gerardsbergen for the annual tear up back to Tournai making a good case for keeping the old powder dry! The Jolly Belgian had also joined us, having been off the bike for a while and Ian was up for his second attempt at the Mur, having been cruelly waylaid, half way
up the previous year by two old ladies (he said) and
blowing up big time on the return leg. Anyway we all
made it up the Mur and nobody blew on the way home; if you disregard the Jolly Belgian's projectile vomiting having drunk from the fountain in the square! After 70 miles we were glad to see the Notre Dame's golden spires just before tackling the last mile or so of cobbles into town.
SIMPLE RECIPE FOR CONTENTMENT:
Step 1: Ride 70 miles through cycle friendly Belgium
countryside with a few mates taking in the odd stretch
of cobbles.
Step 2: Return to hotel for a short rest and a shower.
Step 3: Proceed to Leffe bar.
Step 4: Order a Leffe.
Step 5: Drink a Leffe
Step 6: Repeat steps 4 and 5 until desired effect is
achieved.

Friday: No Jolly Belgian Today although we all agreed, "The Boy Done Well". The Pino Cerami was actually in held in Wasmul, Belgium this year, not Italy as reported in C.W. Tournai to Wasmul can be done mostly on canal path, these are big canals with wide paths and impressive barges. The race was won by Scott Sunderland (Team Fakta) with our own Roger Hammond (Palmans) in second place. The cobbled climb on the finishing circuit made a
good place to watch. Sam,O.D. and myself left before the others. The wind was getting up and the temperature beginning to fall .......25miles of block headwind later we arrived back to find Tony waiting outside the hotel having chased us down!
(Insert steps 2 to 6)

Saturday: Three riders out today. I won't bore you with
the pitiful excuses of the other three. As the course had been marked out, it was time to do some of the Paris Roubaix cobbled sections! If you, like me, are six foot two and thirteen stone, you might fancy yourself as a bit of a pave` specialist. Big gear, wind it up to 20mph plus and attack that pave'! - keep it turned on for as long as you can and don't even think about what it's doing to your bike! - once you lose the speed that's it. Three sections was enough for yours truly. We stopped for coffee at the bar on
the Carrefour section, home to the mural featuring some of the Paris Roubaix greats.

Sunday: Having packed the van and vacated the hotel we headed of to Cysoing. Immediate requirement being a bar with a decent T.V. Part of our group headed off to
reconnoitre a section of pave to find an interesting spot before returning to watch the early part of the race. When the front group was about 20 minutes away a brisk walk found us at a particularly nasty patch of cobbles awash in a large puddle of muddy water, which was O.K. until the vehicles came thundering through, spraying the crowd.
Suddenly Peeters came through, off the front, covered in mud, sent ahead by the Domo team, pedalling smoothly through the puddle and gone. A minute or so later came the chasing group looking well serious and in that group the
Man, The Lion of Flanders Johan Museuuw the peoples Hero: winner last year, two years after that horrendous crash - tremendous! Hardest game in the world! Back to the bar which, was packed by then, to watch the last 50 Km or so. Knaven won, Johan got the biggest cheer from the bar and we piled into the van for the to Calais. We got back to bournemouth at midnight having left Cysoing at
6.30pm.