Honoring My Father- The Retro Ronde
Belgium and the Tour of Flanders and its significance don’t require an introduction. For the aficionado, the people, customs, lifestyle and culture are an enormous part of cycling life, and have been a large part of mine for the better part of a dozen years. As crazy, hectic and popular cycling in Flanders is during April, the opposite can be said at the beginning of summer. The chilly morning air and overcast skies of April are replaced with a blinding pre-6:00 am sunrise, a gentle breeze and daylight lasting past 10:00 pm. This is a magical time of year, as it seems the earth has granted the wish for more hours in a day, and there seems to be no better place or time to linger over a locally brewed beer after an evening bike ride, or to simply sit amongst friends after dinner. And the beauty of the Flemish lifestyle is that, regardless of the time of year, cycling remains a central component of daily life. Whether it’s a midweek group ride, or riding to and from work and school, an evening workout, a weekend sportive or a ride to the bakery, the bicycle remains an important element of Flemish culture. Being a part of this is best experienced any month other than April (or outside of the Tour de France if it is passing through Belgium) as the sports focus has moved on to other countries and the appeal of cycling in Flanders is returned to some semblance of normalcy. Read More
