![\"Image](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/xy19mbhgtozsmdjrralyf73eqecpvlwdhqil0mvm6nbw71vw.jpg\" "\\"Image")
I\u2019d heard about the Flandrien Hotel earlier in the year and had added it to my 2023 list. It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise to receive a call from co-owner Jamie Anderson who was keen to talk about Rijden\u2019s guides to racing in Belgium<\/a>.<\/p>Our conversation led to an invitation to visit the hotel. But when? Cross-checking calendars revealed we could watch the Superprestige cyclocross round at Niel, have an easy Saturday and race in the LRC \u2018Belgian cyclocross championship\u2019 on Sunday.<\/p>
Before you could say \u201cHave you seen my passport\u201d, we were booked and Belgium-bound.<\/p>
We\u2019d promised co-owner Bernard Moerman that we\u2018d let him know if we were arriving after 7 pm. He was taking his wife out for an anniversary dinner and wanted to ensure that there would be someone to welcome us.<\/p>
Bernard explained later that he and his wife live at the hotel. He loves the setting for its tranquillity and peacefulness.<\/p>
After negotiating our way around the quiet lanes in the dark we arrived in plenty of time. The hotel is located in the tiny village of Parike, approximately 3 kilometres South East of Brakel in the Flemish Ardennes. As we arrived, Bernard welcomed us and we were soon enjoying coffee in the hotel\u2019s clubhouse.<\/p> We soon discovered that Bernard loves to chat. Over the course of our two-night stay, we were engaged by the former professional footballer and cycling team manager\u2019s wealth of stories.<\/p> Diverse topics such as cycling, football, Belgian society, running a business and his love of Albuquerque, New Mexico were discussed at length.<\/p> But it wasn\u2019t a one-way conversation. Bernard is as happy listening to new ideas and opinions as he is talking. Time flew by and, glancing at my watch, I noticed that it was almost 7 pm. Bernard rushed in haste to whisk his beloved to their gastronomic feast.<\/p> When people talk of the Ardennes they usually mean the hilly wooded area in the French-speaking region of Wallonia. It\u2019s an area famous for the cycling classic Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Battle of the Bulge during World War II.<\/p> The Flemish Ardennes are in the eastern part of Dutch-speaking Flanders. By Flemish standards, it\u2019s quite hilly. But compared to the Wallonian Ardennes they\u2019re just pin-pricks. Whilst the Signal de Botrange in the Wallonian Ardennes tops out at 694 metres, the climbs in the Flemish Ardennes rarely exceed 100 metres.<\/p> So why would you base a hotel dedicated to cycling in the Flemish Ardennes? If you\u2019re passionate about cobbles, classics and cyclocross as we are here at Rijden, the answer is obvious.<\/p> This is the heartland of the cobbled classics such as the Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen), Het Nieusblad, Kuurne Brussels Kuurne, Dwars door Vlaanderen and many more.<\/p> Within a radius of 16 kilometres from the hotel, you\u2019ll find famous cobbled climbs such as the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg and Muur van Geraardsbergen.<\/p> \u201cOn these narrow lanes and steep climbs the hardmen were etched from granite cobbles\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote> It\u2019s on these narrow lanes and steep climbs that the hardmen, and now hard women, of Belgian cycling, were etched from granite cobbles.<\/p> Classics specialist Peter van Petegem, winner of Paris-Roubaix and De Ronde van Vlaanderen, hails from nearby Brakel. Time and again, he'd launch the race-winning move as the field passed through his home town.<\/p> Even if it weren\u2019t for the connection with the famous races, the area would still be popular with cyclists. Enjoying breakfast on a sunny weekend morning, the window onto the small road outside the hotel revealed an armada of cyclists.<\/p> Young racers in identical team strips followed by team cars. Bunches of more senior, less lithe cyclists chatting and looking forward to the next cafe. Couples on electric mountain bikes and families out for a gentle ride in the sunshine.<\/p> It\u2019s a perfect place to ride a bike. Hundreds of interconnected rural roads, rarely disturbed by motorists, surrounded by pastoral countryside and gently rolling climbs. There are stiff challenges like the 20% cobbled ascent of the Koppenberg.<\/p> It\u2019s not obligatory to ride them, but it\u2019s fun to try. For most, it\u2019s enough to make it to the top without stopping. As you crawl your way upwards your breath becomes the roar of the crowd propelling you on.<\/p> \u201cCyclists are respected in Belgium\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote> But maybe what\u2019s best is that cyclists are respected in Belgium. Most people cycle and even if they don\u2019t it\u2019s such an integral part of the culture and law that cyclists don\u2019t feel the need to justify their presence on the road. Belgian law assumes guilt on the part of a motorist if they hit a cyclist or pedestrian.<\/p> It\u2019s worth saying that if you\u2019re not keen on cycling, don\u2019t stay at the Flandrien Hotel. Bernard tries to weed out non-cyclists or at least make it clear to them that it\u2019s not somewhere for a boozy weekend.<\/p> My son and I were staying in a twin room. It met all my requirements. Spotlessly clean, quiet, multiple plug sockets and even a fine view over the extensive garden.<\/p> The hotel can cater for about thirty guests with a large room that can sleep eight for teams of younger riders.<\/p> On-site, it has a fully equipped gymnasium, secure bike storage, tools and even an extensive range of spares. As Bernard explains, you don\u2019t want to fly halfway around the world and be without a bike.<\/p> They also have a fleet of bikes that you can rent should you have a problem or not want the hassle and expense of bringing your own bike.<\/p> They\u2019ve washing machines and dryers available for guests to use.<\/p> Breakfast is included, but don\u2019t expect a full-Flemish fry up. Bernard promises that breakfast will be nutritious and healthy, although I did have one too many pastries.<\/p> In the evenings, guests have a choice, either go to a local restaurant or go self-catering in the kitchen provided for guests. If you\u2019re just staying for a few days then you\u2019ll probably want to try the local cuisine. Geraardsbergen is about ten minutes by car, but for a wider choice, Oudenaarde is twenty minutes away.<\/p> For those staying for maybe a week or more, the hassle and expense of eating out every night soon lose its attraction. Especially, if you\u2019ve been cycling hard during the day. There are large supermarkets in Brakel and Oudenaarde for those wishing to opt for self-catering.<\/p> Breakfasts and evening meals are taken in the clubhouse. It\u2019s a large open space bedecked by a tiny part of the hotel\u2019s collection of bikes. It\u2019s been deliberately equipped with large wooden trestle tables which gives it a homely feel.<\/p> The layout is intended to bring people together and encourage the forging of friendships. If you\u2019re young, on your own in a foreign land and miles from home, it\u2019s quite easy to feel lonely.<\/p> The clubhouse is open to non-guests during the day. As well as coffee, they serve a selection of Belgian beers. Bernard informed us that we could help ourselves to coffee but would be grateful if we had a beer we kept a tally.<\/p> Unfortunately, we only recalled after we\u2019d checked out that one of us had cracked open a bottle. I\u2019m not going to admit which one of us it was, but I promise to pay it back next time I\u2019m there.<\/p> There\u2019s a large TV screen handily placed behind the bar that has a wide selection of channels including, obviously, those that show live cycling.<\/p> Apart from the gym, bike storage, spares, rental bikes, clean rooms, washing machines and clubhouse, what else does the hotel offer? Well, there\u2019s the collection of over 100 bikes dotted around the hotel and the works of art that decorate the walls.<\/p> Apparently, it\u2019s how Bernard and Jamie first met. Jamie was hoping to extend his already extensive collection of bikes and Bernard, in his role as team manager, was selling some ex-team bikes.<\/p> It was fascinating to be able to observe the progression of frames and components through the collection from the 1980s onwards.<\/p> What most interested me was a Peugeot badged Vitus carbon\/alloy frame. These were used by Australian cyclists Phil Anderson and Allan Peiper, Ireland\u2019s Stephen Roche, and Britons Sean Yates and Robert Millar.<\/p> I\u2019d been a proud owner of a full alloy Vitus frame. At the time it was incredibly light compared to steel frames. Picking up this alloy\/carbon hybrid, I was shocked at its weight. It really demonstrated how bike technology has evolved since then.<\/p> The artwork includes striking pop art images of Eddy Merckx, Briek Schotte, and Tommy Simpson, amongst others. There are also breathtaking images from the great races.<\/p> Every cyclocross rider needs a great team behind them. That\u2019s one of the challenges of trying cyclocross in Belgium. Unless your partner, mum, dad or teamie can be persuaded to come with you on the offer of a beer and a muddy field, you\u2019re on your own.<\/p> The Hotel Flandrien can help with this too. Through their Sporting Director, former professional, Luc Dierickx, they have recruited a team of helpers for cyclocross events. They\u2019ll even help you with registration for Cycling Vlaanderen.<\/p> Jamie and Bernard aim to attract an eclectic mix of guests who have one thing in common - a passion for cycling. From masters popping over to race or watch the classics and soak up the atmosphere to dedicated young amateurs who yearn for a professional career and the occasional celebrity.<\/p> Professional Heinrich Haussler uses the Flandrien Hotel as his base for his cyclocross forays in Belgium. AG-NXTG<\/a>, the women\u2019s cycling team with Pro Tour ambitions run by Natascha and Servais Knaven had recently used the hotel for a team-building exercise. Their artwork was on proud display in the clubhouse.<\/p> All too soon, it was time to check out and head home. We enjoyed our stay. It helped that the weekend was unusually sunny and warm for November. Belgium has a reputation for grim weather but it\u2019s undeserved. Meteorologically speaking, the weather is very similar to southern England\u2019s.<\/p> Regardless of your age or cycling ambitions, the Flandrien Hotel offers the most complete package<\/p><\/blockquote> Everyone seems to want to head to Spain for their training camps but personally, I think there are few places better than the Flemish Ardennes for cycling.<\/p> You might have to wrap up a bit more but you\u2019ll be treated by other road users with respect. You can ride the iconic roads of cycling\u2019s classic races and there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll bump into one of the stars of cycling out training.<\/p> If you love cycling, particularly the classic cobbled races, then the Flandrien Hotel will offer you a warm and comfortable stay. I\u2019ve stayed at a few cycling hotels, but regardless of your age or cycling ambitions, the Flandrien Hotel offers the most complete package.<\/p> If you\u2019re not interested in cycling, I suggest you find somewhere else to stay.<\/p> 25 Nov 2022, Tim Costello.<\/p>![\"Image](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/kqonaoaiiofrjlf4zlbfn8dztlgw86pk44eu08wltazm2kzt.jpg\" "\\"Image")
A tiny selection of bikes from the hotel\u2019s collection<\/em><\/p>Bernard Moerman<\/h3>
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Co-owner Bernard in the clubhouse<\/em><\/p>Why the Flemish Ardennes?<\/h3>
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<\/em><\/strong>The Koppenberg lies within 16 kilometres of the hotel<\/em><\/p>![\"ufqriqahm0szrc6wizedcng6qjuv2arwpmmmn33in1mqphoe.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/ufqriqahm0szrc6wizedcng6qjuv2arwpmmmn33in1mqphoe.jpg\")
<\/u><\/a>Use code Rijden23 when you book with the Flandrien Hotel to get their VIP deal.<\/p>![\"Image](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/tdzvyhtdrwhr8i0ew4wyiv4ozcotnlwyferzfgefodeozfr9.jpg\" "\\"Image")
Appropriately, the hotel\u2019s courtyard is cobbled<\/em><\/p>What can the hotel offer guests?<\/h3>
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The well-equipped gymnasium<\/em><\/p>![\"Image](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/eeuzwtny2xtsqybytdvzclwx0tn0yjykzxderjml70sbudjx.jpg\" "\\"Image")
Breakfast in the clubhouse<\/em><\/p>The Clubhouse<\/h3>
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You can even stay in a cycling-themed caravan<\/em><\/p>![\"Image](\"https:\/\/images.teemill.com\/icrngsuzyyxqqrwjdqdao3zjmtbogdewdih6tyh0mgobjhfg.jpg\" "\\"Image")
The walls of the hotel are dedicated to cycle racing<\/em><\/p>Bike Collection & Art<\/h3>
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Everywhere you look there are tributes to the heroes of cycling<\/em><\/p>Cyclocross Support<\/h3>
Celebrity Guests<\/h3>
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Team AG-NXTG had recently stayed at the hotel<\/em><\/p>Summary<\/h3>
<\/u><\/a>Use code Rijden23 when you book with the Flandrien Hotel to get their VIP deal.<\/em><\/p>Related<\/h3>
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