ARNOLD DEVLIN'S TOUR OF BELGIUM

Pilgrimage (to the Eddie Merckx Factory)

We had been in Belgium for one week staying at my friend Bob Vyncke mother's home in the Brugge neighbourhood of Sint Michiels. Bob had made plans to do some business in Brussels so I suggested that I would ride to Brussels and meet him at the Eddy Merckx Factory in Meise, a northwestern suburb of Brussels.

We had consulted local maps for fietsroute (bicycle path) and Bob suggested that I follow the towpath that runs beside the canal between Brugge and Gent. From there I would follow another canal towpath from the eastern part of Gent to Dendermonde and then local roads to Meise. We estimated that the distance at being 110km. I was hoping to leave around 7:30am and meet Bob in Meise around 2:30pm. Seven hours of riding, no problem!

This trip to the Eddy Merckx Factory is sort of a pilgrimage because in 1980 I had Bob bring back from Belgium a made to measure bike frame for me. Then Richard St-Onge, a former Canadian National Team bike mechanic built me a bike using Suntour Superb components. I was so proud of that bike and for the first couple of years I would only use it when I was competing in triathlons or road races. I didn't ride it often. It was a piece of art. I got special insurance on it and kept it under lock and key. I had an old Peugeot bike and I rode until I crashed it one day while screaming down a hill and cracked the frame. The Merckx became my only bike!

So 22 years later I was cycling to the factory. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do when I got there. But I knew that I wanted to show them my bike and look at the new line of bikes that were being made. At the back of my mind when we were planning for this trip I thought about buying a new bike in Belgium, a new Merckx.

We had been really lucky with the weather so far on our trip. The conditions were windy and cool sometimes but we were dressed ok. Before the trip Bob and I had visited the Louis Garneau Factory in Newport, Vermont. Just over the USA border and only 1-˝ hours from St-Paul d' Abbotsford. At the factory we were able to pick up great bike gear at a fraction of the cost. We had rain gear and never used it.

I had on tights and several under layers designed to keep you warm and dry, cold weather gloves and hat. I was ready, including fluids and food for the trip. I had found the best high-energy food in Belgium a three pack of vanilla gaufres or waffles. Lots of carbs from fat, but tasty.

Up early and out the door I was on the road. Past the Brugge train station with two huge parking lots filled with bicycles that train commuters used when working, going to school or just travelling in Brugge. Brugge is almost completely surrounded by a gracht (moat) that is 10km long and there are four bridges that provide access to Brugge. Within the city there are over 10km of picturesque canals that meander through the city. The streets in Brugge are narrow and many are cobbled. Even though it was only April the streets and walkways were filled with tourists and you had to be on your toes!

From the train station I followed the ring road and quickly picked up Gent-Brugge canal and the fietsroute or bike path towards Gent. It was well marked, Vlaanderen Fietsroute LF5a. I was cooking.

At this hour there were not many cyclist out but soon there were children and youth cycling on their way to school, men and women were cycling to work or for shopping. I rode with a physical education teacher, who was riding to school and had to be there by 9:00am. But soon I was on my own with the birds and the squirrels. The fietsroute was flat and well paved. The canal was quiet except for ducks and swans. The loudest sound being the noise of the bird songs or the engine thumping of a barge. A few fishermen were trying for an early strike.

The ride was delightful through polder farmland and light industrial areas as the route approached Gent.

By 9:45am I was in Gent (45km) and took a break for a good Belgium coffee. I stopped in a little café on a road that borders the Brugge-Gent canal. Inside the café the walls were covered with pictures of a cyclist and trophies from local bike races. There was a Het Volk newspaper on the counter and on the front page was the story of Cipollini's great ride yesterday in the Gent-Wevelgem. I felt kind of special, as I had been there to witness and pay homage to a page of cycling history. The talk around the bar was casual; a few patrons were smoking so I wasn't going to stay long. I had on my bright yellow TBCC cycling jacket and this was always a conversation piece. The barman asked where I was from and when I told him Canada he repeated "Canadees" and nodded his head in approval. Canada is a special place for most Belgians because of the war effort many Canadians lost their lives to liberate Belgium in both WWI & WWII. Everywhere, people have been very friendly and hospitable. Filled up my water bottle and I was out the door.

According to some, Gent has one of the most confusing and complex canal systems in Western Europe, second only to Amsterdam. Around Gent is a ring canal and many large canals that are used by barges to transport goods to Belgian, Dutch and French seaports. I followed a canal into the city with the hope that it would go through to the eastern side of Gent and the town of Melle, where there I would find another bike path along a canal to Dendermonde.

The canal I riding by was the old Leie River and it took me into the centre of the city. All of a sudden it stopped in a small basin marina area. There was a small cobbled hill in front of me and I assumed that the river/canal could be picked up on the other side of the hill. When I reached the top of the street at a T there in front of me was the famous Plum Cycle Shop. Now Gent is known to be the centre for winter cycling with six velodromes and many of the spring races such as Het Volk, Gent-Wevelgem start here. To support the cycling enthusiasts there are a half a dozen speciality bike shops that cater to the Flanders hardmen and the recreational rider. Plum (pronounced "plume") is one of the oldest cycle shops. You enter the shop following a corridor with windows displays on both sides. In the front window was a Merckx Flyer on display. The inside of the shop was filled with gear for the road racer and the track rider. The shop has many classic bikes hanging on the walls, including the first ever Plum Vainqueur (1911) bike. I was in awe and knew I needed to get out of there quickly before I went after a frivolous purchase. From a practical point what I did need was another a cycle cap and rain overshoes. I was able to get some quality gear at a reasonable price. What was excellent was that there was quite a selection of gear.

Back on the road I retraced my steps to the canal basin area and to the right found a waterway. I followed it and eventually I was back at the Gent Ring Canal. Quickly I realized I was lost. I started to ask people how to get to Melle. Many folks I asked directions of were unfamiliar themselves with the road network let alone the fietsroute. Crossing a bridge I met a Jean-Paul Sartre look-alike. Dressed in a trench coat, dishevel hair and clutching a Belgian French newspaper the directions he gave were specific and clear. Off I went with renewed confidence that I was back on track.

I crossed the bridge and found the bike path that parallels the heavily trafficked Gent Ring autoroute R4. The canal moved away from the city and goes mostly through open countryside and was very pleasant. I had a nice tail wind and was able to fly. I quickly got into a groove and enjoyed the beauty of the land.

All of sudden I small motorbike flew by me going 50-60km/hr. Directly behind him was a cyclist cranking in big gears and drafting off the motorbike. I watched as they continued this pace for km after km. Soon they returned going in the opposite direction into the wind and disappeared. I was alone again.

As I rode on the countryside became more and more rural, certainly not what I expected for Melle. After about 15km I pulled off the fietsroute and went into a small village. Asking information I quickly found out that I was on the Schelde River and was 20km off track, oops! So much for French existentialism!

Retracing my steps I decided that roadways were more clearly marked so off I went into the wind. The rest of the afternoon was work as I battled a stiff headwind and at times crosswinds on heavily travelled roads. I picked out the most direct route to Melle-Dendermonde-Lebbeke-Wolvertem and Meise. Frequent breaks for food and drink broke up the ride but finally I was in Meise and to my surprise saw Bob waiting at a traffic light. My spirits had been waning as the day went on, as I knew I was going to be several hours late for our rendezvous. We had no way of communicating with each other so I had wondered what he thought about my being so late. Bob already had been to the factory and said it was 2km down a side road. He asked if I wanted to put the bike in the vehicle or ride to the factory. Although tired and sore, I had come this far by bike I could go the last few km. It was mostly downhill to the factory and I flew. I had been in the saddle nearly 8 hours and covered 150km, averaging 20km/hr tired but elated I had made the pilgrimage.

The factory is located in a small village in a converted farm building. There were no windows on the front of the building just a non-pretentious Eddy Merckx sign and a large door. The door was locked so I rang the doorbell and waited. All of a sudden the door opened and there stood Eddy Merckx.

The legend of cycling stood before us and invited us in. We explained that we had made the journey from Canada and I had cycled from Brugge today. I had an Eddy Merckx bike and was looking for some touch-up paint. I brought my bike inside; there was a small showroom with a row of Eddy Merckx bikes, secretary/receptionist, plant manager and Eddy's office. The focus was definitely on the bikes.

Eddy looked at the bike and stated that this was one of the first bikes that he made when he started his business in the late 1970s. He eyed the bike carefully and disappeared into the factory. We were alone for five minutes and admired the bikes and Eddy's UCI glass trophy as the Greatest Cyclist of the 20th Century. I noticed that in Eddy's office he had someone waiting for him but he was dealing with us. Eddy Merckx returned from the factory floor that was hidden by a large door. He had a small bottle of blue paint. He said, "Try this it might work." "The way that bikes are painted now and the type of paint used has changed." We thanked him and he left returning to his business in his office.

The glow of meeting Merckx hasn't rubbed off since then.

Arnold