Cycling tangent

The drive from Paris to Munster is a 6 hour jaunt, which just so happens to skirt through a portion of Belgium.  And you know what Belgium means to the Gades.... frites and bikes.  We got lucky and needed to stop for lunch in an area close to the finish of the semi classic Fleche Wallone.  So we got of the beaten track and went on an adventure to find it.


After a truly gut bomb lunch we found a funky bike store which provided us with some rudimentary directions.  We worked our way towards some hills which looked promising.  There were heaps of cyclists everywhere.  Some, as Bob pointed out, with some pretty sweet wheels.  Clearly we were getting close.


We eventually found our way to destination - the Muur du Huy.  Caldel Evans won here this year.  It is a pretty gnarly climb and a heck of a way to finish a race with over a 100 miles in your legs at professional race pace.


We parked the car and walked the last portion.  


Here's Bob at about 750 m to go.... the stations of the cross along the way make it seem extra grueling.

The finish line, with a nod to Andy Schleck.

And as a follow up to a question posted earlier in the comments section by Mer... when we watch races in person we try to find a spot in either a decisive spot on the course, or on a climb where they working hard, and by extension, going relatively slow... which is usually still pretty darn fast.  So the actual viewing is over pretty quick.  Picking your spot, waiting for the riders, and sometimes getting some schwag from the promotional cars that front the riders is a good part of the fun.  


Sometimes we have gone to a race start or finish where you can see the riders warming up, and maybe even chat them up a bit.  We're going to a Tour de France finish in Reims.  I anticipate it being a pretty big scene, but since it's my first time visiting 'the show' I can't really saw what it will be like.  I'm very sad to hear by favorite rider Tom Boonen has pulled out.  I was hoping to see him win there.