A few weeks ago, I posted on here asking for advice about how to respond to a difficult work situation. I decided to take a risk and work towards a move to Brussels to rejoin my good lady.
Two weeks ago I was interviewed by a car OEM and offered a job the same day. Tomorrow, I move to Brussels (Ixelles) and start the job on Tues. It has been rapid.
I've had no time to research biking, climbing, music and general living in Brussels. So, are there any stw folks in Brussels or Belgium, with any recommendations on things to do, see, visit and try? Or the opposite...
Try... The beer obviously.
Belgium, biking? Get a road bike and enjoy some great cycling especially if you like cobbles. Just to note that if there is a cycle path next to a road you have to use it.
I agree with the road biking comment, but beautiful mountain biking can also be had in the Ardennes.
Yeah, buy a road bike.
I’ve just come back and I had to do a double take when I saw a hill off the ferry. Ace flat roads though and a biking culture we could learn a thing or two from.
Oh, and beer!
Road biking a nightmare in Belgium with the idiotic cycle lane law, often in placing forcing you to take dangerous, gravelly stop and start routes. No idea how pro teams train there.
The RAVel system in Wallonia means I have never encountered the cycle lane law. I mean, there are cycle lanes in my town, but I have never used them, and no one has ever said anything to me.
In any case, I can do countless miles on the small roads with no traffic, so it’s really good riding!
Road biking a nightmare in Belgium with the idiotic cycle lane law, often in placing forcing you to take dangerous, gravelly stop and start routes. No idea how pro teams train there.
Never been to Belgium but what's wrong with having to use dedicated cycle lanes? I imagine they were put in to allow people to cycle from A to B without other traffic, not as a race track. Would cycling to the conditions not help?
Where in Ixelles are you? Can be nice.
I'm in an anglophone mtb club here if you want some company riding. We are more chatty than hard core riders but it's still ok. Sat mornings tend to be something local for 30k or so and then Sunday might be further afield. Our starting point is in Ixelles so you just need to get out of bed. Pm if you want to meet up, even just for some help getting settled in but if your good lady is here already then you are probably ok on general stuff.
Ok, out of bed and off to ride now 🙂
Beer, chocolate, moules and frites.
And if you enjoy the tour de France you are in for a treat this year
Never been to Belgium but what’s wrong with having to use dedicated cycle lanes?
They're generally crap.
😔
Lol. The cycling infrastructure in Belgium holds back pros. 😆
We used to play Name a Famous Belgian when on long car journeys.
That was after we had exhausted Guess what cheese I am thinking of?
The miles used to fly by.
Yeah, rubbish cycle lanes like the one that run alongside the Schelde
No worse than your average UK country road in terms of condition and you have to contend with joggers and dog walkers rather than 4x4 drivers "making progress"
Leffeboy thanks so much! I'll be in touch. It's be great to join you and the club on a ride. I'm living off Louise on Rue d'Abbaye. I'm not a racer and my bike isn't either, chatty is great.
Good call about the schelde dovebiker. I'll be trying that.
Anything else folks?
apply for citizenship and avoid the brexit fall out
I don't think yo have to use the cycle lanes legally ( but not 100% sure)- its just its a part of the social compact in the low countries. But then I see no reason why not as they are so good. You might want something a bit more practical than a lightweight bike with 18 spoke wheels and 23 mm tyres mind you.
I utterly love cycling in the low countries. Cars give way to you and give you loads of room, a great network of cycle paths. No one seems to hate cyclists
Took a Belgium rider out for a tour of the South Downs around Eastbourne, should’ve known I was in for a pasting when he turned up in a very light XC bike.........that and his thighs were bigger than my waist. By **** could he sprint/climb/pedal. Crap on singletrack but everything else he was horrendously quick. Turns out their winter training regime was long pedals along the seafront into force 7-8’s until they could pedal no further and a lot of beach races. Off road involved the edges of fields and that was about it.
Leffeboy thanks so much! I’ll be in touch
Excellent, please do. I'll check my email is in my profile. Looks like you are living about 500m from our start point so no excuses. We've already picked up one refugee from here who regularly kicks our arses
apply for citizenship and avoid the brexit fall out
Yep. All it takes at the moment is 5 years continuous payslips. No language test, no integration test as the 5 years continuous work counts for both of those
leffeboy the Belgian 🙂
Anything else folks?
Gazillions of organised rides:
https://www.bikers.be/agenda.asp?pageID=124&countryID=1&first=true
Train is half price at the weekend - around 22EUR return to anywhere in Belgium (it's not that big really) and no messing around trying to find the cheapest ticket price, just rock up and buy it or even just rock up and buy it on your phone
Belgium’s a great country. Mad keen on cycling, legendary beer and food that’s far better than it’s sometimes given credit for.
To give one example of the difference in attitude. A few of us on road bikes were approaching a roundabout. A white van, already on the roundabout, stopped to allow us to pull out without us even slowing down.
Moving to Belgium and no one's yet mentioned cyclo-cross?
I was about to Kuco until I read your post!
CX with a 20mm inner rim fit 28mm or 38mm!
Explore.
Yeah I really like Belgium. +1 Saxon rider some properly ace MTB in the Ardennes. Including full-on dh.
Luckily, they (used to) do decent music over there...
Great country to cycle in but utterly awful to take a bike on a train. Taking a bike on a train in the Netherlands is easy peazy but over border in Belgium its exact opposite, they make UK train bike provision seem rather good.
Colour blue, why is it?
I've no idea why that would be as I've never had any problems, but... I've only ever travelled at the weekend with my bike and never on the fast trains (Thalys/TGV). There might be a problem with those but I'm fairly sure the national stuff is okay. Willing to learn otherwise though
and good luck on Tues @HansRey, hope it all starts well
thanks Leffeboy!
Cécile de France
Lio
Benoit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbBHFwqzAPQ
Tatiana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBGm85Zbc-U
François
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiTEdEGslVg
What's not to like !?
What’s not to like !?
the only time we took bikes on the train, it was like getting on the train at the bike carriage, with bikes. From my seven or eight trips experience, they've got indoor living pretty well sorted. Also, waffles.
Oooooh welcome to the club
(Only saw this now as I was hiding from the site in case there were Fort William spoilers) 🙂
Assume you’re off to TMC...
I’m not a Brussels dweller but work very close to Diegem.
Belgium has some really cool stuff going on, but get ready for absolute incredible levels of bureaucracy.
Food and beer is lovely here though, supermarkets less so oddly...
Traffic in and around Bruss is crap but hopefully you’re commute journey will not suffer too badly.
Leffeboy: I guess you ride with the group that head out Zonienwoud side of things? I’ve been meaning for a while to join a ride but never gotten around it it....
Only saw this now as I was hiding from the site in case there were Fort William spoilers
Ah, wondered why you hadn't popped up on this thread
Leffeboy: I guess you ride with the group that head out Zonienwoud side of things? I’ve been meaning for a while to join a ride but never gotten around it it….
Yep, that will be us most Saturdays and mid week evenings. Sundays will be a bit further afield if there is a ride on so from time we are up around Aarschot which might be more your side of Brussels. I thought you lived further away for some reason.
Two of the best things in the world are from Belgium.
Obviously number one is the beer, and the second is Soulwax.
Try them both at a homecoming Soulwax gig.
Leffeboy - ygm
Marge - TMC, yep. Started today. I'm quite impressed with the place, but that isn't hard when you compare it to the place I left. My commute is an hour minimum, not ideal, but I'll get some podcasts listened to and books read. Long term goal is to move closer to work.
If you're at TMC in future and fancy a coffee, send me an email (in profile).
Leffeboy – ygm
Excellent. See you this weekend
My commute is an hour minimum,
Welcome to Belgium 🙂
As Leffeboy mentioned, I'm way out of the city (direction Gent) but mostly I think the commute is worth the pain.
I'm just around the corner from your workplace though in Sint Stephens Woluwe
Its your first long weekend too. Hope you enjoy the rain.
One of these days I will plan smarter / better and meet up with Leffeboy & the local MTB crew for a ride. 🙂
and a socialist government! Win, win, win!
