I’m in De Carillon, an Oudenaarde café that sits in “two remaining 17th-century houses built on a former graveyard”.   My new friends here are enjoying their beer and coffee, getting ready for the biggest day in Belgium’s cycling calendar.

The Tour of Flanders has both a men’s and a women’s race.  The men have already started in Antwerp, on their 278-kilometre ride to Oudenaarde.

The women do a 164-kilometre loop away from and back to Oudenaarde, starting at 13:30.

At 11:30, I’ll be standing in front of the stage to see the twenty-two teams presented, and some of the famous riders interviewed.  So cool!

I thought I was plenty early this morning for the train from Gent to Oudenaarde.  The coach was beyond standing room only.  A young man kindly gave up his seat to a slightly older man.  And so I sat … and talked cycling to the fanatics across from me.  More cool.

The train company delayed our departure for a half hour or more, since there were too many people.  Many standers eventually volunteered to get off.  (Thank you!)  And we were off … in plenty of time for an Oudenaarde cappuccino.

***

Now it’s the next day.  I’m very tired.  Slept ten hours.

There is so much more to say about yesterday … wow’s all over the place.  But I don’t have much oomph to write.  So I’ll continue the journey tomorrow.

I’ll leave you with two photos:

The presentation before the women’s race – each team came to the stage.  Here’s Human Powered Health, with their leader Thalita de Jong waving to the crowd:

And now at the base of the Taaienberg, a half-kilometre cobbled climb with an average gradient of 6.8%, maximum 14.8% … here come the men!

Until tomorrow …