DAY 1 – FRIDAY 4TH JULY, 2025
Welcome To Belgium – Official Arrival Day – Tour of Flanders Experience
Ride Distance: 40-55km
Climbing: 250-400m
Meals: [Breakfast for pre-tour Day 0 guests] Welcome Dinner and Drink
Timeline #1: For guests who are already at our Team Hotel (Day 0 – Pre Tour Arrivals)
7:00am – 9:00am: Welcome group breakfast at our team hotel. Meet the team and other guests in the group.
7:45am – 9:00am: Bike Building, and or Meet Your Hire Bike (if you haven’t already done this the evening prior)
9:00am Non-Cycling: Free Program to explore the old town area, enjoy morning tea prior to our ride
10:45am: Meeting in the lobby: Official welcome.
11:00am: Meeting in the lobby prior to the ride start: Official welcome.
12:15pm: Ride starts from hotel and non-cycling group depart from hotel in vehicle/s
3:00pm: Visit Tour of Flanders Cycling Museum
4:00pm: Transfer in vehicles from Oudenaarde to Ghent (approx. 30 minutes)
5:00pm: Canal Boatride in Ghent with your El Capitan, and Tour Leader Stefaan Rogiers
6:30 pm: Return transfer in vehicles from Ghent to hotel (approx. 30 minutes)
7:45pm: Meet in the hotel lobby / restaurant 3 Course Welcome Dinner and Drink
Timeline #2: For guests arriving today – Friday 4th April
7:30am: Pickup Brussels Zaventem Airport, Belgium (Transfer Approx 2h to Team Hotel – Traffic)
9:00am: Alternatively, we’ll meet you at our local train station, West-Flanders Area, Belgium
9:00am – 10.30pm: Bike Building, and or Meet Your Hire Bike, take some morning tea prior to our ride
11:00pm: Meeting in the lobby prior to the ride start: Official welcome.
12:15pm: Ride starts from hotel and non-cycling group depart from hotel in vehicle/s
3:00pm: Visit Tour of Flanders Cycling Museum
4:00pm: Transfer in vehicles from Oudenaarde to Ghent (approx. 30 minutes)
5:00pm: Canal Boatride in Ghent with El Capitan, and Tour Leader Stefaan Rogiers
6:30 pm: Return transfer in vehicles from Ghent to hotel (approx. 30 minutes)
7:45pm: Meet in the hotel lobby / restaurant 3 Course Welcome Dinner and Drink
Pick up – Arrival Information Morning Pickup, Collection/Transfer options:
7.30am: Brussels Zaventem Airport, Belgium.
Arrival Halls Meet Point: “Quick Restaurant/café” (Map below)
We’ll meet you at the entry area to the “Quick restaurant/café”
Vehicle transfer to our Team Hotel approx. 2 Hours (traffic dependent)
9:00am: Local Train Station, Flanders Area Belgium: Meet at our local Train Station. Our Hotel is
conveniently located diagonally across from the train station.
100m Walk / Transfer approx. 2 minutes.
*NB. If you’re travelling with a bike (or a bike in a bike bag) ensure you book your bike on the train too.
More about our day – Welcome to Belgium and Tour de France “Grand Départ”!
An actioned packed first day, it’s our Official Arrival Day and Tour of Flanders experience.
Non-cycling options
Plenty of options today, the morning is yours to enjoy, options include yet aren’t limited exploring our immediate area and old town in Flanders. After lunch join the group in our vehicle/s and travel a sightseeing loop around the area it’s villages, it’s a unique and beautiful landscape, with lovely towns and places to explore. If time permits in the day, we’ll stop off to visit a few points of interest and meet up with the cycling group enroute to Oudenaarde.
Once in the town of Oudenaarde explore the Tour of Flanders cycling museum and town of Oudenaarde.
Or, If you’d like some suggestions for more active, walks, runs etc we can make some suggested routes, or relax and enjoy the comforts and spa of our hotel, sights and places of interest around our hotel. Alternatively ask us for some options based on your personal interests, we have some great recommendations for the region.
Our Rides: 40km – 55km
Climbing: 300m – 400m
Today’s rides start from either our hotel – or the town of Oudenaarde, as its arrival day we may encourage a little flexibility, to ensure everyone’s bike is assembled and they are ready to depart on time, yet we endeavour to start prompt – “on Swiss Time”.
From our hotel we head north-east on the Lys River bikeway toward the towns of Harelbeke, then onto Waregem. Our route takes us past the Flanders Fields American Cemetery and Memorial in Waregem.
We’ll pause briefly at the World War 1 cemetery and memorial. Originally a temporary battlefield burial ground, Flanders Field American Cemetery later became the only permanent American World War I cemetery in Belgium. The Cemetery commemorates 411 service members of the United States Armed Forces of which 368 are interred. The Walls of the Missing inside the chapel venerates 43 missing service members.
This cemetery occupies a six-acre (2.5 hectares) site. The government of Belgium granted its free use as a permanent burial ground in perpetuity without charge or taxation. At the centre of the cemetery is the small memorial chapel of white Pouillenay stone. Above its bronze entrance door is engraved “Greet Them Ever with Grateful Hearts”
From Waregem we head toward Oudenaarde our destination for the day [or start point for 35km ride], yet we take a detour route to experience a slice of the Tour of Flanders. Think of cobbles, pinchy climbs and lovely weather conditions in summer.
The Tour of Flanders is one of the major Spring Classics in cycling. Feared and loved by many cyclists all over the world. We endeavour to ride the famous Tour of Flanders hills, bergs/climbs of the Kwaremont, Paterberg and finally the Koppenberg.
From the Koppenberg we head down to Oudenaarde and onto the Tour of Flanders Museum. To experience a true Flandrien feeling and understand where the heart of cycling is. Plenty of ride options today depending on your preferences, we’ll guide you through them on the day depending how you are going.
From Oudenaarde, we’ll travel further on to Ghent. To relive the Medieval days and to experience one of the most beautiful and coziest cities of Belgium via a canal boat tour with our very own Stefaan Rogiers as your boat captain and guide. After our visit to Ghent, we’ll head back to our hotel in the comfort of our vehicles, approx. 30-minute transfer. Optional ride extra’s available should you need, ask us how.
What to bring
Each day pack a day pack with additional cycling clothing, warmer type kit and warm layers to put in our vehicle, or in your handlebar bag. In Belgium and Northern France conditions can change quickly. From sunny, to wet and windy. Normally in July temperature can be mild to warm. If the weather is looking to be cool, it’s best to carry warm layers – consider riding with a handlebar bag with warm layers ready. Most cycling brands offer good compact 2-3 Litre capacity handlebar bags now – we use *Rapha or Scicon handlebar bags, they are compact yet have enough room to keep your jacket/s and snacks in.
Pack a daypack with any specific hydration and nutrition you need, a towel, change of off bike clothes, shoes etc for après bike. We’ll talk about the weather forecast prior to departing so you can be well prepared.
Tonight’s Soiree:
Welcome to the “Tour de France Grand Départ” Dinner and Drink. Group welcome dinner tonight, our chef is preparing a special seasonal menu to highlight Flemish fresh seasonal produce. Dinner is a great chance to relive a superb first day in Flanders and talk about the days ahead. (Three course dinner and a drink Included).
Accommodation:
Flanders, Belgium (1 of 5 nights)
LOCATION
