Grab your helmets...

Le Tour de France is overdone nowadays, and what’s more the race is really quite…French (make of that what you will)! But just across the border in the Flanders region of Belgium the “Tour of Flanders”, known as Flander’s Finest by the locals, offers a thrilling alternative to the oh-so-typical annual bike race in France.

Providing riders from across Europe and the rest of the world with an epic and intense one-day race,  Flander’s Finest’ begins in Bruges and takes competitors across the region to finish up in Meerbeke. Known world wide as the most important cycling race held over just one day, the Tour celebrated its 94th race in 2010. Compared to its French brother, though, this race has a very eccentric history – The winner in 1919, van Lerberghe, managed to sink a couple of pints of beer at a pub on the trail and still finish “half a day” ahead of the other competitors. The French may have their wine, but the Belgians can drink their beer and ride their bikes to victory at the same time. But needless to say, no American has yet to win the race…why not drop in an application form during your trip to Flanders and make Belgian Bicycling history!