Where to live in Belgium ...

One of the biggest factors to think about is where to living Belgium. First off, you are going to want to live in the Flanders region of Belgium, which hosts most of the countries bicycle races. Within Flanders you have three major cities, Antwerp, Gent and Brugge.

Brussels can work, but doesn’t have as many races in the area or as many good roads for training. The Walloon region of Belgium has many races, but they are usually spaced farther apart from each other than in Flanders. Also, the Walloon region is French speaking and tends to have fewer English speaking citizens.

Some things to think about when choosing a place to stay:

-- What sort of access to shops do I have?
-- Are there cheap food shops (Aldi/Lidl) within a close riding distance?
-- Where is the closest bike shop? Theater? Train Station? Cafe/bar?
-- Will there be places in the town for me to relax? do laundry? find internet?
-- Do I need a car where I live?
-- How far are good training roads? (ie. canal roads, hills, etc.)
-- How far are most races from where I live?
-- Do they have many races in my area?

In my experience East Flanders has the most bike races and the Flemish Ardennes is the best place for training with a great mix of flat canal roads and short hard hills to do power work. The largest city in the East Flanders area is Gent and has been a long time favorite place for many foreign cyclists.