Training in Belgium

Navigation in Belgium

There are no straight roads in Belgium, so getting lost is going to be part of the adventure. I would always recommend bringing a map (or gps unit) with you, and familiarizing yourself with the name of where you are staying and the main towns near to where you staying. Signage in Belgium can be a bit ambiguous at times, and you don’t typically receive directions via a street or road name, but instead by direction. Ie. you go to the town of X and then direction of town Y to find your way to town Z where you stay.

When you come to a T intersection or roundabout there can sometimes be signs for “Town X” in one direction, and the other directions a sign for “Anderen Richting”. This literately translates to “Other Directions”. So if you aren’t going to Town X,  you are going the “Other Direction”.

Rest and Over-training

The biggest battle people seem to face when in Belgium is either doing too much or too little training during their time here. For everyone out there it’s different, some can handle and thrive in hours upon hours of long riders, others need specified training and scheduled racing, and even others do well just killing themselves with tons of racing and then a bit of rest to peak. It’s best to find out what kind of methods work best for you before you come to Belgium, but do realize it’s a different game in Belgium, so you may need to adapt your ways some, even if proven in racing in your home country.

Be sure to monitor your weight, morning heart rate, blood pressure, sleep patterns and other factors you find useful. These variables will help you determine and recognize the patterns in your health and fitness. At the end of the day YOU NEED TO LEARN your body and it’s signs. Be honest with yourself and push yourself hard when you need to, and be sure to rest when you need to.

Nutrition

Being in the land of beer, chocolate and fries can be a dangerous thing, but it is still possible to eat well on a small budget. Be sure to invest in quality meats and vegetables. Try to buy fresh over canned or frozen. Also avoid as much “pre-made” meals as you can. As a cyclist you will have the free time to make good, healthy home-made meals with little effort or skill. We do not recommend changing up your diet too much from what you would normally eat at home, which may require a little creative meal planning if you are working within a tight budget.

There are endless resources out there on the internet on how to cook for cycling. If you want a book on these subject we suggest:

Training Around Belgium

The best places I’ve found for doing consistent paced efforts are the canal roads of Belgium. They are long enough that you can do easily 30 minute steady TT work without ever once having to stop. Plus they are closed off to traffic, very rarely will you come across vehicles along the canals.

There are hills in Belgium (contrary to popular legend) and you can find them in West Flanders in the region of Ieper and in the East Flanders area just to the south of Oudenaarde. With a little planning and some route following you can make some hard hilly rides to help give you that extra little kick in the races that you might be lacking.

Belgium is also home to some long slow 5k climbs in the Ardennes region (Wallonia) of Belgium. It’s possible to reach this area via train (you will have to pay to bring your bike on board). Liege and Spa are some good places to start from. Be sure to check out the courses of Liege-Baston-Liege and La Fleche Wallonne to help you find the best climbs in the area.

Cyclist’s Rights in Belgium

Cyclists enjoy much greater rights on the road than in other parts of the world. Here cyclists enjoy protection on all roads (less highways), and there are plentiful bike paths for them to ride on. The only rule to really remember is that you must “yield to the right” which means to any traffic at a four-way yielding intersection you stop for the traffic coming from your right. You must also yield to pedestrians in walking paths. When entering a round about you must yield to traffic in the roundabout, and please signal your intentions. Pretty much everything else is the same as most normal countries.

It is also important to note that you MUST ride on a bike path if available, even if it is located on the opposite side of the road (it will be two way). Bike paths are either in red or green and there will be signs directing you to them most of the time.