Reset search
Belgium Kerstperiode
  • Vance Fletcher
  • Vance Fletcher

Belgium Kerstperiode

Courtney, Brian West, Zach Bender and myself are going to experience the best cyclocross racers in the world battle it out in the muddy fields of Belgium. Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
Newest first
  • Trip start
    December 22, 2023
  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler

    Hotlanta layover

    December 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    Long layover. Doing logistics for the train ride to Antwerp then to the races. Getting eSims and having cards declined because of suspected fraud. Good news, we have our World Cup tickets!

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler

    Antwerp World Cup

    December 23, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ 🌬 50 °F

    Took the train to Antwerp and found the house we are staying in. We took velo bikes to the race. I loved it but Courtney was hesitant in the crowds, cobbles, and cars. We took a tunnel under the river. First time on an escalator with a bike and it was sketchy at best. Rave scene was everything you expected and the racing was top notch.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    1
    1

    Christmas Eve

    December 24, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

    Pastries, grocery run, Antwerp sight seeing. We found Brian at the race yesterday. His phone wasn’t working and we were very worried. Bier Central for an authentic Belgian dinner with a selection of 333 beers.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    11

    Christmas festival in Antwerp 🎅🏼

    December 25, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

    We slept hard with the time change. Not as bad as our 12 hour slumber yesterday though. Went to the ice skating rink, De Kathedraal, grote markt, the midevil fortress het Steen, and het Vleeshuis. Had some drinks with a friendly Belgian and a Dutchman. We are number one Wout fans, coming from the USA, we were told.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    11

    Lazy day in Antwerp

    December 27, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Caught a bug so Courtney and I stayed home from the race today to rest up. Went to the MoMu museum, got some rain boots, ate at The Bistro, and Courtney knocked out some window shopping. Ended the night with cross and Delirium.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler

    Superprestige Diegem

    December 28, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 52 °F

    Took Bender downtown and looked for a Bosch mini inflator so he could be euro pro in the pits. Diegem was high energy all night long. Met up with Calvin and his Midwest Devo cheering squad. Ate more frites and had more beer. Jupiter was on tap at the super prestige. Can’t get away from Anheuser-busch even over here. Courtney met her favorite swanyer, Alvarado mom. They had the Average Joes race between the women and men, Belgian influencers that really showed how hard the course is. The men’s race was great right down to the end. Jumped right on the train to get home around midnight to do it again!Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    1

    Exact Cross Loenhout

    December 29, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ 🌧 50 °F

    Rain means mud! We posted up early and got good spots in a slippery corner through a ditch. Apparently Loenhout is known as the party race, and the tent was huge and packed shoulder to shoulder. We found a tent off course at a pub and partied until we couldn’t anymore and made our way back to the house. Cold, wet, fun day.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    211

    World Cup Hulst

    December 30, 2023 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Took the tram to the bus and hauled ourselves to the Netherlands. The off cambers and walls of Holst are huge in person. The racing today was top notch with really good battles further back. We got our beer, frites, and chicken burger and setup across the moat from the giant run up. We were on the fence with a view of the racers 4 times during a lap, bonus that we could see a screen of the livestream. Finishing the day off with a Tripel D’Anvers and dinner date with Court and Bender.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler

    Bruges

    December 31, 2023 in Belgium ⋅ 🌧 46 °F

    Off day from races. Got up early and spent the day in Bruges. Gruuthusemuseum, De Markt, 2be Bar with the wall of beer. What an amazing city! I recognized many places from my visit in 2010. We got back to Antwerp and bar hopped until we called it a night be make it to the race the next day. We only made it to 11 but who cares. Happy new years!!! 🎊🎉🇧🇪Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler

    X2O GP Sven Nys

    January 1, 2024 in Belgium ⋅ ☁️ 45 °F

    This one was tricky. No info in English about transit details and the train showed closed. We jumped off at the closest town, walked a couple of miles to a cafe and got the day started. Normally we can follow the flow of people in mud boots but we were early today. We ran into volunteers who took us to a shuttle we never would have found and everything was good. Duck hats were acquired!! Rumor has it the crowd was twice as big as usual at this race. Complete mudder. We got home and started packing up for the train to Rotterdam in the morning.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    111

    Rotterdam

    January 2, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 52 °F

    Packed up and on to the Netherlands. I got some chips that they named after me. Amazing how different the architecture is here. Big sky scrapers and modern feel very different to the 3 story historical buildings in Belgium. It was raining sideways with constant wind over 25mph. 🌬️First stop was our house boat…which felt like it was going to blow away last night. Wind gust of 70mph. Then we went to Markthal and the famous Cube Houses.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    11

    Day in Rotterdam

    January 3, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Weather has been pretty crud but the sun peaked out for a couple of photos. We checked out the canals and boats before breakfast. Later we went to the Euromast. Great views and glass floors. We hiked over to the Depot Boijmans. It’s an art depot that also is a museum. Of course we stopped at the famous Santa Claus statue. He’s known for the unique item he carries.Read more

  • Vance FletcherBelgium KerstperiodeTraveler
    11

    Amsterdam

    January 4, 2024 in the Netherlands ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    Dropped our bags at the hotel and took a hike in Amsterdam. We didn’t realize we would have so much time and the main attractions were already sold out. We started at the Moco Museum. Really cool house turned gallery with modern artist, Banksy, Keith Haring, Warhol, Koons. We walked the courtyard through the Rijksmuseum and on to the Begijhof. Found a hole in the wall to fill up on beer and worked our way to the Royal Palace Amsterdam. After that we checked out Anne Franks house and had dinner across the canal at Café Wester. It was a good day.Read more

    Trip end
    January 5, 2024
  • 2026© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice