This Cycling Life

31/08/2024

The 2024 UCI Gravel Cycling World Championships promise an exhilarating showcase of endurance, skill, and versatility, drawing top cyclists from around the globe.

Held in the picturesque region of Flemish Brabant known for its rich cycling history and vibrant culture, this event will challenge participants on diverse terrains, from cobbled streets to rugged gravel paths.

As gravel cycling gains popularity, the championships serve as a premier platform for athletes to test their limits, navigate complex courses, and vie for the prestigious rainbow jersey.

Spectators can expect a thrilling blend of speed, strategy, and the unpredictable nature of gravel racing.

We will have competitors and spectators staying with us at the Flandrien Hotel with the start in Halle just a short drive away.

For more information or to book your stay see:
www.flandrienhotel.com

05/03/2024

Wonderful to have team Komugi-Grand Est staying with us at the Flandrien Hotel for their Spring races in Belgium. The team has a warm, friendly and inclusive culture and we love having the riders and staff stay with us.

At the Flandrien we do everything we can to support diversity and inclusion in cycle sport, and we provide subsidised stays for international women's teams.

03/02/2024

In the bustling world of professional cycling, where athletes are known for their fierce competitiveness and determination, one man stood out not just for his powerful pedal strokes, but for his warm and gentlemanly demeanour - Andre Greipel, affectionately known as "The Gorilla" in the peloton.
Greipel, hailing from Germany, didn't just conquer the roads with his incredible sporting prowess; he did it with a smile and a contagious sense of humour.
While his legs were busy churning out watts, his personality was busy winning the hearts of his fellow riders. It wasn't just about reaching the finish line first for Greipel; it was about doing it with style, grace, and a hearty laugh.
The Gorilla moniker wasn't just a random choice either. Greipel's power on the bike was so immense that his Lotto Soudal team sponsor Ridley Bikes decided to immortalize his nickname on the headtube of specially painted frames.
Ridley, the Belgian cycling brand, epitomizes a rich history of excellence, seamlessly blending tradition with cutting-edge innovation. Renowned for crafting top-tier bicycles, Ridley has propelled numerous professional athletes to victory.
With a legacy steeped in success, Ridley continues to redefine the future of cycling with unparalleled quality and performance. So when the opportunity came up to add this rare Lotto Soudal Ridley Fenix edition bicycle to our Flandrien Hotel collection, then we jumped at the chance.
Produced as a limited edition to celebrate Greipel's 2016 German National Championships victory, the bicycle is kitted out with Campagnolo Super Record Anniversary components, a Bora Ultra Wheelset and team-issue Campagnolo SRM Powermeter.
Andre Greipel wasn't just a powerhouse on two wheels; he was the kindly champion who pedalled with power, charisma, and a touch of humour that made the cycling world a brighter place.
See more of my classic bike collection here: https://flandrienhotel.com/blog/

17/12/2023

We're thrilled to announce the next phase in the Flandrien Hotel's exciting partnership with bike.rent Manager, unveiling the world's FIRST cycling experience of its kind – the Flandrien Classic Bicycle Hire Service.

At the Flandrien Hotel, we're passionate about providing unforgettable experiences, and our latest venture takes this commitment to a whole new level. As of today, our guests can immerse themselves in the rich cycling heritage of the Flanders region while riding iconic bicycles from legendary professional teams.

Picture this: traversing the cobbles and conquering the bergs aboard bicycles once pedalled by the champions of Quickstep, Rabobank, Discovery Channel, Lotto Soudal, Sky, Movistar, and many more!

What sets the Flandrien Classic Bicycle Hire Service apart is the opportunity it offers to not just cycle through picturesque landscapes but to do so on bikes with a history – bikes that have weathered the intense competitions of the cycling world.

Our collaboration with Bike Rent Manager brings you access to a fleet of ex-professional team bicycles, ensuring an unparalleled cycling experience. Whether you're an avid cyclist or a leisure rider, our service caters to all, enabling you to relive cycling history while making new memories.

Join us at the Flandrien Hotel for an unforgettable adventure through the heart of cycling culture.

Click here to see our amazing ex Pro Team bike hire collection: https://app.bikerentalmanager.com/book.html?shop=flandrienhotel


Cycling in Flanders Flanders Classics

16/11/2022

Check out the latest collaboration between the Flandrien Hotel & Art Gallery and Cyclist Magazine - Australia, with the forthcoming issue featuring the Artwork of world-renowned cycling Photographer Kristof Ramon.

Next month's magazine will feature images from the recent World Cycling Championships in Wollongong, which are available to purchase via our Flandrien Gallery Website. Click here for more information: www.flandriengallery.com

The Flandrien Gallery at the Flandrien Hotel showcases artworks from some of the world's foremost cycling artists. We run special themed exhibitions and events for brands and companies.

Cyclist is the world’s leading road cycling magazine, delivering high-quality journalism, photography, video and experience across its website, magazine, podcast and track events, serving an international audience of engaged cyclists.

09/04/2022

If you love Eddy Merckx and hard rock, you are gonna be bowled over by 10 Speed Cannibal!

Some amazing vintage steel bikes in the video clip.

Remarkably, the 2020 cycling season continues to deliver. When the year began, no one could have predicted a Tour de France finishing in September, the World...

28/02/2022

The Chasing Cancellara Flanders Cyclo on March 20 starts in Ronse, just 20-minutes drive from the Flandrien Hotel. Register here: https://www.chasingcancellara.com/flanders

The course includes all the well-known climbs such as Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Kappelmuur, Koppenberg and many more. Participants can choose from two distances. The longest is about 120 kilometres, while the shorter route is about 55 kilometres.

We can provide a shuttle to and from the start - join us for the ride!

www.flandrienhotel.com

Chasing Cancellara is a platform for cycling enthusiasts from beginner to semi-pro. It offers a unique experience for fans and friends to team up with double Olympic gold medalist Fabian Cancellara in different race formats around the globe.

08/12/2021

One of the wondrous things about launching our start-up the Flandrien Hotel & Art Gallery has been the opportunity to engage in cool projects with visionary people.

We have a simply philosophy with our business - we like to have fun and to work alongside folks who are equally as passionate as we are about cycle sport, cyclo adventures and biking lifestyle.

My friend & colleague Bernard Moerman and I have what we call a no as***le rule. Somebody can come through the door offering us a million euro opportunity, but if that person is an as***le then we simply say no. For me and Bernard, establishing trusted relationshipss always comes before doing business.

So when we were visited by Frederik Backelandt a few months ago we had a good feeling. At first Frederik comes across a bit gruff and serious, but after spending a few hours together at the Flandrien Hotel & Gallery we really started to warm to him.

Frederik might not be the kind of guy who likes a man hug as much as I do, but he is a very authentic, passionate and curious person. And he has achieved amazing things as a driving force behind Grinta! & Cycling, two of Belgium's top publications about all things biking.

Grinta! covers a wide spectrum of drop-bar cycle sports and touring, while Cycling focuses on professional racing. The slogan of Cycling is "gek van de koers" which translates to "crazy about cycle racing" and fits with our Flandrien Hotel & Gallery philosophy perfectly!

So we're delighted to announce the new partnership between the Flandrien Gallery and Cycling to bring the amazing Pop Art of the talented Flemish artist John Mettepenningen to a wider audience.

Mettepenningen is known as the "Andy Warhol of Cycling" and has created a unique series of artworks to celebrate this year's UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Belgium.

The collection was exhibited at the Cycling Vlaanderen village in Leuven in the week leading to the championships, and includes iconic Flemish World Champions such as Briek Schotte, Rik Van Looy, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen. It also recognises Yvonne Reynders, one of the most successful female cyclists of all time.

A big thanks to Frederik for investing his time and energy into understanding what the Flandrien is all about, and for coming to us with this wonderful opportunity.

And this is just the begnning - we'll be announcing more cool collaborations between Grinta!, Cycling and the Flandrien Hotel & Gallery soon!

To see the limited edition artworks in the Cycling Magazine collection, please click here: https://lnkd.in/dkFXk8ua

Other links:
Flandrien Hotel: wwwflandrienhotel.com
Flandrien Gallery: www.flandriengallery.com
Cycling Magazine: www.cycling.be
Grinta Magazine: www.grinta.be

05/12/2021

The Flandrien Gallery in Belgium is one of the world’s foremost exhibitors of contemporary cycling art. The Gallery is currently exhibiting a collection of Pop-Art by the Flemish Artist John Mettepenningen who is widely known as the “Andy Warhol of Cycling.”

The limited-edition collection was created to celebrate the 2021 World Road Cycling Championships in Flanders and includes images of iconic Flemish world champions of the post-war era such as Briek Schotte, Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, Johan Museeuw and Tom Boonen.

These stunning limited-edition artworks were exhibited at the Cycling Vlaanderen Exhibition in Leuven in the week before the World Championships. They are individually numbered and come with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.

A percentage of the profits from the sale of the artworks will go towards the Phil Liggett Foundation that has been created to provide young African cyclists with the opportunity to race & train in Europe.

More information here: www.flandriengallery.com

01/12/2021

Yihaaaaa! Just fantastic to have our Flandrien Hotel classic bicycle collection featured across a ten-page spread in the latest edition of Cyclist Magazine, one of the world's leading publications for cycle sport and cycling tourism.

We have been building our collection for over ten years, selecting historically significant race bikes from brands like Colnago, Giant, LOOK, Trek, Specialized and Pinarello that have shaped design, innovation and business model trends.

We don't call our collection of more than 70 bikes a "musuem" as it's there to be not only admired but also ridden - all are available for our guests to take for a spin on the roads of the beautiful Flemish Ardennes here in Belgium.

You can see some of the other beauties in our collection here: https://lnkd.in/dDCQUG7

And a short video about the uniqueness of what we have created: https://lnkd.in/dshTWUCj

25/11/2021

Throwback Thursday - The Pinarello Dogma has been the most successful race bike of the past decade, winning 6 editions of the Tour de France and dozens of other races as the weapon of choice for team SKY/INEOS Grenadiers.

But few people know that the Dogma moniker was first used on a magnesium frame way back in 2003, a material the company used during the transition from aluminium to carbon.

By the early 2000s Pinarello had taken aluminium as far as it felt it could go but rather than moving on to full carbon fibre frames like most of its competitors, the company decided to experiment with other metals.

As part of this search for performance Pinarello partnered with Italian tubing manufacturer Dedacciai to create framesets made from magnesium, the lightest structural metal.

If you are a fan of 1990’s bikes like I am, then you know Dedacciai. Their tubes were used to make steel bikes for Indurain and the Banesto team, then aluminium for Team Telekom and Ullrich, as well as Pantani’s Bianchis.

Dedacciai discovered that with magnesium it was possible to replicate the design of aluminium frames, but with significantly less weight. It created the AK61 magnesium tubing set and signed an exclusive 2 year deal for Pinarello to use the material.

But there was a catch–magnesium has a very low ignition point and is a very reactive element. The metal is notoriously flammable and can spontaneously ignite if exposed to damp.

Given the risks involved, each Dogma frame was welded in a specially created environment at the Pinarello factory, and an employee with a fire extinguisher was always standing at the ready.

After welding the unpainted frame had to be immediately dipped into a special primer that protected the semi-finished products from catching fire if they got wet.

In terms of production expenses, the Dogma was the most costly frameset that Pinarello ever produced. It resulted in a retail price of £2600/$3900 - an astronomical amount at the time .

The AK61 Dogma debuted in 2003 at the Giro d’Italia and set the world on fire – but not due to spontaneous combustion. It was ridden by an up-and-coming Italian star named Alessandro Petacchi who raced for Fassa Bortolo and blazed ahead of the peloton with 6 stage wins.

In 2004 Petacchi won 9 stages at the Giro & 4 at the Vuelta. In 2005 he won Milan-San Remo, also riding the Dogma in Fassa Bortolo colours – and it is this beautiful Campagnolo equipped bike that we have in our hotel.

Through the decades Pinarello has kept abreast of the constantly developing technologies that have transformed road bikes from skinny steel machines to sleek & lightweight carbon fibre creations.

But they have only ever made one bike that could spontaneously explode into a ball of flame.

And that makes the AK61 Dogma hot enough to be a part of our Flandrien Hotel collection.

See more of our unique bikes: https://flandrienhotel.com/podcasts/