blueride3 said:
I'm an American looking to move to Belgium, primarily to race. Does anyone know of a Belgian equivalent to craigslist? Finding housing is difficult without some sort of classified ads. Any advice on finding a club to ride for? Ideally I would like to find a host family for the first month, any ideas? Any experience with this sort of thing?
Hello, I can suggest that you try the following websites to find rentals (short term) in Belgium. Look for ones that are for students ...
www.koopjeskrant.be
www.spotter.be
The biggest problem is that legit renting in Belgium is on a 9 year contract, which can be broken after 3 years withough penalty. You also have to put up 2 months deposit and the first month when you secure the rental. Then there is switching on electrical and such.
There are plenty of places that offer "Student" rentals. Which are sometimes furnished and will make things much cheaper and easier. You can also go with the Kingsnorth Club (the accomodaition was a bit sketchy the last time I saw it) and the Cycling Center (a bit expensive in my opinion) as suggested before.
I can host you at my home (a three bedroom home in Zulte, only 15 kilometers) from the Flemish Ardennes and local to a lot of racing. I have been a pro cyclist the past three years (but have stopped to move onto other cycling related activies) and have had many people stay with myself and my wife to race in Belgium.
blueride3 said:
what is the best region of belgium for riding?
East and West Flanders, both have LOTS of racing for you to choose from.
blueride3 said:
any great shops to know of?
Aldi for food, then
Lidl for lower prices but more name brands.
Best bike shop is Van Eyck in Aalst...
any specific shops just send me an e-mail.
any favourite races?[/QUOTE]
