Here's all the info you need, Steve Jnr. You can e-mail Phil at [email protected]<br /><br />Belgian kermises are not for the novice or faint-hearted, but if you want a change from your normal racing and fancy some hard racing on closed circuits with good sized crowds watching then read on. <br /><br />It's not as hard as you might think to ride some of the numerous kermis races in Belgium. With a bit of planning it should be easy for anyone in South East to leave their house at say 7.00 on a Saturday morning and be racing in Belgium that afternoon without being too stressed or worn out from the journey. You can do another race on Sunday and still be home well before midnight and anyone living further a field could start out Friday evening and still get their moneys worth. Of course, a longer stay makes the cost of the ferry and petrol work out proportionally less and gives you a number of opportunities in case of bad weather, punctures etc. Additionally, after a week of racing in Belgium you should notice a difference in your form when you return <br /><br />Bryan Taylor and Nic Cheetham have been doing this for a few years along with other riders from the South London area with the help of Dulwich Paragon's Bob Ruszkowski and his 7 seater Peugeot. Here are some hints and tips picked up from their experiences. <br /><br />Getting There <br /><br />Cram as many riders as possible into a car and it works out reasonably cheap. Seacat Hoverspeed runs from Dover to Ostend and the ferries from Dover to Calais. Both leave you an easy drive to races. You might also want to consider the Eurotunnel. The major roads are normally quite free of traffic, and towns are generally well signposted and easy to find. If you're thinking of going again, it might be worth investing in a good street map of the Flanders region when you arrive. <br /><br />Accommodation <br /><br />The way you set yourself up with accommodation will vary a lot depending on whether you are thinking of a weekend, a few weeks, or a whole season. For short trips you could try one of the contacts at the end, which provide varying levels of comfort and price. Obviously there are many more but these are some of the ones we've used over the years. <br /><br />If you show some talent, you may find that a team manager will approach you, and help fix up a place to stay (e.g. with a cycling-friendly family) for a longer period in you're interested. <br /><br />Entering Races <br /><br />This is easy! Just turn up with your licence and a deposit for your number (This year its Euro3 ) and you're in. There are kermesses every day of the week and there will always be something within reach of wherever you're staying. Most are afternoon events although some are early evening, which can be useful if you're on a weekend excursion and are delayed on a crossing. It is advisable to get a letter from the BCF authorising you to race abroad although this is hardly ever requested. Be careful if you've got a mix of under & over 23 riders in your group, as if there is an espoirs race in the region, all espoirs must ride that. <br /><br />The races are advertised in a publication called Cyclo Sprint. Unlike the BCF handbook, this is available fortnightly on subscription. This can be an expensive way of finding out the details if you are going on short trip but there are other options. If you have access to the Internet, this webpage KBWB-RLVB contains basic race details but can be a little slow in being updated. The best solutions are probably to ring the Belgium Cycle Federation (John number pls) and ask them to fax details to you, or contact John Barclay of the Festival RC (020 8688 2936). John is based in Croydon, and has been helping riders of all ages to race in Belgium for many years. If you're nice, he will be happy to forward race details to you and answer any queries you might have. <br /><br />Once you have the race calendar, the events to look for are "Elite zonder contact ", for riders without a contract & above 23years old & Beloften which is under23.. Aside from the espoirs\aspirants there are basically 2 types of race, elites with contact and elites without. You will most likely be looking for races in the West or East Flanders regions which are indicated by the abbreviations "W" and "O" respectively. Brabant ("B"

and Antwerp ("A"

can be quite accessible depending on where you are staying. <br /><br />Underneath the event location will be the distance of the race and number of laps. The distances are normally between 100-120km and are on small circuits making the racing spectator friendly. Next is the prize fund, generally a minimum of 25000BEF (£400), which goes down to 20th place. In addition to the overall prizes, primes are paid out on most laps. It will also indicate if further prizes are paid down to either 30th or 40th place. Occasionally start money is paid, it is quite a culture shock queuing up in the town's bank to sign on and then receiving money with rather than handing it over for your start number. The address of the headquarters is next, followed by the time signing on starts and closes and the time the event starts. Finally the address of the changing rooms is shown. Normally signing on is in a café with the changing rooms in anything from an old sports ground to someone's garage; so don't expect a shower afterwards! Eau de Cologne is cheap in Belgium so get some and take a flannel with you. If a third address is shown, this being where numbers are handed back and prizes collected from if different from the signing on. If you are not sure where this is, a good trick is to follow the judges when they leave the finish area! <br /><br />Events are entry on the line only, with the exception of a few evening criteriums which are entry in advance as they have a maximum field of 30-35 riders. There is no entry fee, just a deposit on your number. Normally this equates to £1 to £2 and you should get most back when you hand in your number at the end. Race number 1 is reserved for the Belgium National Champion, so start panicking when you sign on if this has been taken. Almost as important as your racing licence is a supply of safety pins as none are supplied. The officials might tell you to affix your numbers on the left side of your jersey ("links"

or the right ("rechts"

<br /><br />A point to remember is that if there is a Beloften/ espoirs (under23) race on in the province you plan to race, you must go to that race if you are under 23, or race in another province. You can not ride Elite zonder contract.(any Elite races in the province are over 23 rider only races, which are also a tad harder then the mixed normal races) <br /><br /> <br /><br />The Racing. <br /><br />Think of the fastest road race or criterium that you've ridden and add on 10%. It is rare for kermesses to take in any serious climbs but quite normal for the bunch to be travelling along the straights at 35mph (56km/h) every lap. If there is a climb watch out though as Belgium logic seems to be to go even faster and get over it as quickly as possible. A similar approach applies to any cobbled sections; don't get out the saddle and tap over the smoothest section, just shove it in a big gear and attack them. When it's windy, the first 7 riders are in echelon formation, whilst the other 50 are suffering like dogs in a long thin line in the gutter until they crack!<br />The great thing about the races is that they are always held with rolling road closures and are normally superbly marshaled. It is common for the first lap to be little more than a parade lap to get to know the circuit, so expect a lot of shouting if you attack from the start. Make sure you've had a decent warm up as once the action starts, attacks come thick are fast and frequent with riders being shelled out all the time. If a break goes, don't expect any help getting across; riders sprint across one at a time; no "through and off". This can feel a little negative at first although you soon get used to it. Don't expect to finish the full distance, as unless you are in the lead group you will be pulled out early. This tends to make judging easier and provides better entertainment for the crowd (yes there is always a good crowd). With prizes going a long way, it is always worth sprinting for a place and the last lap is normally indicated by the commentator shouting "laste ronde". Occasionally, this doesn't happen so keep an eye out for the chequered flag in the latter stages.