30 March 2012

The Mur de Grammont

It was better than I imagined

The Mur de Grammont is one of those sites we have all seen on TV and dreamed of walking upon. Yesterday I was one happy fan as I walked the steep cobbles to the familiar site of the chapel that rests upon Mur de Grammont (Muur Kapelmuur en néerlandais) (Muur van Geraardsbergen).<
Mur in English means wall, this wall is more like a path to heaven. It is longer, with more bends, then I had imagined. 


Would you believe I met these cyclists earlier in the day standing in the passport line at Brussels Airport? They are here for a "long weekend" to tackle both the Tour of Flanders Cyclosportif on Saturday, and the Paris-Roubaix Challenge on Sunday. From New York, Wisconsin, and California these riders were as happy as I was to be standing on a monument of cycling.


I marveled at how the earth around this cobbled lane had been pressed into the ground over years of fans standing and cheering. One could see the footprints of fans. Even on this quiet day with only occasional riders passing by, it is easy to imagine the excitement of being a fan on the Mur de Grammont (which will not be included in the 2012 Tour of Flanders).


Much more to come about traveling to Belgium and the sites from my first day (yesterday), for now many more bergs (which will be in the Tour of Flanders this Sunday) await ....