All Aboard The Keepers Tour: Latest Update

Rigid's gonna be there. Are you?

It’s so close I can almost taste it. The mud. The dust. The heavy Spring air, turning to rain, blown across the fields of Flanders, where many a battle has been fought, in trenches and on wheels. Battles fought against other men, battles fought within each man. My own mind is in battle; am I worthy? Will I be prepared for the beating my body will take, and will my mind deal with it? Well, I’m not going to my own grave without doing this. I will survive on V.

The Keepers Tour just gets better and better. The team at Pavé Cycling Tours should be known as the Mailmen of Flanders, because they just keep on delivering. It seems almost every day there’s an email informing us of an addition to the tour, and our responses are more and more ‘screaming teenager’ than composed adult. To say we’re excited about this trip could be the understatement of the year. We’re excited.

The latest gems from Alex and William include;

Meeting the legendary Freddy Maertens at the Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde.
Meeting Vincent Lavenau and the Ag2R team and mechanics at their motel on the Friday before Roubaix.
A private opening of the Casa Grinta restaurant, with what is described as one of the most ‘insane’ collections of cycling jerseys in the world, plus ‘Belgian Fusion’ food.
Riding into the Roubaix velodrome after our day in Hell, and cleansing in the iconic showers. (TBC)
A musette from Pavé’s partner Ravito, stuffed with cycling badges and a cap. (In addition to the special V Musette from us containing a V-Pint and special V-Shirt, not available for sale elsewhere.)
A possible showdown with Cycling Tips blog’s own Tour, with some cool prizes up for grabs, along with a ton of laughs.
A Cogal to be held in conjunction with our ride of the Ronde parcours on the Saturday before Roubaix.

Of course, this is all in addition to the already confirmed awesomeness of riding with The Lion of Flanders Johan Museeuw, touring the Eddy Merckx factory, riding on the Gent velodrome, touring the Brunehaut brewery (where our organic Malteni beer is produced) and another cycling museum visit in Beveren. There’s a heap of other activities confirmed too, so email us for the full presentation.

And the best part? All of this is included in the super low price! Everything. All meals, all accommodation, all drinks (yes, beer!) and hanging out with a cool bunch of like-minded bike nuts.

Sell your first-born if you have to, but don’t miss out on a week, or weekend of pure Classics bliss. There are still a few seats available, so book yours now.

Full PDF Schedule

Brett

Don't blame me

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View Comments

mcsqueak says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:16 am

@Steampunk @Dr C

I won a basket of groceries as a kid from a grocery store grand opening I attended with a friend's family, as her dad was a distributor or somesuch.

Winning!
Dr C says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:20 am

@Marko
Halo?

Is that some sort of linguistic greeting game - Ola, Halo, Hello, Bounjourno, Buenas dias?

If it is an XBox360/ PS3 type of thing, you wanna get practising before your son starts kicking your butt - they take no prisoners from about 3 yoa onwards - you have been warned
Dr C says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:21 am

@Steampunk

@Dr C
Congratulations. I finished second in the Canadian Correspondence Chess Championship a couple of years back. But that didn't have 160,000 participants...

Hey, a win is a win

Even when you come second
Dr C says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:23 am

While we are at it, I won a bottle of Rasperryade for first place at a Funny Dives competition in Barley Cove near Dingle a few (30+) years ago

I think we may have invented a new game here....

One never tires of marvelling at one's own achievements, such is the nature of self belief
Chris says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:30 am

@Dr C
Sorry, won't happen again. Was just trying to explain my previous comment to @JC Belgium. Thought about just telling him to ignore me but didn't want to make it seem like I was trying to exclude anyone from a conversation.

Intervals in the saucepan cupboard again for me tonight.
G'rilla says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:30 am

@JC Belgium

@Dr C
Frank will blow his cover when he orders Heineken instead of Jupiler...

Given his cycling heroes, I think Frank would be more likely to order a Piraat.
wiscot says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:35 am

@JC Belgium

@Dr C
I have to admit: I am addicted to cyclo porn!
and: Robbie is one of the first riders I remember from my childhood. I saw him winning for the first time on the champs-elysees, while I was watching cycling in grandfather's armchair. From then on, he was my favourite sprinter, and he still is. He has my deepest respect as rider and as a person! (although I met him only twice) (found it on the livestrong site)
@ChrisO
I am not sure, and of course he knows what it means, but why would he care and make a statement? He is Aussie, came to Belgium for pro cycling, was living in Everbeek for 11 years and always said he would return to the Gold Coast, he did so in October... I think he just did it because of de Ronde van Vlaanderen, with the lion as a symbol of courage and perseverance.
and yes, thank you, the 'some indecipherable combination of spitting and guttural throat-clearing language' is Flemish...
well, it s just socks, aren t they?

There's a video on Sporza.be featuring Robbie talking non-Aussie lingo and having something to do with a moving truck and putting his stuff in a suitcase. Don't understand a word, but his place looks lovely - overlooking the beach!
frank says:

Jan 24 2012 at 9:55 am

@Dr C

Even when you come second

Or not at all! *ahthankyou*
JC Belgium says:

Jan 24 2012 at 10:04 am

@Dr C

@Chris

It seems that much of what comes out of the European bureaucrats is moving towards a single state in such away that is damaging to the rights and customs of it's member nations and has become law without any apparent democratic process. The perception over here, certainly in the media is that many Europeans aren't unduly concerned by such a shift from member nations to a single state. I can't imagine why anyone would want to be European.

WTF - political commentary - this site is no place for such educated and considered opinion

Understood and I agree, @Chris, you have my vote...
However! I post socks and we are heading towards a political debacle. I wish to apoligise to everyone involved. I will think about my actions and won't do it again.

@wiscot

(thanks wiscot, I ve already watched it, sporza.be/wielrennen is one of my homepages)
I know! so jealous about his place. about the moving truck: his stuff was stuck at boarder control and there were some difficulties, so the container had to go in quarantine for three months. it arrived a day too early, so they couldn't unload it. about the suitcase: just preparing for TDU.
Bill says:

Jan 24 2012 at 10:04 am

@Dr C
I suspect that I may be your competition for those socks. Lots of wet, cold conditions to ride in here in Germany, but the cobbles have all been too smooth.

I suspect my tears will help with your decision. But I will console myself with another Belgian beverage.