Bobke Strut

Bobke Strut: "« Mike Friedman-Low Budget Superstar
The Mother of All Pub Crawls

Cover of Wielercafes in Vlaanderen by Walter RottiersMy final evening in Belgium this past November was spent in Brussels conversing with a couple of native Flandriens in a smoky, Flemish bar. While we touched on a variety of subjects, the heart of our conversation dwelled on two topics near and dear to my heart: beer and pro cycling (more specifically, this evening, all things beer and pro cycling in Flanders). I was reminded of that particular conversation this past weekend while noticing a sure sign of spring in North Carolina–the sudden proliferation of daffodils emerging overnight en-masse as if by magic. To my Flandrien friends the telltale harbinger of spring was represented by one annual, blockbuster event: Het Volk (occurring the same day all of our daffodils sprouted this side of the Atlantic). It was with almost religious fervor that they spoke of Het Volk, ensuing hints of blue sky and warmer weather, and the steady crescendo of racing throughout March culminating in early April with the largest event on the Flandrien calendar: The Ronde…part Super Bowl, part Fourth of July, part Holy Day."