Chronological account of the event.
I left home for Brugge around 01:00 am Sunday morning 8th April. The
weather was much nicer than it was the previous Sunday. The traffic was
smooth on the motorway, meaning almost empty at this time of the day.
I knew I had to hurry. I drove on without stopping for a rest.
It was around 05:30 (still dark) when I needed a rest as I got so tired.
I pulled up in a paking along the motorway somewhere either in
Netherland or Belgium (I don't remember it now)
but probably in Belgium.
It was a simple parking, about 200m long with 40 to 50 lots, with no
restrooms. The parking was separated with some trees from the
motorway. There were two or three tall lamps lighting the place. I parked
almost in the middle under the lamp for some security so that I could
see what was around. There were other cars, parked closey, three or four
near the exit.
I tried to sleep about half an hour and set the alarm when a man got
off his car and began to take a walk. OK, so he needed to stretch his legs,
I thought. He came from my back, then came in front of my car and
peered into my car, seemingly trying to take a look at me. Now, this was
a little disturbing. When he came back to his car, another car came beside
me and the two men inside began staring at me! Now, this was more
than disturbing. When the car went away to the exit area to join other
cars, another car, that had been already there, began to move
backwards toward me and stopped near my car.
I knew by then that they were doing something other than parking
and resting. It was so obvious. Could they be dealing something,
possibly some drugs? Did they think that I was a potential customer or
that I was undercover police officer? Whatever they were doing there,
I did not want to have anything with it so I drove on. I was there for
less than 10 miniutes. I wasted my precious time. Why didn't
they put up a sign at the entrance of that parking, "Drugs being
handled"?
I found a parking with a gas station not far from that suspicious
parking and slept for 30 minutes or so. The alarm went off. It was
around 07:30 in the morning when I left for Brugge.
It was foggy in the area. No wonder my GPS navigation system kept
showing a blue line along the motorway quite a long time. It was a canal.
It was obvious that the moisture in the air was from that canal.
I think I arrived at the underground parking around 08:30 in Brugge.
I found out soon that the underground parking was DIRECTLY under
the square, where all the team busses and cars were to come to park.
It was a bit chilly and misty morning (about 2.5 or 3 degrees C). The Sun
showed up later and the temperature began to rise. I think the parking
was "Centrum 't Zand". The parking was almost full as so many people
were coming in. It was highly unusual for a typical Sunday morning, I
guess but this was not a typical Sunday morning. One of the biggest
bicycle race in Belgium was going to unfold.
There was no team in the square. I waited for them to show up.
Tinkoff Credit Systems was the first team to arrive.
From the Equipe parking, riders go on a bike to the start by way
of Zuidzandstraat and Steenstraat. I think these were the connecting
streets to the Markt. I did not check the street names. I am reasoning
this now as I have the map in front of me. The official tourism office of
Brugge web site has a good map of the city in PDF format.
I checked out the area. A lot of people were already there. The start
was located in the square called "Markt" about 400m or 500m from
the designated Equipe parking.
The problem was obvious. The Equipe parking was well protected.
In other words, the teams were caged in. Only those with VIP passes
had access inside. No one without the VIP pass could get in that caged
area. The connecing path to the Markt also had that steel barriers all the way.
It was the tightest security measure I had ever seen at a bicycle racing
event.
I left home for Brugge around 01:00 am Sunday morning 8th April. The
weather was much nicer than it was the previous Sunday. The traffic was
smooth on the motorway, meaning almost empty at this time of the day.
I knew I had to hurry. I drove on without stopping for a rest.
It was around 05:30 (still dark) when I needed a rest as I got so tired.
I pulled up in a paking along the motorway somewhere either in
Netherland or Belgium (I don't remember it now)
but probably in Belgium.
It was a simple parking, about 200m long with 40 to 50 lots, with no
restrooms. The parking was separated with some trees from the
motorway. There were two or three tall lamps lighting the place. I parked
almost in the middle under the lamp for some security so that I could
see what was around. There were other cars, parked closey, three or four
near the exit.
I tried to sleep about half an hour and set the alarm when a man got
off his car and began to take a walk. OK, so he needed to stretch his legs,
I thought. He came from my back, then came in front of my car and
peered into my car, seemingly trying to take a look at me. Now, this was
a little disturbing. When he came back to his car, another car came beside
me and the two men inside began staring at me! Now, this was more
than disturbing. When the car went away to the exit area to join other
cars, another car, that had been already there, began to move
backwards toward me and stopped near my car.
I knew by then that they were doing something other than parking
and resting. It was so obvious. Could they be dealing something,
possibly some drugs? Did they think that I was a potential customer or
that I was undercover police officer? Whatever they were doing there,
I did not want to have anything with it so I drove on. I was there for
less than 10 miniutes. I wasted my precious time. Why didn't
they put up a sign at the entrance of that parking, "Drugs being
handled"?
I found a parking with a gas station not far from that suspicious
parking and slept for 30 minutes or so. The alarm went off. It was
around 07:30 in the morning when I left for Brugge.
It was foggy in the area. No wonder my GPS navigation system kept
showing a blue line along the motorway quite a long time. It was a canal.
It was obvious that the moisture in the air was from that canal.
I think I arrived at the underground parking around 08:30 in Brugge.
I found out soon that the underground parking was DIRECTLY under
the square, where all the team busses and cars were to come to park.
It was a bit chilly and misty morning (about 2.5 or 3 degrees C). The Sun
showed up later and the temperature began to rise. I think the parking
was "Centrum 't Zand". The parking was almost full as so many people
were coming in. It was highly unusual for a typical Sunday morning, I
guess but this was not a typical Sunday morning. One of the biggest
bicycle race in Belgium was going to unfold.
There was no team in the square. I waited for them to show up.
Tinkoff Credit Systems was the first team to arrive.
From the Equipe parking, riders go on a bike to the start by way
of Zuidzandstraat and Steenstraat. I think these were the connecting
streets to the Markt. I did not check the street names. I am reasoning
this now as I have the map in front of me. The official tourism office of
Brugge web site has a good map of the city in PDF format.
I checked out the area. A lot of people were already there. The start
was located in the square called "Markt" about 400m or 500m from
the designated Equipe parking.
The problem was obvious. The Equipe parking was well protected.
In other words, the teams were caged in. Only those with VIP passes
had access inside. No one without the VIP pass could get in that caged
area. The connecing path to the Markt also had that steel barriers all the way.
It was the tightest security measure I had ever seen at a bicycle racing
event.
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