Kuurne-Brussel-Kruune Report Part I

Here is what I did. It is drawn by me at the Ravitallement.

I left for Kuurne (from Germany, where I live) around 01:00 Sunday
morning and arrived in Kuurne around 7:45 in the morning. I took a
nap in the car and then walked to the Start around 9:30.

There were some activities already going on at the Start. Last year
I did not look around the area so I did not know what the building
at the Start was. This year I had to go (nature's call) so I asked a
very friendly family (a father and his son, obviously avid cycling
fans, being there so early in the morning!!) and went for a walk around
the buidling where my destination was. I was surprised to realize that
there was a dirt horse race track behind the buidling.
(No wonder the winner's trophy looks like a horse head!
Actually, I learned it was a donkey head but close enough.)

The sign board was set before the small stands where, usually,
a bunch of horse race fans sit. There were also some carts drawn by
horses training in the crispy chilly moring air at the track.


There is a horse racing track behind this stage.


This sign says you must not smoke while answering the nature's call.
Rook obviously means smoking in English and Rauch in German.
Verbod in Flemish?? means forbidden in English and verboten (adj or pp)
and Verbot (noun) in German. How hard could it be to guess what the
sign says?



This sign says you may smoke here.

Here you go, the "Hippodroom - Kuurne".

Droom is, I guess, same as drome as in Velodrome in Roubaix, where
Fabian Cancellara in 2006 and Stuart O'Grady in 2007 won the Paris-Roubaix.

In the background, you can see a tiny "two-wheel one-horse-carriage".

Tom Boonen and others at Hippodroom.


Bram Tankink in a Tank.


Evans and some sprinters at the Hippodroom.


This was the only Frank V.D.B that day. He did not take part in KBK.

I had a chat with a local man and he told me that Frank lived only
30km from Kuurne. Obviously he needs to be "red-carpeted" in.