The last month Piet and Mary went to Belgium twice, to watch two cycling races of nephew Max. He is racing almost every weekend in the Junior (17-18 year) category, generally a distance of some 80 kilometers, with an average speed far above 40 km/hour! The races are held in villages in the region, with a loop of around 5 km, which has the advantage that you see them pass many times. The speed these boys develop is pretty impressive, and Max has been doing well throughout the year. He is also by far the fastest of the family in France, and Piet can only follow when Max does a recovery ride.
The other advantage of the short loops is that you can walk around, and take pictures at different locations. Below an impression of the races in Geel and Poppel.
Geel: cycling though farmland; the cows don't care
Max (green-black) chasing the first group
The last lap in Geel
Max rounding a corner in Poppel
Max finishing 11th in Poppel
The Max van Balkom fan club: Marc, Piet Bart and Jeroen
