The Belgium Project - Update

Sunday, August 7, 2011
Matthew Brennan rode his third *Kermesse in his first week in Belgium today (Sunday) and continued to make progress. He reports that it is "a very steep learning curve" but was pleased to finish near the front of the race in 31st place. The race was in Torhout, had a field of approximately 80+ riders and was 20 laps of 3.5 miles.
 

*  What is a kermesse ? ...A kermesse is your standard typical race for a cyclist in Belgium. In Belgium racing is pretty much summed up into two categories, Elites with contract (professional) and Elites without contract (amateur). In general a kermesse will be between 100 and 120km’s (62 miles to 75 miles) and usually 8 to 20 laps. Races will attract around 80 riders and some races will see upwards of 160+ racers.