Conference noted::bicycle

Although I was raised in Belgium and rode a bike to go to school and work, 
I never spend any vacation biking around the country.

However, I know (from experience) that you can take your bike along when 
traveling by train. You pay an extra fee for the bike (don't know the price). 
You cary the bike onto the platform, and place the bike in the train-carriage 
used for mail transport. 

When you are in Brussels, go to the information office of the "Gare Centrale" 
(central station.)
People working there are multi-lingual; you can get any information about trains,
and any Europe-wide train schedules. I'm sure they could answer your questions 
about bike transportation. The station is located in walking distance from the
Brussels "Grand Place" (market place.) If you take the train from the airport, 
it's the second stop (first is the North Station; next Central Station.)

I found a book titled "Europe by bike" by Kathy and Terry Whitehill ($10.95) at
Eastern Mountain Sports shop. The introduction part gives practical information
about biking in Europe and then lists a series of biking trips (ranging from
one week to two weeks.) Trip no.2 covered Belgium; there were also trips in
the Netherlands, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and so on. You might want to look
into it.

The North-Western part (Flanders) is mostly flat country. There are hills close
to the French border called "the Flemish Ardennes." The area is not industrial; 
there is also a lot of history and places to visit, if this is something you
are interested in.

The South-Eastern part (Wallonie) is mostly hilly country and borders France,
Luxembourg and Germany. It's a beautiful area.

Weather-wise: be prepared/resigned for rainy/grey weather. (Just watch the 
Tour de France ;-) ) Because it rains so frequently, you can buy "rain capes"
especially designed for wearing on the bike that keep you snuggly dry.

Food: you'll have a hard time finding bad-tasting food. Also, you must sample
Belgium's beer! Every region has its own specialty, from the "lager" kind to the
"real stuff." (pressure or bottled.)
In the Flanders, try: "Rodenbach" with or without "grenadine" (syrup from 
pommegrenates,) - "Duvel" - "trappist" beer.
In Brussels: "Kwak" (nutty taste, special glass) - "Lunette" - "Gueuze" - 
"Lambic" - "Kriek"
In Wallonia: "Orval" and other terrific trappist beers. ("trappist beer" is
brewed by a religious order of monks called "trappists")

Languages: In Flanders and Brussels, many people speak/understand English. In
Wallonia, probably less people speak foreign languages. But I don't think it
should be a big problem. A English/French and English/Dutch dictionary should
be of help.

Emergency: in case of accident: call 900 anywhere in Belgium (it's the 
equivalent of 911.) Also, foresee to have some sort of accident coverage/
insurance.

Money: MasterCard, Visa, American Express cards can be used throughout Belgium
and the rest of Europe. There are various "American Express" offices throughout
Brussels where you can cash money against your American card. One of their main
offices was located at the "Porte Louise." Perhaps the American Express
organization has a booklet that lists all their offices in Europe.

I'm not sure if you can easily use traveller's checks in small rural areas; in
Brussels it's no problem, or in other "tourist" areas. When in doubt, you can
exchange them in any bank.

When in need of money during the weekend, banks are the Brussels airport are
open.

Shops: opening hours: typically from 9:00am to 6:30pm. On Thursday, many stores
stay open until 8:00 or 9:00pm. Supermarkets are open daily from 9:00am till
8:00pm (9:00pm on Friday). Some well-knowm supermarkets: Super-GB and Delhaize.


Have a great time!

Fran�oise

    If you want any specific info send me some mail. I'm an Aussie but I
    work in Brussels. Of interest to you may be maps of all the cycling
    routes in Belgium. Taking bikes on trains is no problem, I do it all
    the time. Every weekend there are are organized rides all over Belgium.
    You may want to leave your panniers behind one day and join one of
    these - a good way to meet some fellow cyclists.
    
    								    Phil

    To get the bike over there, I'd check to see if your airline provides
    bicycle boxes.  TWA does do this, and it makes it very simplet to take
    a bike over.  Because the box is oversized, you simply have to loosen
    the handlebars and turn them lengthwise.  The only other thing you need
    do is remove the pedals, remembering that the left one loosens in a 
    clockwise direction.  Then you stuff your helmet into the box, put
    your name on it, and seal it up with your ductape.  I find this
    approach
    much easier than taking the bike apart and putting it into a standard-
    size bike box.  
    
    If your airline doesn't provide bike boxes, find out what their policy
    is on bicycles.  Some airlines charge you a fee.  In contrast, TWA
    looks on a bike as a checked luggage, and since it weighs less than
    44 pounds, you're all set.  You can either check your panniers or
    carry them on with you. 
    
    When bike touring, I usually keep my passport, tickets, money, etc in
    a handlebar bag and then carry that with me at all times when I'm not
    on the bike.  A shoulder strap helps, as do shoulder straps for your
    panniers.  They make train stations a lot easier to deal with. 
    
    Get the Michelin maps of Belgium and look for the yellow or white roads
    highlighted in green (it means the road is scenic).  Prepare to spend a
    lot of time understanding these maps so you can avoid highways, etc. 
    The Michelin maps are a pleasure to use. 
    
    I've had wonderful times bike touring.  I hope you do too.
    
    Patrick

    And deflate your tyres!

>    And deflate your tyres!

    Who started that rumor??

    Deflating your tires is unnecessary.  The luggage
    compartments are pressurized.  If they weren't, there would be a
    lot of dead poodles and leaking perfume bottles.

    Even if you were taking your bike in the space shuttle
    cargo bay, you could reduce the pressure by 14 psi
    and have the same ride quality.

    -Jeff Bell

>    Even if you were taking your bike in the space shuttle
>    cargo bay, you could reduce the pressure by 14 psi
>    and have the same ride quality.

I *seriously* doubt that ride quality would be the same in the space shuttle,
after all, you'd hardly get up to speed and have to turn around :-). Besides,
I doubt that chamois-lined biking spacesuit technology is all that advanced...

However, if I'm asked to do it for NASA, I guess it would be un-patriotic
to refuse... :-)

                                       ken

    You would not need a chamois on the space shuttle anyway.  The G forces
    would be either non-existant or astronomical.  In the formar case,
    saddle abrasion ought not be a problem, in the latter you ought to
    be strapped into your seat.
    
    ed

    I would have thought that clipless pedals, and surely NASA could afford
    those, would obviate the need to be strapped to the seat. However tyre
    adhesion in zero G could be problematic.
    
    Regarding deflating tyres for air travel, it amuses me that airlines
    expect our tyres to explode for the sake of a lousy few psi pressure
    drop. But when I haven't done it, they have.
    
    
    Rod

>    those, would obviate the need to be strapped to the seat. However tyre
>    adhesion in zero G could be problematic.
    
I had figured you'd need Velcro pile tires and a Velcro hook track. Bit 
more rolling resistance than a good silk, but floating off into space 
could spoil your whole day.....

                          ken

    Even velcro won't help you if you forget and jump over something.
    
    ed

    I toured Belgium 6 years ago. The North is very flat and makes for
    good progress. The South can be very hilly as in "sore fingers pulling
    brakes "  on the way down  and " It's an illusion I can't be in
    my lowest gear already. 
    
    I second what a previous reply said about studying the Michelin
    maps. We wandered on to a major road one day and helped clean the
    door of many a passing car !
    
    I found the area around Namur particularly nice. We stayed in Youth
    Hostels. There is a huge disparity in standards. The one in Namur
    is highly recommended.
    
    Have a great time.
    
    John