Spring is coming, along with the odd tractor 🚜 😄

Both been nursing an evil bug since returning home, so careful selection of beers, cidres & food required until it passes.

Also, new branding for Kwaremont, certainly better than La Chouffes recent effort, & at long last a 4% IPA that has been appearing every now & then In the Netherlands. It's all go.

So interesting news coming out of Belgium 🇧🇪, Kazematten Brewery in Ieper linking up with Leroy (Hommelbier brewers) in the future. The daughter of St Bernardus & son of Rodenbach hierarchy teaming up with a competitor! What's going on at St B? I've heard rumours that US tariffs hit them hard...

All the National CX Champs 2day, Belgium 🇧🇪 & Dutch 🇳🇱 for us via VPN. So Uiltje Bird of Prey IPA, & a little bit of Christmas 🎄 before it's to late.

In De Vrede, Sint Sixtus cheese paninis with a flight of Westy beers this evening for me.

Bloody hell, FA Cup holders Crystal Palace knocked out by Macclesfield, what a shocker.

Just imagine if they dropped a little further down into Moab & put a station there, it would be the most scenic railroad in the US. Driven alongside it & 4WD'd passed Postash, hiked around it many times & even mountain biked the 100 mile White Rim Road Trail, by Potash. I'd buy a ticket for sure.

A little mention in Nieuwsblad.be about childrens names for Den Heksestoel in Loker. I do wonder what the British papers would make of the kids holding the beer! One has to remember that Pieter & Veerle named the kids Orval & Oeblon.

Tonights beers, honour the fact that with 9+ cases of beer, a bike rack & 2 bikes, we couldn't get over the Mont Noir in the snow this morning. To much back end wait, so we had to divert around! Home in just over 5 hours including a shop and all the Le Shuttle stuff, which was really quiet.

Hoppy #TractorTuesday - see what I did there?

Tumbleweed enjoys one last view of the Flemish Alps.

Got to l love a Belgium religious shrine.

A rather good measure of St Bernardus Christmas Ale at the Luxemberg on the Belgium 🇧🇪 side of the Mont Noir (Zwarteberg).

Snow at Mont Noir Commonwealth War Cemetery this afternoon.

Another cracking day, icy as hell but pure blue skies. 50km with a stop at Cafe Boutique. Evening in 't Vertier enjoying some fabulous beers & local ambience. Going to miss this place.

Hazen playing on todays ride near Wijtschate.

Waiting for the CX to start...

Straffe Hendrik Xmas Blend now pouring here at 't Vertier, after we finally drank all the St Bernardus Christmas Ale 😂 with @beerbabe-uk.bsky.social

What star Wout is, you'd never get MVDP doing that.

Well I was enjoying the CX from Mol until I wasn't 😭

'Banked' Tripel Plukker 😂

Brrrrrrrr.......Maybe later on the bikes.

Bike sorting, they needed some TLC after 500k! Then a lovely wandle over the Rodeberg, Baneberg and Zwarteberg (Mont Noir) to the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, our 1st of 2026. The rest of the day chilling in t Vertier in Westouter. Back on the bikes tomorrow.

Fantastic news this morning from Tim Skelton on FB. Due in May.

Happy New Year folks.

So yesterday evening was spent at In De Zwaan, a lovely restaurant in the village. Refuelling on Bitterballen, pork cheeks, Vol au Vent & frites. Beers from Tongerlo Winter, Bracine Triple, YPRA Hoppy Triple, Rochefort 10 & Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused & a lot of laughs 😃

Hit 500km at about 2pm this afternoon, thus completing the Rapha #Festive500 in just 7 days, 1 day early, the 8,461st person to complete the challenge out of 258k Worldwide & 524th in the UK. Judy was 759th Lady Worldwide So to say we are both happy is an understatement. Now a week chilling.

A well earned St Bernardus Christmas Ale or 2 at 't Vertier this evening.

Much needed & deserved Stoofvlees tonight after another 86km. Meat from Delhaize last Tuesday & sat in a Westy 12 for a day before 2 days slow cooking. Just 59km to go, so we should be done a day early all being well Rapha #festive500

Go With the Snow at Gast, along with Bitterballen...

Poperinge on a chilly afternoon 42km in, so a gentle day on the bikes. The old Plukker Bar by the Hop Museum for a croque & Circus Winter. Proper locals bar where you might expect tourists galore.

More a turkey hash than 'bubble and sqeak' but it'll do nicely after another 80km day. Rapha #festive500 total so far 301km !!! 4 days to go & another 199km needed. @zakavery.bsky.social

Well earned stop at In De Vrede 55km in!

An amazing statue by the Menin Gate, The Hauntings, by Jo Oliver, made entirely out of scrap-metal. Sadly it's only temporary as it is privately owned & has been loaned. Catch it before 19th April you won't be disappointed.

Morning, brrrrrrrrrr

A very simple Turkey Christmas dinner achieved after a very cold 53km ride. Now a few more Christmas beers 🍻

Gazing at the Rodeberg as the turkey cooks...

11am this morning - a very Merry Christmas to you all from the site of the Christmas Truce 111 years ago 2day...

Well that's the easy bit done, tailwind into Westhoek Brewery in Bergues...Trying not to think about 40+km into a bitterly cold headwind return trip to Westouter #festive500

10kg of aardappelen at a farm gate for just 5euros ! Bargain #happy #TractorTuesday

Beer & food shopping done for now. Pick up from Sint Sixtus collected so now patê & 12, at In De Vrede, & relax 😌

Well for Christmas that was very straightforward, even on an earlier train than booked. Now gazing at the Rodeberg and Baneberg with a cuppa before heading for some food & beer shopping.

Le Shuttle scrabble after an early start

We've just started drawing electricity from the grid for the 1st time in 70 hours. Up until then we'd been on solar & what we'd put into the batteries. Total cost over nearly 3 days, just 18p + the standing connection charge which is 49p per day. Oh & we exported 1kw by mistake yesterday. Well happy

More Christmas beers 🍻 while watching NFL, including a 2020 Stile Nacht & a 2013 Tsjeeses Reserva.

More Christmas 🎄 beer tasting tonight whilst watching The Holiday, a lovely Xmas movie filmed locally to us.

Wandle over the fields to the next village & the Crown 👑 our village is publess! Yeah I know...

After heavy rain yesterday the River Mole had flooded in a couple of places on todays ride. Reward though was some great cans at home instead.