Viewing Flanders or Roubaix with children

curium
curium Posts: 815
edited September 2014 in Pro race
Hi

I hope this is the appropriate forum.

With the release of the 2015 WT calendar I'm doing a bit of research on viewing the Tour of Flanders or Paris Roubaix with my young girls and wife.

This means I won't be able to make lots of movements to try and view the race multiple times in different spots.

I want some information on where to view these races that will have a good atmosphere, perhaps a large screen so that we can be in place in good time without my girls getting bored and then see the riders come through, hopefully not too fast so a point after where a split will have been made so they come through in several groups.

Then we can hopefully go to a nearby town for something to eat.

Paris-Roubaix would be the preferred race purely due to it being in France where I've driven lots and even know of a good hotel in Compeigne but I think Flanders would be better due to it falling right in the middle of the Easter school holidays.

Information on both races is welcome though as it may be useful in the future due to Easter being a movable feast.

Many thanks!

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Flanders is easier... just go up the Oude Kwaremont, they do it three times, so you get to see a lot of the race. Half the way up they also put a big screen and they sell drinks and chips, so the kids have something to do...

    Roubaix might turn up to be a bit more boring for the kids
    left the forum March 2023
  • chrisday
    chrisday Posts: 300
    +1 ^^
    @shraap | My Men 2016: G, Yogi, Cav, Boonen, Degenkolb, Martin, J-Rod, Kudus, Chaves
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,695
    Yup, I'd also suggest staying in Ouudenaarde as you get to watch the girls start, the men come through the town first, then the finish. You never need to stray too far from your base or a cafe and there are usually big screens on the finish straight so you can follow the whole race.

    It's a great weekend if you can add in a bit of the sportive too (they must do something for kids)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
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  • curium
    curium Posts: 815
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    Flanders is easier... just go up the Oude Kwaremont, they do it three times, so you get to see a lot of the race. Half the way up they also put a big screen and they sell drinks and chips, so the kids have something to do...

    Roubaix might turn up to be a bit more boring for the kids
    ddraver wrote:
    Yup, I'd also suggest staying in Ouudenaarde as you get to watch the girls start, the men come through the town first, then the finish. You never need to stray too far from your base or a cafe and there are usually big screens on the finish straight so you can follow the whole race.

    It's a great weekend if you can add in a bit of the sportive too (they must do something for kids)
    Cheers guys!

    Is it walkable from Ouudenaarde to the Oude Kwaremont would you say? I don't want to get into any parking disputes with my limited flemish ;)

    Although searching for hotels is mostly returning places in Ghent. Is it possible to stay there and drive over and park in Ouudenaarde on both days and then walk to the Oude Kwaremont or the Koppenberg?
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    They run shuttle buses from Oudenaarde, Ruien and Ronse.

    http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/en/eli ... mobiliteit

    (sorry, can't find the details for this year, but I'm sure it wasn't any different...)
  • danlikesbikes
    danlikesbikes Posts: 3,898
    I've done Flanders a few times with family too and it's really easy.

    We even stayed in Ghent, as plent of cheaper hotels there around race time (as able to spend a few family days afterwards which got me some brownie points too). Then in stead of driving we got the train from Ghent to Ronse and jumped on the free transfer bus. Bus dropped us about 1kms walk away along the road where there was a massive field with food, drinks and toilets and some big TV screens. Just about another 500M down the road and your right next to the course.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Definitely Flanders.

    Free shuttle bus from Oudenaarde to various points on course. We based ourselves at Oude Kwaremont for the first loop, then went to the nearby Big Screen park for loop 2, before a walk to the Paterberg for the final circuit, where there is a huge screen right by the bottom of the climb, beers, hot dogs and a good atmosphere. We then took the free shuttle bus back to Oudenaarde afterward.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • curium
    curium Posts: 815
    Thanks guys. That's really given me the encouragement to go ahead and arrange a visit to see Flanders. I hope my girls enjoy the experience!
  • FJS
    FJS Posts: 4,820
    Gent has some other things to do for kids too, a big castle, childrens museum, for if they're not into their trappist beers yet ;)
  • disgruntledgoat
    disgruntledgoat Posts: 8,957
    A note of caution on the Kwaremont, the crush for the big screen and the shuttle buses home after the last time the race went through was pretty crazy and I saw several scuffles in the queue for the bus back to Oudenaarde. Alternative may be to stay in Gent, get the train down to Oudenaarde in the morning, watch the first (and maybe even second) pass through the Kwaremont then shuttle bus back to Oudenaarde to watch the rest on the big screen and catch the finish.

    Once again, if you need any help with things to do, places to go etc drop me a PM.
    "In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"

    @gietvangent

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