"Koers komt thuis" challenge to get Flanders cycling: 500 points of interest
Initiatives are being taken across Flanders to get people on their bicycle as the World Championships on the road (18-26 September in Leuven) are coming nearer.
The Flemish Sport minister Ben Weyts has officially launched the 'De koers komt thuis' challenge (cycling comes home), referring to the fact that Flanders is considered as the homeland of cycling. The minister did so exactly one month before the start of the World Championships.
The challenge includes dozens of initiatives to get people in Flanders cycling; 177 municipalities have marked special locations as places where cyclists should come to enjoy a nice view or a special landscape. In this way, Flanders should become one big cycling route.
"One of the things we are doing is to organise 500 World Championship locations", explains Ben Weyts. "That can be a nice cobble stone section, a nice viewpoint or a challenging hill to climb. This also includes a photo contest. (...) We also want to get more people on their bike, not only for doing sports, but also for recreation and commuting purposes. This is about our cycling culture, it is part of our DNA."