Page 19 - Shining On Newsletter - Autumn 2022

The following day, Wednesday, Alan and I were
due to part company with Peter as he was
heading towards an overnight stop in Namur
whilst we were aiming for a 5-night stay in the
Belgian Ardennes to take in the weekend of the
Belgian Classic TT races in Gedinne. There had
been no racing at Gedinne for the previous couple
of years, and this year a big crowd was expected
to support a full entry list that included a larger
than usual contingent of UK riders. The weather
forecast for the whole region had been dreadful,
with biblical rain, storms and floods expected, so
we tried to plan our journey times to avoid the
worst of it if we could. In the event Alan and I left
Rüdesheim at 9 o’clock and had a completely dry
3 ½ hour ride via Luxembourg to our usual
accommodation at the fabulous B&B Aux Quatre Saisons in Sart Custinne. Peter fared less well and got
a soaking en route.

The weather in Gedinne was set fair for a
warm weekend of racing so on Thursday I
took the decision to visit the closed-roads TT
circuit on foot to see how preparations were
going whilst Alan set out for a day ride in the
Ardennes. On Friday, after a short ride to the
attractive tourist towns of Rochefort and La
Roche en Ardennes, Alan and I crossed the
border back into France at Givet in order to
welcome Brian Eccles who had ridden down
from a Eurotunnel crossing that morning for
his first ever Belgian Classic TT weekend.
After lunch in Givet we settled Brian into his room for 3 nights at Aux 4 Saisons before toasting his arrival
with a few of the local Belgian beers and a gastronomic experience for dinner.

Saturday is the real beginning of the TT
weekend, with qualifying in the morning
and the start of racing in the afternoon.
En route to the circuit we visited a tiny
microbrewery hidden away in the depths
of the Ardenne Forest where we sampled
3 of their excellent artisan beers. The
racing that afternoon was in hot sunshine
and all classes were hotly contested. The
circuit and race weekend were founded
by a Belgian sidecar racer, and sidecars
still feature prominently in the calendar
every year. All too quickly the day’s racing
was over and it was time for yet another feast at Aux Quatre Saisons.

Sunday at the circuit featured the last heats and finals in all classes, once again under cloudless blue
skies. The trophies were awarded, the parade lap was completed and the large crowd of spectators
began to make their ways home as we returned for our final dinner. And so another weekend of classic
racing in Gedinne came to an end as Alan, Brian and I set out on the 3 ½ hour ride back up to the
Eurotunnel terminal at Calais on Monday morning, once again in bright sunshine. Whilst Brian and I took

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