I am a cycling fan and I have done all I think possible to be as Belgian or Dutch as I can, I have drunk Belgian beer, eaten Belgian chocolate (lots of), scoffed Stroopwaffles (Netherlands) and frites I am yet to match a Belgian or a Netherlander in being either. I have also ridden many great stetches of Belgian roads in the hope that it will rub off on me….

So, with a throw of the dice I am allowing Belgian and Dutch covid antibodies to course through my body, but don´t confuse this with Pot Belge (Belgian Mix or Stew), that magical cocktail of often off the shelf pharmaceuticals such as barbiturates which racing cyclists took with abandon before things got serious with EPO etc.

Yes, my ride was ´assisted’ with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine made in Belgium and the Netherlands’, not from the UK where it is being kept for themselves.

With the Covid-19 vaccine freshly in my arm I cycled just 18km in the wonderful Hainberg Forest and on Kesterlingrode Feld with both being almost on my front door. I rode a mix of gravel, panzerweg, stone roads and single track until my legs gave out and without being able to dip into a Jiffy Bag of Pot Belge I went home.

All good, a wee bit of a sore arm and I do feel a bit lazy, so nothing new.

The Ride
18km gravel ride.

Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/6657787124
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/5178048024