Journalist Rodrigo Beenkens did not chew his words on the RTBF set: “If cycling was football, Belgium would have two teams in the World Cup semi-finals.” Bicycle, with us, is not a fashion. It is a culture.
Bicycle, more than a sport: an identity marker
As early as 1912, Odiel Defraeye’s victory over the Tour de France marked the beginning of a real national passion. In this small cleaved country, the bicycle becomes unifying. In the Flemish countryside, it is perceived as a social lever. Going on a bike was to flee poverty, escape anonymity. Among the Walloons too, the champions emerge, like Philippe Gilbert, child of Remouchamps, who has become icon on the cobblestones of the Ardennes.
Belgian roads have never stopped vibrating. There is the cyclo-cross in winter, the Flanderian classics in the spring, the popular kermesses all year round. Where else the cycling seasons go out, Belgium maintains the rate. It is no coincidence that nearly 18,000 fans are riding their bikes each year to go around Flanders, the day before the pro race. We don’t look at the bike. We live it.
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But how to explain such a level in our runners?
Not just a matter of thighs, but brain. The direction of the race is learned very early in Belgium. The secret? The famous fair races, real bicycle schools. There, the young runners learn to roll in a peloton, to feel the wind, to smell the escape, to play with the borders.
To this is added a typically Belgian mentality, described by former sports director Patrick Lefevere: “We are more greedy. When we do not win in February, we are already nervous.” With us, we ride to win, all the time. A culture of the won doubled with an adaptability. Our runners shine on all terrains: classics, large towers, sprints, time trial, female cycling. From Wout Van Aert to Remco Evenepoel, passing by Lotte Kopecky, the current generation has nothing to envy to anyone.
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Is the flat country really so flat?
It is enough to cross the Flandrians mountains or to climb the coast of La Redoute to understand that Belgium, if it does not have the Alps, has character. And if the relief is not always mountainous, the roads are demanding: short climbs, cobblestones, turns, wind. Ideal for forging complete champions.
Even infrastructure follows. In Flanders in particular, 6 out of 10 people use the bike to move, whether for work, races or leisure. In Wallonia, we pedal more for fun or sport, but 400,000 people use bicycle at least a year, and the trend is increasing.
Flemish, Walloons: bike, a common love … but different
The figures show this: 80 % of the licensed runners come from Flanders. The roads are more suitable, more numerous clubs, the omnipresent races. The Flemish Federation even represents Belgium in international sports bodies. A domination that can creak a bit on the French -speaking side.
And yet, the love of the bicycle crosses the linguistic border. The Walloon Philippe Gilbert, sometimes annoyed by Flemish flags in the public, also galvanized a whole country. Like Merckx before him, Belgian champions become symbols beyond community quarrels. On two wheels, we remain Belgian above all.
Everyday bicycle: a gentle but real transition
According to the latest federal surveys (2022-2023), 57 % of Belgians use a bicycle at least a few days a year, with a net boom of electric bikes (+28 % in one year). In Flanders, 43 % of the inhabitants use the bike to work. In Wallonia, they are 11 %, but with an increasing dynamic.
The electric bike, in particular, plays a role of catalyst, allowing seniors to stay in the saddle and active to swap the car for the handlebars. A change in mentality, still shy but visible, reinforced by better thought -out mobility policies and tax incentives. Bike is no longer just a sport. It also becomes an ecological transition tool.
