The top of Belgian cycling and a few stars of the European top are the hosts of Durbuy which welcomes, for the fourth time in a row, the queen stage of the Tour de Belgique. Between the presentation of the 22 teams and the arrival at the top of rue du Gibet, baptized a little pompously “Durbuy Wall”, even if its notoriety and its difficulty, is not yet comparable to the “Huy Wall” of the Wallone Flèche, to the “Cauberg” of the Amstel Gold Race or to the “Wall of Brittany” often climbed within the framework of the Tour de France, the day was hot and long.
Does cycling interest the Walloon audience?
Both in terms of spectators who have gradually massaged on the starting line, many members of the organization, enthusiasts who await the passage of runners on the four towers of the circuit around Durbuy, the tongue of Vondel is omnipresent. If cycling is an undeniable and impressive national sport in Flanders, we are far from the Wallonia. Between tourists, who have crossed the borders of the whole world for an essential destination, and the bicycle enthusiasts who crossed the linguistic border, very few Francophones have moved to enjoy a day in a magnificent region, highlighted by an exceptional summer brightness while discovering the organization of a high -level sports show.
An impressive security deployment
By following the race, the previous one, then following it, we were able to enjoy a very impressive security deployment. Twenty minutes before the arrival of the advertising caravan and its inevitable musical logo “Rodaniaa”, several vehicles, then the bikers of the police, check that the road is clear, that the spectators are wisely in safety and pray to motorists to park and no longer circulate. The runners, the follow -up motorcycles, the cars of the sports directors are required to respect very strict conducts of prudence. Once the last runner has passed, the passage of a battalion of the three ambulances and a car from the organization, release the impatients that were blocked for half an hour.
