Ministers and locals get together for annual Gordel festival

The annual Gordel cycling and walking festival in de rand, or Flemish periphery of Brussels, attracted 16,000 participants on Sunday, organisers said, 3,000 fewer than last year. Numbers were thought to have been affected by heavy rain on the morning of the event, as well as a poor weather forecast for the rest of the day.

The event – closely associated with language politics in an area of Flanders increasingly populated by French-speakers – passed off without incident. In previous years, thumbtacks have been strewn on the road to damage cyclists’ tyres and signposts have been reversed.

This year’s star municipality was Overijse, which was the starting point for many walking and cycling routes, along with the meeting point in Huizingen. At the provincial park in Huizingen there was a market for local products, as well as a jousting tournament and a children’s village. This year also saw the return of the Gordel Classic, a 100km cycle route across the whole Flemish periphery.

Among those taking part were Flemish minister-president Geert Bourgeois, minister for the periphery Ben Weyts and sports minister Philippe Muyters. The event closed with concerts by Eurovision entry Laura Tesoro and Clouseau.

Photo: Minister-president Geert Bourgeois (second from right) and minister representing the Vlaamse rand, Ben Weyts (third from right), cycle during the Gordel