The guests on our recent Paris-Roubaix trip had quite the surprise in store for them. On the itinerary for April 6th, it simply said “ Enjoy a full Flandrien breakfast and coffee before heading out into the countryside of Flanders where you’ll feel the presence of past champions as you ride such mythical climbs as the Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, and the Koppenberg!” Little did they know that Johan Museeuw, the “Lion of Flanders” and a three-time champion of both Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders, would be leading the ride and joining us for the entire day!

I had been wanting to work with Johan for a number of years but it never came together for various reasons. However, when the pieces fell into place this year, I wanted to keep it a secret and watch our guest’s faces when he walked into our hotel in Oudenaarde to introduce himself. When the morning of April 6th arrived, it was raining outside in true Flandrien style but Johan appeared in good spirits, having ridden over from his home nearby with Angela, his business manager, ready to meet the group over a cup of coffee before heading out.

When the clients arrived in the lobby, they were completely surprised at who was waiting for them! The looks on their faces was worth all the effort to keep it a secret! What followed was a warm 40-minute discussion over coffee about his career, the Classics, World Championships, Lance, the Mapei Team, and his generation. Afterwards, Johan lead the group on a two-hour ride into the Flemish Ardennes on some of the most beautiful roads I’ve ever seen. It rained the entire time but, oddly enough, it made the ride even more epic and memorable.

That afternoon, following lunch, we enjoyed a private tour with Johan through the Tour of Flanders Museum, learning more about what happened behind the scenes in Belgium’s biggest one-day race and professional cycling in general. When our day with Johan was over, it was one of the most memorable days that any of us had ever experienced on the bike; one that we would never forget. Thank you again Johan for sharing your story and the roads of Flanders with us. It truly was legendary in every sense of the word!