Belgians in Cleveland

2022

Fun with Maps - Tour de France

The peloton is particularly intriguing with the large group of riders mere inches from each other and the individual and team strategies for drafting and more. He also learned about the significance of not just the yellow jersey but the green, white and polka dot jerseys. The 2022 Tour de France (going on right now) began on July 1 with the Grand Départ in Denmark, the 10th country to host a start. With about 5.8 million people in Denmark about 9 out of 10 Danes own a bicycle and there are about 12,000km of bike routes across the country. There are 673,000 bikes just in the capital city of Copenhagen which has been named the world's best cycling city.

In this video Dan touches on the history of the race and some of the countries it has passed through. He is looking forward to the final stage in Paris on July 24 as the cyclists ride down the Champs-Élysées.

Tell us about the music, food, holidays, traditions, costumes, language and other qualities that make Belgians so special.

Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830 (1834) by Egide Charles Gustave Wappers in the Ancient Art Museum, Brussels

Cartographer Gerardus Mercator

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Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830; it was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II.

The country prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU.

Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy.

(facts courtesy of CIA World Fact Book)

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