CQ cyclists visit battle sites and sample Belgian beer
Rockhampton pilgrims to visit the battlefields and cemeteries of Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge, Fromelles, Pozieres, Villers-Bretonneux and Hamel.
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A PELETON of cyclists will leave Rockhampton this week for the winding, cobbled roads of the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix races.
Wearing their custom jerseys, featuring the Belgian and French flags, the Flanders poppy and Australia's southern cross flag, eight riders from Central Queensland will brave evenings of moules frites (mussels and fries), wine, beer and fine chocolate.
Three of their group, the 'Rangers', met with The Morning Bulletin following their weekly road trip to talk about watching the two major 'Cobbled classics', which form part of the UCI World Tour.
Andrew Brown, John Phelan and Marcus Taylor are keen cyclists who have travelled around Australia and overseas to watch the professional races.
To date, the largest group they have mustered was half a dozen mates to go to the Tour Down Under in Adelaide.
But a year ago one of their cycling buddies, Tom Moore, questioned how they would go about organising a tour not only to see the European road races but also to honour Australians who served on the Western Front.
The pilgrimage, which will take them to places such as Chateau Bertangles, headquarters to the Australian Corps, has special significance for those riders whose forefathers fought in World War I.
Andrew Brown's grandfather, Douglas Graham Brown, was with the engineering corps when he was wounded near Pozieres during the Battle of the Somme and subsequently had his leg amputated.
On returning to Australia, Douglas Brown raised his family in Sydney; his son, Graham Vibert, also joined the engineering corps and was bombed in Darwin during World War II.
In turn, Andrew Brown is principal engineer at CQG Consulting while his son Reegan undertakes a graduate engineering program at Blackwater and his daughter Lucy is also starting engineering studies.
"We've managed to research the location of the trench where my grandfather was wounded in 1916,” Mr Brown said.
"Another of our group is keen to track her grandfather's movements as a driver for artillery ammunition.”
The group will drive three hours from Charles de Gaulle airport to their base in Ypres, Belgium from where they will ride out between 70 and 120km per day.
They will visit the battlefields and cemeteries of significant Australian actions such as Menin Road, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge, Fromelles, Pozieres, Villers-Bretonneux and Hamel.
They will also take the opportunity to visit the site of the 15th century Battle of Agincourt and the 19th century Battle of Waterloo.
John Phelan spent thirty years in the army reserves where he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
He said the most significant aspect of visiting historic battle sites was the involvement of the local people.
"The French people say, 'this place where your grandfathers died is part of Australia too',” he said.
"It's quite humbling.”
Mr Taylor said the trip was an opportunity for the eight Rockhampton riders (plus his brother, a 'ring in' from the Gold Coast) to build on their friendship.
"Riding out every week isn't just about physical fitness and social activity,” he said.
"It's also a good way to look after our mental health, and to look after each other.”
Originally published as CQ cyclists visit battle sites and sample Belgian beer
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