This weekend, 10,000 scouts will gather in Bois de la Cambre in Brussels for a 24-hour bike event called 24 Hours of Cycling.
The event hasn’t taken place in the last two years as a result of the pandemic, La Dernière Heure reports, apart from one instance of a virtual edition.
Now the event is returning under the theme "A Thousand and One Nights," not least because it’s been 1,091 nights since their last visit to the park.
The 36th edition will welcome 10,000 young people aged 8 to 25 from all over Belgium, France and London.
Reunited after two years
“We are really happy to be back together after two years,” said Zoé Thibault, spokesperson for the event, setup for which began on Friday morning around 05:45.
During 24 hours, each team (between 10 and 70 people) will have to cover an asphalt cycling circuit that goes around the lake as many times as possible.
“In total, all the participants will cover almost 100,000 kilometres, i.e. 2.5 times around the planet,” said the organisation.
Three winners will be chosen: one for the “scout speed” bike (boys), the “guide speed” bike (girls) and the “folk speed” bike for bike floats.
A fair play prize and a technical achievement prize will also be awarded, along with a prize for the most beautiful folk float.
Traffic disruptions due to the event
From 20:00 on Friday evening, traffic on the Avenue de Boitsfort-Avenue du Brésil section (South loop) will be closed.
The Hulpe and Waterloo roads are likely to be very congested, organisers warn.
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Bus 41 will take its weekend route from Friday 25 March at 10:00. Departures are postponed because of the time change.
The Bois de la Cambre site will remain open to walkers and visitors, but crossing the track is forbidden during the race. Footbridges and secure passages are provided for this purpose.
