The miracle of St Bernadus

My legs had been hurting on the ride from Gent to Bruges, so I wasn’t looking forward to 72km of pain on today’s ride to Watou.

But when I woke up all the aches and pains had vanished. Could it be the restorative powers of Trappist beer at work?

Not only had the pain gone, but for once the wind was behind me, so the cycling was fast and enjoyable and I made good time to Watou.

Nestling just by the border with France, Watou is the home of the St Bernadus Brouwerij, where I would be spending the night in their guest house.

Punctures usually occur in the least convenient of places, but when I noticed my rear tyre deflating I was just 200m from the brewery.

It was a miracle that enabled me to check in and make use of the help yourself ‘loyalty fridge’ packed full of St Bernadus beers before setting to work changing the tube.

I thought I might be on for a puncture free trip, but if you’ve got to mend a puncture then this is definitely the way to do it.