English GB AHEAD. The Belgians are mad about cycling. This small country has produced some of the biggest cycling legends and famous spring classics, as well as the ‚Belgian tourniquet‘. During the Tour of Flanders, the whole nation shares in the excitement as the riders battle it out over the wet and slippery pavé. One such fan is Geert Van de Meulebroecke, mechanic for the Belgian Pro Continental Team Wanty-Groupe Gobert. Geert caught the cycling bug as a young boy.
Geert lives for cycling. 365 days a year. As a young boy, he would visit the races with his family. After all, cycling is the national sport of Belgium. But Geert was always a spectator, never a racer himself. Too dangerous, his parents would say. Today, he is the go-to man for the Wanty-Groupe Gobert team‘s pro riders at the Tour de France. He looks after the bikes so that the racers can give 100% – every single stage. The devil is in the details. They make the difference between winning and losing. Geert is a perfectionist through and through: Tweaking and improving things is his passion. And he loves his job more than anything.
He is the lord of the bikes. Geert‘s box of tricks contains all the tools he needs to fix a grinding chain, choppy shifting or change the rider‘s position. Enabling the riders to become one with their bikes is Geert‘s top priority. And when they come to thank him personally after winning a race, those are the moments he enjoys the most.
At the Tour de France, each bike must be set up precisely to cope with the particular demands of the stage ahead and the role of the rider. Geert‘s job calls for a great instinct for people‘s needs and for technology. He is passionate about his work and couldn‘t imagine doing anything else.
