Circuit Antoine Schmit

For classic bike enthusiasts, the small town of Gedinne in Namur province is Wallonia’s somewhat scaled-down version of the Isle of Man TT. Competitive biking has been staged there since 1947. The 5.06km circuit follows bumpy, narrow, twisting and hilly country lanes, lined with barbed wire fences. The longest straight on the circuit is barely 200 metres. Health and Safety inspectors are notable by their absence.

Gedinne’s annual highlight is the Belgian Classic T, restricted to pre-1972 classic bikes. The event, run by volunteers from the Belgian Classic Racing Motorcycle Club, has been described as the very heart and soul of motorsport. ‘Compared with the Isle of Man,’ wrote one competitor, ‘the meeting belongs not so much to a different age but to a different galaxy.’