Austin King’s Chronicles From Across the Pond

Well it looks like I’m going to be a Belgian television star. With competition like Jean- Claude Van Damme, it shouldn’t be too incredibly tough. A Belgian television channel VRT, has decided to make the Cycling Center the focus of their week long reality mini-series. The shows called Man Bijt Hond (Man Bite Dog). Yeah I don’t get it either, but apparently it makes sense. The two girls in charge made myself and new guy Bart the “main characters”. Basically they follow the two of us around and film our training, trips around town, Dutch lessons and all the other things we do. Some of it is staged a bit and some of it is real. A few days ago I followed their car and with the rear hatch open, they asked me questions. Afterward, the guys and I mistakenly joked about a group hug. After almost 10 minutes of trying to explain it was a joke, we gave in, and at their insistence had a group hug in the middle of the street. They filmed it and I hope to God it never makes it to air or we’ll never be feared by these Belgians. Group hugs in spandex are about as masculine as a french horn. They also followed us to the Muur for a training ride. After filming the guys riding up the Muur, we trained a bit in the hills and then rode north to the windy flat roads we call home. There are a few more days of filming before the tapes are edited and the final product hits it’s prime time television slot. The girls say that I’ll get noticed around Belgium because Man Bijt Hond is a very popular show with many viewers. I was starting to think this may be the perfect opportunity to find me a cute little Belgian girl. Hell, perhaps even Miss Belgium herself. Then they decided to film my pale half naked body getting a massage and I quickly realized my chances had slipped away.

Categories: Austin King's Chronicles From Across The Pond.