Kermesse Racing

Town-centre circuit races are at the heart of Belgian cycling culture.

- Giles Belbin

The Historical Dictionary of Cycling rather drily defines kermesse racing as: “European mass start circuit races often held in town centres.” The American former pro rider Joe Parkin, meanwhile, takes a slightly different definition. In his book, A Dog in a Hat, which looks back on his career in Europe in the late 1980s, Parkin simply writes, “If the Grand Tours are like classical music, kermesse racing is punk rock, Belgian style.”