The best traffic-free bike rides in Plaines De L'Escaut Natural Park

Cathedral on the market square Tournai

This is where the Paris Roubaix racers enters into the Velodrome.

Fun to see names of so many winners

Free entrance, and you can ride, run on it. Don't come too late in the evening/night though as the area may not be always safe. It is OK during the day.

The church is located at the end of the Grote Markt and undoubtedly has its origins in the large Gallo-Roman cemetery that stretched over the site of the Grote Markt and an adjacent district. The nave dates from the end of the 12th century. Two round chapels, one of which houses the tomb of Jacques Castaigne (1327), are housed in the corners formed by the nave and the transept. The transept and the choir, with their ribbed vaults, belong to the transition between the Romanesque and Gothic periods. The central tower also dates from the 13th century. It is decorated inside with a double triforium. The choir, surrounded by a 17th-century marble enclosure, was surrounded in 1464 by an ambulatory and several chapels. At the ends of the nave, you can admire two statues forming the so-called Annunciation group, namely the Virgin and the Archangel Gabriel. The statues were made by Jean Delemer, a sculptor from Tournai. They are made of white stone from Avesnes and the original polychromy is attributed to Robert Campin. The organ with 36 registers was made by Georges Delmotte in 1986. Source: openchurches.eu

The belfry of Tournai is the oldest in Belgium (12th century). The building, which is part of the UNESCO World Heritage, is 72 metres high and dominates the Grand-Place. During the ascent of the tower with its 257 steps, one discovers various didactic exhibitions, the prison, the carillonneur's room and finally the bells which ring every Sunday during the summer (around 3:30 PM). The belfry of Tournai, built in 1192, symbolises municipal freedoms. Its bell (the “Bancloque”) was used to warn the population of trials, executions, invasions, fires, etc. The belfry served as a watchtower, prison, bell tower and town hall. You have access to the first terrace, which offers a breathtaking view of Tournai and its surroundings. source: visitwapi.be

The velodrome is officially called "Vélodrome André Pétrieux". The velodrome is named after a sports official working for the city of Roubaix. His father ran a café on the corner of Jules-Guesde Street and Lannoy Street, Chez Pétrieux. He was one of the founders in 1966 of the Vélo-Club Roubaisien, later the Vélo-Club de Roubaix Lille Métropole, an association with a development program for young cyclists, and since 2007 also a professional cycling team, Roubaix Lille Métropole. The velodrome has honored both cycling enthusiasts with his name since the spring of 2000 and before the start of Paris-Roubaix 2000. Source: Wikipedia

This velodrome isn't the first in Roubaix. In 1895, a Roubaix velodrome was built in the municipality of Croix. The track was built at the initiative of Théo Vienne and Maurice Pérez. This velodrome already served as the finish line for Paris-Roubaix, specifically for the first 19 editions until 1914, as Vienne was one of the race's initiators and organizers. The track's wood didn't survive the raids for firewood during the First World War. The entire circuit was demolished in 1924. ...so, in 1936, the current track was built in the Parc des Sports in the eastern part of Roubaix. It's a concrete velodrome with a length of 499.75 meters. Starting with the 1943 edition, the tradition that had prevailed until 1914 was revived, and Paris-Roubaix once again finished at a velodrome. Only from 1986 to 1988 were there any editions where the classic didn't reach its finale here. The velodrome also hosted the French National Track Cycling Championships in 1966 and 1971. Between 2006 and 2012, it also hosted an annual cyclocross race, the Grand Prix Lille Métropole, which was a stage of the Cyclocross World Cup in the 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2012-2013 seasons. In addition to the outdoor track, the indoor track, Vélodrome Jean Stablinski, opened in 2012. Source: Wikipedia