Crédits
On 6 June,
a regiment of bikers from Belgium, France and Jersey landed in Nazareth…
You might say: 6 June, landed, Nazareth… that’s it, B52’s had a bit too much to drink!!
First of all, I don’t drink, I savour!
This short story is here to remind you of the tremendous success of our very first Intrachapter, which took place on 6, 7 and 8 June 2025 in Nazareth, at the beautiful Van der Valk hotel, where I was lucky enough to have a room, shower and bed suited to my modest self!
Our friends James and Catherine worked for weeks, days and evenings to organise this first gathering as perfectly as possible!
Private parking, excellent accommodation, a fantastic atmosphere, and sunshine included!
Everything was in place to make the first Intrachapter of our young Rushless Chapter Belgium a success!
Clearly, everyone present was happy to meet again, happy to share these all-too-rare moments when this big, wonderful family comes together in one place!
Drinks, reunions, new encounters… some friendships were formed that very evening. James and Catherine had the excellent idea of giving each attendee a “name card” showing our first and last names!
Much easier to know who’s who!
A warm atmosphere, great overall mood, natural friendliness and refreshing drinks… and everything clicked immediately!
James surprised us by bringing along Remko, a bluesman and fan of Robert Johnson, the father of Mississippi blues!
I truly enjoyed explaining to many participants the story of Robert Johnson, the background of his songs and his unique fate, as I am also a big blues fan myself!
Back to the hall, a speech by Jeff and the presentation of a gift voucher to our G.O.s Papou and Catherine as a thank you for their organisational efforts, and of course thanks to our generous sponsors, Timo & Gus from American Lifestyle, our great dealer in Zwijndrecht and Ghent.
Ride to our dealer in Zwijndrecht, filtering through traffic – as traffic density in Flanders makes riding quite a challenge – but discovering this mega dealership amazed many participants… then back to the hotel via quieter roads, where I of course got a flat tyre!
A big party at the hotel with our favourite host, the incredible Laetitia, who once again managed to fire everyone up… especially Papou!
A rough morning for some… and off we went again along the canals of the Port of Ghent, crossing the border into the land of windmills, where we enjoyed a nice break watching ships enter the estuary.
Back to the Papou area for a lovely tasting session in a… distillery… interesting and refreshing indeed!
Back to the hotel for our final night of celebration…
On Sunday morning, we realise that the family gathering is coming to an end…
We are all aware that we have reached a new milestone with this extended family…
Some of us met again a few kilometres from the hotel for a great brunch at Mr and Mrs Papou’s…
And then… time for goodbyes, big hugs and a touch of nostalgia… roll on 2026 for our second Intrachapter!
Long live Rushless Chapter Belgium