Will you go and watch the Tour stage 1 this year Armel? Commemorating the GoaT 50th anniversary of his first Tour win, starting in Brussels. I imagine it will be hard to avoid around that time in Belgium.
Merckx was from Brussels itself so wouldn't be considered Flandrian or Wallonian in particular?
Yes I will be going, will be fun.
The bold part is a touchy subject I wouldn't touch that irl if I were you.
Merckx is Flemish originally, although he purely identifies as a Belgian. Below a Merckx quote and you must remember the language frontiers etc were all quite different when he was growing up. There was also the Frenchification of Brussels etc... Originally quite a Flemish town but it Frenchified for all sorts of reasons. Still a very touchy subject amongst Flemish, not only nationalists. It's especially an issue for the towns around Brussels (the Flemish belt). You still have yearly manifestations etc (mostly in the form of a cycling ride), you still can get (serious) legal problems when using the wrong language in a public function (e.g: a debate in a legal council), or sending around official communications etc...
The language laws are quite complicated (and a goldmine for lawyers). Like the municipalities with language facilities, where there is a possibility to use the other language but you have to officially file a request etc. Also the reason why Flanders refuses to ratify the minority treaty. It's no laughing matter, people still take it serious. It all stems from (passed) oppression but it still has an impact on a lot of people today (well tbf it was serious; e.g: for a long time all legal proceedings were in French, and if you only speak Flemish that's quite an issue since you can't defend yourself). A contemporary example; take my father (and quite a few of his generation), he's fluent in French, he will refuse to use the language depending on the linguistical area he's in. Foreigners are exempted off course; if you're genuinely French (you can hear that), he'll speak French, but not to a Walloon (unless he's in such an area). It's different for my generation, I'm fluent in French, I honestly don't care about utilising French. Pff it's different nowadays also, they at least try to speak Flemish. I got bigger fish to fry.
Today's reality (and for quite some time tbh) is that a lot of French speaking people (In Brussels and areas around the border) send their kids to Flemish schools (they are among the best in Europe, the schools of the French community are just horrible - if possible because Flemish children have priority, an added bonus you get more money if you send your children to Flemish schools since child benefits related to education are a regionalized competence and they pay out more). The power has since long shifted, but the Flemish part still acts a bit as an aggrieved minority (simplification: reality isn't as simple).
The Merkcx' quote:
"Ik mag dan al een Vlaming van oorsprong zijn, ik heb school gelopen in het Frans. En dat was een verrijking. Toen men mij destijds na een wedstrijd vroeg of ik Vlaming of Waal was, antwoordde ik altijd Ik ben een echte Belg. En zo voel ik het nog altijd aan."
Translation: "I might be Flemish originally. I've done my school in French. And that was an enrichment. When, at the time, they asked after a race if I was Flemish or a Walloon, I always responded with I'm a real Belgian. And it still feels that way today."
It's that way for a lot of our athletes tbf; you have no explicit Flemish or Walloon athletes. That's about the thing we agree about the most. Like Gilbert, added bonus is that his Flemish is perfect. Or Thiam, Hazard ... Identity is also becoming increasingly difficult nowadays. Even for simple players like De Bruyne; yes he's from Gent so Flemish (and his French is horrible) but his mum was born in Burundi and she lived in Easling for quite a time and has English family etc... Same with van Aert. His father is a Dutchman (hence the little v; if it was a Flemish surname it would have been Van Aert - now it's van Aert). Courtois (Flemish mother, Walloon Father). Carrasco (Spanish mum; Portuguese father). I could go on really...
Oh and you also have the confusing cases, like Brel (one of my favourite artists), he identified as a French speaking Flemish person (as was his family) even though he was relatively progressive for the time since he learned the language starting age 12 (in that time the bourgeoisie didn't speak Flemish/for all sorts of reasons really it was seen as beneath them etc... - you still have a few of them left but they are a dying breed). Always funny; when there's one of them in front of you at the baker's and she goes "Il fait beau aujourd'hui" in just about the worst possible accent; usually very old, so you know she can speak Flemish but just refuses to.
Not necessarily only athletes, while we're at it, the most popular politician in Flanders is Charles Michel (a Walloon liberal and the PM). That's one of the mistakes a lot of the foreign correspondents make. Take that Boffey fellow from the Guardian, he honestly isn't very good at what he does - very frustrating to read. Most people don't vote for NVA because they want Flemish independence, you would easily lose that referendum (they've toned that down btw recently- they realized it wasn't helping them now they are going for confederacy but irl that will not be the case- almost election time), they vote for them because they have a relatively right-wing economic agenda and they are currently the best way to keep the Walloon PS in line. I don't vote for them btw.
Pre-road the course then sat in the car listening to us getting beat by City whilst the earlier races went round, felt like an act of will to get out in race kit and line up. Of course once the whistle goes it's fine and you don't notice the weather as much.
