Cycling is a huge passion in Belgium, so it's hardly surprising that the second-largest cycling trade fair in Europe, according to Wikipedia, takes place in Kortrijk, a city of 80,000 inhabitants. We in Düsseldorf can do a little happy dance every year thanks to Cyclingworld; the development of our local fair has caused a stir across Europe in recent years. And that's a fair statement, without any local pride. For us at Mütze, the window of time we have for browsing the fair, away from our stand and our rides, is so small that a visit to our neighbors makes perfect sense. And Belgium is always worth a trip for Mütze.

The Velofollies trade fair's excellent reputation had already put it on our agenda for the past three years. This year, Kerstin and I finally made it official, traveled to West Flanders near the French border, and thoroughly enjoyed spending two days dedicated to cycling. Founded in 2007, the fair's location and its connection to the sport are evident: road bikes, gravel bikes, and mountain bikes are widely represented, while e-bikes, cargo bikes, folding bikes, and urban solutions are present, though not adequately represented to reflect their market share. The exhibitor list is largely similar to that of Cyclingworld, supplemented by local manufacturers and wholesalers.

Velofollies sometimes feels a bit more traditional than Cyclingworld, which, for various reasons, gives a more modern impression. Without resorting to stereotypes and keeping my own age firmly in mind, I do get the feeling that the average age at Cyclingworld is lower and the proportion of women is higher. Velofollies differs significantly from Cyclingworld in at least one respect: test rides. In mid-January, even in Belgium, sunshine isn't guaranteed, so there was a small indoor area with test e-bikes. Anyone wanting a sporty ride, for example, was perfectly catered for at the Hunt Early Bird Ride, where, in addition to Alex from Hunt, friends like John from Albion and Jon from twotoneams, as well as the Cyclezirkus team, were also present.

While for us, cycling trade shows ten years ago were akin to a visit to a candy store, complete with all the ups and downs, the surprises have diminished somewhat in recent years, though our enthusiasm hasn't waned. We're trade show fans and still thrilled by the opportunity to see and touch the latest products in person. Often, a trade show visit is the origin of our product range, and the compliments we receive from our customers on-site about the quality of our in-store selection are always a testament to our efforts to find meaningful additions to our existing offerings. Of course, we don't want to overlook the social aspect of a trade show; the conversations on-site are important and enjoyable, and we're delighted that the industry is blessed with so many positive people.

This applies especially to the brands we already work with. Many of our partners had a booth there, and brands like Cicli Barco, Hunt, Ahooga, Cyclite, Schwalbe, Lake, Fizik, and Orbea were also enthusiastic exhibitors at Velofollies. Six hundred brands were represented in the six halls, and there were delicious warm Belgian waffles and excellent coffee from Il Magistrale. Bas was incredibly busy; it felt like he was personally preparing his "black gold" at almost half the booths.

The importance of cycling and cyclists in Flanders was clearly evident around the talk stage: while in Germany such areas are never truly full despite creative and informative discussions and presentations, in Belgium every youth team can expect a large and knowledgeable audience for their introductions. In the land of Lotte Kopecky and Wout van Aert, no one wants to miss the chance to catch a glimpse of tomorrow's stars; technical discussions interest not only specialists but also ordinary cyclists.

Wyatt from the blog The Business of Cycling sees Velofollies in his article as a trade fair with a business focus, which isn't entirely far-fetched. The traditional orientation certainly plays a role here, although it can't be said that there weren't any booths that embraced the "size matters" concept. And in parts of the cycling industry, it still seems as if you have to unveil new technical superlatives every week to gain market attention; emotional components often get neglected, especially by major brands. Often, it was the little things at small booths that caught our attention, but that's precisely our focus. After all, we see ourselves as a shop for special things, and you can probably guess that these rarely fall into the mainstream.

Otherwise, you can find a good overview of the Velofollies products from Jan Gathmann on the Rennrad-News website; we'll just put the link here.

I hope everyone enjoys the gallery of Kerstin's trade fair photos below, which, as always, offer a unique perspective on the Velofollies, the bikes, the accessories, and the exhibitors and visitors. Now we're all rolling towards Cyclingworld from March 20th to 22nd.