Auteur: Con

What started as an experiment last year will lead to a sequel this year on Saturday December 17th. Apparently we, Gert-Jan and Mick, as organizers managed to create something nice at the time, because there will be another one. Thanks for the enthusiastic sounds last year!

But how do you follow up on such a night ride? We asked ourselves that question. And we found the answer in expanding the team. Jeroen turned out to be a perfect addition with his knowledge and experience.

Because, gentlemen, as you know: a night ride challenges you! We are going one step further from last year. This time the ride requires an (even) greater involvement from the navigator. Communication between navigator and driver is of great importance, but perhaps even more important is the intelligence of the navigator. So choose him wisely…. (By the way, we don’t want to cause any awkward situations within a marriage here….).

Start

We start in the centre region of the Netherlands and expect you at a restaurant in Soest at 2:30 PM.

If you don’t come alone, but you want to come with your dog, it is of course also very welcome.

While enjoying a snack, Jeroen will give you a brief explanation about the different ways of route description. You should actually use some of these on this ride.

Verder lezen Night Fever, the sequel! Premiere on December 17th

On Sunday November 27th Ton and Piet will take us from Bocholt to the Lower Rhine region. The ‘Weihnachtsmarkten’ (Christmas markets) start here at the end of November (and they have all gone right after Christmas). We will visit two or three.

We will also visit two castles, with unique collections of modern art and art from the past. There is a lot of ‘go as you please’ at this event.

It will be crowded everywhere. No routes have been worked out so driving from place to place is done just using your own satnavs.

You can choose to come on Friday or on Saturday. You can also go home on Saturday or stay until Sunday. If you go home on Saturday, you have to book your hotel in Bocholt yourself. However, we have reserved 26 double rooms (€79 per night) and 8 single rooms (€64 per night) at this hotel until November 1st.

The hotel for the overnight stay and how to book will be in the separate email sent to members.

Breakfast is always € 10 and there is plenty of free parking space. If you leave booking late, there is a (more expensive) alternative which can also be found in the members’ email. (You can still have breakfast with the others at the other hotel). Bocholt is one of the nicest places in the Lower Rhine region and is a 60 kms drive from Arnhem or 70 kms from Nijmegen or Boxmeer.

Verder lezen CHRISTMAS MARKETS, CASTLES AND ART

On Sunday September 25, Joris will take us to Belgium again for a ride of about 83 kilometers.

We are going to take a ride through the gently rolling hills of Pajottenland and the Flemish Ardennes, crossing the language border several times to our French-speaking compatriots in Hainaut.

Language border

The language border is an imaginary line between the Dutch-speaking community and the French-speaking community. It runs from the French border in the West, right through Belgium, to the German border in the East. It was instituted in 1962/1963, after much political turmoil, and enacted into law after 10-year “language counts”. In addition, the language of a community sometimes simply changed according to preference: in 1940 the city of Enghien (which we will also pass) still had 51% Flemings in 1940 and 11% in 1947. A choice that mainly had to do with collaboration or resistance during the Second World War.

Verder lezen LANGUAGE BORDER RIDE BELGIUM

The first joint ride with the guys from Queerlenker (DE), Motorboys (DE) and GCCC will take place on the last weekend of October – just before Halloween.

We will stay at a hotel in Bad Bentheim. The hotel has a special package deal for us, consisting of overnight stay, breakfast, extensive evening buffet, free drinks (beer, house wine and soft drinks) between 5 pm and 8 pm, free use of the wellness area and free parking.

Arrival is on Friday 28 October in the late afternoon with a welcome speech and a small speech at 6 pm, dinner at 7 pm.

Afterwards there is an optional evening walk through historic Bad Bentheim.

Saturday

On Saturday 29 October a tour is planned through picturesque Münsterland with its historic towns and beautiful moated castles. Our destination is the Hoeing old-timer museum in Stadtlohn, which houses many unknown Audi vehicles, including special car bodies by the likes of Treser, Picasso and Crayford. In addition to the Audi vehicles in real size, the museum, with more than 35,000 models, shows not only the history of Siku, but also that of Auto Union, DKW, Horch, Wanderer and last but not least Audi in miniature. Wearing a facemask is required for the museum, so don’t forget to take one with you!!!

We spend the evening together at our hotel in Bad Bentheim.

Verder lezen FROM OLDIE TO AUDI

It’s always nice when you can take a ride in another part of the Netherlands. Every time you think “oh I’ve seen it all”, but this time you will still see things that you probably haven’t seen before. During this ride on Sunday 28 August you will see a lot of beautiful outdoors such as various forests, rivers and streams, but also a number of nice picnic areas and cafes or restaurants where you can enjoy yourself on the terrace. In North Brabant everything is just a bit more Burgundian and the roads are really longer.

Start and finish

The ride starts in the middle of Oosterhout in North Brabant where we will start at 12.00 with coffee/tea and a Brabant sausage roll. We will leave and we end the day at this location.

Where will we go?

From Oosterhout we will go to Gilze-Rijen, where we’ll drive past Gilze-Rijen Air Base. We go From Gilze-Rijen we’ll head for the direction of Breda along nice villages around that city, such as Bavel, Ulvenhout, Teteringen, Langeweg, Dorst and Terheijden. We cross a highway several times via bridges and tunnels, but this ride is completely free of motorways.

Verder lezen Brabant roads are long

After a fantastic Eurotour Holland in beautiful North Holland, we will ride our traditional, legendary and very cozy Picnic Ride again on 17 July.

A great opportunity for our new members to get acquainted with GCCC. We’d say: why not come too?

We are very happy that this year yet again we can end up in the meadows of our hosts. Thank you for that!

Since this year it’s the British Queen’s Jubilee, we want to end this ride with a Picnic in style. Unpack your trunk in style and enjoy the most delicious quiches or scones, either home-baked or not,and much more. And toast together!

Decorations should, of course, not be missing. There will be a prize for the most beautiful, original picnic ensemble, so do your best. An extremely professional jury will judge the lot.
A special area at the site will also be set up for the most special classic cars of the day. And to keep the long-standing tradition fresh, this time we’re adding a Picnic Bingo with a shower of prizes.

So, enough entertainment for those who like that sort of thing. For members who have never been to the farm, we would like to point out that in bad weather we can sit inside the stables. So possible bad weather will be no problem at all……

Verder lezen Picnic Ride: Touring between cows and water

On May 17th, our beloved association will be 30 years old!

And we as a board cannot just let that pass by, even more so: we just step on the brakes to dwell on this.

How do we do that? By doing what we are good at on Saturday 21 May (= organizing a ride to explore a beautiful part of the Netherlands with our old and young timers) and then expanding this with a party. Yes, you read that correctly: a real party to mark this milestone! In our humble opinion, we have chosen a beautiful location for this, right in the heart of Gelderland. We have reserved an entire wing of the restaurant there, together with the conservatory and a terrace, so we hope for good weather to make this anniversary a blast.

Verder lezen GCCC Jubilee 30 Years

Finally we can do it again! On Sunday 24 April, Bart and Arnold will take us to the area between Zeeland, West Brabant and Flanders, also known as the “Brabantse Wal”. An area where nature, monuments and culture are intertwined. For those to whom this doesn’t mean anything: today we are driving in the Bergen op Zoom region.

Where?

We start at a restaurant in Hoogerheide, where we will meet from 12:00 pm for a reception with coffee or tea and some sweets, to start the day well.

This day we will drive a bit through Zeeland, across to the municipality of Reimerswaal, where we will stop at what you can actually call THE specialist in the field of rotary engine technology: RX Garage / Hoebeke Auto’s.

Verder lezen Zeeland (and a bit more) Ride

After just being able to hold the 2020 AGM on location, and having to postpone the physical 2021 AGM with it eventually becoming an online AGM, it’s finally time again for a proper one this year!

Where and when?

On Sunday 27 March 12.30 pm the AGM will be held on location again. The exact address will be sent to you by email.  Entry is from 12 noon.

At this general members’ meeting we look back at the events of the past year and provide insight into the ins and outs of our club. In addition, there will be a glimpse of the national and international events of 2022.

Of course, the board also gives a look at the financial situation of the club and an explanation of the expenses and income. In addition, the budget for 2022 will be presented. Of course, the members present have a vote in determining the budget and the contribution for 2023.

Voting

As a member and as a partner member of the GCCC-Benelux you are of course welcome and you can vote. However, this general members’ meeting is not open to guests.

Voting by proxy

If you want to vote, but are unfortunately unable to attend the AGM, you can give a proxy. You can submit your proxy by e-mail, which clearly states to which (partner) member you are giving your proxy to vote for you. Proxies can also be handed over to the secretary or the chairman prior to this meeting. This power of attorney must then be signed.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome, provided they are on a leash and do not cause a nuisance.

This first GCCC activity of the year will take place on Saturday 12 March between 13.00 and 15.00.

As an experiment, Wilfried and Thom are organizing their first GCCC Cars & Coffee. The idea behind this is to be able to meet each other completely Corona proof at a meeting that is simple in design and only takes up part of a day. It is mainly focused on the social aspect with a lot of room for personal initiative. After our hibernation we can meet again. We can have a nice chat and go a little deeper into the ins and outs of our vehicles, without making an extra 100 kms. So it’s about having fun and admiring each other’s cars.

You can decide for yourself what the route to and from the C&C location will be, how long you!ll stay and with whom you’ll want to drive there. You can also take friends who are not members. For this first time, we have chosen an easily accessible location in the middle of the country. For enthusiasts, there is also plenty to discover in the area before or after. We also opted for Saturday for the first time because it is a lot quieter and there are fewer cyclists than on Sundays.

So:

1. Reserve the time and date in your calendar.
2. Registration is not necessary. If you have not received an announcement email and would like more information, please send an email.
3. Pack your picnic basket and don’t forget a thermos with coffee.
4. Do the daily inspection and hit the road.

Dogs

Dogs are welcome, provided they are trained and on a leash.

Disclaimer

GCCC can never be held responsible for any damage whatsoever as a result of participating in this event. Participation is  at your own risk and expense. During this event photos and videos will be made.  If you don’t want to be in these, it is your own responsibility to ask the photographers/film makers to refrain from making images of you. In general these photos/films will be published on personal Facebook or Instagram

We, Daniel and Mark, try to honour and continue the wonderful tradition of the biennial Christmas Crib Ride, created by Con and Koos, on Sunday 19th December. Most Christmas cribs, visualising the nativity scene usually with lifesize figures and often live animals, can be found in the Southern part of The Netherlands and Flanders and that will probably remain so, so everyone will again descend to the Southern parts.

Due to the corona restriction measures, we have not planned a dinner this time, but a lunch. Arrival and registration are therefore followed by a joint lunch.

Lunch consists of:

Mushroom soup or vegetable soup (vegetarian), a chicken sandwich and a salmon sandwich. Of course you can also opt for two chicken sandwiches or two salmon sandwiches. If you want a vegetarian sandwich, you can of course also indicate this with dietary wishes.

There will be a contest, but it will not be about the nativity scenes. These forms will be handed in during lunch or reception and the prizes awarded to the winners when they report to the ‘oliebollen’ (deep fried doughnut balls) moment.

The ride will lead us through Moergestel. Moergestel is traditionally known for the shoe industry, the well-known brand Van Bommel is still present here today.

From Moergestel we continue south to Diessen. We continue on the road to Hilvarenbeek, known for the Beekse Bergen, but we are not going there this time. At De Vrijthof (not to be confused with Het Vrijthof in Maastricht), there is plenty of catering, so plenty of opportunity for refreshments and a  sanitary stop.

Verder lezen Christmas Crib Ride

There are some fairly obvious explanations for “night fever” – the tendency for fever symptoms to be magnified during the evening hours. First, it’s normal for body temperature to creep up at night, adding proverbial fuel to the fire.

Or ‘night fever’ in good Dutch… two words, with which the Bee Gees managed to score a big hit. You can undoubtedly sing along easily:

Listen to the ground

There is movement all around

There’s something goin’ down

And I can feel it Verder lezen Night Fever Ride

Come out of your crib, room or closet on Sunday October 10th for a super relaxed, festive ride in honour of Coming Out Day!

Coming Out Day, 75 years COC Netherlands and 50 years COC Nijmegen Region

Coming Out Day has existed since October 11th, 1988 and is an annual day that pays attention to the moment when a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender openly reveals their sexual orientation or gender identity. Following a massive protest march by Washington against a homophobic ruling by the US Federal Supreme Court, October 11th became the annual global day on which we are extra visible.

Because the Nijmegen COC will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and the national COC even its 75th, the Coming Out Day Weeks will be organized in the Nijmegen region from September 30 to October 17, full of sports, culture, discussions and parties. Also check out the COC Nijmegen website if you don’t just want to participate in our ride, but are curious about more!

Reason enough for the Gay Classic Car Club Benelux to contribute socially and to organise a wonderful exuberant tour in the region with you. For example, in collaboration with the Nijmegen COC, we let our cars “shine” during a Gay-Filé!

So dress yourself and your car in rainbow colours or make it cheerful in some other way! Of course we also have an item for on or in your classic car.

Verder lezen Coming Out Day Ride

On Sunday 12 September, our GCCC members Marchel and Paul will take you to South-East Drenthe. There you will get a closer look at the historic peat and oil industry.

The diversity of nature and industry has partly remained visible in the Drenthe country after the centuries-long peat production has ended. Very typical of the peat areas are the many channels and ditches for transport and the drainage of the peat areas. As soon as we pass the national border, we enter the German oil fields via the moor areas. This extraction of oil is known for its nodding donkey pumps and the kilometres long pipelines above the ground. Here and there you see the nodding donkey pumps patiently going up and down. There is also a very fine example as a work of art. When we continue the route on the Dutch side, we pass a beautifully restored air watchtower. It dates from the beginning of the Cold War in the 1950s. Verder lezen The Drenthe stage Peat and narrow gauge

It giet oan! 1)    On Sunday August 15, our enthusiastic club members Paul and Daniël will organise a ride through the southwestern part of this beautiful green province that will show its diversity during this summer sightseeing tour. You will drive past centuries-old buildings and discover historical stories from the distant Frisian past.

There will be another ride in Friesland? Tell us more!

It will be a day when you drive your closed or open classic or less classic car through the National Landscape Southwest Friesland. This National Landscape consists of four very different types of landscape and each has its own historical landscape elements: the IJsselmeer coast, the clay area, the moraines and the peat and lake area. The lake area is popular with water sports enthusiasts. Among other things, the Skûtsjesilen is held here. But you don’t have to go sailing that day, no, we’re going for a stroll. Strolling between the Frisian lakes!

Verder lezen RELEASE YOUR BRAKES BETWEEN THE FRISIAN LAKES

After 301 days, the time has finally come: another GCCC tour!

On Sunday July 25, after all the corona misery, we will start with the most fun ride of the year, the Picnic Ride. Paul and Marchel have provided the route from a central location in the Green Heart to the well-known meadows of Piet and Ernst.

Just like we did at last year’s Picnic Ride, we will not start at a catering facility but at a parking lot on the water.

While enjoying a drink with something delicious to eat you can, at last, catch up with the other GCCC members.

On that day you are welcome from 12 noon! We start our engines at around 1 pm and do the touring at leisure on narrow roads to the final location.

Once there, you can take all the goodies from the boot of your car and chosse a spot on the green field around the farm and start enjoying yourself. Then, too, there will be ample opportunity to exchange the latest news about your acquisitions or projects with your GCCC friends, who you have had to miss all this time. Verder lezen FROM FISH TO COW

Dear members,

We hope you are all still doing well.

After an eventful period in which our old and young timers have been mainly stationary, we, the daily board of the Gay Classic Car Club, would like to invite every member to the Annual General Meeting of 2021.

As most of you know, we always have the AGM earlier in the year. Last year on March 8, 2020, the AGM could be held on location just before the lockdown.

By moving the AGM from March to June 26, we had hoped that an AGM could be held on location. Unfortunately, the COVID measures do not allow an AGM on location yet and therefore the AGM has to be held online this year. You should have received the agenda as an attachment by e-mail. If this is not the case, please send an e-mail to info@gccc.nl to receive the agenda. Verder lezen Online GCCC Annual General Meeting 2021

Dear members,

We hope you are doing well.

Unfortunately, we still have to deal with COVID and the COVID measures now. As a result, there was no New Year’s Reception. Organising a new event will depend on relaxation of the measures.

The AGM was to be held on March 21st this year. Because we prefer to hold an “analog” AGM, where we can speak to each other personally, the board has decided to postpone the date of the AGM.

The new date scheduled for the AGM will be June 27th, taking into account Article 15, paragraph 1 “The financial year of the association isn the same as the calendar year. At least one general meeting is held annually, within six months after the end of the financial year,” assuming that by then the measures have been relaxed. If this turns out not to be the case, we’ll have to resort to holding the AGM digitally after all. Verder lezen New date for Annual General Meeting & membership consultation

Dear members,

Earlier this year, we had planned to have a ride in the Achterhoek area in April. Just like now, everyone faced measures to try to contain COVID. In consultation with Aldrin and Erik, the organisers of the ride, it was decided then to cancel the ride and postpone it to December 20th.

Unfortunately, history repeats itself. We are again in a period of strict measures. As you probably expected, in consultation with Aldrin and Erik, it has also been decided to cancel the ride and postpone it to 2021.We hope that 2021 will be a better year for everyone and that events can be held again.

Despite the current situation, we wish you happy and safe holidays and a more prosperous 2021!

The daily management of Gay Classic Car Club Benelux,

Fred, Jerry, Marchel, Rob and Warner

Dear classic car friends,

As had been announced in the Summer issue of our magazine, a special ride had been planned for Saturday November 21st.

The infamous virus, however, has still got hold of us and for the time being there is not much chance of a relaxation of the measures.  We don’t think it is a responsible thing to organize an event in the current situation. That’s why, in consultation with the organisers Mick and Gertjan, we have decided not to go ahead with the ride and are now planning to have it in 2021.

For now, stay healthy, watch out for each other and have patience.

Gay Classic Car Club Benelux board,

Fred, Jerry, Marchel, Rob and Warner

It may be short notice, but thanks to Hans, Emiel and Chris there will still be a ride this month! It will take place on Sunday September 27th.

What will the day look like?

We start at a nice location in Elshout. As usual you’ll be welcomed from 12 o’clock with coffee/tea and pastry. The ride itself starts at 1 pm.

From Elshout we head for Drunen, driving along Giersbergen which has a number of beautiful old farmhouses. From there we can walk to the dunes.

We continue through Udenhout and Loon op Zand and then we leave this ‘Loonse en Drunense Duinen ‘ area, go through ’s-Gravenmoer and Raamsdonk and head for Overdiepse Polder.

This polder lies between the river branches ‘Bergsche Maas’ and the ‘Oude Maasje’ and serves as water storage with high water level. The farms were all built between  2010 and 2015 and have all been built on mounds.

From there it’s back to Elshout.

We plan to be back at around 17:30h, so we can enjoy a drink (at your own expense). At 18h dinner will start.

Corona measures allow a maximum of 80 persons taking part in the drive and a  maximum of 50 personen registered for dinner.
Verder lezen Dunes and Meuse and in between

Update (August 14, 2020)

Verder lezen From Markiezaat to Scheldt | CANCELLED

Dear classic car friends,

These are tough times.

Only two weeks ago at our Annual General Meeting at Culemborg we were a bit giggly about ‘not giving hands’. Now two weeks on we are confronted with new measures and a new reality.

Unfortunately this means that large events, such as the Eurovision Song Contest, The Netherlands’ Grand Prix, Utrecht Gay Pride, but also several oldtimer events will be cancelled.

Naturally the GCCC board takes its resposibility in this too. Verder lezen Cancellation events

All members of  Gay Classic Car Club Benelux are invited to the Annual General Meeting of  2020!

At this AGM we  will look back at the events that took place last year and other things that have gone on within our club. Apart from that, we will be looking forward to the national and international events planned for 2020.

The board will, of  course, also present details of the financial situation of the club. Members present will have the opportunity of voting. One of the other points discussed will be the plans for the future of the club.

All members and partner members are welcome and can vote. Non members are not allowed.

The meeting will take place at the  Visscher PGH Autogroep showroom in Culemborg. We will be surrounded by new cars, miniatures and classic French cars, because our host, Mr Henk Visscher is an avid collector. In the interval we are allowed to see his extremely nice collection. The Visscher firm is also well-known for the annual French Car Day in the first weekend of Augustus. More info on the Facebook “Fad’ 20” page! Enough reasons to come to this AGM. Hot and cold drinks, rolls and snacks will, of course, be presented. Verder lezen Annual General Meeting 2020

By now it has become a tradition to start the new GCCC year with New Year’s drinks on the last Sunday of the first month. So the GCCC board is inviting you for informal drinks. That gives us the opportunity to look back at a successful year and raise glasses for a prosperous start of the “ Twenties”! 2020 is sure to be a good year with relaxed and nice events in the Netherlands and Belgium. A good opportunity to see your fellow car lovers again and have a pleasant chat.

Where and when?

So, why not come to the place on the water, well-known to us on Sunday January 26, 2020 at 13:30h. That place is ideal for our cars to be photographed. The exact address will  be sent to you by email. You will get a cup of coffee or tea plus a glass of festive bubbles and on top of that some tasty bits to eat will be presented. If you want to consume more, you’ll have to use the drinks cards which you will get on arrival.

Classic Car Pub Quizz

Even though we drive our old cars, our club is cleverer than the usual car club. That’s why the board wants to test our members if they really know a lot about classic cars, news and other facts. The quizz will be led by a real quizz mistress and her assistant presenter. All this can be done in teams and, of course, we’ll all go for the first prize!

Verder lezen GCCC New Year’s Drinks …. with Pub Quizz

So far, GCCC has organised enjoyable Christmas Crib rides every other year. This year it will be the tenth edition, taking place on Sunday December 29th. A good moment to look back at the past year and to welcome in 2020 together with your GCCC friends. The ride is located in western North-Brabant, but we’ll be crossing into Flanders as well.

What car will you take?

Of course it will be appreciated if you can take your oldtimer. But if the roads have been gritted and weather conditions are bad we can imagine that you prefer taking your daily car instead. Verder lezen 10th Christmas Crib Ride