Frank Vandenbroucke, the former cycling champion who died on 12 October in suspicious circumstances in a hotel in Senegal (see Flanders Today, last week), was buried at the weekend in his home town of Ploegsteert. The funeral had been announced by the family as a private affair, but a large crowd turned up on the day and was able to watch proceedings on a giant screen outside the church. The coffin was brought to the church from a nearby café, which is run by VDB’s mother Chantal. Numerous well-known faces from the world of cycling were present for the ceremony.