28
Aug

Ride with Wiggo

After starting cycling when Team Sky formed the chance to “Ride with Wiggo” in a sportive was too much to turn down – at the time I signed up Brad was on track to go well in the Tour so the added incentive was that I could be riding with the current holder of the yellow jersey was to good to turn down. The route started in East Lancashire, headed North towards the Yorkshire Dales before heading to Lancaster then down to the Trough of Bowland and back to base. The organisers had 4 feedstops on route and also had set up 3 King of the Mountains timed climbs for a bit of competition.

Having watched Brad’s achievements over the summer meant that I was genuinely excited to have paid out the slightly pricey £40 to ride with him. However as the day got closer I took more interest in the route and the excitement turned to worry, as I had opted for the 100 mile route with around 11,000 feet of climbing, gulp! Given I have only done two previous rides none of which have included such brutal climbing the worry was well placed, one of our club members was training for a 7 day LEJOG solo and unsupported (in other words is very fit) and he follows the route back in July as a training ride and told me that it was very tough. Worry was starting to turn to mild panic.

 

I set off with a club mate and before long a group of 12 riders formed holding a strong pace, this worried me as the last thing I wanted was to blow up half way round due to early exertions. However knowing riding in a pack was an efficient way of getting round I kept tucked into the group and chatted with Mark from our club. After 5 miles we hit the rolling hills (a feature of the ride as a whole) the first descent put pay to my group riding, as has been previously blogged, I was unwilling to “go for it” especially with a bunch of riders I didn’t know.

Before long the first timed climb came, a long drag up Waddington Fell (this was the side I descended on when I did last year’s Lewis Balyckyi ride). It was a tough drag but my legs were feeling ok and I was spurred on by the fact I was overtaking riders. A brisk descent up to the lovely village of Slaidburn, a quick stop to grab some gels (all that was available) and with a target of beating 8 hours I was back on the bike. More gentle climbing before I reached the view of the day, a huge valley with the road slowly snaking up the right hand side for at least 5km, the scenery was beautiful and the sun was shining, I should of taken a picture but all I wanted to do was ride it. It was a long drag but I was inspired by the view, I even mentioned it to a fellow rider I passed whose response was he was just concentrating on climbing and hadn’t noticed the view (given what was to come I felt sorry for him).

After a real solid effort keeping my speed high, and feeling pretty good, I eventually made it to the second feedstop at Bray. Here I refilled bottles with sickly sweet Gatorade, grabbed a few more gels and a protein bar which I wolfed down. All of a sudden I heard shouts of “he’s here” and I turned to see Brad pulling in to re-fuel, he headed through the crowds straight at me – completely star struck I just stood there staring as he re-filled his bottles less than 2 feet from me (again no picture from me!). Then the scrum happened with well wishers and pic hunters surrounding Brad. Despite reports of how prickly Brad can be, especially with certain members of the media, here he was with friends and like minded cyclists and he joked and seemed relaxed. I had signed up to ride with him so decided to leave and then be passed at some point on the road rather than next to a barrel of energy drink.

From Bray I headed to the Trough of Bowland – the road consistently rolled up and down and I was starting to feel my legs. I hit the Jubilee Tower climb, at which point I knew this was going to be a long tough ride. Trying to get in to some sort of rhythm and struggling was obviously a cue for Wiggo himself to serenely pass me, he said hello aimed at few of us and disappeared up the road. So that was me riding with Brad – the next 50 miles were all about me. Before long the second KOM climb came and after struggling up the long drag I made a good descent to Chipping (via a nasty climb I have never found in all my rides around the Trough of Bowland). Third feedstop was disappointing, more sticky Gatorade (after a 5 minute queue) but as the shorter distance had now merged with us all the gels and protein bars had gone. There was the option to buy cake and a hot cup of tea/coffee but given the cost of the sportive I thought this was taking a bit of a liberty. To ensure my mood was well and truly crushed two things then happened, first was that the heavens opened and despite it being warm and muggy I slipped the waterproof on. Straight out of Chipping we hit a hill I am reliably informed is called Jeffrey Hill, the opening climb was tough but then it got worse. All I could see was dismounted riders walking up the hill, there was no way I was walking and a I very slowly wrestled my bike up the brutal gradient, given I had to force my front wheel on to the ground on three separate occasions my guess is that gradient was over 20%. At the top I was hurting and sweating, despite the rain I got rid of the waterproof as I didn’t want to feel like a boil in the bag cyclist.

More rolling hills took us to Whalley, the loneliness and fatigue was starting to play a big part now, and I know of a nasty 25% hill out of Whalley that I had convinced myself that the sadists that had designed this route were going to take us up. I gulped a gel down in anticipation and prepared for the worst. Luckily my fears were unfounded and my mood immediately lifted, through the centre of Whalley dodging through the first traffic for about 2 hours we turned and hit a long drag to the final feedstop. As my mood lifted so did my performance and I felt great, I found a good rhythm and as I got to Pendleton was looking forward to the last section of the ride. Chatting to one guy he told me we had 18 miles to go, with one KOM to go a finish within an hour or so was well within my sights. Oh how misplaced that statement now feels.

Nick O’Pendle was the next climb and still feeling good I attacked it with gusto jumping out of the saddle (see left) to ensure I put my all into it over taking a number of riders, of all the climbs it was my best performance (285th out of 631 riders doing the 100 mile route) – 15 miles to go, my legs were feeling jaded but the last push was well within my capability.

Boom! The next 15 miles were hellish, Brad in his speech at the end commented how tough the last 20km was. At first I thought he was being kind however David Harmon, who was also taking part, started his Vuelta commentary by noting how tough the ride was and how the last 20km were brutal. I had eaten and drunk enough but the lack of long rides and the previous 85 rolling miles hit me like a brick wall. The combination of short sharp climbs and rolling roads sapped everything from my legs, we then had a drag up over Barley Fell which took the remaining energy from me. At the top I decided a quick comfort break was needed, clipped out of my left pedal and then fell over on my right. Fatigue was becoming a serious issue. The final few miles continued with the theme of hard riding, with many riders around me commenting on how ridiculous this was getting, and I admit to openly swearing to anyone near me that this better be the last ******* hill! Despite not seeing a sign for Barnoldswick I we were guided over a road by one of the many marshals and with barriers both sides I had made it – a quick sprint past another rider and I had done it. The toughest ride of my life. To top it all I broke my 8 hour target including stops and actually managed a time of 7hr 24min excluding my stops, I was chuffed to bits but can only think “what if” had I not hit the wall after the Nick O’Pendle.

Overall reflections on the sportive. Well the Brad factor certainly helped give it an X-factor, and it is great to be able to say I have “ridden” with a legend. The sportive as a whole was well signed and the marshals were at all the right places and the event was well organised. Given the cost I was disappointed by the feed stops, mainly just gels and given one had run out shows poor planning. For such a long route then sustenance is vital and given other sportives have upped their game here then it is one area that could do with a look for next year. The route was hard, very hard but so rewarding. it’s been a week since I rode it and despite the pain and fatigue it was so worth it.

Posted in Cycling Mumblings, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
23
Jul

Sporting History in Paris

Well. How on earth do I blog the events of yesterday and do the day justice? I’ve come away from races before with a sore throat from cheering but I’ve never been to a cycle race where I’ve left completely hoarse from singing and chanting. If you’re one of the tens of thousands of Brits that were there you will know what I mean, if you wasn’t let me try and set the scene…

I didn’t really need an alarm call at 01:30, I was already awake and excited about the day ahead. Bev had made her way down from Rugby and after picking her up from her hotel we were soon on the ferry tucking into a ‘fat-boy’s’ breakfast as the White Cliffs disappeared behind us. Despite the early hour the ferry was packed, no doubt a fair few on board like us heading for Paris, these lads certainly were:

We arrived in Calais as dawn was breaking and it wasn’t long before we were off the ferry and heading for Arras, just over an hours drive away. Parking up in Arras we had another hour or so to wait so we settled down with L’Equipe in glorious sunshine until the 09:17 TGV arrived to whisk us off to Paris at 100 kph.

Arriving on the Champs Elysees just after 10:30 the famous road was already busy, a hive of activity where the Union Jack was being proudly flown from vantage points everywhere. As we approached the Arc De Triomphe, British flags were strung from trees, barriers and lamp posts and this little corner of Paris was full of like-minded cycling fans guarding their places. Dave Dunphy the organiser and fellow blogger Neil Pollington was there and it was good to say hello.

Despite our relatively late arrival, Bev and I were able to secure a second row spot and for the next few hours the area started to fill and the atmosphere began to build. Fran Millar arrived and handed out a box of ‘allez wiggo’ tattoo’s that were soon being applied to various parts of the human anatomy. The British media were out in force and many made for our little corner where many photographs were taken and interviews conducted. Even The Sun, who’s reporting of cycling has been pitiful considering they consider themselves to be ‘first for sport’, turned up and despite not knowing the difference between a Dogma or a Drogba (the latter being a footballer that falls over a lot) at least they made an effort.

Everywhere you looked there were Brits, enjoying the sunshine and celebrating a historic achievement. As the Champs-Elysees filled up it was time to start the ‘Mexican Wave’, ably conducted by our Master of Ceremonies Mr Dunphy…

Those that were there last year will recall that our success with the ‘Mexican Wave’ was at best limited. This year, with so many Brits in party mood it was much, much better. After a slow start we soon had waves travelling up and down the Champs-Elysees which only added to the fantastic atmosphere.

The publicity carravanne came and went and still spectators arrived. It was now 19 deep at the Team Sky corner, and then the singing started… Well known football chants were amended to accommodate  both Wiggo, Bradley or Cavendish and soon either side of the road were competing against each other in a sing-off… Superb!

As the race approached Paris the atmosphere somehow increased and as the motorcycles and support vehicles flashed by everyone strained to see the first riders as they approached the turn. A small group of 8  led by Omega-Pharma Quick Step were the first to arrive and received tremendous applause, but a few seconds later Bernie Eisel drilled the corner with the rest of the team close behind him and as we caught the first glimpse of the yellow jersey in Paris. Well… The place absolutely erupted..!

I’ve never, ever, heard such a cheer at a cycle race before and it was repeated a few seconds later when the newly liveried Jaguar Sportbrake made the turn with horn blaring and much waving from within…

It would be just 9 minutes before the whole process was repeated again. In the meantime chants were prepared to be sung and rehearsed prior to the riders arrival. Lap 2 and a small break was attempting to get away which included the ever popular Jens Viogt, so that was alright… Jens made the turn his face a picture of effort and pain…

The cheering and singing continued with no less enthusiasm for the next 5 laps. The Brits as one appeared determined to show their support and make themselves heard, it was humbling to be a part of it.

The World Champion, Yellow Jersey and King of the Mountains flashed by side by side, what a magnificent spectacle…

By lap 7 the break was still away but slowly being pulled back, Sky, Liquigas and Saxo Bank all took pulls on the front and as they approached the turn for the final time the Lotto train was starting to form for Andre Greipel. As the main field passed the Sky Corner on the last lap the encouragement for Cav was deafening…

And then, as the last vehicle made the turn and disappeared down the road a hush descended upon the Champs-Elysees as the only way to know what was happening was to listen to the race commentary that was being broadcast via pa. David Dunphy was translating for those that couldn’t speak French and when he calmly announced “… and that means that Mr Cavendish has won the race” our corner went absolutely ballistic. Champagne corks were popping and the celebratory alcohol being consumed would certainly have given the Belgians a run for their money. Paris had been invaded and the invaders were having a party…

Although we couldn’t see the presentations we listened and cheered Bradley’s speech and whilst Lesley Garrett did her best to destroy the National Anthem we did a much better job at the other end of the road…

It would be 40 minutes or so before the teams began their lap of honour, each team lining up in front of the Arc de Triomphe for the obligatory photograph. Of course that afforded us the opportunity to call and beckon the riders over to sign autographs and obtain photographs. I’m not sure why but sadly only a few riders made the effort, or perhaps were permitted to do so by their teams, notable absentees being David Millar and Nicholas Roche. Rein Taaramae, Laurens Ten Dam and Stuart O’Grady obliged and did their personal public relations no harm at all -

It has to be said that such was the desire to get autographs and see the riders there was a lot of pushing and shoving that made conditions at the front a tad uncomfortable. It wasn’t malicious and certainly not deliberate but there were a few occasions during the afternoon when pressure at the front became a bit dangerous…

The legend that is Alexandre Vinokourov came over, as did the winner of the white jersey, Tejay Van Garderen -

Sadly, and despite much encouragement, we had to make do with a wave from Tommy Voeckler, George Hincapie and Cadel Evans who received genuine and sincere applause. Liquigas was the last team before Sky to form up in front of the Arc and the Brits momentarily became Tifosi as we chanted “Nib, Nib, Nibali” much to the delight of the 3rd place rider. Both he and Peter Sagan came over, posed for photos and signed autographs -

And then, there was just one team left. As the boy’s formed up “Wiggo, Wiggo” and “One Bradley Wiggins…” reverberated up and down the Champs-Elysees. It was a magnificent, special, moment and a pleasure to be there.

There was so many photographers surrounding the team that it was actually difficult to see what was happening. But when Bradley was hoisted onto the shoulder of his team mates the cheer was deafening. The boys made there way over to us and on our side of the barrier it became a scrum and a well intentioned free-for-all as everyone attempted to get near the riders and offer their support and appreciation -

As the team made there way down the Champs-Elysees the crush at the front subsided and it was time to pack up and reflect on a memorable day. The atmosphere in Paris was absolutely fantastic… thousands and thousands of Brits flocked to the city to celebrate a quite outstanding achievement and it was an absolute privilege and a pleasure to be a part of it.

Bev and I made our way back to Calais and we finally arrived back in Dover nearly 24 hours after we left it.

In closing this blog I must sincerely thank Dave Brailsford, Sean Yates, Servais Knaven, the mechanics, carers, Fran, all the staff, and of course Bradley, Mark, Chris, Edvald, Bernhard, Chistian, Richie, Michael and Kanstantsin who collectively made this magnificent day possible. For as long as we live both Bev and I can say that on Sunday the 22 July 2012 when Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky made British cycling history in Paris we was there… Wow!

Posted in Race Blogs | Tagged , , | 12 Comments
19
May

Strava Anonymous

Welcome to Strava Anonymous – it’s been 24 hours since my last segment.

OK so what am I prattling on about – well if you haven’t tried the new training app Strava then let me enlighten you. Those with long memories who have stuck with me since the beginning will remember a post about Cyclemeter, an app available for the iPhone that tracks your ride, and was a cheap and effective replacement for a Garmin GPS that can cost hundreds of pounds. However there is now a new kid on the block and quite frankly its bloody addictive.

Strava is available to use in a number of different ways, you can download the app, use your Garmin device to auto upload you GPS data, or you can use any GPS mapping device such as Cyclemeter or (as I have escaped the cult of Apple to an excellent Windows phone) Endomondo and import your rides yourself. So why do this and what does Strava offer?

Firstly it’s free (you can purchase premium membership but the free version is fine for most users). In the blink of an eye Strava takes your GPS data and then maps it, against segments. Segments are usually hills or long straight roads set by other users – and these blue lines are where the fun begins. Essentially once Strava has your time is logged your time against the segments your time becomes part of a league table against everybody else who has ever ridden that segment. So now those with competitive sides can learn where their local segment are and “race” against others when out on your own. Even if you’re a novice/average rider then you can just race against yourself as Strava will flag personal records.

For me its been great when tackling my local hills, even the odd rise on my commute to work, – I have been pushing myself far more than I normally would and my climbing has improved immeasurably, well actually measurably I have knocked almost a minute off a nasty little climb in Anglezarke. Just having targets now means I am am hitting the hills a lot more just to race a few more segments, as quite frankly I am fully addicted to Strava, at my local cycling club we all joked that we no longer see roads but blue lines that make up segments! If your training for a Sportive or just trying to improve an aspect of your riding then try it, and we will keep you a seat at Strava Anonymous.

Posted in Fitness & Diet, Riding | Tagged | Leave a comment
7
May

Stage 3 Giro d’Italia – Neil C’s view

As I write this, Stage 3 of the Giro ended nearly 5 hours ago… and I’m still angry! Yes I’m a massive Team Sky fan and my opinion is probably biased, and yes I am a massive Mark Cavendish fan, so my opinion is probably blinkered, but what happened at today’s stage, and the aftermath, has really p*ssed me off…

Yesterday (stage 2) we saw a repeat of the magnificent team performance that took place in Denmark last year that culminated in Mark Cavendish pulling on the World Champions Rainbow Jersey. At this years Giro d’Italia, following a decent prologue, Team Sky dominated Stage 2 throughout and whilst the whole team contributed Ian Stannard put in a sensational shift before Geraint Thomas took up the reins with 2km to go and launched Cav to go on and win an outstanding solo sprint.

Today it was pretty much the same. Stannard, Flecha, Hunt, Uran and Kennaugh worked their balls off to give the World Champion the best possible chance to go on and win the stage. With 1km to go G took up the chase and at 500m Cav lit the afterburners and from the overhead shot it was clear that he was reeling in the leaders and was probably going on to win… But then, with the race leaders fully committed and going full bore Roberto Ferrari, a second rate sprinter from the wildcard  Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela team, decided that he was going to swerve right across the road and in doing so took out the Red Jersey, the Pink Jersey and the World Champion at 65 kmh.

Falling off a bike at that speed can be both life and career threatening. In the ensuing melee bikes and riders were flying everywhere. Cav was the first rider to be taken out by Ferrari’s outrageous move and suffered as the peleton piled into and over him. Taylor Phinney, the race leader, went  flying and appeared to break his ankle, everywhere riders were hitting the deck at high speed – it was carnage..!

And it was carnage as a direct result of Roberto Ferrari’s dangerous, irresponsible, outrageous move..!

Spare a thought for the riders loved one’s watching at home. Peta Todd, Cav’s girlfriend and mother of his new born baby, said on Twitter that she felt physically sick, Taylors family would have no doubt felt the same. On the day we mourn the passing of Wouter Weylandt, Ferrari’s recklessness could have quite easily resulted in a similarly disastrous event.

We know now that Cav is relatively OK. It would also appear that Phinney will be able to continue, BUT the organisers, in their wisdom, have decided to do nothing more than relegate Roberto Ferrari to last place on the stage. If Mark had done what Roberto did I’ve no doubt  he would be on the next plane home… Can it be any coincidence that as an Italian riding Italy’s Grand Tour he is merely relegated to last place on the day? I wonder if the same punishment would be handed out if the roles were reversed and a Brit or an American had wiped out Ivan Basso? 

In my opinion Ferrari should be thrown off the race with immediate effect. Geraint Thomas made a good point on Twitter when he said that footballers conducting a two footed lunge or rugby players committing a spear tackle are sent off and suspended immediately. Perhaps the same should happen in cycling. Other, far better riders than Ferrari have been scathing of his performance on Twitter, Andre Griepel went so far to suggest that he is sent to a garage to sort out his problem (whatever that means) but apparently according to Ferrari he is completely innocent – twat!

Ferrari has shown no remorse whatsoever, apparently he did nothing wrong and what happened behind him was of no concern of his. What an arse! My view is that he should be thrown off the race, made to pay for all damage to team equipment that his irresponsible sprinting has caused, and compensate anyone unable to continue the race, he might then have a different opinion of his actions, although I doubt it.

Hopefully the rest day will allow everyone effected by Ferrari’s stupidity the ability to recover. With a bit of luck Wednesday stage will see business as normal. Team Sky dominating and Roberto reflecting on what could have been… Whilst the former is a distinct possibility I have my doubts about the latter…

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments
21
Apr

Jaguar, Team Sky and an XF Sportbrake

Picture the scene if you will… It’s Thursday evening, you arrive home from work, shower, eat, turn on the laptop, catch up on some emails and there in your inbox, completely out of the blue, is an invitation from someone you have never heard of before (Alice) inviting you to a media event (the details of which are a bit sketchy) involving Jaguar and Team Sky, that is taking place the following day in London… I have to say that my immediate reaction was that I was the victim of a sophisticated wind-up..!

Fast forward 12 hours… I have confirmed that it is a genuine invitation, it does involve Team Sky, Mark Cavendish and Juan Antonio Flecha will be present and yes the Team Sky Fans website (me) have been invited… All that remains now is to convince the boss that I need a day off at short notice and by 11 o’clock I’m on the M20 heading for London…

Arriving at the impressive Syon Park, presumably not too far from Sky’s Middlesex HQ, I was directed to the media suite where the assembled press were waiting and the body of a car currently shrouded by a cover took centre stage. I saw Juan Antonio Flecha standing to the right of the car and shortly after I entered the room Cav arrived.

The purpose of the event was to announce a new three-year global partnership between Jaguar Cars and Team Sky, which just happened to coincide with the launch of the new Jaguar XF Sportbrake, first seen at the Geneva motor show in March.

After introductions by Geoff Cousins, Jaguar Director of Sponsorships (what a great job he’s got – I want it!), Cav and Flecha unveiled the vehicle and yes, I have to say, it looked a beast…

As Geoff pointed out, the team car at a race is actually the ‘nerve centre’ of the team out on the road, where all vital strategic and split second tactical decisions are made, not to mention the £100,000 of cutting-edge cycling equipment that is probably carried on the roof. It is vital therefore that the vehicle delivers reliability, performance, space and practicality, something that the XF Sportbrake would appear to provide in spades…

Apparently the vehicle, which we are likely to see for the first time at this years Tour de France, has an Adaptive Dynamics System which continuously monitors the suspension and can adjust damping rates accordingly up to 500 times a second – handy no doubt for Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and the other early season races. Hopefully, RadioShack will keep out of the way next year..!

Cav and Flecha were then asked a few generic questions and I took a few photographs:

After the general presentation had ended the event was broken down and dependant upon which type of media you represented you were given a slot where you could access Mark, Flecha or the car. I recognised a few ‘hacks’ from my limited press accreditation experiences at last years Tour of Britain and the Olympic Test Event and I joined ProCycling, Cycling News, Road Cycling UK and others at Flecha’s Q&A session.

I have to say Juan Antonio Flecha is, in my view, an absolute legend and as a cycling fan one of my favourite riders. Having met him and spent the best part of an hour in his company today I can also say, with a degree of authority, that he appears to be a really nice man as well. The full Flecha interview can be found on the team sky fans site here and I even plucked up the courage to ask a couple of questions…

Once Flecha’s interview had concluded the day was pretty much done. Unfortunately I did not get an opportunity to speak to Mark. Hopefully as the Team Sky Fans website continues to improve, and achieve recognition as a responsible reporting outlet, more media opportunities will present themselves in the future.

As I left the hotel I took another photo of the XF Sportbrake (@sportbrake on Twitter) and I have to agree with Dave Brailsford who said, “…the car provides the perfect environment from which to direct race operations when we’re on the road. The fact that it looks stunning too will make it the stand out car behind the peloton”

 It certainly will Dave… More information can be found via Jaguar’s website – www.jaguar.com

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments
19
Apr

Man Up!

Apologies for the lack of blogging – other projects have kept me busy, in addition to me not wanting to bore you all with “groundhog day” tales of using the turbo in my garage. However as the weather has improved then the bike has seen tarmac and misadventures have happened.

There is a lot of bravado in cycling, how fast can you go, how much can your muscles scream, unless you cough up a lung when you have completed a time trial then you weren’t trying hard enough. Look on forums or twitter and a phrase that turns up time and again is MAN UP or MTFU. Now given my last blog was about the excellent Sufferfest the tone of this blog may seem a little hypocritical however bear with me.

You see my issue comes with risk, riding on open roads with chav’s in clio’s or audi driving stressed Eric’s is bad enough, however the culture of MTFU often means pushing yourself into areas where trying to be “man” enough gets you into trouble. I had my own experience of this on my first sportive of the year. Not being the quickest up a climb, I find I can catch up by descending like a mad man. Couple this with the fact that a carbon super bike is out of my reach until the kids stop draining the bank of Dad means my heavier bike, once it picks up speed, descends well. Towards the end of cold and wet 55 miles the last descent beckoned and off I went, within 20 seconds a car overtook me and then due to a narrowing in the road it stopped. I hadn’t left enough room I had enough time to grab my brakes utter an expletive and then hit the back of the car, being a saloon I flipped over the back bumper and head-butted the boot. I don’t want to get into a helmet debate but the only damage (apart from my pride) was a few bruised ribs, so much so I was able to complete the sportive (after all it was a minor bump, I just needed to MTFU and get back on the bike!). When I got back to base no one asked how I was, the main question was (a little in jest) how was the bike!

This one crash has been enough to dent my confidence this was picked up by a rider who knows me and his pearl of wisdom was to man up! Yet again the term was used and on our next descent I let it effect me, I tried to be less harsh on the brakes, hit he apex of bends and be a “man”. However another wake up came a couple of weeks later during this years Cheshire Cat. I climbed Gun Hill only to have 3 paramedics come past sirens blaring, my heart sank I knew that yet another descent had caught someone unaware. I gingerly descended but was still gaining speed, I tried to let my fears go and then hit a huge pothole luckily as I wasn’t at speed my tyres took it but I was immediately back on the brakes. As I reached the bottom there was a rider being attended to (he was sat up nursing a broken arm or collarbone). It was a reminder again that we are hugely exposed if something goes wrong.

At the end of the day we only better ourselves by riding harder and faster however you have to ride within your own risk limits. For nearly all of us riding is a hobby that we should enjoy, we have lives around it, be it family, friends and work and it’s that should be in the forefront of our mind rather than an effort to MTFU. For you then ride as you wish but ride safe, for me I will be working harder on my climbing to put the time into my fellow riders as from here on my descending will be more Schleck than Nibali.

Posted in Riding | Tagged , , | 2 Comments
2
Apr

Tour of Flanders 2012

Regular readers will have picked up that the Tour of Flanders is my favourite race of the year. Some say, ‘if it’s not broke don’t try and fix it’, so moving the finish to Oudenaarde and taking out the Muur was going to be interesting. As I write this the jury is still out as to whether or not it was a success, what I can say however, is that I have never seen crowds as large and passionate as I did on the Oude Kwaremont yesterday, the cobbled climb was absolutely packed and buzzing, but more of this later…

After last Sunday’s ridiculously early start a 06:40 ferry was a positive lay-in and unlike last week it was bright and sunny. It was good to meet fellow Sky fans Helen and her son James on the ferry who had set off from Basingstoke in the early hours. The ferry was quite busy and I’ve no doubt we wasn’t the only passengers on board that was heading for Flanders.

Following a 90 minute drive TomTom told me that I was around half a mile from Kwaremont and traffic was now stop/start and heavy. It was only 11 o’clock so we decided to pull over and park in a side street at (a village I now know to be) Berchem. There was already lots of people about and all heading in the same direction so Bev and I joined them and set off for the 2.2 km climb that was to be tackled three times. I made a mental note that the car was parked near a large orange crane for later.

Pre-race predictions… John Degenkolb would have been delighted to hear that he was not Bev’s outside bet for this race. Rumour has it that Peter Sagan was distraught..! Me, if Sky couldn’t win it I reckoned that Boonen and Cancellara would cancel each other out and allow Sylvain Chavanel to get up the road and take the win.

Turning onto the Oude Kwaremont I was pleased to see that the entire climb was barriered. It was already seriously busy and having been here just a few weeks previously at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne I was amazed at how much the landscape had changed and how much work the organisers had done to erect the barriers, several VIP areas and as we approached the top of the climb a fans zone where there was a big screen, numerous food outlets and of course bars. The whole area had the look and feel of an open-air rock concert, thank God it wasn’t raining.

I was hoping to get a bit nearer the top of the climb but it looked like this couldn’t be accessed if you approached from the bottom. As the course was filling rapidly Bev and I decided to stake our place at the barriers where it was already busy.

Whilst the vast majority of spectators were obviously Belgian, most countries were represented. On our left was a group of Brits that were making a weekend of it and no doubt partaking in a Leffe or two -

After an hour or so the VIP’s across the road emerged from their bar’s and support vehicles started to flash by ahead of the woman’s race. It was interesting to note that the VIP’s had a far worse view of the course than us minions slumming it across the road. Barriers held them back a good 15 feet from the roadside and whilst they might have access to a nice meal and a cold drink at the end of the day we were all there to watch a bike race and our view was far better – ha!

The news that Marianne Vos had withdrawn from the ladies race meant it was wide open. Hopefully Lizzie Armistead could repeat last weeks Gent-Wevelgem victory but looking at the start list it appeared to be a much stronger field for Flanders. When the race came through four girls had got away. They were led by Judith Arndt from Greenedge, but ominously the group also contained two American’s, one of whom was Kristin Armstrong.

Lizzie came through a few minutes later, and at this stage it looked like she was too far back to challenge the leaders.

Sure enough we later heard that Arndt had held off Armstrong to win the Woman’s Ronde van Vlaanderen - Chapeau to her!

Now it was a case of waiting as the Kwaremont slowly filled to capacity. Bev stepped up to the plate and obtained a Lion of Flanders flag for her son, the yellow flags were everywhere. By the time the six helicopters could be seen in the distance there wasn’t a single gap at the barriers that by now was two or three deep. There must have been at least 10,000 people lining the Kwaremont, crowds that easily match the most popular days at the Tour…

If anything it was a little too busy. The new route meant that in all likelihood the Tour of Flanders was going to be won on the Kwaremont or the Paterberg and understandably that’s where everybody wanted to be.

Once the motorcycles and police vehicles passed by a 9-man break came into view with Saxo-Bank at the front. Tyler Ferrar was second wheel and I couldn’t see anyone from Sky in the front group

As the riders flashed by two things became apparent, (a) how fast they were going and (b) decent photo’s today was going to be sheer luck. Once the leaders had passed I gave up looking through the viewfinder and watched the race, cheering any Sky rider I could see.

Meanwhile, Bev was having a technical problem (now where have I written those words before..?). Bev was busy taking photo’s as the riders flashed by, blissfully unaware that her camera was set up for video..! The end result was in excess of 20 clips of 2 or 3 seconds duration, mainly consisting of the cobbles or a fence…

After the first pass of the Kwaremont it would be just under an hour before they returned. Pressure at the front of the barrier eased as people went off to buy more beer or frites and Bev and I moved a bit further down the course to get away from the individual that pushed in front of Bev just before the riders arrived and did his level best to block our view with considerable success.

Whilst we were waiting we heard that Cancellara had crashed out at the feed zone and was seriously injured. Then we heard that Langeveld had collided with a spectator and was also out of the race. As I write this blog I am watching recorded highlights of the race. Fabian was unlucky, unfortunately Sebastian only has himself to blame.

The helicopters were coming from a different direction for the second pass. Once again the barriers were packed when the leaders appeared. Incredibly mine and Bev’s pre-race predictions flashed by as Chavanel led Sagan closely followed by Ballan and Boonen -

Flecha and EBH was not far off the leaders and received a loud cheer from me. Not much further back Bernie Eisel came powering through much to the delight of the Rugby branch of the Bernhard Eisel fan club on my right -

The second pass, whilst still fast, was noticeably slower than the first. The gaps between the riders even bigger. A good 20 minutes after the leaders a large group containing CJ Sutton took the spectators by surprise as they rolled through their work done at the beginning of the race.

It was to be just 30 minutes before the leaders returned for a final time. In all likelihood the race was going to be decided right in front of us. Whoever came through the Kwaremont with the leaders had a bloomin’ good chance of winning Flanders, anyone not in the leading group would struggle. The atmosphere was electric.

Straining to see down the road a single rider could be seen going for it on his own. The shirt was red so it wasn’t someone from Sky or Boonen. As he drew closer you could see he was a BMC rider, closer still and it was Alessandro Ballan digging deep…

A few seconds later the chasing riders came into view. Filippo Pozzato and Tom Boonen were driving hard to bring Ballan back. The Belgian crowd were ballistic as Boonen’s face clearly showed that he was on the edge. This was turning into a great race…

Technically EBH remained in touch with the leaders but in reality you couldn’t see the finish being contended by anyone other than the first three.

We remained to see the rest of the field pass through, anyone that completes Flanders deserves applause, none more so than George Hincapie who now holds the record for the most Ronde von Vlaanderen finishes.

As the tail-enders rolled through we made our way back down the Kwaremont and amazingly considering how many people were present came across Helen and James and with them, and a fair few others, stood and listened to radio commentary for the final stage of the race. When Boonen crossed the line you could hear the cheer emanating from all over. We were literally standing in a country lane in the middle of nowhere and yet we could hear cheers form the beer tents and bars that for one day scattered the countryside all around. The reaction would have been no less enthusiastic if Belgium had just scored the winner in the World Cup Final..!

As we made our way back down the hill… I decided that in order to give the traffic a chance to ease we should go for a little stroll and head back to the car later…

Alright I lie…  As we made our way back down the hill… I took a wrong turn and started heading in completely the wrong direction. It didn’t help that the previously mentioned crane that I thought would mark the car’s position couldn’t be seen for houses and neither of us had thought to find out the name of the village we had parked in so asking directions was not possible as we didn’t know where we had parked in the first place…

After a very pleasant, if increasingly stressful evening stroll and absolutely more through luck than judgement we finally found somewhere we recognised and an hour later than anticipated returned to the car and headed back to Calais.

Despite the above it had been another excellent day’s racing. The Tour of Flanders is immense and in my view the best one-day race in the world. I’m not sure about the new route. Maybe one race is not enough to pass judgement. We did manage to see the race three times which would have been extremely difficult before so that worked but the way the race panned out was probably a bit predictable. I thoroughly enjoyed Bev’s company at both Flanders and Gent-Wevelgem and I’ve no doubt that the Queen of the Bike Yard and I will keep in touch and attend more races in the future. If anyone out there wants to join us they’ve only got to get in touch…

Posted in Race Blogs | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments
26
Mar

Gent-Wevelgem 2012

I would like to start this blog by thanking P&O Ferries for removing yesterday’s 04:00 departure from their schedule. The next available sailing did not allow sufficient time to drive to the start of Gent-Wevelgem and watch the riders sign-in, so it was necessary to check-in at the Port at 02:30 for the 03:05 departure, and all of this on the night when BST begins and the clocks move forward 1 hour..!

Bleary eyed, but bushy tailed, I picked Bev up from her hotel at 02:15 and we made our way to the Port. Bev and I made contact through this website shortly after it started and met briefly at the Tour of Britain last year. She had not been to a Classic or Semi-Classic before and as neither her husband or my wife are particularly interested in cycling, and I’m going to the races anyway with three spare seats, we made arrangements to go together.

After fuelling up with a full English on the ferry we arrived at a very foggy Calais at around 06:00 CET. I have to say, I didn’t particularly enjoy the 90 minute drive to Deinze along the mostly unlit and poorly marked motorways in the fog that was quite thick in places. After a relatively uneventful journey we arrived at the start town with a couple of hours to spare before anything happened, meaning we could find a parking space close to the area where the team buses parked up.

Disappointingly, access to the teams pre-race is not possible at Gent-Wevelgem without a VIP pass, in other words unless you pay for the privilege! Fortunately the buses park some distance from the start and the entire route to sign-in is barriered. By getting a good spot at the front of the barriers you are pretty much assured an opportunity to spot and photograph all the riders as they make their way to and from sign-in… in theory!

We pitched our spot shortly before the first team bus arrived. It was still foggy and bloomin’ cold, a complete contrast to the previous few days. For the next half an hour the number of spectators increased and soon the entire route to sign-in was packed. As we waited an elderly lady on our left attempted to converse with Bev – in Flemish! Bev politely pointed out that she didn’t speak the language which seemed to satisfy the woman for a few minutes before she obviously forgot their previous exchange and attempted to converse with Bev – in Flemish! I had to chuckle and would have suggested moving if it wasn’t for the convenience of the future Eurosport commentator on my right… The lad couldn’t have been more than 10 years-old but his knowledge of cycling and ability to identify riders as they approached was seriously impressive. Long before I recognised the approaching rider, if indeed I would have recognised them at all, the lad was shouting out their name in an effort to attract their attention and obtain an autograph. Sadly, no-one stopped for him but I was extremely grateful for his running commentary and early advice. I took a good few photographs as the riders made their way to sign-in.

Meanwhile, Bev was having a bit of a technical problem… As the proud new owner of an iphone I don’t think she has completely mastered the camera, and the fact that there are actually two camera’s on either side of the phone… She had a long list of riders her friends had asked her to photograph but for the first 10 minutes or so there was a serious danger of Bev’s Gent-Wevelgem Photo Gallery consisting of a photo of Bev taking a photo of Cav, followed by a photo of Bev taking a photo of Fabian etc. etc. etc. Fortunately she quickly realised what was happening and took some seriously good photographs, managing, I think, to snap most of her targets.

Most riders returned to their buses after signing-in and made their way back to the start line shortly before the race rolled-out at 11:15, meaning there was three opportunities for fans to take photographs of the riders before the race began.

Cav was one of the last to make his way to the start -

Once everyone had left the buses there was no chance of making it to the roll-out, such was the number of spectators shuffling in that general direction. We therefore made our way back to the car and set off for the iconic Kemmelberg. At last the sun had come out and it was a much more pleasant drive through the Belgian countryside.

By around 12:30 we arrived in the vicinity of the Kemmelberg. At this time there was opportunities to park closer to the climb, but I know from experience that if we did we would live to regret doing so after the race and end up spending up to an hour stuck in a grid-locked country lane. I therefore carried on and we parked in a lay-by that I usually use that is at the foot of a country trail that leads all the way to the Kemmelberg.

After a bite to eat we made our way to the Kemmelberg and walked to the top where we took up position a few feet from the summit and at the steepest part of the climb. A couple of strategically placed Union Jacks temporarily prevented any incursion from the locals and we settled down to wait. Although there was still the best part of 3 hours before the main event there is always something to look at. Amateurs tackling the climb are cheered on and encouraged, the younger they are, the louder. One nutter on a unicycle almost made it to the top but unfortunately came off right in front of us. He remounted and made the summit before turning round and incredibly started to head back down! I’m sorry, but I would have thought it was obvious that cycling down the cobbled Kemmelberg, on one wheel, without brakes is only going to end in tears. As he picked up speed there was only going to be one result and I’m afraid there was. Fortunately he didn’t appear too badly hurt…

We had a chat with a couple of locals next to us and was delighted to learn that we hadn’t missed the Womans Elite Gent-Wevelgem that was due to summit the Kemmelberg in around 30 minutes time. We had a look at the start list and was pleased to see that Lizzie Armitstead was racing. Unfortunately the pair of us forgot that she was British road race champion and would be wearing the national jersey so we decided that it would be a case of looking very closely for number 66 before cheering on our encouragement.

There was a healthy crowd at the top of the climb when the road closed and a motorcycle escort led a lone attacker powering towards us -

The rider was clearly going for a solo break and recieved great encouragement from the crowd. I would love to say that included me and Bev but sadly by the time we realised that the leading rider was number 66, and pointed this out to each other, Lizzie was over the summit and would never had heard us…

For the next 20 minutes or so the Elite Woman hauled themselves over the climb, the effort and the pain clearly evident on their faces. Each and every rider received applause and encouragement from the crowd.

For the next hour both sides of the road continued to fill and the atmosphere increased. About 10 minutes before the race arrived people that had left it too late to secure a decent spot were becoming desperate and invaders were being repelled all over the course. One couple who had literally just arrived tapped me on the shoulder and seriously said, “Sir, may we stand there?” indicating to the front of the barriers. Resisting the temptation to reply, “Thank goodness you’ve made it, I’ve been saving this spot just for you for the last three hours…” I politely suggested that they might want to try elsewhere.

Motorcycles and support vehicles started to flash by. The police helicopter flew over. The tension started to rise. The TV helicopter could be heard getting closer and everyone strains to look down the hill… You could hear and see those further down the climb cheer and applaud as the riders approached and then the leader turns the corner and the Kemmelberg becomes a cauldron of noise -

Just like the woman earlier, the men suffered and didn’t find the Kemmelberg any easier. As they passed, grimacing and straining it was a perfect example of why this sport is so hard, and in a perverse way, so beautiful…

The World Champion appeared, not too far off the front. Christian Knees was with him and they passed on my side of the road just feet in front of me. Cav was giving his all and with the summit approaching he was going to go over in touch with the leaders. I screamed my encouragement and support whilst I kept my finger firmly on my camera shooting 2 frames a second – Fantastic…

We only had to wait 25 minutes before it happened all over again, but this time there would only be 36 km to go and unlikely that anyone not up with the leaders was going to win Gent-Wevelgem.

The first bunch came through. Eddy Boss was right up there and received a cheer from me. Ominously, Mr Boonen was right up there as well…

After the first group had passed I was surprised and disappointed to see support vehicles coming through. An indication that there was a fairly big gap before the next group of riders. Sure enough it was a good 2 minutes before we saw the rest of the strung-out field struggle over the Kemmelberg for a final time. I didn’t see Cav but Bev assured me he was there. Five minutes later and riders were still passing. It looked like Cav had failed in his attempt to win Gent-Wevelgem again, but hey Eddy was still right up there…

When the road re-opened the hill emptied and everyone made there way back down the climb, many into the bars at the bottom. Bev and I made our way back to the car and set off for Calais. Normally at this point I wouldn’t have a clue how the race panned out until I got home. Today, thanks to modern technology, Twitter, and my passenger, I was kept up to date as we drove towards France and neither of us were surprised when Tom Boonen won the sprint to continue his, and his teams excellent start to the season. Eddy finished in a creditable 5th place and just to prove that neither Bev nor I know what we are talking about, our pre-race predictions came home 27th and 57th respectively.

Arriving at Calais we had a bit of luck when ours was literally the last vehicle to be directed onto an earlier ferry before the  doors were closed. This meant that we arrived back in Dover not long after 6 o’clock, but still nearly 16 hours after we had left..!

Gent-Wevelgem once again didn’t fail to impress – I love the race and love watching from the Kemmelberg.  I think Bev enjoyed it as well because she’s doing it all again next week at, in my opinion, the best one day race of the year – The Tour of Flanders.  You’ve got exactly 6 days to master your iphone Bev…

 

Posted in Race Blogs | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments
24
Mar

E3 Harelbeke 2012

After attending the Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, and already booked for Gent Wevelgem on Sunday, it was always going to be doubtful that I would make the E3 – Three trips across the Channel in just one week is a bit much… But then Rigoberto went and smashed it at Catalunya and within an hour of him crossing the finishing line I was at Dover’s Eastern Docks buying tickets for another 06:00 ferry and live cycling fix!

Arriving at Harelbeke around 10:45 I followed TomTom’s directions until I was just under half a mile from the start and parked at the first available spot. A brisk walk later I found the team buses that were parked a fair distance from the course and already busy with hundreds of fans.

It was interesting to see that at this World Tour event spectators had free access to the teams and their sporting heroes whilst the organisers at the inferiorly graded Dwars door Vlaanderen denied that opportunity to anyone that didn’t, or couldn’t, pay for the privilege..!

The Sky bus was parked right at the end of the road which meant that I had to fight my way through the hoards of Lotto, Omega Pharma Quick-Step and BMC, well, Phillippe Gilbert, fans before I saw the blue Dogma’s lined up outside the Sky bus. I didn’t have to wait too long before the riders emerged from the bus and made their way to sign-in. I took a few photographs and thanked C J Sutton for re-tweeting my Dwars door Vlaanderen blog to his 11,000+ followers, one of whom might just be an editor looking to give a cycling enthusiast a break… Chris’ reply was typically Australian – “No worries mate…”

The riders made their way off to sign-in and I wandered down the road towards the start. En-route I witnessed both Tom Boonen and Phillippe Gilbert being absolutely mobbed by the locals.

I had to laugh a few minutes later. Bernie Eisel, having signed-on was making his way back to the bus when a spectator stepped right in front of him, almost causing him to crash. I so wish I had my camera at the ready as the look that Bernie gave the individual… well, it would have scared me to death… Suffice to say the miscreant swiftly disappeared into the crowd with his tail between his legs and no doubt his heart beat pounding, much to the amusement of Ian Stannard and Chris Sutton who were following behind…

I didn’t attempt to see the start. Firstly it was absolutely heaving, secondly, its only a roll-out. I made my way back to the car and set off for Kruishoutem.

At Kruishoutem I didn’t have too long to wait before the main field came through. At just 33km into the race I didn’t expect anyone to break free so early and sure enough the peloton came hurtling into the village all together. I was watching the race on a downhill stretch of road just before a roundabout. The speed that the bunch approached the roundabout was amazing, way, way faster than us mere mortals would contemplate (or at least I would), and yet as the riders flashed by I could hear them laughing and joking as if they were on a Sunday morning club run.

Towards the rear of the bunch I noticed a Euskaltel-Euskadi mechanic risking  life and limb hanging out of a car doing 40mph whilst adjusting a set of brakes – respect..!

Once the field had passed I shot back to the car and made my way to a cobbled section at Paddestraat. It took around 30 minutes to drive to Velzeke-Ruddershove where I parked on the outskirts and walked to the cobbles where a healthy crowd was already waiting.

When the riders came bouncing and juddering over the cobbles there had been a split in the field. A group of 7 had got away although with respect there was no-one in the group that I recognised as a potential winner  with 139 km still to go. The peloton came through a minute or so later with Sky at the front.

Having watched the race out on the road and on a section of cobbles it was now time to make for a berg, or climb. As much as I would liked to have watched events at the Muur, Paterberg or Kwaremont I reckoned they would be too busy to see the race and get back to Harelbeke for the finish, so I set off for climb no.4 on the parcours at the Boigneberg.

Because the race set off on a loop around Geraardsbergen it was only a 20 minute drive to the Boigneberg but it would be over an hour before the riders returned. I found a parking place in the middle of nowhere just at the top of the climb. According to the temperature gauge it was 21 degrees and it was certainly very pleasant sitting in the sun and making use of the wait to download the 245 photographs I had taken so far.

When the race arrived the break was still away but didn’t they look as convincing as they did earlier. The effort clearly evident on their faces as they passed.

Around 2 minutes later the main field arrived with Omega Pharma Quick-Step controlling things at the front -

There was still 69 km to go but already riders had been thrown out the back with no chance of getting back to the peloton. It took the best part of 15 minutes for the whole field to pass and the road re-open.

Having secured the hat-trick of road, cobbles and berg I wanted to get back for the finish. According to the timetable I had 90 minutes to make a journey that TomTom said would take just over 30. Initially I made good progress but as I passed Oudenaarde traffic slowed to a crawl and eventually ground to a halt. 30 minutes later I reckon I had moved 50 feet. Using TomTom I turned off and navigated the back-streets to get to the outskirts of Oudennarde where I rejoined the now slow moving queue of traffic heading for the motorway.  Fortunately I rejoined the queue directly in front of a convoy of VIP buses that were obviously intent on getting their fare paying passengers back to Harelbeke in time for the finish. To assist them they had half a dozen motorcycle outriders. What happened next was surreal…

As the traffic started to move I found myself leading the convoy that had a deadline to meet. As the pace increased the motorcycles would speed ahead in order to block junctions and stop traffic at roundabouts so that the coaches, led by me, could pass through unimpeded. The next 10 minutes was laugh out loud entertainment as we flashed through towns and villages at breakneck speed, the motorcycle escort ensuring that we didn’t need to touch the brakes or slow down once. I’m not sure what we was doing was actually legal but it was bloody good fun. Turning onto the motorway I left the coaches behind and sped off in the direction of Harelbeke.

The escort had clearly worked as I soon found myself on the course that was still open to traffic. I drove under 5km to go banner, then the 4km, 3km, 2km… The closer I got to the finishing line so the spectators lining the road increased. With the 1km banner in sight I turned off and parked in a side-street. I had hoped to get back to the team buses but there was no chance of that so I walked towards the finishing line and decided to watch the finish with just 200 metres to go.

A few minutes later the road was closed and the commentary from the loudspeakers became more frantic as the riders approached. There was obviously going to be a bunch sprint, I heard Boasson-Hagen’s name being called out but also Boonen and a whole host of other sprinters. Come on Eddy…

As the leaders approached I pointed my camera down the road and could see Omega Pharma providing a perfect lead-out for Belgians number 1 sprinter -

A few seconds later the commentator who had worked himself into a frenzy announced that Boonen had crossed the line first, much to the delight of the locals.  Katusha’s Óscar Freire claimed 2nd and I was pleased and surprised to hear that Bernie Eisel had snatched 3rd, I didn’t even see him when the leaders flashed by…

The E3 Harelbeke had been another excellent example of how Belgian races can be watched multiple times and done in a day. I had had a thoroughly entertaining day watching the worlds best cyclists at work and now I only have a day to wait before I can do it all over again at Gent-Wevelgem. Come on Cav..!

Posted in Race Blogs | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments
22
Mar

Dwars door Vlaanderen 2012

The Dwars door Vlaanderen is the start of Flanders week. Although not a full-on Classic, its popular with the locals, makes full use of the cobbles and bergs that are scattered throughout the area and easily accessible from Calais. Last year ‘G’ Thomas was narrowly beaten into 2nd place following a spectacular sprint, this year with Cav a last minute addition to the squad, I left home at 05:30 with high hopes.

Parking up in Roeselare I swiftly made my way to the Grote Markt that was already packed. The first riders had just started to sign-in and the front of stage and route used by the riders was heaving.

The only thing I don’t like at the ‘Dwars’ is the inability to get near the team buses without a VIP pass. Accessibility to the stars is one of the things that makes this sport so special and I think the organisers have got it wrong at this race. I hung around and watched the riders make their way to the sign-on stage where fortunately all the interviews were being conducted in English.

When Mark Cavendish became World Champion he said he wanted to honour the jersey. Although I can’t help him honour it, I have followed cycling for many many years and have witnessed the evolution of British cycling from just one or two successful riders to Brits not only winning at will but dominating the sport. This year I am determined to attend as many races involving Mark as possible, to cheer-on, support, photograph and just ‘be there’ to see and witness a British rider wearing the ‘Rainbow Bands’ abroad for the first time since 1965.

 

After the roll-out I jumped back in the car and set off for Waregem where the race would ultimately finish, but not before it had passed through the town twice prior to heading off to the cobbles and climbs. The night before the race I posted on Facebook where and when I intended to watch the race. Unfortunately it appeared that a number of Flanders Farmers had read my post and had other ideas… All day, everywhere I went, I ended up behind a tractor lumbering along at 6mph with no opportunity to overtake..!

I arrived at Waregem at the same time as the riders and watched the peloton flash through from the comfort of my car…

Once the road re-opened I parked up and made my way back to the finishing straight  to await the second pass. Whilst I was waiting I bumped into Peter, Tibo and Matties, the family that featured in my 2011 Dwars door Vlaanderen blog. It was good to say hello again. When the riders returned about 30 minutes later the field was still together but stretched out as the riders at the front attempted to break away

After the riders had passed I bade farewell to Peter and pointed the car in the direction of Horebeke where I intended to watch the race at the Haaghoek cobbles. I had an hour and ten minutes to make a journey that TomTom said would take just over 30 minutes. Unfortunately TomTom does not take into account the intentions of the local farmers and as I crawled through Meldon, shouting and swearing at the ancient Massey Ferguson wallowing along in the middle of the road in front of me,  a policeman stepped out and indicated that the road was now closed and there was no chance I was going to make the Haaghoek.

All was not lost, it just meant that I would watch the race at Meldon instead. I wandered over to a roundabout that afforded a good view down the road and didn’t have too long to wait before a small break arrived, closely followed by five riders trying to get across, who in turn were closely followed by the main field.

After the last support vehicle had passed I had a decision to make. Initially I had intended to try and watch the race again at a climb before dashing back to Waregem for the finish. As a result of the way the day was unfolding, and the amount of traffic on the road, I decided to give the climb a miss and took a leisurely drive back to Waregem to ensure that I didn’t miss the finish.

As last year, the weather was glorious, 17 degrees according to the car. I parked at Waregem and made my way to the finish. Most of the team buses were parked, as usual, in the road that runs parallel to the finishing straight. This means that spectators are able to watch the race at the barriers and then, by crossing the grass reservation, mingle with the riders as they return to their respective bus. Unfortunately Sky and Rabobank were the only two teams that had parked elsewhere and I found them beyond the finish line.

Fortunately Slarky had left the door open on the Sky bus and I was able to watch the last 50km of the race on their big screen, or I was until the signal was lost with around 10km to go. It was clear that Sky were not going to win this year and it looked like Niki Terpstra’s brave solo attack was going to be successful.

Although Sky were parked beyond the finish line the course passed the area where their bus was parked before making a loop around the town which meant I had a good view of the road with 3km to go. Sure enough Terpstra came through with an unassailable lead. The question was who was going to come second – Sylvain Chavenel or Koen de Kort? -

Some three minutes later Sky led the main field home. Chris Sutton, Luke Rowe, Christian Knees, Salvatore Puccio and Cav came through together and I noticed that Mark had clearly been involved in a crash, the Rainbow Jersey was scuffed and his left elbow was bleeding.

Once the peloton passed through I wandered back to the bus to await the riders return. First back was CJ Sutton followed shortly afterwards by Cav, Puccio and Christian Knees. Cav was not happy. The facial expression said it all and I decided that my copy of ‘Boy Racer’ would probably be better off remaining in my rucksack for another day…

Several minutes later Luke Rowe returned and despite just finishing a gruelling 200 km road race he still took time out to sign autographs and pose for photographs. Good to see Luke.

As I made my way back to the car I had to pass the presentation stage and stopped to see Terpstra, Chavenel and de Kort receive their trophies and applause. Fair play to Omega Pharma-Quick Step who have had a cracking start to the season. To get a 1 – 2 at the start of Flanders week is an impressive result and certainly went down well with the locals’

Despite the difficulties encountered out on the road it had still been a great day’s racing and the Dwars door Vlaanderen remains a race I thoroughly recommend. Next up for me now is my first fully blown Classic of the season – Gent-Wevelgem. Let’s hope Cav’s tumble won’t effect his chances at Gent-Wevelgem, a race he has already stated is a target. One things for sure, I will be on the Kemmelberg cheering on the World Champion and this year, for a change, I won’t be alone… right Bev?

Posted in Race Blogs | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments