Tour of Flanders sportive
Comments
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My pack arrived yesterday.
Where are people watching the race ? I was thinking the Muur or Koppenberg. Frites & beer available at both.0 -
ram038 wrote:nottscobb wrote:Thanks for sharing that Vermooten. I was hoping that I could get it sorted at the registration desk on Friday so it's good to have it in writing as they didn't reply to my email.
Bike is now all packed and I'm off on the Eurostar tomorrow. Good luck everyone.
nottscobb whats the measurments of your bike bag I am going on eurostar tomorrow and I am worried that they won't accept my bike bag . they state on their website that the bag should be no bigger than a normal suitcase, what is classed as a normal suitcase? Did you take the handlebars and seat of your bike?.
I have a normal bike bag I got from Evans, not sure of the exact size. I'm pretty sure I've heard of peope taking bike bags on the Eurostar before but I phoned them up a while back and they said the only restriction was that it would fit through the 1m * 2m x-ray machine. Lay it flat and a bike bag will have no problems there. The guy said they generally allow larger luggage than on a plane so a bike bag should be OK. Otherwise it'll be an expensive trip to St Pancras and back for me!!0 -
nottscobb wrote:ram038 wrote:nottscobb wrote:Thanks for sharing that Vermooten. I was hoping that I could get it sorted at the registration desk on Friday so it's good to have it in writing as they didn't reply to my email.
Bike is now all packed and I'm off on the Eurostar tomorrow. Good luck everyone.
nottscobb whats the measurments of your bike bag I am going on eurostar tomorrow and I am worried that they won't accept my bike bag . they state on their website that the bag should be no bigger than a normal suitcase, what is classed as a normal suitcase? Did you take the handlebars and seat of your bike?.
I have a normal bike bag I got from Evans, not sure of the exact size. I'm pretty sure I've heard of peope taking bike bags on the Eurostar before but I phoned them up a while back and they said the only restriction was that it would fit through the 1m * 2m x-ray machine. Lay it flat and a bike bag will have no problems there. The guy said they generally allow larger luggage than on a plane so a bike bag should be OK. Otherwise it'll be an expensive trip to St Pancras and back for me!!
thanks nottscobb0 -
Last year we did the Molenberg and then got horribly lost and snarled in traffic so just ended up in the square in Geraardsbergen at the bottom of the Muur.le patron wrote:Where are people watching the race ? I was thinking the Muur or Koppenberg. Frites & beer available at both.
There is a big screen TV there plus beer stalls etc so you can run to the barriers, Duvel and frites in hand, drunkely yell at your favourite as they pass, then watch who wins about 20 mins later.0 -
I was at the Molenberg last year, it was lovely. I rode out from Ghent, got there a bit early, got a good position. Food, beer, coffee - yeah, ace. Bought a big Flanders flag. Saw the chicks ride up first, Nicole lookin' HOT - then the real race about an hour later.
arf!
My rider pack's arrived and I'm number 3! I feel quite special, no3 out of 22,000. Cool.
UPDATE: PutneyJoe of this parish is only frikken no1. These can't be our rider numbers surely????0 -
I'd better be number 2 then or I'll throw a hissy fit :evil:
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vermooten wrote:
My rider pack's arrived and I'm number 3! I feel quite special, no3 out of 22,000. Cool.
UPDATE: PutneyJoe of this parish is only frikken no1. These can't be our rider numbers surely????
Ha! ha! No pressure, then
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still no pack here - I leave tomorrow evening. I just hope it arrives tomorrow.0
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Mine arrived in yesterdays post - no. 1107 - say hi if you see us on the road - everyone in the club knows me as Bronzie, so yell when you see a CC Luton jersey and someone will point in the right direction (probably towards the back somewhere!).0
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Hi there
Just discovered this thread. I have not received anything either - unless it is there when I get home this evening.
The bike is already at Eurostar (possibly even on its way to Brussels as I write!) so I think I am going to have to do it. Catching the Eurostar myself tomorrow.
Have fun everyone!
Stephen0 -
my pack arrived today number 3383 woo hoo0
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weather still looking a bit miserable. never mind. have a good ride.0
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No pack yet and I'm leaving at 6:30am before the post. Anyone know the drill for signing on on the day?0
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for those who have yet to depart for Belgium, the only good news is that the wind forecast west to east so at least it should be in our backs for the majority of the ride.
The forecast for Sunday looks just plain horrible.....0 -
Mmm...found that tougher than usual, 169 miles total which was longer. Also didn't start 'till 8am as there was more waiting to get the card punched. It took me 11.5 hours.
Some 'classic' weather and some crashes in massive bunches (a couple of hundred strong at one point), but highlights were seeing Peter Van Petergem in my group and the spectators along the route, as well as actually getting to the finish before nightfall. I got a bit of a shock when I looked at my watch to see 6pm. Didn't manage to ride up the Koppenberg, it was very slimy and there was too many people going too slowly, it needs a big gear and some more pace and it just wasn't possible. Boonen etc managed though.
The race on Sunday was very good.0 -
Just got back home after a monstrously long drive, great weekend. Those of you who are stalking me or are in the CIA or are biographers from the future will know that I have had a viral chest infection for the last 5 or more weeks and haven't been on a bike in that time - here comes the excuse - which helps to explain why my first outing ended after ??? miles at Petegem... my legs stopped turning and a voice in my head with a Flandrian accent said "Go to Oudenaarde and get a lift back to the hotel."
But still, a good ride. PutneyJoe did awesomely well but he can recount his story if he wishes.
Got sold a jersey at the cycling museum by an Out-There-Way-Out-There Freddie Maertins.
Watched the pros yesterday, will post pix of both days at some point. Can't wait til 2009.
EDIT: pic of me and PutneyJoe just before the start in Brugge - me no 3 he's no 1:
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Well that was interesting certainly. Did the 140km and managed to ride all the climbs apart from Molenberg (huge tailback of bodies) and Kopenberg, although I got about a 1/3 way up before toppling over when my front wheel slipped. Beast of a climb in the wet. Chuffed that I got up the Muur without dabbing this year. 8)
Still hate that downhill cobbled stretch down to the railway crossing - how are you supposed to brake when you can't feel your hands?
I have noticed that "Belgian toothpaste" does not taste as nice as MacLeans. :x
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Did the 140km. Found the first climbs such as Molenberg and Koppenberg waaay too congested with people walking everywhere. Weather pretty miserable in the middle, generally hated the cobbles.
That said, already I'm forgetting the pain and starting to have quite fond memories.
Despite swearing never to ride in Belgium ever again with its stupid cobbles, stupid hills and stupid weather, I'd probably give it another shot. I'd aim to start 0700 prompt to avoid the crowds.0 -
Did the 140k as well. Apart from one long section from the first feed/check along the side of a dual carriageway in the pi$$ing rain when my hands went completely numb and my spirit started to go I loved it. Simiilar probs with the first 4 climbs (too crowded/too many people falling off) got up the rest OK, the Muur was awesome, even a fair sized enthusiastic crowd for us lot.0
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Another 140k'er here.
It surely felt like the true Flandrian experience. Muddy fields to the left and right of me, muddy cobbles beneath me, freezing rain and snow in my face and miles and miles of road to cover. Hats off to the guys who did the route from Bruge.
Low point was being stuck behind someone on one of the endless miles of cycle path along the main roads.
High point was staying in the saddle all the way to the top of Kapelmuur.
Weirdest point was the control in the workboot warehouse. Following masses of dishevelled cyclists walking past skyhigh pallets of boxes to... well, I wasn't quite sure what until I actually got through. But thank goodness it was indoors!0 -
I did the long route. We decided to start late and get a decent breakfast at the hotel before starting at 9am. The net result was that we were well behind the crowd all day. It was still wet, cold, emotional and to be honest a pretty boring sportive. 100 miles of flat town/urban riding is just OK, not what I really enjoy. The cobbles were tough, the cobbled downhill was an experience. I managed to cycle up all the bergs except the final few metres of Pattenberg and Koppenberg as I was baulked by a slower rider on both and had to unclip.
In retrospect, if I did it again, I would choose the 140km route - all the best bits without the boring bits. But, I am glad to have endured the longer one - 270km according to my computer and now have a small insight into what the pros put their bodies through.
The Isotar drink given away at each of the rest places was truly awful. The best bit was when a service crew drew up next to us when we were repairing a puncture and completed the job, complete with track pump (outstanding).0 -
Thinking of doing this next year.
Is it better to do the sportive, or would it be better to go on a quieter weekend as a smaller group and do a loop out of Gent including all the good climbs?
(sort of tried this last year, but a mate broke his back on a tramline 3km out of Gent)0 -
My view (somewhat weighted) is that if you really want the full Ronde experience, you need to aim for the full distance as part of the sportive. That way you get the atmosphere, huge bunches to ride in and the feeling of how the first 100miles are really just a warm up to weaken the legs a little before the bergs begin and the field starts to split apart with every section. Plus it's fully signposted (although there are also permanent signs for the key parts).
It also makes you intimately aware of the course and how you are gradually beaten up by it. When watching the Pros the next day, you can empathise as to why wheels aren’t followed in the latter km's….they are shattered... and why getting to the front for the Koppenberg etc is crucial….you’ll never get back otherwise.
In any other context Belgium can be a pretty dreary riding experience, minging weather, uninspiring scenery and no big bunches to join. The climbs look very unglamorous in isolation, except maybe the Muur.
I rode two stages of the TdF route last year in Belgium in July, and it was rainy, cold and pretty miserable. But of course it was a bad summer.
But in it’s context it’s awesome – classic riding, and there are always Frites, Dame Blanches and Leffe Blondes to look forward to at the end.0 -
well done to all those who made the effort to go over there, i consider cycling in flanders a great sporting experience in a place where road cycling is a very significant fixture in society
i rode over there last year yet the sportive doesnt really appeal to me too much because of said problems with crowds going up the bergs...IMO it would be better to go over there without the crowds and ride the de ronde course in relative peace and quiet.....i remember stopping in for a coffee at the bottom of the muur and in my excitement at what lay ahead of my i upped and offed out the place forgetting to pay for my coffee....will make sure to hand in a couple of euros next time i'm out whenever that will be :oops:0 -
I did the 140k for the second time - what a difference the weather makes. 2005, blue skies and no wind didn't really give the full Flandrian experience.
I must admit most of the time when people fell off in front of me I was quite relieved to have an excuse to get off and push, exept when there was a big pile up in front of me on the Muur at apoint when I was convinced I was going to make it, no chance of getting strted again, but there were these crazy old boys wandering around giving people push starts. One moment I was standing there swearing to myself, next there was a hand on my saddle and off I went again.
Had a nasty reminder of 'belgium toothpaste' this morning when I absently took a swig out of my water bottle this morning forgetting that I had neglected to clean the mud of the outside and the red bull from the inside.0 -
To me, the crowds are part of the atmosphere BUT with 15,000 people on the road, going at all sorts of speeds (incl. MTBers doing the VTT route), at times it is simply too congested to be rideable.Fat Head wrote:IMO it would be better to go over there without the crowds and ride the de ronde course in relative peace and quiet
We got talking to some locals in a bar - they ride the route the day before (Friday), watch the tourists on Saturday and the real McCoy Sunday. Most Belgian sportif rides are permanently marked on the road with paint - for the Ronde you can follow the yellow "RvV" arrows, but I'm not sure I'd be confident in completing the ride correctly using these alone without the benefit of local knowledge.
The other option is to do one of the many other sportifs in the area that feature many of the same climbs and are a little less popular than the Ronde ("Peter van Petegem Challenge" or whatever it is called comes to mind).0 -
The easiest way to ride the route solo is to get down to Ourdenaade. There are three permanently marked loops starting from the RVV museum just off the main square (http://www.rvv.be/en/museum).The routes are marked by coloured metal signposts which are quite easy to follow. You can get a map at the museum with the routes marked which also shows all the bergs and cobbled sections.0
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I did the 270km route. It took me 12hrs 17mins including food stops and fixing a puncture which I was reasonably pleased with. Annoyingly the puncture was not caused my cobbles but road debris on one of the flat sections, I spotted the offending object and moved to avoid it and someone else clipped it and moved it into my path at the last minute!
I'm glad I did the 270km route as it gave the full experience of what the pros do for a living and also the climbs must have cleared a bit by the time I got there from the sound of it as I managed to ride them all. I did need to shout at people to move out of the way on the Koppenberg but everyone moved pretty quickly once they realised they were in my way.
I agree that it wasn't the most pleasant sportive to ride in terms of scenery and enjoying the ride but I went there to get the sense of achievement and to get the experience of what the spring classics are all about. In this sense I got exactly what I went for, with the added bonus that Quick Step chose my hotel for their post ride meal so I got to sit in the bar with them and got a photo of Devolder with the trophy.
Would I do it again? No, I got what I wanted from the weekend and don't feel the need to go again. If I do go back it'll be mainly to watch the racing and I'll take the bike to try the climbs in isolation rather than part of the sportive.0 -
S'funny - riding it for the 2nd time this year I didn't think it was as hard as the year before - maybe I knew what I was in for over the cobbles and was prepared to rock'n'roll.
Can't agree with Flanders not being attractive countryside - I think it always looks lovely even in the rain. How many piles of old tyres or heaps of fly-tipped rubbish did you see on the ride - think the Flandrians take a good deal of pride in how the place looks.0
