Tour of Flanders sportive

weeve

still raining just up road here...and lots planned for saturday

yay

TheStone

I felt after the horrible winter we've had, we'd get some nice weather for this.
I'm beginning to accept it's not gonna be nice.

Anyone considering shorts?

Was reading the thread from last year and people are talking about double bar tape. Is that
necessary?

flanners1

Shorts????

No thanks, winter kit for me, thermal base layers, longs and gore-tex outer! Don't want 160miles of meteorological hell.

flanners1

Shorts????

No thanks, winter kit for me, thermal base layers, longs and gore-tex outer! Don't want 160miles of meteorological hell.

le_patron

TheStone wrote:

I felt after the horrible winter we've had, we'd get some nice weather for this.
I'm beginning to accept it's not gonna be nice.

Anyone considering shorts?

Was reading the thread from last year and people are talking about double bar tape. Is that
necessary?

I have and haven't bothered with various mods. Rode P-R on standard kit, whereas some people go to town with special tyres and gaffer taped bottles etc.

But last year I did use extra bar-tape for the ronde, probably worth it if you have winter gloves with less padding, in 2008 I found it noticeably more uncomfortable becasue of no gel in my gloves.

Now....I need some large domestiques to shelter behind for the first 130 k's....any volunteers ?

weeve

not shorts for me...temperature just a bit low here at the moment ..if it wasnt for the potential walking sections (cobbles in rain...) then could be ok but I'll stick with longs. Sadly I dont have my waterproofs, or waterproof gloves here at moment ... cant wait

Mar ge

it was 3 degrees at 0800 this morning.
Shorts - not for me thankyou...

MrBlond

<aimed at The Stone, who sits very near me at work>

You're all DOOMED ;-)

TheStone

The forecast is looking slightly better. Less rain, less headwind. Metcheck even saying
some sun for the afternoon!

I'll pack shorts and see tomorrow.

If you see a rather large man in shorts and unshaven legs on the long route, say hello,
it's probably me

weeve

hmm ... not sure what forecast youve looked at but the ones I have locally here are predicting a wet fest. I hope youre right

TheStone

The good forecast has disappeared. Not good!

Mar ge

sh*t weather....
Well done to the guys & gals who rode the full 250km.
I found the 150km more than enough today!

Nicoppi

Sporza item on the event and Museeuw riding it

http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/videozon ... 8/1.751210

le_patron

Started off without a cloud in the sky in Brugges, then went swiftly downhill. Torrential between the Bosberg and the finish, but good fun in a slightly masochistic way.

FransJacques

Started at 9:25 am after much faffing by team mates. Started out with the attitude to have a "nice day out" but we were feeling better and better and some of us set out for glory on the 150 km.

I ended up gettin quite wet and hence a little cold but the people and course made up for it. Belgos are the funnest folk, always up for a laugh although they're not the best bike handlers. Many said it was their first time out for most of the year as they had an equally hard winter as we did.

Top memeory is cleaning the Paterberg then the Koppenberg! I was cheering at the top and announcing it to anyone who'd listen. Most thought I was mad no doubt.

Top tip is to get a rear fender for next year - not a race blade, they'd rattle right off, but a whale tail would help.

How did you all find it?

Mar ge

I started from (Eine) Oudenaarde on the 150km loop to avoid using the car.

Interesting points:
Molenberg was incredibly muddy
Too many riders thought it sensible to stop the moment they got to the top of the Muur & it blocked the route.
Was very windy & lonely after Ninove.
The long cobbled section (Paddestraat) that only the 150 riders enjoyed was brutal when combined with a head wind after 130km. (you could have started a drinks bottle shop with the remains)
Chaos on the badly positioned Red Bull stand (everyone just stopped).
Lots of punctures seen (but none for me on my MTB).
Huge luck when a falling guy on the Koppenberg missed me by millimeters.
Very happy I was wearing breathable rainjacket, overshoes & long tights.

In total less than 6 hours door to door for 157km including stops.

Bronzie

113 miles in just over 7 hrs for me on the 150km (door-to-door).

Managed to ride up everything this year, but only by yelling like a loon at people (apologies) walking up the Koppenberg and riding very very slowly in the saddle (painful). Got stopped on the Muur when the guy in front of me fell sideways but somehow managed to clip my foot straight back in when he got up and rode on. Vittoria Evo Pave's are the mutts nuts.

Proper Belgian weather too - what more could you ask for!

TheStone

Got round, luckily didn't go for shorts (that would have been a bit silly!)
Just under 12 hours, will post a proper report when I have some time.

Glad I did it, but not sure I enjoyed it other than a couple of hours in the middle.
Including all, hit 262km, which is by far the most I've ever done and legs were fine at the
end. Couldn't work out the cobbles, they just hurt, lots !!!

Were there photos? Didn't see anyone that looked like they were official at any point,
but I was probably towards the back.

Bronzie

www.firstfotofactory.com on the Muur and Bosberg - usually good gurning material

anto70

I did the long course in shorts, arm warmers and a gillet only and it was fine. finished in about 9:30 and the legs felt great all the way and even afterwards, perhaps due to the slow pace for the first 120km as it was very difficult to pass on the bike paths. and my one crash was 30km in where that bike path split into a high and low path. i managed to look down at the computer at the precise moment everyone hit their brakes. my race could have been over 100km before the cobbles but fortunately only grazed the leg and cut up the knee. will need new gloves and overshoes though

wasn't until the second half where you could open up and have some fun. rode all the climbs bar about 50m of the koppenberg because of a crash. as soon as i got to the crowd barrier fence, i hopped back on and local gave me a push and yelled at people (mainly walking) to get out of my way. sorry, but i can't understand why you would walk up the most iconic climb of the day and not even try to climb it. isn't climbing them one of the main reasons you would enter? anyway, the Muur was the favourite except for the idiots stopped in the middle of the road at the top

met some great guys along the way especially the Italian Zanolan group and was my best day ever on a bike ever. but i don't think i will do it again though.

flanners1

AWESOME experience; rode the full 260km course; all the climbs, no dabs, no stops (on the climbs) the Vittoria Pave tyres were a god send!

Loved it, such a great ride, rain, mud, cobbles, headwinds, short sharp climbs. Good spirit on ride, Belgians love to ride close and close each gap which at times was unnerving and at others downright rude and dangerous. Will be doing it again.

Watched the start saw all the big names, Lance, Cav et al. Then later adjourned to a bar and watched it in Brugge with the locals. A great 4 days, just got in! 8)

nottscobb

anto70 wrote:

was my best day ever on a bike ever. but i don't think i will do it again though.

Don't be so sure... I said that 2 years ago after doing the long course but the memory of the pain has obviously faded as I found myself having strange thoughts about going back while reading the previews and race reports. I've already suggested to the other half that we could make a long weekend of it next year. At the moment I'm thinking it will be nice to enjoy the race and maybe just do the 150km ride next year but we'll have to see if I'm still saying that when it comes to entry time!

FransJacques

Guys (and girls) - quick poll - what rain jacket did you wear that worked well at keeping out water from the heavens, your wheels, as well as the other 14,000 pairs of wheels out there?
Second question - does it breathe well when the sun came out? or did you have to take it off? Thanks a lot.

Organizer told me that out of 20k participants only 14k showed up and he reckoned about 4k would finish their event or ride a shorter event.

Congrats to anyone who rode that in shorts. I wore:
Leg warmers, fuzzy Santini knickers, neoprene toe caps plus lycra shoe covers, full finger gloves with silk liners (a Godsend), cycle cap under helmet, short sleeve jersey + arm warmers under a long sleeve jersey, and finally a nylon gilet with mesh backing. My mistake was not to take my gilet with nylon backing. I would have preferred a Gore-Tex gilet front and back but it would have been too warm when the sun was out.

Hence my question about the jacket - I bought the much-hallowed Night Vision Evolution replacing a 15 year old Banff Gore-tex jacket and the new one breathes as well as a Tesco plastic bag - it's really poor quality membrane - doesn't live up to billing. I think to have the ultimate jacket you need something technical that really breathes well or has better venting than the Night Vision which means some serious bucks. The search continues...

Cheers

AndyRubio

I was NUMMER EEN!



And shame on you who say you aren't gonna do it again. Best ride ever, gets better each time.

TheStone

Andy, very cool number.

Frans, I use a Gore Cross jacket (any of the Gore paclite range is spot on). Although I only
wore it for a couple of hours all day.

Day started ok. Got registration and in the queue at Brugge about 06:30. Start was ok, but
wasn't so happy on the bike paths. Too much street furniture and people coming the
other way.

One big crash. French guy went down hard at speed and nowhere to go, but over the
top of him. Somehow I managed to jump over him, a few quick steps and skid and finish
on my feet. Cleat damaged.

Found the pave tough. Didn't really get the hang of it. Walked a couple of the steep cobble
climbs, cheated another couple (gutter or path) and rode the rest. Otherwise the
ride wasn't too bad. Never gone that far before and although I took a slow 12 hours,
had plenty left at the end.

Crank fell off on the Bosberg!!! Those cobbles will expose any poor mechanical skills.

A couple of pictures of me on the Muur. Riding, but look like death.

Bronzie

AndyRubio wrote:

I was NUMMER EEN!.

I'm just guessing you didn't trade it in for another tub of Isostar

AndyRubio

You guessed correct! I'm going to frame it. Sad, need a life.

cjcp

TheStone wrote:

Found the pave tough. Didn't really get the hang of it.

Same for me first time I did it. Second time was much, much better. So, you'll have to go back and do it again

A couple of pictures of me on the Muur. Riding, but look like death.

.

That's where the wheels fell off for me last year. Too little food. Very unpleasant.

Note you thought the Vittorias were good. Might use those if I do it next year.

FransJacques

What are your respective numbers? I was 2443. I kept my number and still got the Isostar. It helps to speak the lingo a little and tell them I was going to take it home.

I only got 2 pix but only did the 150 so maybe they didn't take many of us.

Thanks for the goretex suggestion - I think I'll have to get a more expensive jacket in the near future.

TheStone

#379

Yep, the Vittoria tyres really helped. I think I'd be in a lot more trouble without them.

I also talked the bloke into letting me keep the number. Understand why they want to take
them off, but why didn't they let everyone hold on to them?