Ronde Van Vlaanderen Sportive 2013
Dougall
Posts: 49
Seriously considering doing this next spring.
Has anyone ridden it previously?
Bike wise I'm sorted (Scott CR1) just need to sort wheels nearer the time & add 25 or 28c tyres.
Also can anyone recommend any of the bike tour companies to go with or to avoid?
TIA
Has anyone ridden it previously?
Bike wise I'm sorted (Scott CR1) just need to sort wheels nearer the time & add 25 or 28c tyres.
Also can anyone recommend any of the bike tour companies to go with or to avoid?
TIA
0
Posts
Don't need a tour group, just took Eurotunnel over, stayed in a campsite near the ride which had caravan's.. All easy and pretty cheap.
Don't need a tour group, just took Eurotunnel over, stayed in a campsite near the ride which had caravan's.. All easy and pretty cheap.
Might check that option out re eurostar & camping. Don't think I'd be capable of doing the full distance so was looking at the 140km option.
We'll be getting a ferry, I vote Dover to Dunkirk others says hull to Bruges, and either camping of hotelling.
Do it - once the pain has subsided, you won't regret it.
I did it in 2010 and am doing next year's too: it's on Saturday 30th March. I'm going with Graham Baxter/Sports Tours who I know have had some stick over their Etape trips, but they've got their Classics trips nailed. I went with them last time and they were fine. Cost for next year is around £360 i think (not including sportive entry). You can do it cheaper yourself but I'm in Scotland, so petrol etc. would add up to about the same anyway.
The middle length is a good enough test - has all the climbs and cobbles you need. I went with 23mm tyres back and front last time and survived. Good tip is a metal bottle cage: you wouldn't believe the number of bidons that litter the verges around the cobbled sections, popped out of carbon/plastic cages. And padded gloves or double-wrapped bar tape: last time, the Paddestraat took a layer of skin off my hand within 5 minutes.
Obama to little boy: "He's not your real Dad"
Kona Honky Tonk for sale: http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=40090&t=13000807
http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.com- still showing 2012 info
It's sort of 3 laps at the end now. Did the sportive do the same?
Because of the likelihood of logjams & confusion if they did 3 laps of the Paterberg/Koppenberg/Oude Kwaremont, they took in some alternative bergs that weren't on the pro route, before there was a single attempt at the final 3 hills.
Compare:
cyclo: http://sport.be.msn.com/cyclingtour/rondevanvlaanderen/2012/downloads/parcourscyclo.pdf
pro: http://rvv.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/525/original/rvv2012-elite-men-map-profile.pdf
The new route cuts off the legendary Kapel muur at Geraardsbergen, which was half of the reason to ride the RVV. Even so, it's still a very beautiful course... provided you are not forced to walk up the cobbles
You might want to look at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege sportive, the day before the Pros tackle the course. I'm intending to do it next year.
Riding across the Ardennes and back sounds like fun, without repeating loops or riding the same sections.
"You can register here from the start of November", if my Dutch is correct.
For what its worth, personally i havent and wouldnt do the sportive - too many people (having seen videos and photos of it and the climbs). We did the route on our own another weekend, when the climbs were empty and you could test yourself to see if you could get up them! (2 of our 5 got up the Kopperberg - the 3 who didnt was due to the cobbles rather than it being too steep!)
Id say do the full route as the whole thing is an experience from the coach ride to Brugges, massive peletons on the flats for about 160km on the way to the cobbles and hills with the odd rider dissapearing into ditches to the sound of cheering from the other riders! Then the cobbles/hills start. Feed stops were ok, and the routes and organisation was generaly well done. My advice is based on what I new from 7 plus years back, I know its more popular now and the routes changed a bit.
The route finishes in Oudenaarde now so i guess the same will apply? Coach to brugge from there. So hotel as near to Oudenaarde as pos Id say would be the way to go. Id like to go next year, never say never.
Where did you get this information? Website says 31st March 2013.
http://sport.be.msn.com/rondevanvlaanderen/2013/eng/inschrijven/
Ski to live
Next year, do what I did, and combine it with a family holiday! Mrs Rats is looking forward to a lovely shopping weekend in Bruges, Boy Rat gets to see Boonen, and Girl Rat will be bored and moan a lot I imagine.
I had one of them red bikes but I don't any more. Sad face.
@ratsbey
Really looking forward to it, first time doing the RVV Sportive and the route looks great. Think they have over 14,0000 entries so far so should sell out at 16,000.
The triple's smallest gears were useful for spinning up the asphalt climbs like Berendries but slightly bigger ones required for the cobbled hills.
Been out for longish rides most weekends throughout the winter (1300km since Xmas) so reasonably happy with my condition at the moment. But I've never ridden on cobbles so I'm debating whether I should take my CX bike with 28mm slicks or my Madone on 23mm GP4000's. I'm a big bloke and I break spokes every so often and don't want a broken spoke to spoil my day.
I'm hanging around for the pro race on Sunday - any ideas on where might be a good spot to watch? We're camping at Oudenaarde.
I'm riding it with two of my kids and looking forward to a day out on the bikes. Does anyone know if there is a cutoff at all on the timing at the finish?
Any words of wisdom on watching the pros?
The GT