Racing abroad Belgium vs Italy

Kylabr88

Thinking about going to race abroad for few weeks but can't decide where.ive raced in Belgium 2 years ago and it was great but thought about Italy after going to lucca in May and seeing how many pro teams are based there.anybody else raced there and can give me a better idea of where to go.im not a climber so hilly races would suit me

ozzzyosborn206

i guess you meant your not a climber so hilly races wouldn't suit you...........Italy is not a good choice then i imagine, Belgium if good but if you wanted something different as you been before Brittany is good, a bit lumpy but still fairly 'crit like' like Belgium

Kylabr88

Thanks for the advice I'm 26years old 3rd cat knocking on 2nd I've just started racing 5 weeks ago after 2 years off.I did enjoy the racing in Belgium it was brutally hard with omega,orica,bmc feeder teams bossing the races,but wasn't a big fan of the kermesse racing.I currently race for a Belgium club so it would be easier to get back there.I want to race abroad because I just think the racing here is unorganised and dangerous and how you have to enter 3months before a race only to get told you can't race a week before the event because you are dont live in the region or whatever excuse they have.Anybody raced in France or got experience

olake92

My tip: stay in the UK, race prems. The guys winning prems win in Europe - the standard here is so much higher than it has been in the past. If you're more concerned about race safety, well prems are fine. If you want race safety at the lower levels, Belgium, Italy and France all have good records and closed roads even at lower levels.

Belgium has good EoL, but the Interclubs are still tough to enter and require a team. France is pretty difficult to get entries in, it helps to be with a team. I don't know about Italy but Luke could help with that.

As to team organisation mid race, Belgium's a shit fight. France and Italy are more organised, but once again organisation increases with the level of the riders; the Italian amateur teams Luke mentions are all very high level and are basically U23 UCI teams. At lower levels, it's the luck of the draw, just like here! Prems are just as organised as any equivalent race in Europe, I think the only difference is a tendency to avoid keeping it all together for a sprint - British UCI teams prefer racing for the 'right' break, for instance at Jock Wadley this year they just blocked the road once it had gone.

I would say stay here, get to the level where you can ride prems and then make the decision. If you can't ride a premier calendar race, you won't be able to ride the French equivalent.

Going to another country is a really big commitment and as Luke's case proves, even when everything has gone right and you're in the form of your life, it can still be very difficult for reasons beyond just bike racing.