Flanders 2015

Grantmk

It was my first time but riding standards did seem very poor. I couldn't get up the Kwaremont due to people walking spread all across the road and up the Paterberg I was knocked off by someone stopping to put their foot down in the middle of the road (to be fair he was very apologetic). I was also shouted at by a big local who I ran into into on a paved uphill as he swerved across to the middle of the road at the same time as slowing dramatically. I saw one person who obviously thought he was a pro coming to grief descending on cobbles very quickly with no hope of making the bend when it was so wet. A wrecked rear mech was probably the least of his prpblems but he wasn't going to finish.

Other than that it was quite an experience, cold and wet which made me very nervous on the cobbles despite that I'll definitely do it again!

FJS

I thought the riding standards were fine. I did the full distance, and the first 100 flat kms it was pretty smooth, considering the size of the groups, the speed, and weather. Loads better than the few UK sportives I've done. I'm not sure the way people get off their bikes on steep cobbled hills has much to do with riding standards. I actually found that even on the Koppenberg everyone walking tried as much as they could to stay on the rught. Perhaps in the shorter distances there are more people unused to riding in groups

buckmulligan

Yeah, I wasn't including the walks up the Koppenberg and the Paterberg in that judgement, because they're pretty much expected most years let alone in the mud-fest this year.

I agree it is somewhat inevitable that they'll be incidents when you're putting 16,000 together on the same roads, but it seemed a lot more prevalent and a much more basic lack of awareness/consideration this time round compared to previous years.

Maybe the last couple of years of commuting in London has made me hyper-aware of my surroundings and overly critical of anyone else who isn't!

Anyway I still had a good time. I averaged 20 kph on both the Paddestraat and Haaghoek cobbles this time round, the pros on Strava are at 40 and 45 kph!!! I don't know how they manage to take them so fast, on the downhill sections of the Haaghoek I could barely see in a straight line and quickly got a headache from my brain bouncing around inside my skull. I dread to think what Paris-Roubaix is like for them.

Tjgoodhew

As i was leaving my hotel at about 7am the manager said that with the weather it would be a true Flandrian experience.

I actually found it a bit easier than i thought and didnt struggle on the climbs too much. Got up all but the Kopenberg and Paterberg which was walking only and the others just got in a small gear and churned away.

What i did struggle on was the flat cobbles and especially the Haaghoek. It was brutal !!

A super day and i will definately be back next year

durhamwasp

Anyone yet worked out the best time to start? (On any of the distances)

We did the middle route (135km) last year and were probably in the last 15% to start and generally found the climbs not too packed with cyclists. The only slight problems we had were on the Koppenberg - where we waited at the bottom for a couple of photos while waiting for a lull in the numbers, and then got up find - and the Paterberg where so many people were pushing on the last 75-100m of it.

Hope to be there next year.

dyrlac

Was a decent day out. A bit cold mind, as I was one of the few nutters in shorts (having switched from longs earlier in the month on the commute, there was no going back). Koppenberg & Paterberg impassable due to crowds, think I made it up about halfway of each before hitting the wall of walkers, which I duly joined. Generally well organised, but could have done with the finish being in the centre of town rather than all the way out at Qubus, my jr support crew (aged 6, 8 and 10) were by all accounts cold, fractious and bored.

All in all, I'm really glad to have done it, and it gives a very good appreciation when watching the race the next day, but not sure I would do it again given the crowds.

jimmythecuckoo

Most people I spoke to insisted it was all about timing your arrival at the big 3 in the 127km event.

Bearing that in mind, I arrived at the base of all of them as about 300 others decided to wander up on their cleats

(not that I would have made it up all the way to the top without stopping)

buckmulligan

Yeah, I think you just have to accept that your chances of getting up the Koppenberg and Paterberg are mostly down to luck.

This year I was expecting the jam on the Koppenberg and managed to position myself quite well in the run in from the feed station, with only a couple of people in sight ahead of me. Turned the corner, hit the climb and didn't even make the steep ramp before I hit the wall of people and had to get off. Exact repeat at the Paterberg. I know the mud was a factor, but 2013 it was dry and very similar.

Last time I made it up the Paterberg, seemingly mostly through luck than anything else. I just ploughed away dodging in and out of gaps and suddenly I was 50 metres from the top and nothing was going to stop me, so I gave a shout to anyone that got anywhere near me and managed to power over the top (just like Cancellera the day after!).

I enjoy riding the weekend as a whole, seeing the pros on the Sunday, but at the end of the day the repeated disappointment of not getting a decent shot at the big climbs does put a massive downer on the ride for me. I don't think I'll be going back again for Ronde weekend to be honest, I'd rather have a summer trip and ride the cobbles on my own.

jimmythecuckoo

My piece on the experience for road.cc

http://road.cc/content/blog/147792-flan ... comes-true

dyrlac

Good piece @jimmy. Was your encounter with the car on the Paterberg? Some flavour of volvo wagon? Spent some time "drafting" it (at 10kph at best), before passing it and then hit the wall of people (was wearing SPDs, which were a godsend). But my run up the Kwaremont was clear(ish), so that was really good, although I see Terpstra took it at more than twice my speed.

Totally agree on overall speed, for a while I thought my Garmin was reading a wonky speed sensor, but no, I was just that slow.

jimmythecuckoo

it was indeed

durhamwasp

Nice review.

Amazing how different our experience was in 2014, bright sunshine all day, and the crowds we experienced on the climbs were nothing like in that photo in the article! Was it the same course this year? (Koppenberg was climb 7 of 14 last year) We got to Koppenberg at around 2pm and as I say, waited 5mins for a lull in the riders and cycled straight up without too much bother.

This was the Koppenberg as we tackled it. https://www.facebook.com/snookcycling/p ... =3&theater

jimmythecuckoo

Weather couldnt be more different

Tjgoodhew

How have i ended up in the picture in your article - black gabba with silver helmet 8)

Great article and my experience of the flat cobbles was the same as yours. It was horrible !!!

Im starting to rethink my plan to do PR next year

durhamwasp

We thought exactly the same - the flat cobbles were the hardest/least enjoyable part of Flanders and thought that Paris-Roubaix would be a day of suffering and probably wouldn't enjoy a lot of it, however, that wasn't the case and the challenge of every sector was interesting in its own way.

Glad we did that in the June version organised by the local cycling club (1,000 entrants) rather than fighting with 16,000 others on the pretty dangers at times cobbles.

ddraver

Done it the last 2 years now as it's fairly easy for me to drop down and do it. I think it's such a great event. The reality is that if you want to do a good time then do it on your own the day before. Racing the sportive like in the UK requires being first off. Everyone else is doing it for the fun and so should you.

Getting stopped on the climbs is inevitable unless you shout at people to get out the way. Once people know your there they re usually very happy to move over and usually give you a push or a shout of encouragement. i got up all but the steepest part of the Koppenberg as someone moved out and pushed me into the verge. I loved the flat cobble sections this time, you could properly smash them! If you really do struggle with them then I recommend doing some MTBing, or at least CXing, to get your bike handling skills up a bit (plus they re fun too). The last 13k smash back into Oudenaarde was great fun too although I realised how much "technique" there is involved keeping positions on narrow Dutch/belgian bike paths which my mates have nt picked up

Good god is was cold for the first few hours though!

buckmulligan

ddraver wrote:

The last 13k smash back into Oudenaarde was great fun too although I realised how much "technique" there is involved keeping positions on narrow Dutch/belgian bike paths which my mates have nt picked up

Yeah we saw a crash on that last 13km run in. It was on that stretch where the bike lane switched to the left hand side of the road and you have nasty yellow bollards between you and the road on your right. Some girl had obviously come acropper and was lying in the cycle lane, looking very concerned that she was about to be run over by the rest of Belgium! Thankfully the guys I was riding with (shamelessly drafting) were alert enough and avoided her. She didn't look too badly hurt though!

jimmythecuckoo

Tjgoodhew wrote:

How have i ended up in the picture in your article - black gabba with silver helmet 8)

Great article and my experience of the flat cobbles was the same as yours. It was horrible !!!

Im starting to rethink my plan to do PR next year

Brilliant stuff

ddraver

Tjgoodhew wrote:

Great article and my experience of the flat cobbles was the same as yours. It was horrible !!!

Im starting to rethink my plan to do PR next year

Never!

I think that the shock is the most difficult thing to overcome. I found the cobbles much easier this year(in the wet) than last (in the bone dry). If you ve really never ridden off road before then I can imagine that you may be a little freaked out. Remember what you ve learnt this year (technique, tyre pressure etc) then apply it next year from the start and you'll wonder why you were so bothered and you'll smash it like the locals do!

(and if you ve really never ridden off road then go and hire an MTB at a trail centre, or at least try a few CX races just to get your bike handling mad skillz up a bit - do it for the fun either way)

ic.

I really enjoyed this ride. One thing though, Speedplay Zero really were not the best choice of pedals.

ddraver

No, not overly impressed with speedplay - I can see why the Pave ones are so popular for people with a kidney to sell though

ic.

On a everyday ride I love them, but if you have to jump off and walk up muddy cobbles, they are pretty useless.

vs4b

Spdsl were not any good either!