Belgian Early-Spring Classic Sportives

durhamwasp
durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
edited April 2019 in Sportives/audaxes/training rides
Looking at doing one of Gent-Wevelgem, Doors dwar Vlaanderen or E3 Herelbeke sportives in March, anyone done any of them and any recommendations? All look good!
http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....

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  • cycleclinic
    cycleclinic Posts: 6,865
    I want to enter one but how there appears to be no website
    http://www.thecycleclinic.co.uk -wheel building and other stuff.
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Don't think entry is open yet. Last year Cancellara Classic entries opened on Dec 20th.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • poweredbyidris
    poweredbyidris Posts: 848
    Yep - did G-W last year and I seem to remember that entries opened quite late.

    Didn't sell out however (there were on-the-day sign-ups), so you can go ahead and book your accommodation. The Ibis in Kortrijk was cheap and bike friendly, and did an early breakfast for the sportive riders.

    Great course as if the weather's good, the full circuit is a great day out, but if the weather's poor you can always turn off onto the 145km course which includes all the highlights (Ypres, Kemmelberg and the other climbs)

    Super-friendly, cheap (10 euros), low numbers, constantly given right-of-way by cars (not much traffic encountered anyway), and beer and frites at the finish made it a really fun day.

    Watching the pros can be done either side of the sportive day with the finish of E3 10-15 mins ride away on the Friday, and G-W on the Saturday.
  • ATYapton
    ATYapton Posts: 46
    We booked G-W through
    Www.sportivebreaks.com
    Ignore the bits about accommodation and you should get entry only
  • kirkee
    kirkee Posts: 369
    Planning a trip to do the GW with a small group of riders in 2018. Its one I've been thinking of for a while as its a lesser known race to the monuments. A few of us have done the more popular RVV and Paris Roubaix events before, I hope its a good day out. Don't know really what to expect from the event as its not loaded with hellingen or pave as the other major classics are, so looking forward to finding out. A few of us are going to do the full distance ride, riding through the old WW1 battlefields and memorials adds another aspect to it. Did consider the Omloop few years ago but its a shorter sportive thats like a mini RVV so would give that a miss in favour of the big one in April.
    All the registrations look open, 19 euros for the 220km GW, bargain and no early shuttle needed to start either.
    Caveat - I buy and ride cheap, however, I reserve the right to advise on expensive kit that I have never actually used and possibly never will
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    Looking forward to Gent Wevelgem this year.
  • shirley_basso
    shirley_basso Posts: 6,195
    Am doing AGR this year
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    We are signed up for E3 Harelbeke. €14 entry, typical European value not like the rip-off sportives in the UK.
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • poweredbyidris
    poweredbyidris Posts: 848
    Interested to hear your thoughts on E3 Durhamwasp. Could be on the cards for next year
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    I'll be writing something about our trip, and will share it on here! Fingers crossed for dry weather...
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • kirkee
    kirkee Posts: 369
    Were doing the Gent Wevelgem this Saturday. Just found out that the Johan Museeuw classic sportive runs the next day. I dont know if any of the riders on the trip will do it but if the legs are still there who knows!!!
    Caveat - I buy and ride cheap, however, I reserve the right to advise on expensive kit that I have never actually used and possibly never will
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Can't recommend the E3 Sportive enough! Brilliant day of cycling in great weather on legendary climbs! And all for just £12 entry.
    Here's our report and photos here: https://snookcycling.wordpress.com/e3-harelbeke/
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • kirkee
    kirkee Posts: 369
    durhamwasp wrote:
    Can't recommend the E3 Sportive enough! Brilliant day of cycling in great weather on legendary climbs! And all for just £12 entry.
    Here's our report and photos here: https://snookcycling.wordpress.com/e3-harelbeke/
    Good to meet you there over a cold Kwaremont! Great ride had by all!
    Caveat - I buy and ride cheap, however, I reserve the right to advise on expensive kit that I have never actually used and possibly never will
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    kirkee wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    Can't recommend the E3 Sportive enough! Brilliant day of cycling in great weather on legendary climbs! And all for just £12 entry.
    Here's our report and photos here: https://snookcycling.wordpress.com/e3-harelbeke/
    Good to meet you there over a cold Kwaremont! Great ride had by all!
    Yes, defo! Sounds like you had a class long weekend, we might copy that next year!
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • poweredbyidris
    poweredbyidris Posts: 848
    durhamwasp wrote:
    Can't recommend the E3 Sportive enough! Brilliant day of cycling in great weather on legendary climbs! And all for just £12 entry.
    Here's our report and photos here: https://snookcycling.wordpress.com/e3-harelbeke/

    Great write-up DW - looks like that'll be going on the list for next year
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,783
    Just dragging this thread up ...

    Just back from doing the 2019 G-W Sportive. Thoroughly recommend it, superb route through the WW1 battlegrounds, riding through the Plugstreets past the Christmas Truce spot, under the Menin Gate and climbing the Kemmelberg were highlights. Well organised, well marshalled, easy free parking and all for under 20 euros. There was a 5 euro deposit on the number/timing chip which you could get back or exchange for a tee shirt, I kept mine as a memento.
    I did the weekend, so watched E3 on Friday, Sportive on Saturday and watched G-W pro's climbing the Kemmelberg on Sunday - all in beautiful sunshine. Stayed in Gent which was a bit of a way out, but I was with my wife so that was 'her' part of the weekend.

    Highly recommended.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    have to agree about the E3/ GW weekend. the GW course is great fun (2nd time I've done it now). stayed near Wevelgem in a really nice airbnb. will be back in the summer hopefully.

    I wrote up a report on the KW website. http://www.kingstonwheelers.com/index.p ... cle&id=250 it needs some images....
  • davetex
    davetex Posts: 20
    Great write up,one to pencil in next year.

    Thinking of this area for an autumn stay to get some miles in too.
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Hoping to do GW or LBL next year, and possibly go back to Oudenaarde for a long weekend in early October. Great place!
    http://www.snookcycling.wordpress.com - Reports on Cingles du Mont Ventoux, Alpe D'Huez, Galibier, Izoard, Tourmalet, Paris-Roubaix Sportive & Tour of Flanders Sportive, Amstel Gold Xperience, Vosges, C2C, WOTR routes....
  • mtb-idle
    mtb-idle Posts: 2,179
    PoweredByIdris wrote:
    durhamwasp wrote:
    Can't recommend the E3 Sportive enough! Brilliant day of cycling in great weather on legendary climbs! And all for just £12 entry.
    Here's our report and photos here: https://snookcycling.wordpress.com/e3-harelbeke/

    Great write-up DW - looks like that'll be going on the list for next year

    Yup, great write up. I'm just back from completing the Flanders/RVV and loved it but always looking for a different challenge so this could well go in the calendar for 2020.

    325 miles from Dover? Blimey! I'm lucky living on the edge of south London that it's a much more reasonable distance. In fact I've done a few trips to Belgium/Holland where we rode to Dover before getting the ferry across:

    - London to Brugge in a day - circa 240km. Fast and flat, well once you get channel side. Kent is a bit lumpy and we had to set out at 4 a.m. to get the midday crossing
    - London to Waterloo - we did this over a few days. Mainly to see the battlefield but also went to Oudenaarde and Geraardsburg to tackle the famous Muurs. Battlefield was brilliant and we even left our bikes and all our kit loosely secured to some railings out the front of the visitor centre for about four hours. all ok when we returned
    - London to the Hook of Holland - 550km in 3 days or 4 countries in one day. Left at 11pm at night after having done a full days work & rode overnight to Dover (1), ferry crossing then ride from Dunkirk, France (2) across Belgium (3) and stop overnight in Sluis in Holland (4). ride next day across the dykes to the Hook of Holland and then get the overnight ferry back to Harwich, Essex. Ride back from there to London
    FCN = 4

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