Riding the Course
At the other end of the week that began with the Tour of Flanders, I wanted to watch the Paris-Roubaix race and ride some of the course to experience some of the rough cobbled farm tracks that give the race known as the Hell of the North its unique character. Early Saturday morning I drove through freezing rain and fog to Dover to catch the Eurotunnel, prepared for a wet, cold, muddy, miserable - and hence appropriately challenging - ride in northern France. But when I rolled off the train in Calais I was greeted by a beautiful, sunny, windless morning, perfect for cycling. Driving down an empty motorway I was in the town of Cambrai in no time. Sunny 20C- Spring has really arrived in France. God it was good to be back in France. I met up with Charles, an American student in Germany also keen to ride the course, and we cycled out of town towards the first sections of cobbles in the race. Once on the course there was no getting lost as they had put up arrows and banners over the start and end of each cobbled section in preparation for the race the next day.
The first section of pavé we tackled was sector 25 from Quievy - St-Python. The cobbles were noticeably bigger than those in Flanders, and the only way to avoid vibrating to a halt was to push really hard in a big gear and stick to the middle of the 'road'. The bits at the side look smoother, but that's deceptive. This section was 3700m long, and riding at close to my limit for several minutes was absolutely knackering. I read in Cycle Sport that the pros put out 550 watts on the cobbles - equivalent to riding a 4-30 4000m pursuit - and they have to do this 27 times in one race! Getting back on a tarmac road after this was bliss - it felt so fast! The next sector involved a slight downhill, and the vibration was even worse, my eyes couldn't focus and everything was a blur. Had there been a large pothole I wouldnt have seen it. Charles lost a water bottle but we didn't want to go back and endure extra pain looking for it. One section came after a little climb so our legs were already a bit tired. Without the strength to power over the cobbles it was very uncomfortable. We made pretty good progress through sectors 25 - 19 (counting down towards the finish) and stopped for water in a bar-tabac in Denain, and a bit of banter with the proprietor who was interested in our exploits and the race. He could speak English but "with Americans I speak only French" he joked. A cold beer there was very tempting - it was so warm we got very thirsty - but we decided to press on towards the worst bit of all, the Forest of Arenberg.
Now I thought I was starting to get the hang of the pavé by now, but nothing prepares you for Arenberg. The cobblestones are a lot bigger and the track is thus a lot rougher than the other sections. Attempting to ride it on a road bike with thin tyres and no suspension is the height of lunacy. But we had to do it. Charles got up a good speed and powered ahead, but I never got up enough speed and really struggled. It was quite amazing our bikes stood up to all that abuse without complaint, except that my saddlepack vibrated itself loose, but having stuffed it into my jersey pocket I carried on. There were lots of cyclists in the forest, mainly mountain bikers, some on the smooth track the other side of the crowd barriers that force the racers to ride on the rough stuff, many at the end spectating, but not many actually riding the cobbles on road bikes with us. But there was one rider giving it some, who I had to overtake. I had to go around him on the extra rough stuff, and the effort tired me so much he overtook me back, we had a bit of a contest, and I managed to just beat him to the end.
We did one more sector after that to Warlaing. Having completed 75km and 10 sectors of the course we had had enough, and cycled the 30km or so back to Cambrai where we enjoyed a cold beer and a big meal. We stayed in a delighful chateau outside St-Quentin.
Watching the Race
On Sunday morning we drove into St-Quentin and watched race pass by. A group of about 10 had got a 2 minute lead on the peloton, but this was too early in the race to be significant. Next we drove north to Quievy and the first sector we had ridden the previous day. Despite having taken the motorway we only just got there before the cyclists. There were big crowds where the riders had to make a sharp turn, and here we had a great view. The break from earlier still had a lead of 3 minutes, but with 150km still to ride, that wasn't much. Next we followed a Rabobank team car up the motorway to the Forest of Arenberg where there were huge crowds, a bar and BBQ and even a VIP suite overlooking the course. By now the race had completely changed- the break had been caught, there were crashes in the forest and the real contenders were coming to the fore. We hopped back in the car and a short way along the motorway the race criss-crossed the motorway. Traffic on the motorway slowed to a crawl as many cars had parked up on the hard shoulder. We joined them and were lucky enough to see the race once again. Then we headed to Carrefour de l'arbre, one of the final sectors of pavé where the race is often decided. And so it was - there were crashes galore in the tight bends just before where we were, which took Hushovd, Flecha and Hoste out of contention, leaving Boonen to power his way past us to victory in Roubaix. This is a really great race to watch as the winding course and the slowing effect of the cobbles makes it possible to catch it at many points, enabling us to see the race unfold.
Photos on Flickr
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Spring Classics Week - Ronde van Vlaanderen
I've had a bit of a break from cyclosportives for the last few months, as I caught the end of the road race season and then had a go at cyclocross (great fun!) over the winter. Now Spring is here I'll be doing some cyclosportives to get the miles in.
Sportive - Sat 4th April
Last year's Tour of Flanders sportive was such great fun I had to do it again this year. I hadn't ridden a ride of more than 100km until last weekend so I decided not to do the stupidly long 260+km version again this year, settling for the 140km option which includes all the climbs that the pro race does. This year we were blessed with atypically good weather: dry, overcast, little wind, unlike last year's sleet and rain. I found it more enjoyable than last year - arriving at the climbs fresh after just a 30km warm-up was a pleasant change. I actually found the cobbles quite a bit easier this year, possibly from being a bit stronger and knowing what to expect, but certainly a carbon frame and 28mm tyres absorbed the shocks better this time. Ed, Christian and I started very late at 11:15 as we had a bit of drama in getting to the start. Christian and I managed to crash into each other in amazement that cars on the dual carriageway actually stopped to let cyclists cross! Luckily we weren't far from a bike shop for some necessary emergency repairs. There were still a few riders setting off that late, but without crowds to follow we did get lost (twice) after about 1km in Ninove and ended up on the MTB course. Thankfully we got back on track before ending up in a field. At that late time it wasn't terribly crowded on the climbs and I reckon I would have got up the Koppenberg in one go if someone hadn't fallen off right in front of me. Isn't that always the way? It was great to have some company this time round, and I struggled to keep up with Ed and Christian on the climbs and flat cobbled sections. Ed eventually faded, paying the price for setting a blistering price for the first hour, and Christian seemed to get stronger as I got weaker: I had to work hard on the flat and descents to catch him after every climb. By around 100km I was feeling very tired and getting cramp on the climbs: when I stopped on the Koppenberg I couldnt bend my left leg to walk, and had to limp with a dead straight left leg! My lack of winter base miles was evident, but this was all great training. After the 2nd feed stop I recovered and felt a lot stronger. The feed stations were well stocked, but I think not drinking enough caused my cramp. In the run in to Ninove with the hills out of the way, the pace picked up as many riders wanted to finish in a good time, but although the event was very well marshalled we did have to stop for traffic clearance and to single file into a cycle lane a couple of times.
Saturday evening we stayed in Aalst, a pleasant and surprisingly lively little city near the start/finish in Ninove, and got to sample some of the local beers.
Pro Race - 5th April
Next day after a leisurely breakfast we set off to watch the pro race. We made things slightly hard for ourselves by not having a map, petrol, or even a means of paying for petrol. Driving around Aalst burning our last few drops of petrol in search of a pump that would accept our credit cards, we nearly didn't get to the race at all, but having eventually found an Esso we drove west in the general direction of Oudenaarde. We resorted to google maps - sparingly, not just because of the extortionate data roaming charges but also because the phone battery was about to die! We had a vague plan to watch the race at Oude Kwaremont where we watched it last year, then head to Gerardsbergen for the finish. Outside Oudenaarde we took a shortcut cross country and found ourselves on the course at Eikenberg. It was a bit early so we pressed on in the direction (we hoped) of Oude Kwaremont, but very soon passed Koppenberg and decided to watch there. We parked up behind the Quick Step and Columbia team cars on the dual carriageway and strolled up the Koppenberg in - unbelievably - warm sunshine. There were lots of people atop the Koppenberg but not huge crowds. The police had limited the numbers and fenced off sections and weren't allowing us to descend to the steep cobbled bit, so we watched from the very top where the cobbles gave way to tarmac. Looking across the fields about a mile away I could just make out through the heat haze a group of 4 riders about 20s ahead of the peloton. At the top of Koppenberg Boonen led the chase with Pozzato glued to his wheel, followed by Devolder who would go on to win. Further back there were some really quite tired looking riders.
Next we drove to Gerardsbergen, took the last parking space, and positioned ourselves on the railway bridge coming into town before the ascent of Kapelmuur. It is quite remarkable that in the time it took us to walk to our car, drive fast to Gerardsbergen and wait only 20 minutes, the riders covered 56km and 9 climbs. By this point the race had taken a different shape - a lead group of Devolder, Chavanel, Quinziato and Van Hecke had a substantial lead, enough for Devolder to win. We watched the rest of the race in a bar where the atmosphere was fantastic.
Sportive - Sat 4th April
Last year's Tour of Flanders sportive was such great fun I had to do it again this year. I hadn't ridden a ride of more than 100km until last weekend so I decided not to do the stupidly long 260+km version again this year, settling for the 140km option which includes all the climbs that the pro race does. This year we were blessed with atypically good weather: dry, overcast, little wind, unlike last year's sleet and rain. I found it more enjoyable than last year - arriving at the climbs fresh after just a 30km warm-up was a pleasant change. I actually found the cobbles quite a bit easier this year, possibly from being a bit stronger and knowing what to expect, but certainly a carbon frame and 28mm tyres absorbed the shocks better this time. Ed, Christian and I started very late at 11:15 as we had a bit of drama in getting to the start. Christian and I managed to crash into each other in amazement that cars on the dual carriageway actually stopped to let cyclists cross! Luckily we weren't far from a bike shop for some necessary emergency repairs. There were still a few riders setting off that late, but without crowds to follow we did get lost (twice) after about 1km in Ninove and ended up on the MTB course. Thankfully we got back on track before ending up in a field. At that late time it wasn't terribly crowded on the climbs and I reckon I would have got up the Koppenberg in one go if someone hadn't fallen off right in front of me. Isn't that always the way? It was great to have some company this time round, and I struggled to keep up with Ed and Christian on the climbs and flat cobbled sections. Ed eventually faded, paying the price for setting a blistering price for the first hour, and Christian seemed to get stronger as I got weaker: I had to work hard on the flat and descents to catch him after every climb. By around 100km I was feeling very tired and getting cramp on the climbs: when I stopped on the Koppenberg I couldnt bend my left leg to walk, and had to limp with a dead straight left leg! My lack of winter base miles was evident, but this was all great training. After the 2nd feed stop I recovered and felt a lot stronger. The feed stations were well stocked, but I think not drinking enough caused my cramp. In the run in to Ninove with the hills out of the way, the pace picked up as many riders wanted to finish in a good time, but although the event was very well marshalled we did have to stop for traffic clearance and to single file into a cycle lane a couple of times.
Saturday evening we stayed in Aalst, a pleasant and surprisingly lively little city near the start/finish in Ninove, and got to sample some of the local beers.
Pro Race - 5th April
Next day after a leisurely breakfast we set off to watch the pro race. We made things slightly hard for ourselves by not having a map, petrol, or even a means of paying for petrol. Driving around Aalst burning our last few drops of petrol in search of a pump that would accept our credit cards, we nearly didn't get to the race at all, but having eventually found an Esso we drove west in the general direction of Oudenaarde. We resorted to google maps - sparingly, not just because of the extortionate data roaming charges but also because the phone battery was about to die! We had a vague plan to watch the race at Oude Kwaremont where we watched it last year, then head to Gerardsbergen for the finish. Outside Oudenaarde we took a shortcut cross country and found ourselves on the course at Eikenberg. It was a bit early so we pressed on in the direction (we hoped) of Oude Kwaremont, but very soon passed Koppenberg and decided to watch there. We parked up behind the Quick Step and Columbia team cars on the dual carriageway and strolled up the Koppenberg in - unbelievably - warm sunshine. There were lots of people atop the Koppenberg but not huge crowds. The police had limited the numbers and fenced off sections and weren't allowing us to descend to the steep cobbled bit, so we watched from the very top where the cobbles gave way to tarmac. Looking across the fields about a mile away I could just make out through the heat haze a group of 4 riders about 20s ahead of the peloton. At the top of Koppenberg Boonen led the chase with Pozzato glued to his wheel, followed by Devolder who would go on to win. Further back there were some really quite tired looking riders.
Next we drove to Gerardsbergen, took the last parking space, and positioned ourselves on the railway bridge coming into town before the ascent of Kapelmuur. It is quite remarkable that in the time it took us to walk to our car, drive fast to Gerardsbergen and wait only 20 minutes, the riders covered 56km and 9 climbs. By this point the race had taken a different shape - a lead group of Devolder, Chavanel, Quinziato and Van Hecke had a substantial lead, enough for Devolder to win. We watched the rest of the race in a bar where the atmosphere was fantastic.
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