I had always imagined that de Ronde van Vlaanderen must be hardest race in the world. The way I worked it out – having never ridden the course of either event at the time – was that de Ronde had the same cobbles as Roubaix, but with 20% grades thrown in. It makes enough sense so long as you don’t know what you’re talking about, but what you quickly discover once you have ridden them both is just how bad the cobbles of Roubaix are: the worst kasseien in Belgium are about as rough as the best pavé in France.
Both routes are so hard you need to experience them in order to appreciate their difficulty; words are hopelessly inadequate in describing the separation the rider feels from their bicycle while simultaneously feeling more connected to it than at any other time. It is through breaking down the illusion of control that the Cyclist is finally allowed to truly bond with their machine.
The element that makes Vlaanderen a slightly easier race is the most counter-intuitive: the bergs. On most routes, the hills are what separate the wheat from the chafe. Yet because of the brutality of the cobbles, they allow a rider to hide. The secret to riding cobblestones is speed; the faster you go, the better the bike is able to skim over the top with the effect of smoothing them out. This requires big, big power to sustain over the distance of a secteur of cobbles, let alone over the whole of a race. But the bergs neutralize the speed somewhat; how fast can anyone go up a 20% grade – on cobbles, no less? The answer is none fast, so the gaps between the strong and the weak are reduced somewhat until the final decisive moments when the pressure is so great that every chink in the rider’s armor is ruthlessly exposed.
To ride the cobbles is to dance with paradox: ride full gas while keeping something in reserve for the crucial moment – not when the odds are stacked in your favor, but the you are at the smallest disadvantage. During Sunday’s Ronde, we saw a Cancellara who was not at his best; he won both his previous two Ronde by being so superior that he could drop his adversaries on the last of the steep grades. This year, he made his move on the one section of the finale where his power was a definite advantage, despite his relative weakness on the day; he attacked not on one of the two steepest parts of the Kwaremont, but on the cobbled false flat between the two where speed could make a real difference. He then hung onto Vanmarke over the steep Paterberg before being dragged patiently to the sprint finish to take his third Ronde.
Cancellara is learning tactics as his strength steadily wanes; before last few year, there was no need for such subtlety. Now he is patient; he is calm. He knows both his strength and weakness, and doesn’t let the antics of the race affect his action. It reminds me of Neruda:
I like you calm, act as if you were absent, and you hear me far-off, and my voice does not touch you.
– Pablo Neruda
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Suppose cobbles bring the Quickening, Highlander, and "there can be only one" all in one shot.
Spartacus is becoming a crafty veteran indeed. Did you see Vansummeren's crash? Darwin-principle.
You just referenced Neruda in the contexts of de Ronde van Vlaanderen and your lust for for Cancellara in a way that nearly made poetic sense. Chapeau.
The more experience I get the more I'm impressed and amazed at what the racers in pro ranks accomplish. 6+ hours of hammering it and still, to play the chess match at the end like they did? Has to be pure instinct kicking in and built on so much experience. Amazing. Can't wait for Sunday. Big screen and High Def. Oh yea.
I disagree. I felt like he put in lots of the work towards the end catching Van Avermat and wasn't "towed" to the finish. He was arguing with Vanmarke to take the lead for a good amount after the climb. I may have missed more detail in my excitement though.
@DCR
What exactly are you disagreeing with?
Cancellara may have done some work to win, but it always[1] takes work to win Flanders. The difference this time is that no one is accusing him of having a motor in his bike - and that's a pretty big difference.
[1] 2011 excepted.
Do you think he really he was "relatively weak" ? I feel he has been conserving his strength, and not burning as many matches as years previously. Now..this weekend, we may, just may behold the full power as he becomes the only person to do the double..3 times?
@Frank. Great article, emotive as ever...this years PR should be an absolute rip snorter!
I rode the RVV on Saturday and still don't really have the words to explain it. However some are trying to come out and if it's ok I'd like to share my story?
Riding from the stadium to the start as the sun rose was a fantastic feeling, followed by 100km of scorching pace (I can't see me riding 100km quicker than that for a while) on the flat was frenetic and useful as a warmup....
Cobbles - nothing we trained for could prepare you for 2200m of large Belgian cobbles. At first I tried to sail over them by hitting them hard and fast. It worked! for about 200m. Then the cobbles started to work against me and they slowed the pace significantly. Wrapping the bars with inner tube under the tape worked very well too. No blisters for me!
Then the bergs came - out of necessity (forced dismount for one, tired legs for two) I walked one of the earlier climbs and also the Koppenberg and Paterberg. They are nothing like a climb I've ever come across - short, sharp and chaotic with riders trying to find a line in the cobbles that is clean and conducive to a good pace. Without wanting to wish the ride away I calmly and patiently counted them down as I crested them. Making it up a busy Oude Kwaremont was almost a religious experience, especially with the sense of achievement that comes with being a guy who climbs well for his weight. Remounting to finish the Paterberg marked the start of, in my mind, a 17.6km solo break for the end. Heart pounding at 85% max as the km's melted away. An guy latched on and we jumped up the road from group to group sharing banter and pushing 40km/h.
Before I knew it I was on my own, the guy on my back wheel was gone and the finish line was in sight. The only blemish being a group of idiots waiting ON THE FINISH LINE taking selfies. Gone was my plan of throwing up the outstretched Pantani arms for the cameras, instead opting for an insouciant roll over the line.
I'd definitely do it again, watching the pros on the Sunday was a great experience too and so many trippels were consumed.
I've come away from the weekend with the Flandrian equivalent of a thousand yard stare and the right to wear my lion of Flanders socks.
@dissolved Strong work. Sounds like an amazing experience that you'll remember for a long time.
I suspect that the Ronde is a bit like PR in that nothing you do prior to it will really prepare you for the cobbles which means that you'll soon start thinking "now I'v done it once I know how to do it better" - you'll have to go back.
The Ronde scares the shit out of me because I can't climb but it's going to have to be done at some point. I'll keep on going back to Paris Roubaix.