There is something about Northern Europe in general and Flanders in particular that exudes The V; you feel it in the air the moment you set foot into the region. Such terrible things have happened here for so long that living with hardship and suffering has not only become part of the culture of the region, but being tough has become a principle characteristic of the people who live there. To paraphrase Johnny Green’s words, the things that have happened here are like a torn curtain – it just kinda hangs there.
Roubaix may be the Queen of the Classics, but for me, the greatest one-day classic of the year is the Tour of Flanders. Cobblestones are one thing, cobblestones combined with mud and racing another, but cobblestones, mud, and 20% gradients are a different matter altogether. The Americanized name of the race obfuscates an important point: in Flemish, “Flanders” starts with the V – Vlaanderen. Coincidence? Perhaps, but it has a beautiful symmetry to it, and that’s good enough for me.
This race, more than any other on the calendar, represents the people who host it. The stones, the climbs, the weather, it almost seems as though the very spirits of those who have perished in these fields been drawn into the route. In their honor, I will be hosting a cobbled hill ride in Seattle on Sunday, April 3. For those of you who live in the area – and those of you close or crazy enough to make the last-minute trip into town, I will be leaving the parking lot of Speedy Reedy in Fremont at 10am sharp to embark on an honorary ride over the hills and cobbles of Queen Anne and surrounding areas (as well as several uncobbled climbs). Nothing compared to the challenge of de Ronde itself, but beggars can’t be choosers. This will be as easy a ride as possible, given the terrain we aim to cover and given my poor level of conditioning. Also be aware that I haven’t done the recon into the route that I should have, so there may be some route-finding involved.
Rain or shine, obviously. Kinda hoping for rain, actually.
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@G'rilla
He's the guy who just kicked a volcano's ass in the middle of winter, when some of us (read, me) are getting fat and happy. I wouldn't have expected anything less.
Someday I'll come up to join y'all in Seattle for a ride and some beers, but at this point in the spring I'd just embarrass myself. The only thing that makes me feel decent right now when I'm out cramping it up on a ride is I'm ahead of where I was at this point last spring...
@Jeff in PetroMetro
Not up to the scratch of Pedale.Forschetta... yet... but this link takes you to a few of the better ones from the weekend... the idiot gurning at the camera in Velominati colours is me, the sun had yet to come up and I had 260km to ride, what can I say... honestly, I climb well for my weight... some good ones of GT killing it at different points of the race, though (thanks to my buddy Barefoot for his shots on the Bosberg)... and some start line posturing from Spartacus (who was looking very lean and focused) and Thor (who was Looking Fantastic).. funnily enough, the later ones of Sunday have all come out blurred
@roadslave
Fantastic. Thanks for posting - even though my innards churn with envy as I view them. (A comment made before, but it bears repeating - how cool is it for the giants of the sport to be so accessible to the fans? And now we know the answer: a fuckton of cool.)
@roadslave - awesome.
@G'phant - agreed, in what other sport... Boonen was mobbed like the rockstar he is, Cav got snogged by a granny, Thor tried to look cool, but smiled evertime someone yelled his name... only Cancellara was a little subdued (still looked fantastic though)
Apologies for the dude in it, but thought I'd share couple of photos of the Velominati strip on the Taaienberg and Muur-Kapelmuur
ok, they came out a little bigger than I expected... ooops, hopefully the taste police will shrink them a bit.
Fuck me, mate. You look fantastic. How did I miss this yesterday? That's two things I missed, merckxdamnit.
Love the touch with V-optimized Jawbones, face twisted in agony as you mash up some grade that should never have been paved - let alone with stones. Spot on. Been meaning to get that same set of lenses. Looks FANTASTIC, mate.
The guy in the second shot of you got hit by a stewpot, from the looks of it. Ouch.
@roadslave
These pictures are fantastic, as are the ones over at your picasa page. More than likely the first to ride these legendary bergs in a V-kit. Badass!
Hi there! Would you mind if I share your
blog with my zynga group? There's a lot of people that I think would really
appreciate your content. Please let me know.
Thank you