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Tour Of Flanders Sportive
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Only getting around to doing a bit of a write-up now... I did the 229 km distance on my own and overall it was an enjoyable day on the bike. The weather was really fantastic. Bone dry, very little wind and not too warm or cold.
There was a great buzz at the start in Antwerp with a lot of spectators waving us off despite it being 7am. It was cool that the sportive shared the same start line as the pro race.
The first 50 km to the first food stop went as expected. I was in a big peloton sheltered from any wind and I expended as little energy as possible. I didn't feel like I needed to stop at 50 km but I took a few minutes break anyway.
The groups were a lot smaller after the food stop and for what felt like the next 30 km, there was a straight section followed by a very tight corner. Eeveryone was accelerating out of the corners like crazy. I was struggling to stay within the group I was in and my heart rate was getting a bit too high. So I decided to save energy and go at my own pace until the next food stop at 87 km.
After that it was finally time to start tackling the cobbles and bergs
I did the Paris-Roubaix sportive last year so I found the cobbles in Flanders quite 'easy'. The Muur van Geraardsbergen was the first of the famous climbs. It was grand until the last few hundred metres in which it got seriously tough. There was a lot of encouragement from people on the Muur and I got over it okay. There was another food stop then at 129 km.
A couple of more climbs came and went followed by another food stop (167 km) and it was then time for the fearsome Koppenberg :eek: Due to the large number of riders and the narrowness of the Koppenberg, there was a 'traffic' control procedure in place at the bottom. I was waiting for maybe about five minutes before I could give it a bash. It really increased the tension though as you could see people coming to a standstill and falling over as they were defeated by the Koppenberg.
For all of the climbs, slower riders were requested to stay to the right hand side of the road and the faster to the left side. I was taking it nice and steady and weaving around walkers and slower riders. All was going well until a rider in front of me suddenly stopped. I reckon he was playing it safe and decided to unclip before falling over. I basically cycled into him and fell over comically
I had positioned myself on the far right of the road whereas I should have stayed more to the left side (I was faster than I thought I would be). I had to walk for about 50 metres then before the gradient eased a bit and I could clip back in. If it was less crowded do I think I could have made it all the way up? I think so.
There were riders scattered all over the roads now and the climbs were coming thick and fast. I got through the likes of the Taaienberg, Kanarieberg and Kruisberg by pacing myself and not going into the red too much. One more stop at 200 km and then all that was left was the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg :pac: The hardest part of the Kwaremont was it's length. I found the gradient and cobbles okay. During the climb I saw a banner which I thought signalled the end of the climb but it turned out that I was only about halfway up so that was a bit of mind fcuk!
The Paterberg was very tough. But I was kind of p*ssed that I failed the Koppenberg test so I was determined to pass the Paterberg. A 90 degree right hand corner leads you immediately to the start of the climb so you have no momentum. Again I took it nice and steady, but this time I kept my head up so I could position myself on the road better. After a lot of grunting and grinding, I reached the top
I gave it socks for the last 15 km and arrived at the finish over 10 and a half hours after I left Antwerp. I probably could have pushed myself harder on the flat, but since this was my longest ride to date, I didn't want to risk bonking at any stage.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2269497347
The positives - it was great to ride all the famous climbs... the Muur, Koppenberg, and Kwaremont... so much history. Doing it along with other riders gives you an idea of what the pros face during the race. The roads are so narrow, so picking the right lines is critical. The crowds on those climbs were great and the encouragement from them was brilliant. There was a guy on the Paterberg with a megaphone cheering people on. And there was also a band playing music that I passed at four different locations along the route!
The negatives - the first 100 km are pretty boring. I suppose it does increase fatigue so it makes it more like what the pros endure.
A lot of the participants were quite aggressive. Loads of riders in club gear would coming steaming past in team time trial mode, and then they would be stopped on the side of the road a few kilometres later
Then a bit later they would come driving through again. Rinse and repeat :rolleyes:
In particular, Italian riders were very vocal and seemed to be giving out the whole time.
Because of the huge number of people doing the sportive, we were held up a good few times on the road for traffic control reasons.
Overall it is a very well organised sportive. Would I do it again? Yes, but I would probably choose the 174 km distance that starts and finishes in Oudenaarde (you don't miss out on any of the climbs). Also, I have unfinished business with the Koppenberg
Finally, I can only imagine how tough it would be if it was wet! :eek:0 -
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