That is how I feel at the moment, having done the Schellebelle kermis this afternoon. It was almost exactly the same as last year, except there were more starters (87), I finished just outside the top 30, and it rained for the first six laps. Average speed was the same though - 43 clicks.
I've decided I've had enough of the carbon saddle and will replace it with my Fizik Aliante today. My back is bloody sore from hammering out of n corners to 53 km/h all the time. It was worse early on, because we were going so slow into the corners because of the rain, then would have to wind it up to warp speed again. Repeat many times. The bike was good though, even though braking on carbon wheels in the wet is almost a complete waste of time.
It goes without saying that I was down the back. It would have been easier in the first 20, but I stuck to my pre-race plan, which was to stay right out of trouble until about 4 laps to go. It worked out OK, because by that stage there were 17 off the front so the pressure was slightly off. I tried to get in a few moves but didn't quite the legs to go with our very own Hamish Haynes (CN.com team) and a couple of others on the fourth last lap.
Pretty much all the other moves came back anyway, and it was a fairly small bunch sprint to sort out 21st place. I know I was close to 10th, but I missed out on top 30. No matter. There were massive arguments in the results room anyway, and I hung around for far too long to give my number back. At least the sun was out.
On the way back, I decided I wanted to avoid the dirt road between Schellebelle and Wetteren which I took on the way out (it was the main road, of course). So I went on one side of it, but I got dumped back on it just before the dirt road. Then I doubled back, ended up on a bit of the parcours, not far from the bloody start! I crossed the railway, didn't like the direction that the road was going, so I tried to follow the railway. I ended up on another dirt road. I followed it because I was fed up and wanted to get home. Eventually did. 157 km.
All in all, it was a better experience than last week at Lovendegem, because I finished the damn race this time.
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Monday, May 30, 2005
It's raining again
I know, I shouldn't complain, because the last four days have been really nice. Three of them were 30 degrees-ish and even yesterday wasn't too bad. But it's raining now.
The Giro has finished and I am feeling completely brain dead, as is normal. It's been a staring into space (and rain) morning, but I had better do some work. Good race - it would have been very amusing if Rujano had won! That dude is seriously small.
Punctured a tubular on Saturday as we turned to go up the back of the Molenberg. Dang. Had a spare, but no valve extender. Dang again. Rode 10 km on the flat to Oudenaarde and got the guys at the bike shop to sort it out. So training was truncated.
Sunday: didn't bother with Berchem as I didn't want to face 170 km on very little sleep before the final day of the Giro. So it was the usual Schelde loop with the boyz. There was no wind, and we went up the Trap Op in the fastest ever (well, since I started recording it last year) time of 4'54, an average of 36.7 km/h by my reckoning. The first part to the Haaghoek turn off was in 3'00, which is the same as the pros did it in the E3 Prijs earlier this year. It was mainly due to Alain Lagaisse, who really lit it up at the bottom. I was in my 53x16 and wondering why I was pedalling so fast. We slowed down a bit when we got to the flat part in the middle.
Unfortunately on the way back, there were a couple of guys waiting for the bunch and I think one of them broke his seatpost as we were coming up. He crashed, then his mate who was looking around also crashed. Half of the bunch stopped, and half of us continued, as 15 people can render assistance as well as 30, especially as it was on a fairly main thoroughfare. Hope the guy is OK! Andy Gannon told me a nasty story about a mate of his that broke a seat post on Beach Road in Melbourne. He said he nearly lost both legs as a result. Ouch. I'm somewhat glad I have my solid Eddy Merckx seat post now instead of that carbon one.
The final sprint was good - you could have thrown a blanket over Andy, Schiemsky and I. I think Andy got it in the photo finish and bike throw :-)
Must work.
The Giro has finished and I am feeling completely brain dead, as is normal. It's been a staring into space (and rain) morning, but I had better do some work. Good race - it would have been very amusing if Rujano had won! That dude is seriously small.
Punctured a tubular on Saturday as we turned to go up the back of the Molenberg. Dang. Had a spare, but no valve extender. Dang again. Rode 10 km on the flat to Oudenaarde and got the guys at the bike shop to sort it out. So training was truncated.
Sunday: didn't bother with Berchem as I didn't want to face 170 km on very little sleep before the final day of the Giro. So it was the usual Schelde loop with the boyz. There was no wind, and we went up the Trap Op in the fastest ever (well, since I started recording it last year) time of 4'54, an average of 36.7 km/h by my reckoning. The first part to the Haaghoek turn off was in 3'00, which is the same as the pros did it in the E3 Prijs earlier this year. It was mainly due to Alain Lagaisse, who really lit it up at the bottom. I was in my 53x16 and wondering why I was pedalling so fast. We slowed down a bit when we got to the flat part in the middle.
Unfortunately on the way back, there were a couple of guys waiting for the bunch and I think one of them broke his seatpost as we were coming up. He crashed, then his mate who was looking around also crashed. Half of the bunch stopped, and half of us continued, as 15 people can render assistance as well as 30, especially as it was on a fairly main thoroughfare. Hope the guy is OK! Andy Gannon told me a nasty story about a mate of his that broke a seat post on Beach Road in Melbourne. He said he nearly lost both legs as a result. Ouch. I'm somewhat glad I have my solid Eddy Merckx seat post now instead of that carbon one.
The final sprint was good - you could have thrown a blanket over Andy, Schiemsky and I. I think Andy got it in the photo finish and bike throw :-)
Must work.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Lovendegem redux
As I suspected, my knee was fine to ride on, and the bruising had gone down a lot courtesy of severe treatment with frozen prawns and Arnica.
I picked a great day for my first race: wind strength 4, overcast, with occasional showers. Yet another typical Belgian day. I found the little path along the little canal, so it was only 13.7 km out to the start at Lovendegem, instead of 15 km. So I rode down to the end of the road and back to the sign on cafe for good measure.
Caught up with Don, who got his new bike today and probably didn't have it quite adjusted right. It caused some pain later, I reckon. Kleedkamers were in the footy field and I was even asked by a young lass, who appeared to be filming an entire kermis koers, where they were. Dunno if she found them, but she was spotted during the race interviewing one of the elderly spectators. Can't wait to see the doco.
We had 38 starters, a few good guys as usual, and a whole squadron of Kingsnorth boys. 10 laps of 10.6 km (or 11 km according to the organiser). Set off at 55 km/h in the tailwind as usual, and I think the eventual winner Christophe Devos made the first attack. I decided to stay at the back for as long as possible, as I was just trying to get an hour of racing in. It wasn't too bad, although I had to work a bit harder in the narrow 2 km cross/headwind section at the back. First lap we started at 46 km/h and held that for a while until everyone blew up and dropped to 30 km/h. Then the attacks started of course.
I wasn't really keeping track of what was going on up front, just trying to hold my position down the back. On the second lap, we pretty much did the whole cross/headwind section at 46, and that was hard. Had to keep going round people who couldn't hold the wheel in front. After that, I had Don on my wheel and he was yelling loudly. Not at me, but at himself, and it didn't sound good. He dropped off at the end of the lap.
The third lap was harder, and although we hit the cross/headwind at 46, a group still managed to split off the front and we chased them all the way along that bit. Eventually got them when we turned right into the headwind, and it slowed down for a bit before the winning move went clear.
At the start of lap 4, three guys from our group jumped away and went in pursuit of the leading 13(?). I saw them go and was caught in two minds, because I knew that was the place to be. But although I was feeling ok in the bunch, it's a different matter when you have to work. So, like a fool, I waited until the three had gone, then set off on my own. I managed to hold them steady as they closed in on the leaders, but I knew the gap was too big.
I got caught by the group behind just before the cobbled corner that I hate: it has two rows of plastic bollards and you really have to be careful with your line. I rode it like a total hubbard and one of my bidons fell out. Being somewhat delirious and a moron, I stopped to pick it up. Basically, I went from being off the front of my group to being out the arse in about 200 metres. Oh well, I didn't lose the bidon. I wouldn't have needed it though - it was too bloody cold!
Chased and held them at 10 seconds for a while, but I knew I wouldn't get them unless they slowed down. My saddle had tilted back too, so it was like pedaling in squares. Rode an extra lap to get halfway, and then spent the rest of the race sitting in the gutter, chatting to Don, and shivering a lot. I guess it was worth the wait, as once the results were posted I found that I still finished 26th, so would have been in with a shout of a top 20 had I not been an idiot.
Still, it was enjoyable. It's just the whole atmosphere of a race, seeing some familiar faces and saying g'day.
It's 11:30 now and there's no way I'm getting to sleep.
I picked a great day for my first race: wind strength 4, overcast, with occasional showers. Yet another typical Belgian day. I found the little path along the little canal, so it was only 13.7 km out to the start at Lovendegem, instead of 15 km. So I rode down to the end of the road and back to the sign on cafe for good measure.
Caught up with Don, who got his new bike today and probably didn't have it quite adjusted right. It caused some pain later, I reckon. Kleedkamers were in the footy field and I was even asked by a young lass, who appeared to be filming an entire kermis koers, where they were. Dunno if she found them, but she was spotted during the race interviewing one of the elderly spectators. Can't wait to see the doco.
We had 38 starters, a few good guys as usual, and a whole squadron of Kingsnorth boys. 10 laps of 10.6 km (or 11 km according to the organiser). Set off at 55 km/h in the tailwind as usual, and I think the eventual winner Christophe Devos made the first attack. I decided to stay at the back for as long as possible, as I was just trying to get an hour of racing in. It wasn't too bad, although I had to work a bit harder in the narrow 2 km cross/headwind section at the back. First lap we started at 46 km/h and held that for a while until everyone blew up and dropped to 30 km/h. Then the attacks started of course.
I wasn't really keeping track of what was going on up front, just trying to hold my position down the back. On the second lap, we pretty much did the whole cross/headwind section at 46, and that was hard. Had to keep going round people who couldn't hold the wheel in front. After that, I had Don on my wheel and he was yelling loudly. Not at me, but at himself, and it didn't sound good. He dropped off at the end of the lap.
The third lap was harder, and although we hit the cross/headwind at 46, a group still managed to split off the front and we chased them all the way along that bit. Eventually got them when we turned right into the headwind, and it slowed down for a bit before the winning move went clear.
At the start of lap 4, three guys from our group jumped away and went in pursuit of the leading 13(?). I saw them go and was caught in two minds, because I knew that was the place to be. But although I was feeling ok in the bunch, it's a different matter when you have to work. So, like a fool, I waited until the three had gone, then set off on my own. I managed to hold them steady as they closed in on the leaders, but I knew the gap was too big.
I got caught by the group behind just before the cobbled corner that I hate: it has two rows of plastic bollards and you really have to be careful with your line. I rode it like a total hubbard and one of my bidons fell out. Being somewhat delirious and a moron, I stopped to pick it up. Basically, I went from being off the front of my group to being out the arse in about 200 metres. Oh well, I didn't lose the bidon. I wouldn't have needed it though - it was too bloody cold!
Chased and held them at 10 seconds for a while, but I knew I wouldn't get them unless they slowed down. My saddle had tilted back too, so it was like pedaling in squares. Rode an extra lap to get halfway, and then spent the rest of the race sitting in the gutter, chatting to Don, and shivering a lot. I guess it was worth the wait, as once the results were posted I found that I still finished 26th, so would have been in with a shout of a top 20 had I not been an idiot.
Still, it was enjoyable. It's just the whole atmosphere of a race, seeing some familiar faces and saying g'day.
It's 11:30 now and there's no way I'm getting to sleep.
I'm in the money
I'm dedicating this to my future benefactor, Prince George Sanoussi, the first son of Late Zainoul Abidine Sanoussi, who was the former Foreign Affairs Minister of Guinea-Conakry. I received an email from him last week, promising me quite a tidy sum of money after I'd organised some formalities about taxes or something. The future is rosy indeed.
This week, I have Roger "the Lodger" from England staying with me in my halfway house to do Giro live coverage. He has that famous British sense of humour that we all know and love, and can therefore ease some of the pressure. The Giro has been bloody good, I must say. Pity about Basso, but Sav, Di Luca, and Gibo are still in with a shout.
Roger's also vegetarian, but not one of those types, so when we went looking for a feed on Sunday night he was against the idea of going to the macrobiotic one down the road, which was shut anyway. Strangely, and rather disturbingly, we ended up at the Turkish Döner Kebab takeaway, and I had another foot-long kebab, while he had something that looked like frites and pineapple rings out of a can. No meat though. I must get myself out of this cycle of self-abuse, as after a few more visits to the takeaway, I think I'll need a liver bypass and reconstructive surgery on my semicolon. It can't be good for you.
Roger has popped off down to Luxembourg for a couple of days to visit friends/relatives/others, so that's at least two days I don't have to go Turkish. Well, it's all grist for the mill, as they say in the classics.
Riding update: Still on the bike, except when I'm falling off it. I'm supposed to be racing in Lovendegem this evening, but I will have to see how it is with a sore knee. Dang. Nothing that a lot of Arnica cream and frozen prawns won't fix, I hope. The training is still progressing, and on Saturday we averaged 40 km/h for our 60 km-ish mountainous loop, with a hell of a lot of wind. I couldn't do too much other than follow, but felt better coming back along the Schelde, which we did in 26'45 for 20 km. Sunday I just sat on, 'cos I was trying to take it easy, and we came back in 26'30. I therefore conclude that if I work, the average speed slows down.
On Monday, I had een koffie met Rebecca, and managed to knock her off her bike on wet cobbles (my fault, I slipped in the gutter). Dang. Hence the sore knee. Permission to laugh.
I have been summoned for Jury Duty in Oz too, but I fear it's a little far for me. I think I can get an exemption if I live more than 56 km from the courthouse. So all that remains is to prove to the Aussie Authoritaahs that Belgium is outside the 25 mile limit. I think I'll refer them to my agent, Prince George Sanoussi.
Four hours until race time so I'd better crank up the Rachmaninov-type doof-doof music.
This week, I have Roger "the Lodger" from England staying with me in my halfway house to do Giro live coverage. He has that famous British sense of humour that we all know and love, and can therefore ease some of the pressure. The Giro has been bloody good, I must say. Pity about Basso, but Sav, Di Luca, and Gibo are still in with a shout.
Roger's also vegetarian, but not one of those types, so when we went looking for a feed on Sunday night he was against the idea of going to the macrobiotic one down the road, which was shut anyway. Strangely, and rather disturbingly, we ended up at the Turkish Döner Kebab takeaway, and I had another foot-long kebab, while he had something that looked like frites and pineapple rings out of a can. No meat though. I must get myself out of this cycle of self-abuse, as after a few more visits to the takeaway, I think I'll need a liver bypass and reconstructive surgery on my semicolon. It can't be good for you.
Roger has popped off down to Luxembourg for a couple of days to visit friends/relatives/others, so that's at least two days I don't have to go Turkish. Well, it's all grist for the mill, as they say in the classics.
Riding update: Still on the bike, except when I'm falling off it. I'm supposed to be racing in Lovendegem this evening, but I will have to see how it is with a sore knee. Dang. Nothing that a lot of Arnica cream and frozen prawns won't fix, I hope. The training is still progressing, and on Saturday we averaged 40 km/h for our 60 km-ish mountainous loop, with a hell of a lot of wind. I couldn't do too much other than follow, but felt better coming back along the Schelde, which we did in 26'45 for 20 km. Sunday I just sat on, 'cos I was trying to take it easy, and we came back in 26'30. I therefore conclude that if I work, the average speed slows down.
On Monday, I had een koffie met Rebecca, and managed to knock her off her bike on wet cobbles (my fault, I slipped in the gutter). Dang. Hence the sore knee. Permission to laugh.
I have been summoned for Jury Duty in Oz too, but I fear it's a little far for me. I think I can get an exemption if I live more than 56 km from the courthouse. So all that remains is to prove to the Aussie Authoritaahs that Belgium is outside the 25 mile limit. I think I'll refer them to my agent, Prince George Sanoussi.
Four hours until race time so I'd better crank up the Rachmaninov-type doof-doof music.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
1/50, the power of induction, and a curry
Great things are afoot, as Slartibartfast would say. So great, that they have superceded the weather, which is still cold, but relatively dry.
I have managed to push the envelope on both sides of my AX Lightness carbon seatpost. Monday, went out for an easy cruise, and I made it 20 km before the saddle fell off. Using cold logic, which is my most reliable resource, I figured that it meant that I hadn't tightened the bolt up enough. So today, I made my last saddle adjustment and had it just right and I made sure it was tight. It is possible to overtighten bolts in carbon fibre, and about 5 km later, I heard that awful sound: CRACK. So I stopped.
The saddle was OK, but I'd cracked the seatpost near the bolt. I always cease to amaze myself. I was near the Molenberg, about 25 km away from home, so I turned the bike in the direction of Gent and prepared to ride out of the saddle for the rest of the way. I got tired of this after 5 km, and thought I'd test the properties of carbon fibre under compression, with my arse acting as the main weight.
After 1 km, I was still sitting on the saddle, which was only wobbling slightly under load. So I applied that fantastic mathematical principle of induction (basically, pulling yourself up in a bucket) and decided to ride another 1 km in the saddle. It held, so by induction, I thought I could ride another 2 km in the saddle, and so on, until I got back to Zwijnaarde. So confident was I in the power of induction, that I turned around and went back out towards Oudenaarde, thinking I'd extend my ride to 120 km. Then I got that far and thought, bugger it, induction's serving me well today, so why not 130 km? The rest is left as an exercise for the reader.
To save paper, I went to the Oudenaarde end of the Schelde and back, for a total of three laps and 150 km. Of course, I was prepared for the saddle to break at any moment, meaning some more out of the saddle action, but induction saved the day and I made it home. My year 10 maths came in handy at last. Bit of a boring ride, but beggars can't be choosers, I always say. I was gunna race, but there are no races anywhere in Belgium today because they were all yesterday (Pfingsten public holiday). Sigh. Next Tuesday: Lovendegem (see Chopin's nocturne post about a year ago).
I've now invested in an Eddy Merckx seatpost, which is nearly three times the weight of the ridiculously light AX Lightness (290g compared to 120g) but it's made of metal, and that gives me confidence. Dunno about this 50g saddle though. I reckon it'll break before the end of the week.
In other news of import, there were shocking depredations in my fridge and cupboard stocks over the course of the long weekend. I went shopping on Friday and bought a lot - or so I thought - but by Monday it had mostly gone and I was left with instant rice for tea plus a sandwich on stale bread. So today, I took my big backpack to the supermarché and spent double the usual amount to restock.
I even made a curry from first principles, like dad showed me how to do all those years ago (he still makes the best curries). I cheated a bit and bought curry powder, but it had fenugreek in it so that's OK I reckon. To do a proper first principles curry you have to assemble all your spices from the non-weevil infested spice ra:k, grind them up in a mortar and pestle, brown the onions and garlic, partially burn the spices, add the meat, brown it, then add water. Leave it for about 6 hours to simmer on low heat, realise you didn't turn down the heat, throw the whole mess away and get a foot-long döner kebab from the Turkish takeaway down the street. Fortunately, I did turn down the heat and my liver, heart, and stomach were spared the unjust assault of a döner kebab. That was close.
The good thing is that there have been few, if any, objections so far, and things are progressing at a rapid pace, thanks to advanced mobile phone technology and the Power of the Internet. Judging by that last one, telepathy as well. Although the first part of the deal was done in about 6 minutes, it took more than a week to agree on the exact terms of the contract (the Hague Convention prevents me from revealing them here). A solution has now been reached, and all parties are generally satisfied, although it's impossible to please all of the people, all of the time. That is, if this curry doesn't kill me first. Tastes good but, and goes extremely well with beer and chocolate ice cream.
New Order's Waiting for the Siren's Call is particularly good - better than Get Ready. Recommended by me, anyway, which probably doesn't count for much.
I have managed to push the envelope on both sides of my AX Lightness carbon seatpost. Monday, went out for an easy cruise, and I made it 20 km before the saddle fell off. Using cold logic, which is my most reliable resource, I figured that it meant that I hadn't tightened the bolt up enough. So today, I made my last saddle adjustment and had it just right and I made sure it was tight. It is possible to overtighten bolts in carbon fibre, and about 5 km later, I heard that awful sound: CRACK. So I stopped.
The saddle was OK, but I'd cracked the seatpost near the bolt. I always cease to amaze myself. I was near the Molenberg, about 25 km away from home, so I turned the bike in the direction of Gent and prepared to ride out of the saddle for the rest of the way. I got tired of this after 5 km, and thought I'd test the properties of carbon fibre under compression, with my arse acting as the main weight.
After 1 km, I was still sitting on the saddle, which was only wobbling slightly under load. So I applied that fantastic mathematical principle of induction (basically, pulling yourself up in a bucket) and decided to ride another 1 km in the saddle. It held, so by induction, I thought I could ride another 2 km in the saddle, and so on, until I got back to Zwijnaarde. So confident was I in the power of induction, that I turned around and went back out towards Oudenaarde, thinking I'd extend my ride to 120 km. Then I got that far and thought, bugger it, induction's serving me well today, so why not 130 km? The rest is left as an exercise for the reader.
To save paper, I went to the Oudenaarde end of the Schelde and back, for a total of three laps and 150 km. Of course, I was prepared for the saddle to break at any moment, meaning some more out of the saddle action, but induction saved the day and I made it home. My year 10 maths came in handy at last. Bit of a boring ride, but beggars can't be choosers, I always say. I was gunna race, but there are no races anywhere in Belgium today because they were all yesterday (Pfingsten public holiday). Sigh. Next Tuesday: Lovendegem (see Chopin's nocturne post about a year ago).
I've now invested in an Eddy Merckx seatpost, which is nearly three times the weight of the ridiculously light AX Lightness (290g compared to 120g) but it's made of metal, and that gives me confidence. Dunno about this 50g saddle though. I reckon it'll break before the end of the week.
In other news of import, there were shocking depredations in my fridge and cupboard stocks over the course of the long weekend. I went shopping on Friday and bought a lot - or so I thought - but by Monday it had mostly gone and I was left with instant rice for tea plus a sandwich on stale bread. So today, I took my big backpack to the supermarché and spent double the usual amount to restock.
I even made a curry from first principles, like dad showed me how to do all those years ago (he still makes the best curries). I cheated a bit and bought curry powder, but it had fenugreek in it so that's OK I reckon. To do a proper first principles curry you have to assemble all your spices from the non-weevil infested spice ra:k, grind them up in a mortar and pestle, brown the onions and garlic, partially burn the spices, add the meat, brown it, then add water. Leave it for about 6 hours to simmer on low heat, realise you didn't turn down the heat, throw the whole mess away and get a foot-long döner kebab from the Turkish takeaway down the street. Fortunately, I did turn down the heat and my liver, heart, and stomach were spared the unjust assault of a döner kebab. That was close.
The good thing is that there have been few, if any, objections so far, and things are progressing at a rapid pace, thanks to advanced mobile phone technology and the Power of the Internet. Judging by that last one, telepathy as well. Although the first part of the deal was done in about 6 minutes, it took more than a week to agree on the exact terms of the contract (the Hague Convention prevents me from revealing them here). A solution has now been reached, and all parties are generally satisfied, although it's impossible to please all of the people, all of the time. That is, if this curry doesn't kill me first. Tastes good but, and goes extremely well with beer and chocolate ice cream.
New Order's Waiting for the Siren's Call is particularly good - better than Get Ready. Recommended by me, anyway, which probably doesn't count for much.
Sunday, May 15, 2005
I want to ride my (etc.)
This will be short, as there are a few milliseconds to spare between doing the Sunday night results spree. Huzzah.
Big weekend, riding the Endorfin Speed III with Lightweight Wheels (phwoar) for the eerste keer. It still needs a bit of adjustment, but I'm getting there. It's great for hills and riding in a straight line, but it handles like a Volvo compared to the very twitchy Canyon. The deep dish wheels don't help, of course.
Saturday: eight of us after the Molenberg, then another eight caught on over the top so we ended up with two bunches. We did have some horsepower in front with Sammy Moreels, Tom Vlerick, Nico Mestdagh, Jaak Eeckhout (John Saey 'crosser), Alain Deroux(?) (amateur in Palmans gear), and a few more. Guido was there right at the end, nursing a hangover. So it was nice coming back into the headwind with a bit of grunt. Led out the sprint together with Tom Vlerick and got second. No surprises there.
Sunday: Berchem (yawn, never get enough sleep). The Kid wasn't there, neither was Guido, but most of the rest were. The Quick.Step dude was now wearing a T-Mobile/US National team jersey, and didn't seem to be arguing with the older guy form Onder Ons Parike. Coming down into Tournai, Snelle Eddy, Guy Callens, Mr Onder Ons Parike, and a mustachioed dude who never works, did a stupid thing and attacked around a truck on a roundabout. Really stupid. It's a frickin' training ride! I erred on the side of caution (as I always do) and let them go. It was doubly bad because I only had the Quick.Step/T-Mobile guy to work with, as the rest of the bunch were not really interested.
The two of us rode hardish up the false flat from Tournai and caught them before the top. Only one other guy came with us though (small MTB dude)! So then there were seven of us.
No more attacks until after Frasnes-lez-Anvaing, where Eddy and small MTB dude rolled off the front as I was down the back. No-one really attacks on this ride, it's just that people let gaps go. It's frustrating, because it's actually quite easy to hold a wheel on the flat. So we let them go out to 30 seconds as none of the other four really wanted to work. I couldn't be arsed putting in a big chase, as I was pretty sure I could get them back whenever, preferably with a little help.
A little help is all I got as I went a bit harder on the hill through the bos. I eased up and signaled for Guy Callens to come through, as he was the only one who stayed with me, but then I saw the look on his face and decided I'd better continue. That bike really is nice to climb on. Over the top it was only 10 seconds and we closed it down steadily without blowing ourselves up. So then there were four.
I actually felt bad about attacking the other week so on the Chapelle, I just rode hard enough so that at the top, we were three (Eddy and Guy hung on). I think Eddy was a bit afraid I'd go on the Hotonde, but I didn't see the point. In fact, I didn't even want to sprint at the end (I'm like that) until Eddy jumped with 150m to go and put a couple of bike lengths into me. Can't have that, I thought. I went after him and still thought it was pointless, until I put it down two gears and suddenly found myself going a lot faster. Eddy made the mistake of looking around as the road went up a bit just before the imaginary line at the cafe. Then he swore :-)
Rode home via a coke machine and really needed it, as it was a bloody headwind. The all-carbon saddle is nice!
Ob. music reference: Got two CDs last week, The Beekeeper (Tori Amos) and Waiting for the Siren's Call (New Order). Both bloody good! OK, music appreciation is in the ear of the beholder and all that, but if you're a fan of these artist(e)s, then get these.
Big weekend, riding the Endorfin Speed III with Lightweight Wheels (phwoar) for the eerste keer. It still needs a bit of adjustment, but I'm getting there. It's great for hills and riding in a straight line, but it handles like a Volvo compared to the very twitchy Canyon. The deep dish wheels don't help, of course.
Saturday: eight of us after the Molenberg, then another eight caught on over the top so we ended up with two bunches. We did have some horsepower in front with Sammy Moreels, Tom Vlerick, Nico Mestdagh, Jaak Eeckhout (John Saey 'crosser), Alain Deroux(?) (amateur in Palmans gear), and a few more. Guido was there right at the end, nursing a hangover. So it was nice coming back into the headwind with a bit of grunt. Led out the sprint together with Tom Vlerick and got second. No surprises there.
Sunday: Berchem (yawn, never get enough sleep). The Kid wasn't there, neither was Guido, but most of the rest were. The Quick.Step dude was now wearing a T-Mobile/US National team jersey, and didn't seem to be arguing with the older guy form Onder Ons Parike. Coming down into Tournai, Snelle Eddy, Guy Callens, Mr Onder Ons Parike, and a mustachioed dude who never works, did a stupid thing and attacked around a truck on a roundabout. Really stupid. It's a frickin' training ride! I erred on the side of caution (as I always do) and let them go. It was doubly bad because I only had the Quick.Step/T-Mobile guy to work with, as the rest of the bunch were not really interested.
The two of us rode hardish up the false flat from Tournai and caught them before the top. Only one other guy came with us though (small MTB dude)! So then there were seven of us.
No more attacks until after Frasnes-lez-Anvaing, where Eddy and small MTB dude rolled off the front as I was down the back. No-one really attacks on this ride, it's just that people let gaps go. It's frustrating, because it's actually quite easy to hold a wheel on the flat. So we let them go out to 30 seconds as none of the other four really wanted to work. I couldn't be arsed putting in a big chase, as I was pretty sure I could get them back whenever, preferably with a little help.
A little help is all I got as I went a bit harder on the hill through the bos. I eased up and signaled for Guy Callens to come through, as he was the only one who stayed with me, but then I saw the look on his face and decided I'd better continue. That bike really is nice to climb on. Over the top it was only 10 seconds and we closed it down steadily without blowing ourselves up. So then there were four.
I actually felt bad about attacking the other week so on the Chapelle, I just rode hard enough so that at the top, we were three (Eddy and Guy hung on). I think Eddy was a bit afraid I'd go on the Hotonde, but I didn't see the point. In fact, I didn't even want to sprint at the end (I'm like that) until Eddy jumped with 150m to go and put a couple of bike lengths into me. Can't have that, I thought. I went after him and still thought it was pointless, until I put it down two gears and suddenly found myself going a lot faster. Eddy made the mistake of looking around as the road went up a bit just before the imaginary line at the cafe. Then he swore :-)
Rode home via a coke machine and really needed it, as it was a bloody headwind. The all-carbon saddle is nice!
Ob. music reference: Got two CDs last week, The Beekeeper (Tori Amos) and Waiting for the Siren's Call (New Order). Both bloody good! OK, music appreciation is in the ear of the beholder and all that, but if you're a fan of these artist(e)s, then get these.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Another new toy
My latest pile of junk: the Endorfin Speed III.
I am really being spoiled this year. First with the Canyon F10, which was a great ride, apart from the saddle. So stiff and manoeuvrable! And now I've got a new rig, a Speed III from Endorfin. Unlike the Canyon, it's not a compact frame but it's built more like my GT. Err, in dimension only. It's aluminium, which surprised me, but with all the carbon bits on it it comes in at 6.95 kg! No excuse for being dropped on the hills now.
Lightweight wheels....arrrgghhl, drool, lust. AX Lightness carbon saddle, which is surprisingly comfy. Better than the SLR I had on the Canyon, which was like riding on rough granite.
It's almost too cruel to take it to a race. Jeez I'd better take it with me to the kleedkamers or it'll get nicked! And yes, I now have my racing licence with mum as my honorary begeleider. Unfortunately, on my scheduled Day Off next week (Tuesday), there are no races on. They're all on bloody Monday because it's yet another bloody public holiday. I hate public holidays, because I don't get them.
Back to ogling the bike...
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Matters of import
I was all set to unblock my drain today (not the sink one, the shower one, because having a shower was like having a bath). But I seemingly had help from a higher power, because it suddenly unblocked itself. I think the problem was lower down, and there were Workmen below, so I think they had something to do with it. I guess I'll have to pour all that drain unblocker that I bought down the sink. What a waste.
Still cold and windy, so I did 150 km in approx. four and a half hours, with a little help from my friends. This time I did find the back way up to La Houppe, so I was vindicated in some way. I could relive the pain of last year's Sluitingsprijs Berchem when Guido and Snelle Eddy made my legs very, very sore on that climb. At least I know where the top is now.
We had a good quality bunch sprint today, with (I think) Dmitri De Fauw (Quick.Step) winning from his Six Day partner Iljo Keisse (Chocolade Jacques). Tomas Vaitkus was only 10th. Admittedly he wasn't actually sprinting and had his hands on the tops. These results could be completely erroneous because my vantage point 20 wheels back was probably not the best, and there may have been some parallax error.
I had a mattetaartje for the first time in ages today. Just then in fact. I think I've spoiled my dinner.
Still cold and windy, so I did 150 km in approx. four and a half hours, with a little help from my friends. This time I did find the back way up to La Houppe, so I was vindicated in some way. I could relive the pain of last year's Sluitingsprijs Berchem when Guido and Snelle Eddy made my legs very, very sore on that climb. At least I know where the top is now.
We had a good quality bunch sprint today, with (I think) Dmitri De Fauw (Quick.Step) winning from his Six Day partner Iljo Keisse (Chocolade Jacques). Tomas Vaitkus was only 10th. Admittedly he wasn't actually sprinting and had his hands on the tops. These results could be completely erroneous because my vantage point 20 wheels back was probably not the best, and there may have been some parallax error.
I had a mattetaartje for the first time in ages today. Just then in fact. I think I've spoiled my dinner.
Monday, May 09, 2005
Have you seen this boy?
I'm not talking about Terminator II. The Giro has started and that means that this bilgespot is nearly a year old. I just did a quick word count and it's up to 67,000. That's two thirds of a trashy novel. All bilge, all the time.
In some particular order:
I sent away for me racing licence last week, so if the postal service and the Belgian cycling feds are organised, I might get it in time to race next Tuesday (Giro day off). Here's hoping.
Weather has been crap again. It's incredible, but it's true. After the glorious Sunday just over a week ago, it turned nasty, rained most of the days, and is back down to 14 degrees or so max. Sigh. Didn't stop me getting out for a pedal or three, but it wasn't a suitable week for training. Saturday was pretty bad - wind strength 4-5 from the northwest and icy thunderstorms. I did 80 km and it was one of the slowest rides I've done for ages! Why am I not surprised? I saw Luc Schiemsky in Gent when I got back, because he was being a driving instructor. He chose a good morning to sit in a car.
Sunday was a bit better, in that there wasn't nearly as much rain. I did the Sunday Schelde parcours as I would have only had five hours sleep had I chosen to go to Berchem again. Giro prologue didn't finish until 10:20pm so it was a pretty late night. Vai Lancaster! Cipollini's pink and silver skinsuit nearly pushed me over the edge though.
Sunday was much better than Saturday, although the bunch kept splitting to pieces. I was on the front at one stage when my saddle bag fell off on the cobbles! Oops. Turned around and got it, got passed by the chasing bunch, then stopped and clipped it on, and decided to take a shortcut to catch them again. I did manage to meet them near the foot of the mighty Trap Op so I wasn't robbed of any valuable hill training.
There was a bit of a crosswind coming back, and with about 8 km to go we were down to six: Luc, Nico Mestdagh, Andy Gannon (another Aussie), Guido, and a junior kiddie. The bunch hadn't given up and I could see them trying to come back, so I did a harder turn with about 700m to go just to make sure. I was hoping The Others would get on my wheel but they didn't. Oh well. Legs felt good.
Saw Don Gamble in the bunch on Monday (went out for a quick spin in the morning) and he had his bike stolen at a race in Laarne a week ago! Unbelievable! It's pretty easy to do of course, because no-one expects it here. He had pulled out of the race early and was only in the change rooms for 10-15 minutes or so and it had gone. So if you see it around (it's got wheels and stuff, sort of white) then commandeer it and return it to Don. He was riding an ancient Giant 8 speed (looked like 6) and expects to get a new machine in about a week. Jeez, I'd better be careful!
Also finally had a chat with Aussie ex-pro Rebecca McConnell, who is basing herself in Oudenaarde this year and racing under the auspices of the Aussie MTB National Team. We agreed that "Burt's" win in the Giro prologue was bloody awesome and couldn't happen to a nicer guy. She's also got some media experience and is interested in doing some work for us, as her MTB schedule is not exactly full-on. Objections? Overruled.
Back to the Giro.
In some particular order:
I sent away for me racing licence last week, so if the postal service and the Belgian cycling feds are organised, I might get it in time to race next Tuesday (Giro day off). Here's hoping.
Weather has been crap again. It's incredible, but it's true. After the glorious Sunday just over a week ago, it turned nasty, rained most of the days, and is back down to 14 degrees or so max. Sigh. Didn't stop me getting out for a pedal or three, but it wasn't a suitable week for training. Saturday was pretty bad - wind strength 4-5 from the northwest and icy thunderstorms. I did 80 km and it was one of the slowest rides I've done for ages! Why am I not surprised? I saw Luc Schiemsky in Gent when I got back, because he was being a driving instructor. He chose a good morning to sit in a car.
Sunday was a bit better, in that there wasn't nearly as much rain. I did the Sunday Schelde parcours as I would have only had five hours sleep had I chosen to go to Berchem again. Giro prologue didn't finish until 10:20pm so it was a pretty late night. Vai Lancaster! Cipollini's pink and silver skinsuit nearly pushed me over the edge though.
Sunday was much better than Saturday, although the bunch kept splitting to pieces. I was on the front at one stage when my saddle bag fell off on the cobbles! Oops. Turned around and got it, got passed by the chasing bunch, then stopped and clipped it on, and decided to take a shortcut to catch them again. I did manage to meet them near the foot of the mighty Trap Op so I wasn't robbed of any valuable hill training.
There was a bit of a crosswind coming back, and with about 8 km to go we were down to six: Luc, Nico Mestdagh, Andy Gannon (another Aussie), Guido, and a junior kiddie. The bunch hadn't given up and I could see them trying to come back, so I did a harder turn with about 700m to go just to make sure. I was hoping The Others would get on my wheel but they didn't. Oh well. Legs felt good.
Saw Don Gamble in the bunch on Monday (went out for a quick spin in the morning) and he had his bike stolen at a race in Laarne a week ago! Unbelievable! It's pretty easy to do of course, because no-one expects it here. He had pulled out of the race early and was only in the change rooms for 10-15 minutes or so and it had gone. So if you see it around (it's got wheels and stuff, sort of white) then commandeer it and return it to Don. He was riding an ancient Giant 8 speed (looked like 6) and expects to get a new machine in about a week. Jeez, I'd better be careful!
Also finally had a chat with Aussie ex-pro Rebecca McConnell, who is basing herself in Oudenaarde this year and racing under the auspices of the Aussie MTB National Team. We agreed that "Burt's" win in the Giro prologue was bloody awesome and couldn't happen to a nicer guy. She's also got some media experience and is interested in doing some work for us, as her MTB schedule is not exactly full-on. Objections? Overruled.
Back to the Giro.
Monday, May 02, 2005
Numbers
Ob. Weather Mention: What a glorious day on Sunday! 28, lots of sun and blue skies. Bliss. Of course, it's raining today.
I think the weather played havoc with the deep freeze at the supermarket, because when I got there today to restock on ice cream (one of the main pillars of my food pyramid), I found that all the shelves were empty! Oh, the humanity. There was a problem with the freezer and you couldn't even get frozen broccoli. Not that you'd want to. I knew I shouldn't have eaten all of my spare chocolate ice cream late last night when I was getting a bit peckish...
Height: 183.1 cm
Weight: 75.4 kg (yeah right. I was 71 that morning on my special scales, although I did eat breakfast. I'll assign it to 73 kg for the record)
Sum of 10 skinfolds: 66.2 mm = 11.4% bodyfat. The doc said I could lose 2-3 kg to be in optimal shape. I've started my diet with half a tin of Pringles and a low-fat creme brulee. Watch the kilos fall off.
Resting heart rate: 61 bpm (it's really 48. I was nervous, OK?!!?)
Blood pressure: 125/80 mm
ECG: All normal
VO2 Max: 4.43 l/min
VO2max/weight: 60 ml/min/kg (using my 'adjusted' weight of 73:-))
Max. ventilation: 178.5 l/min
Max. power: 405 Watts
Max. lactate: 9.42 mmol/l
Submax
Aerobic threshold (2 mmol/l): 150 bpm
VO2: 3.39 l/min / 46 ml/min/kg = 77% of VO2max
Power output: 270 Watts
Anaerobic threshold (4 mmol/l): 167 bpm
VO2: 3.91 l/min /53.5 ml/min/kg = 88% of VO2max
Power output: 330 Watts
Recovery after max: 156 bpm after 1 minute, 132 bpm after 2 minutes.
The Doc said I was in good condition. I probably could have told him that for free. He said I had a good aerobic threshold/capacity, probably because I train a lot at 150 bpm. He said most riders ignore this and concentrate on low end and high end stuff, to their detriment. But I should be able to produce another 10 watts at these thresholds: I reckon that's partly to do with the fact that I had no cycling shoes on when I did the test.
The Doc also gave me some training advice, which I'll take on board but probably largely ignore unless I stop riding with the bunch. It's impossible to stick to a training plan if you're riding with other people. e.g. yesterday's five hour ride at Berchem was done at a higher than recommended intensity and for about 2 hours longer :-) I feel OK today though. But there were plenty of things of interest that I picked up, and I will incorporate them in future. Intense training or racing should only be done twice a week, he reckoned.
Then it was up the long, false flat between Tournai and Frasnes, and surprisingly, no-one attacked. The Kid did a big turn on the downhill with no-one willing to roll over. There was a guy (ex-racer) in Quick.Step colours who was principally responsible for the stopping action, as he simply refused to come through most of the time. And when he did, it was only for a couple of seconds. I think he was having an ongoing argument with one of the older guys there, who also doesn't do turns, but he has an excuse as he's not fit. It became comical later on.
I had a premonition that I would lose a bottle today (seriously, I had a dream about it) and it happened on the bump just before the little bridge over the freeway after about 40 km. There was no way I was riding another 90 km on half a bidon, so I turned around and picked it up, fully realising that I could end up alone for the rest of the day. Luckily, they didn't attack on the bridge and I was able to get back on after a couple of km. But as soon as I did, The Kid lit it up with Schiemsky on his wheel and that was a serious move. Being warmed up now, I didn't trust the others to chase - I remember Guido and Eddy went away there last year and it cost me a lot of bikkies to catch them.
Actually, the Quick.Step guy and his older nemesis did chase, but I caught them, because the Quick.Step guy refused to close the gap with the other guy on his wheel, so the other guy flipped him the bird. That cracked me up. I got onto The Kid and Luc, nearly crashed on the corner when The Kid used his brakes, and then the rest of the group came up, led by Geert d'Hondt and Eddy.
The attacks continued all the way to Frasnes-lez-Anvaing and then it settled down a bit before the climb up through the bos. Eddy led all the way up there, and at the top we were down to about six, although Luc went back and got his friend Johan, and Eddy dragged Geert d'Hondt back. The Quick.Step guy had started working now, mainly because his old rival was dropped! But when he came back, the cooperation stopped again.
We caught people who had taken shortcuts just before Flobecq, and commenced the final 20 km with 15 of us again. The breaking point was expected to be the climb up to 'La Chapelle', about 1 km long, gets steeper at the top, and nearly always causes the final selection [I'm writing this in race report style, because for all intents and purposes, the Sunday (and Saturday, and pretty much any other day) ride is ridden like a race]. Normally I've always paced myself up this climb and saved anything for the steep bit. But today I thought 'bugger it, I'll go from the bottom'.
The good thing is that you get a nice little descent just before the climb and can get a bit of speed up. Eddy, who had been very quiet since Frasnes, started attacking on the descent, and a few guys followed. I think I was doing 57 km/h at the bottom and I just kept it in the big ring...it was by far the quickest I've ever done that climb, and at the top, I wasn't surprised to be alone. That was the main object of the exercise. Then came the hard part :-) I think I only lasted 5 km before Eddy, Luc, The Kid, Mr Quick.Step, and another young guy caught me. It's hard to stay away from those guys!
Things were somewhat subdued leading up to the Hotonde, and when we got to the lights at the N60, The Kid turned off and the Quick.Step guy stopped. Well, he didn't follow us when we sneaked across at the lights. So I had another go on the Hotonde and started to blow halfway up, but this time only Luc came across. We caught the rest of the guys who had taken shortcuts on the short descent and rode up to the cafe, where Luc turned around and waited for Johan and I went off in search of a coke. Eventually found one (or two) at Oudenaarde, thanks to Luc and Johan!
This is ridiculous. I really need to start racing! Definitely keen now...
I think the weather played havoc with the deep freeze at the supermarket, because when I got there today to restock on ice cream (one of the main pillars of my food pyramid), I found that all the shelves were empty! Oh, the humanity. There was a problem with the freezer and you couldn't even get frozen broccoli. Not that you'd want to. I knew I shouldn't have eaten all of my spare chocolate ice cream late last night when I was getting a bit peckish...
Test results
Got me numbers back from the Doc today, and he said I was OK to race. No funky heart rhythm disturbances, which is good (and expected). I also got a full rundown of myself in numbers:Height: 183.1 cm
Weight: 75.4 kg (yeah right. I was 71 that morning on my special scales, although I did eat breakfast. I'll assign it to 73 kg for the record)
Sum of 10 skinfolds: 66.2 mm = 11.4% bodyfat. The doc said I could lose 2-3 kg to be in optimal shape. I've started my diet with half a tin of Pringles and a low-fat creme brulee. Watch the kilos fall off.
Resting heart rate: 61 bpm (it's really 48. I was nervous, OK?!!?)
Blood pressure: 125/80 mm
ECG: All normal
Test results
Max heart rate during test: 184 bpm (actual max is 197, but this can vary depending on a lot of things, not least a Tuesday night win!)VO2 Max: 4.43 l/min
VO2max/weight: 60 ml/min/kg (using my 'adjusted' weight of 73:-))
Max. ventilation: 178.5 l/min
Max. power: 405 Watts
Max. lactate: 9.42 mmol/l
Submax
Aerobic threshold (2 mmol/l): 150 bpm
VO2: 3.39 l/min / 46 ml/min/kg = 77% of VO2max
Power output: 270 Watts
Anaerobic threshold (4 mmol/l): 167 bpm
VO2: 3.91 l/min /53.5 ml/min/kg = 88% of VO2max
Power output: 330 Watts
Recovery after max: 156 bpm after 1 minute, 132 bpm after 2 minutes.
The Doc said I was in good condition. I probably could have told him that for free. He said I had a good aerobic threshold/capacity, probably because I train a lot at 150 bpm. He said most riders ignore this and concentrate on low end and high end stuff, to their detriment. But I should be able to produce another 10 watts at these thresholds: I reckon that's partly to do with the fact that I had no cycling shoes on when I did the test.
The Doc also gave me some training advice, which I'll take on board but probably largely ignore unless I stop riding with the bunch. It's impossible to stick to a training plan if you're riding with other people. e.g. yesterday's five hour ride at Berchem was done at a higher than recommended intensity and for about 2 hours longer :-) I feel OK today though. But there were plenty of things of interest that I picked up, and I will incorporate them in future. Intense training or racing should only be done twice a week, he reckoned.
Berchem report
First Berchem ride for me since the 'Sluitingsprijs' last year and it was a pleasant change. We had a slightly bigger group than normal, including Luc Schiemsky but not Guido, who is still sick. All the usual suspects were there, with Snelle Eddy and The Kid (Piet Stevens) looking strong. I was a bit sore after Saturday, but that was expected. Eddy attacked with a couple of others before Mont St Aubert, but we were able to bring them back just before turning onto the main road to Tournai, and we still had a group of 15-20, including the ones that had taken a short cut around the Mont.Then it was up the long, false flat between Tournai and Frasnes, and surprisingly, no-one attacked. The Kid did a big turn on the downhill with no-one willing to roll over. There was a guy (ex-racer) in Quick.Step colours who was principally responsible for the stopping action, as he simply refused to come through most of the time. And when he did, it was only for a couple of seconds. I think he was having an ongoing argument with one of the older guys there, who also doesn't do turns, but he has an excuse as he's not fit. It became comical later on.
I had a premonition that I would lose a bottle today (seriously, I had a dream about it) and it happened on the bump just before the little bridge over the freeway after about 40 km. There was no way I was riding another 90 km on half a bidon, so I turned around and picked it up, fully realising that I could end up alone for the rest of the day. Luckily, they didn't attack on the bridge and I was able to get back on after a couple of km. But as soon as I did, The Kid lit it up with Schiemsky on his wheel and that was a serious move. Being warmed up now, I didn't trust the others to chase - I remember Guido and Eddy went away there last year and it cost me a lot of bikkies to catch them.
Actually, the Quick.Step guy and his older nemesis did chase, but I caught them, because the Quick.Step guy refused to close the gap with the other guy on his wheel, so the other guy flipped him the bird. That cracked me up. I got onto The Kid and Luc, nearly crashed on the corner when The Kid used his brakes, and then the rest of the group came up, led by Geert d'Hondt and Eddy.
The attacks continued all the way to Frasnes-lez-Anvaing and then it settled down a bit before the climb up through the bos. Eddy led all the way up there, and at the top we were down to about six, although Luc went back and got his friend Johan, and Eddy dragged Geert d'Hondt back. The Quick.Step guy had started working now, mainly because his old rival was dropped! But when he came back, the cooperation stopped again.
We caught people who had taken shortcuts just before Flobecq, and commenced the final 20 km with 15 of us again. The breaking point was expected to be the climb up to 'La Chapelle', about 1 km long, gets steeper at the top, and nearly always causes the final selection [I'm writing this in race report style, because for all intents and purposes, the Sunday (and Saturday, and pretty much any other day) ride is ridden like a race]. Normally I've always paced myself up this climb and saved anything for the steep bit. But today I thought 'bugger it, I'll go from the bottom'.
The good thing is that you get a nice little descent just before the climb and can get a bit of speed up. Eddy, who had been very quiet since Frasnes, started attacking on the descent, and a few guys followed. I think I was doing 57 km/h at the bottom and I just kept it in the big ring...it was by far the quickest I've ever done that climb, and at the top, I wasn't surprised to be alone. That was the main object of the exercise. Then came the hard part :-) I think I only lasted 5 km before Eddy, Luc, The Kid, Mr Quick.Step, and another young guy caught me. It's hard to stay away from those guys!
Things were somewhat subdued leading up to the Hotonde, and when we got to the lights at the N60, The Kid turned off and the Quick.Step guy stopped. Well, he didn't follow us when we sneaked across at the lights. So I had another go on the Hotonde and started to blow halfway up, but this time only Luc came across. We caught the rest of the guys who had taken shortcuts on the short descent and rode up to the cafe, where Luc turned around and waited for Johan and I went off in search of a coke. Eventually found one (or two) at Oudenaarde, thanks to Luc and Johan!
This is ridiculous. I really need to start racing! Definitely keen now...
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