Blogs

Last week I recalled my experience of riding the Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) a few years ago. I refreshed my memories last Saturday and rode the new route, which now finishes with a double whammy of the Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. But more on that ride in a future blog, this week has been too busy to allow me time to write it up.

Spectating at Ronde Van Vlaanderen is an unforgettable experience. The weekend, with the sportive on the Saturday allowing anybody to ride the same course as the pros do battle on the following day, is a wonderful experience. It’s more than simple bike racing, it’s a festival of everything that Belgium stands for.

A bit of confidence, is it good or bad?

We've all read or heard racers talk about their confidence levels and how it can greatly benefit or adversely affect their racing performances.  The last few weeks have been good, I'm feeling stronger than this time last year and keeping pace with riders that are clearly better than me... getting up in the dark, the pissing rain, the snow, the negative temperatures and putting in those winter training miles has (hopefully!) not all been in vain.

First race of 2013

This weekend I’m be escaping the clutches of the frozen UK and heading to, ermm, an even colder Belgium, cos I’m taking part in the Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) cyclo event. For cyclists it’s a must-do event and is right up there with doing the Etape. In fact I’d even say it’s the number one event for cycle racing fans.

On the Mendips the mist from the night before had frozen on to one side of all the branches of the hedges and trees, blown and chilled by the incessant north easterly winds. A thin film of ice on every twig. The mists were long gone but the wind remained, keeping the temperature high up on the hills below freezing. At least we were travelling with it. Come Glastonbury, we'd have to turn round...

Nick Hussey is the founder of Vulpine cycling apparel, who launched in March 2012. They are about to launch their women’s range and support Matrix Fitness Racing Academy as well as creating free cycling events, the Vulpine Cycling Fetes, which raise money for cycling charities. Their stuff is quite pricey. www.vulpine.cc

Ian Stannard showed that he's a classics winner in the making with an impressive show of force and power in the Dwars door Vlaanderen this week. But his futile attacks exposed a tactical naivety, leaving him to finish a disappointing 9th place.

Following the earlier season racing, we have hit the month of March meaning the main World Tour races are now underway, with the completion of the first two week long stage races, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. My current World Tour and Fantasy point’s totals can be seen below.

World Tour Points: 244

Fantasy Total: 1366
TDU: 355
ToQ: 60
ToO: 341
Paris-Nice: 245
Tirreno-Adriatico: 365
Milan-Sanremo: 44

Some cycling fans still, rightly or wrongly, dimiss the Tour Down Under as a glorified warm weather training camp but there's no denying it's place in the World Tour doling out as many WT points as other more prestigous stage races.

March though signifies the start of the 'season proper' in many ways.  Omloop/KBK weekend is historically the start of the classics season and Paris-Nice/Tirreno-Adriatico week marks the start of European stage race season.

On yesterday’s sixth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, a 30% climb near the finish of a rain soaked stage produced the unthinkable: photos of professional cyclists dismounted and pushing their bikes.

The photos of the professional riders walking up the climb, dismounted and pushing their bikes, grinding their cleats into the Tarmac, has gone viral since the photos first hit the internet. It was the Strada Cocciari summit on the Sant'Elpidio a Mare climb that caused the damage, a 300m stretch with an 18% average gradient and 30% final 50m ramp.