Here come the Belgians Post tour edition: The day after Paris

Every year the tour returns to a town in Flandern: they call it the Aalst Natour Criterium. For 75th time they managed to attract tour riders, many of them Belgians but also foreign stars:

Fabian Cancellera
Alexandro Petacchi, bringing along Danilo Hondo from his sprint train
Carlos Barredo, I guess riding for Quickstep leaves no choice.

You get the big stars basically for free, unless You insist on a 75 € VIP treatment. Big stars from the tour but also local stars locally e.g. Jong Vlaanderen. No reason to worry: Two Euros gets You a start list and a program, the later one basically a summary of all the sponsors, which are mostly smaller local business. Of course there are some bigger partners involved I counted 27 of them plus the official beer Malheur. BTW, the unoffical beer was Jupiler, presented by many empty beer cans.

The so called Malheur effect in photographie

I will restrict my report to the professional race, as I only managed to attend that. The course is 1.6 km long, so the sixty rounds give a total of a hundred kilometres. Even included are some pave look alikes:

The race started with some show off rounds, usually three riders went on attack to the front, e.g. the first one Van Summeren and Stijn Vanderberg, the second one Cancellara and Petacchi...

Rider identified as Van Summeren

As my first film was almost finished I used the time for a bit of sight seeing. Just in time for a SRAM chain action by Cancellera. (In the 90ies top riders had a free wheel choice clause, will we see a free chain/cassette clause in the future?)

Without words but with noise

As the light was getting lower the race was getting hotter, with a long break away of Danilo Hondo. He got caught and a seven riders lead group formed, including Cancellara, Petacchi, Barredo, Van Summeren.

Danilo Hondo solo

Cancellara did his trademark move with three laps to go. Gained some meters...

All riders being fast...

And got it! Second Petacchi, third Barredo. You might have guessed that Aalst has choreo-graphies, it’s the big names winning, but do not get me wrong this is a race and the speed in the second half of the race is pretty high.

..some riders are faster (Petacchi)...

...but Cancellara is the fastest!

Global Warning...

Just a quick post to announce I'm putting the finishing touches to the order form and preview images of our autumn/Winter Kit.

Autumn/Winter? I hear you say.

Well, in order to receive our goodies (and they will be goody goody yum yum) I need to get the order process rolling with the lead times to delivery being what they are (6-8 weeks maybe).

So... keep an eye on the blog for the design previews and if your interested in being part of the team drop me a quick email to receive an online order form.

Chasing Back On...

I think I now understand my role in this Road/Classic/Cyclocross microcosm. It's the one of the rider we've all seen on TV, off the back, chasing back on. Not through lack of form or deep suffering either. It's the rider who's befallen one of the banana skins that dog our world. Maybe caught behind a crash and fallen in a ditch, a flat tyre just before the Koppenberg or maybe standing behind the level crossing as the breakaway disappears into the distance and the train roars along the tracks.

Bearing this in mind I'd like to introduce another new team member (something I should have done a few weeks ago - chasing on geddit?). So welcome onboard to Jemma Nurse, cross and mountainbike rider, South Wales resident and wife of team member Simon.

Jemma's currently sporting the red summer kit and I can't decide whether it was a case of Simon ordering the wrong size kit or a cunning plan by Mr Nurse to double the female presence on the team. Whichever, it's great to have you riding in our kit.

There...Bridged back on.

Here come the Belgians Style Guide: The colours of France

No, no in July it is not Blue+White+Red, it is more like Yellow, Green and a dotted Red on White.

Part 3) Green



The shown 2009 Green Jersey was a collectors item, I mean it was for somebody who did collect points. I mean points not red dots, that is something else, although he was climbing pretty well and I think actually scored some mountain points as well. Anyway it took more than speed, it also took a clever mind. E.g. a mind that tells you not play around with white powders outside of the kitchen.

In 2010 it might be a different story, but again it looks like the fastest sprinter is not getting the green jersey. And to be honest if the winner would be someone who once had to much Asthma spray, riding for a team, which ....well You know what I mean. In the past the Belgians scored very well in the green jersey competition. Find an article featuring 13 Belgian green jerseys in this mag:



Anyway my personal green jersey looks like this:



And no it is not related to drunk riding, more collecting points at the inner city traffic light sprints.

Le Tour de Staveley

Whilst other Belgians hammered themselves at HtN I had chosen the Tour of Stavely as my event to air my new summer kit.
Starting at the Wheelbase yard I had endured the typical Lakeland tourist driver down from Keswick - slowing down to 10mph to view the Lakes then speeding to the dizzying 20mph, so my planned,arrive with plenty of time, ended up a mad dash to sign on and be ready to roll.
I opted for the second start time for the long route instead of trying to chase the Wheelbase riders off the start and then wished I hadn't, as the rain steadily got heavier over the 15 minute gap.
the first 20 minutes the heavens opened and we were treated to what the Lakes does well - heavy rain!! nothing like a good soaking to focus the mind and to add insult to injury the only flat part of the course was into a strong headwind.
Nice to meet a fellow Belgian on route and have a brief chat before hitting the 20% climb which was littered with fallen twigs and leaves making traction difficult. Note to self if doing this next year put the 27 block on!!
The route was well signed and well marshaled and the lanes offered some stunning cycling with the bianca strada creating a few worries for riders with expensive carbon steeds. with my limited cross riding and cobble forays with Al the strada was straight forward and I made good progress up the 2 miles and short work of the drop back to tarmac.
Cramp reduced my climbing speed over the last 8 miles which was a first for me - I think a lack of fluids was the cause.
Wilf's provided a good feed at the end and beer was available if you wanted (abstained as I had to drive back).
As sportifs seem to get more expensive this at £18 including your meal was great value and I would certainly do it again.

Hit the North photos

There were 3 Belgians racing the 8hr Summer 2010 version of Hit the North - Rich and Winkie in the pairs and Alan in solos. Simon Fox and his lad were filming too - look out for the movie soon.....



Jo 'Hanglebads' was on hand to record the shenanegans, sandwiching a 'just trying this on' trip with Natalie to Selfridges in Manchester, in between the action.

To the consternation of the organisers at the running 'Le Mans' start, Winkie (seen in the photos in the yellow top) blithely led the entire field of 150 on a cross country run (minus bikes) for several minutes more than the 30 seconds the organisers had planned. Best to watch where you are really supposed to be going, rather than just keeping on keeping on...... Needless to say there were some slightly breathless individuals at the rear of the field, wondering when they would ever actually get on their bikes!

Winks and Rich rode steadily to record 4th pair overall, narrowly missing 3rd despite a valiant last lap effort from Rich to try and pull back a lap on their nearest rivals.

Al pressed the #fail button successfully but miserably and faded into obscurity and withdrawal after 4 hours. No other solo crossers finished on a punishingly bumpy course which for once was definitely better suited to mountainbikes.



More ramblings soon over on crossjunkie



Link here too for full size images: Hit the North

Here comes the Belgian style guide: Polka style

Here come the Belgians Style Guide: The colours of France

No, no in July it is not Blue+White+Red, it is more like Yellow, Green and a dotted Red on White.

Part 2) Red on White

Original I thought this design started as tablecloth with red wine spots. Another source claimed it to be blood stains from the first mountain etaps. Well, there is something to that story of blood stains:

2009 Long curly hear winner of the stained jersey.
2008 Winner of stained jerseys runs bike shops this days with special spare parts
2007 Chicken wings went climbing in Mexitaly (actually went to Soler who did not add any more stains)

BUT how wrong I was, just in time the design team came to rescue:

The dotted jersey is a hommage to Roy Lichtenstein! Among his best known artworks are dotted comic like pictures.

So forget all about blood(y) stains, we are talking about pop art. And bloody me spend hours to remove the red dots:



Guess what was the closest I ever got to wearing the Polka jersey and I could not blame on the equipment:



21% - in Brussels? Maybe not. But how a about a climbing wheel set without braking the bank, which might charge You 21% on Your Your credit card overdraft.



The idea was to build a 1400 g tubular wheelset, so in weight similar to Mavic R-Sys, at a reasonable price, preferable special offers:

- front wheel at 605 g build from a Campa Record hub at 40 quid (half price because 2007 edition in 36 holes) plus 50 quid for DT Aerolight (special offer just long enough for two cross) plus 25 quid (special friendship price) for a rare Mavic GEL 280. The rim is actually 310 grams, typically Mavic You'll always get more grams for Your money.



- rear wheel at 830 g build from a 28 hole Ritchey Zero hub at 50 quid (of course special offer), a 18 quid Mavic GP 4 rim at 400 g plus DT Comp three cross at about 18 quid also. The Zero hub looks like the American Classic is also about 205 g.



The wheel set looks abit funny with 36 spokes in the front and 28 in the rear. For a rider of my weight it makes no sense to ride a light weight rim in the back, so by using the more robust 400 g GP 4 I can live with 28 DT Comp. Lighter racers could look into 350 g Araya Gold, Mavic GL 330, Ambrosio Chrono (around 370 g real) or using DT Revolution on the non drive side.
In the front I could only find the GEL 280 in 36 holes, other options at 310 g are rare, but using a 350 g 28 hole rim will give similar weight because of saved spoke weight. And 36 hole front hubs are not selling well, so good chance for a bargain.


So, I must admit I missed the 1400 grams by 2%, but 200 GBP plus building fee (non disclosed) is a good deal. Of course one can replace the DT Aerospeed with DT Revolution and save 20 quid, but expect to pay more for the rims, Araya Gold or Ambrosio Chrono will be 40 quid - each.

More money - less weight? Use Tune hubs at 75 g and 185 g in the back, but 300 quid plus for the pair.
More weight - more British? Use Hope hubs for a long life.

Here come the Belgians Style Guide: The colours of France

No, no in July it is not Blue+White+Red, it is more like Yellow, Green and a dotted Red on White.

Part 1) Yellow

As my team of top designers was not not available to explain to me the depper values of this colour, I’ll have to speculate. A least one person did admit Yellow is a fetish for him, saying „I get up in the morning for Yellow.“ First sounds like a sad story of a fanatic, but on second thought, don’t we all go up in the morning for Yellow, I mean go the toilet? Maybe I’m wrong and he meant his cup of tea? If that person would be a proper Belgian, than it is clear, „Yellow“ would have just been a cover name for a Leffe Blond or another lighter beer.

The Yellow Jersey actually was the first attempt of highly visible cycling clothing and a milestone in cycling safety. These days with reflective materials and fluorescence pigments all countries abounded the yellow jersey, well all except one little country on the European continent: France.

Some who did wear the Yellow Jersey claim it gives wings and has magic forces. For further details please refer to “Henry Potter, The impact of yellow clothing on modern witch craft” or have a look at Asterix&Obelix. If there is indeed a magic spell on the Yellow Jersey, than this might be the reason for the trouble between ASO and UCI, as UCI might try to ban the Yellow Jersey! (Watch out for illegal spiritual doping methods being the next hot topic.)

There was the open question: Can a Belgian wear Yellow? Simple answer: Yes, he can, being Eddy Merckx. Members of “Here come the Belgians” should limit the amount of yellow on the jersey to less than 50% of the visible surface area. Say, if we would drop that skinny guy in a chicken suit on an uphill, that would earn us a 3 a.m. visit from the doping control. So stay calm - do not overdo it.

What to do?

Ebay has been kind to me recently, I've bagged a couple of bargains and great deals, including a pair of the ever so rare Michelin Mud tyres for cheaper than I care to mention. As you can see from the photo below they are well worn but feel really supple with no splits or damage to the sidewall, so the question is do I run these as clinchers this season or wait a year or two til I'm a) good enough to run tubs and b) can afford to send them to FMB to have them made.



On the other hand is it worth it? The tread seems run down in the centre but grippy enough on the shoulders, I run tubs for road racing already so am not adverse to getting my hands sticky with glue. Any thoughts?

CiCLE Sportif

Billed as Britain's own 'Belgian Classic' the CiCLE Classic sportif was an obvious choice for HCtB. However after crossjunkie's initial suggestion the only two who were lined up on a rather windy July morning were otleyrich and G.

The early pace was very 'respectable' and we soon found ourselves in the leading group of around 8-10 riders, though there were a couple of riders up the road who had taken the 'chicken run' options and avoided the off piste sectors that characterise this event. By the first feed our group had whittled down to just four but unfortunately G was having a bad day and was a few minutes out the back, perhaps those Landcruisers weren't the best choice! My conscience won out and I regrouped with G and let the three others go. Eventually the remnants of the earlier group caught us. Now G's condition hadn't improved and I began to ratonalise "if I leave G to it he won't have to suffer trying to keep the pace, he can find an easier group etc etc" note there wasn't the "let's just ease up" option. Soon enough the dirty deed was done and I'd tucked in with the front pair and headed up the road. Working together through to the final feed station was a relief in the winds! That was something of note with this ride; competent, smooth 'wheels' that could ride cooperatively; a stark contrast to many sportifs!

I left my newly acquired companions at the last feed station and trundled on alone eager to get the last few miles out the way. Finishing a very enjoyable 112 miles in around 6.20. G rolled in 15-20min later having come round a bit. The offroad sectors added a fun element and in the dry conditions were relatively tame, it would be a different story in the wet (but still not Land Cruiser territory G!) mainly being gravel tracks or rough agricultural roads alongside fields lending an authentic Paris Roubaix feel to proceedings. Both of us rode the Oom Johans but I'd opted for Vittoria Evo Paves (clinchers) which were more than up to the task.

A thoroughly nice event with friendly low key but slick organisation - a 'must do'! The pasta pots however were a little 'nouvelle cuisine' ration wise, especially in G's hands!


Otleyrich

Here come the Belgians: Ronde van France in Belgium

Let us start with some famous words:

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur. Hi omnes lingua, institutis, legibus inter se differunt. Gallos ab Aquitanis Garumna flumen, a Belgis Matrona et Sequana dividit. Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae, propterea quod a cultu atque humanitate provinciae longissime absunt, minimeque ad eos mercatores saepe commeant atque ea quae ad effeminandos animos pertinent important, proximique sunt Germanis, qui trans Rhenum incolunt, quibuscum continenter bellum gerunt.

Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico (I)

Basically it says – The Belgians are the toughest. And to make life easier for me I decided just to care about the Ronde van France on just three days in July. And these three days in Belgium were not the easiest!

Day 1: The finish was a slight uphill from 2 km to 1 km almost passing by the Atomium. But what should have been an easy sprinters affair in Brussels turned into crash festival. So this picture below is very raw as it shows the field 500 m before the first critical corner:

After this it was just blood sweat and tears (not pictured).

Day 2: My original plan to pre-ride the second half of this etap had to be cancelled, but basically it was just up, down, up, down, up, down, up, crash, very down, slow motion. So more blood and more tears. Expect a new Spa Red to hit the market shelves soon!

(A bonus stock photo of the Wallonie)

Day 3: Kasseien and Pave, for the afternoon I left a note on the door: In case of emergency call somebody else”. I placed myself with my trusty camera along the second section of pave. It was very dry and most sunny. I managed to pre ride this section on a farm road, a good line would be either up in the middle or on the side, which was a bit sandy.

Not really difficult and actually easier to ride than the inner city streets of Tournai. And no comparison for the cobbles along the harbour of Brussels. Back to the race: There was a small escape group (picture shows Rider of Garmin):

As You can see he is riding on the side in the sand, so he is not a Belgian!

With the peleton some 1-2 minutes behind, pulled by Saxo Bank, here still with two Schlecks.

(From left to right: 1. ? 2. O'Grady 3. Andy Schleck 4. Frank Schleck 5. Cancallara 6.? 7. Klöden 8. Martin)

A picture of the latter winner Thor (centre):

(From left to right: 1. Gesink?2. Contador 3. Thor 4.(Sky)? 5. ? 6. Evans)

Also by the time I had entered the course the people screamed and applauded and waved like crazy. Well, I should admit I ran late and ended up in the promotion caravan. Yes, Tour de France is like the games in the old roman times, food and fight, so the promotion caravan is a kind of carnival with small goodies getting thrown – sorry I mean collectors items.

My favourites of 2010:

- The Etap “Buff”, shame about the colour

- Cofidis Bandana to match our team kit

Next week we'll show you how to build equipment for the mountains.

Pyrenees Coast To Coast

In the vain hope of us getting a last minute invite to the Tour and being a prepared sort, I hauled myself and my extensive wardrobe off to the Pyrenees to recce a few of the climbs, and some others, and to drink a local bar dry of Duvel... This trip was organised and supported by Chris and Helen at Pyractif , photos below are from them, by and large too.

We started at Biarritz with a 100 mile jaunt through the Basque country, no major cols but plenty of ETA graffiti and a chance for me to get in an early attack in the style stakes, witness the Robert Millar 25th anniversary jersey and white Etxeondo shorts, sighted here on the Col D' Osquich:


Day 2 was a bit special... 85 Miles taking in the Marie Blanque, the Aubisque and Hautacam. It was more special as the first outing for HCTB's new kit in the high mountains. Being keen to "honour the jersey" I ditched the helmet for the cotton cap and gurned it up for the camera, gotta give the public what they want.
Seen here again approaching the top, and latterly at the summit of the Marie Blanque...







Purists will note the all black shorts being sported for a retro look. The White Tiger print shades, not so much.

Speaking of retro, Day 3 saw me break out a sweatband for that Fignon look over the Tourmalet and the Aspin. (Not pictured are the burn marks Fraser got on his brand new Sidis from sliding them down the descent of the Aubisque...)



Having failed Chris's challenge to get up the Aubisque in an hour by 2 minutes the day before I was, despite fatigue, up for his new bet of getting up the Tourmalet in an hour and fifteen minutes. Once again, I failed by 2 minutes. The day wasn't a complete bust though, as I did get a great photo from the summit of the road winding it's way up



Day 3 saw an early trip up the Portet D' Aspet, and a doff of my Flandria cap at the Casartelli memorial on the lower slopes. By the time the up and down introduction the climb was completed there were only 4km left to get up. Under some trees, on a terrible surface with ramps of 17%... So Whinlatter pass basically.

The Col de Port later on provided an opportunity to let fly... 12km at an average of 5%, I didn't go below a 39x21 all the way up ("Malcolm's 23 was clean as a whistle") giving some illustration of how hard I was pushing on. Further evidence can be gleaned from the flapping of my Duvel jersey in the breeze.



Incidentally the jersey prompted a Belgian gentleman to roll down his car window to yell "Allez Duvel!" as he passed. A man of taste and distinction.

The descent off the Port was a real seat-of-the-pants affair, in an effort to get to the hotel in time to watch England take on Slovenia, a success despite a very Bad Dog on the way down trying to hurl itself under my front wheel.

Day 5 saw the last of the climbs, the Routes de Corniche and the Col de Marmare provided a beautiful if tough introduction to the day before the Col De Jau gave us the last col of the trip and a tough one at that (19km in 35c with 3km at 11%!). The white shorts made a return for this day with a, if i do say so myself, gorgeous white Etxeondo jersey




The final day was something of a procession into Perpignan, 70km at a very gentle tempo. All in a well earned rest. The week has served it's purpose even if we never got our late invitation... Building form for Belgians go Cumbrian tomorrow.