Ronde van vlaanderen Sportive

[CotterPin]

This is what I will be doing next Saturday (the 140km version)...

http://www.sport.be/cyclingtour/rondevanvlaanderen/2008/eng/

On the Monday I will be probably getting my fillings re-done .

Anybody else going to be doing it? I'll try and look out for you in the hordes and hordes of cyclists.

 

[monnet]

CotterPin

Apologies for spotting this late. I rode it too. How was it for you? Which route did you do?

I did the 140k and had probably the best day I've ever had on a bike. The atmosphere and organisation were brilliant. It was pretty special watching the pros go over the Koppenberg the next day too.

 

[rich p]

He says he did the 140k too.

What bike did you ride as a matter of interest and how did you find it on the cobbles?

 

[monnet]

I was on a Spesh Allez Elite 07 (105 groupset, pro2 23mm tyres at 100psi, Mavic CXP22 wheels). It was absolutely fine on the cobbles. I found the flat sections harder on the body than the hills. I only had a single layer of bar tape, I think two would have been better. Somehow I managed to avoid punctures, mechanicals and the myriad people falling off on the hills.

The cobbles were a pretty amazing experience. They really sap the energy but I thoroughly enjoyed riding them. I'd say the bike suffered less on them than I did though!

 

[CotterPin]

Hi Monnet - hope you had a great time. I certainly did! I too did the 140km taking a very gentle eight hours to complete. Couldn't cycle up Koppenberg (one of the steepest climbs) but did get all the way to the top of Kappellmurr, despite being cut up by a tandem

My bike was a Condor Accaio (sp?) - a steel framed machine perfect for these conditions. I heard that some guy's carbon machine disintegrated.

The weather was a little disappointing - it didn't rain. But then I experienced the true Flandrian weather (rain, sleet and snow) last year.

Spent the next day watching the pro-race in a bar in Oudernarde getting excited along with the locals.

 

[monnet]

I really did have an amazing time. It was my first Flanders and I'll be back for sure. I managed to get up all the climbs without getting off. The Koppenberg was a bit hairy in places - especially when the guy in front of me went down and the guy to his right wobbled which left me and another guy riding shoulder to shoulder just so we could avoid the carnage and not come off ourselves.

I don't know about the carbon machine disintegrating but I did see one guy unconscious being stretchered off one of the descents.

I was staying in Bruges so we watched the sign on and then went to watch the pros go over the Koppenberg (incredible atmosphere) and then watched a bit on the tv screens at the bottom of the climb and the end in a bar in Petegem.

I'll definitely be going next year - the only downside was that there are no pictures of me on the course!

 

[CotterPin]

Shame about the lack of pictures, monnet. That happened to me last year. This year there are two of me. Type 21348 into the ride number box to view a rather overweight fellow (!!) struggling up what I think is Kappelmuur.

 

[ejls2]

Hi all,

Is anyone from here doing this next week? I was hoping to do it with some friends but the plan has all fallen apart a bit and so I'm trying to cadge a lift off anyone who's going! Happy to pay petrol costs and buy a round or two as a thank you! May even stretch to some frites drowning in a sea of mayo! :-)

No probs if not but I thought I'd ask anyway!

All the best,

Ed