TheKillerPenguin

Loved Sagan's "attack"! Waited for the lull and nonchalantly rolled away by swinging right instead of tapping his brakes!

furiousferret

I had 3 video files of Flanders, and 3 files of Roubaix to watch at work (passively of course). When the 2nd Roubaix finished it played the 3rd Flanders file, after knowing the result I was pretty shocked to see Terpstra win....

I love how Sagans mastery of the bike isn't even shocking anymore, like when he hit the corner and just bunny hopped the curb it was no big deal.

Ttoc6

I'll do some digging this weekend. I'd love to find more info!

abhirama

I watched both Flanders and Paris-Roubaix at the Paterberg and the Roubaix velodrome respectively. Was pretty cool! The riding around Oudenaarde (where the Tour of Flanders finishes) is fantastic.

Ttoc6

Jealous.

furiousferret

Jealous x2.

Netherlands / Belgium is 2nd on our vacation list after Barcelona, we're just not sure if we want to go during the classics or see a CX race. It sounds like a no brainer, but Belgian CX races are friggin lit.

Ttoc6

Drink a bunch and see riders go by 15 times. Or drink a bunch and see riders go by once.

abhirama

The weather is much nicer during the classics season, no? But yeah, watching cx should be fun too. Whatever you decide, definitely plan to ride there. I didn't take my bike and regret it.

furiousferret

Yes but less tourists, cheaper tickets, and hotels; we probably saved about 4k going to Italy in the winter.

Stadjer

Nothing tops the Belgian love for competitive cycling, road cycling, cycle cross or track cycling. Actually, I think their love for the sport tops any love for any sport anywhere. It's true love, they have their local favorites of course and if a Flamish cyclist wins in Flanders they are happy about it, but that's just a side note. They care for the sport way too much to make it about nationality. Sagan is so populair there, a lot of Belgians quit watching the Tour the France in their local pubs last summer quite watching in protest because he was expelled. They could only keep it up for two or three days of course, it's an important part of their summer and what else to do with the time they made free for the tour?

I'm from the Netherlands myself but I can watch Belgian (Flanders) tv and in the week before the Tour of Flanders the whole country is buzzing in anticipation. Every little injury on prime time news, and the day itself starts with breakfast tv with Eddy Planckaert predictions from an absolutely packed central square in Antwerp at 8 in the morning. Days like that it's really a shame I'm not world's the biggest road cycling fan, I just watch a couple of classics or stages every year, and usually only the last hour. CX is big in Belgium but not that big, it has a great atmosphere to though. So I'd suggest Flanders 'mooiste', it really is the high mass of road cycling, a celebration of their love for the sport more than anything, it's much more than a race.

TheKillerPenguin

The classics routes are such that you can see em multiple times and ride to the finish before they get there. Jumbotrons are at all the places with the highest amount of spectators. It's seriously electric.

TMonk

Wow what a great experience. A few of the local racers around here just went to France for Paris-Roubaix actually.

topflightpro

Watch out for the pickpockets in Barcelona. They're very aggressive. Got my iPhone a couple years ago.

furiousferret

You may have swayed me on going during Spring. The wife would prolly agree, Europe is cold af in the winter!

Ouch sorry to hear. My boss just got back and said the same as well.

tetonrider

weather can be pretty bad during the classics, too. nothing is guaranteed.

topflightpro

They apparently target men more than women because women are more used to being harassed and therefore more on-guard.

The guy who got me tried to give us tickets to some dance club. We kept saying no, then he said something like Come on and started dancing/grinding up on me. It was such a strange thing to happen, I just kind of froze. I didn't really know what to do. I was sort of in shock/surprise. My wife yanked me away. Then asked if I had everything. My phone was the only thing missing, though the pocket with my wallet was unbuttoned - it wasn't before.

I was most annoyed because I had taken most of the photos from the trip. The phone could be replaced, but not the photos. Fortunately all the photos I had taken through the previous day had already autoloaded up to the cloud, so I only lost one day's worth of pics.

The funny thing was, a friend of mine said he had nearly the exact same thing happen to him in Barcelona too, and he reacted the same way. He just kind of froze in surprise.

When we went to Paris last year, I was much more on guard, and when guys tried to come up to "show" me something, I was much more vocal and forceful in saying NO.

abhirama

Amstel Gold - what a cracking finish!

furiousferret

One of my buddies won the Belgian Waffle Ride today. Edged out Ted King by a bike length. Probably the most excited I've been about a result and its not even mine.

(I know that's not a pro race, but its a pretty big deal in these parts)

Ttoc6

It's a race and looking over the top like 20 I recognize a lot of (pro) names. He should be very proud of that result.

I really want to try a gravel race at some point this year. I know they're different in a lot of ways, but look like they could be fun.

hubcyclist

I'm thinking of doing the gravel worlds this summer (my in-laws are in Nebraska), I think if I lived out there I'd be doing lots of gravel riding

Ttoc6

I've got awesome gravel roads and a cx bike that will fit 38s. Once the snow is gone I plan to do a lot more training that way. There is a 13 mile 5000 foot gravel climb that ends above 9000 feet within 20 miles of road riding from my apartment. I did it on my mtb last year, but that bike weighed nearly 40 lbs. It wasn't a fun climb on that bike. My skinny tire cx machine will probably be much more enjoyable until I have to point it down hill.

How long until we see a full gravel race for the pros? Something like strade bianche for 160+k.

furiousferret

I'll probably be in for BWR next year.

Stadjer

And grey and dark, rainy and gloomy. So when the first sunny warm days of the year finally arrive, it's usually celebrated by everybody beeing cheerful and going out. That's a good time to be around and Flanders itself is much prettier in the sun too.

topflightpro

I read Armstrong settled his lawsuit with the federal government for $5M, plus he has to pay Floyd Landis's $1.65M in legal fees.

Couple of thoughts:
1. Armstrong was a prick, but this lawsuit was BS. USPS got more than it's money's worth out of him. They may have technically been "defrauded" because he doped to win his titles, but it brought them a ton of exposure, which they might not have gotten had he not been doping.
2. Floyd is as bad as Armstrong. I wonder if he is going to use that $1.65M to repay all the people who kicked in for his defense fund before he admitted to doping?

mattm

Lol I've been holding off coming in here since I was late catching up on Amstel Gold & Fleche Wallone - didn't want the heated discussion of those results to spoil it for me.

Instead, it's all gravel "races" and & Lance up in here... does anyone watch that pro bike racing anymore?