Results tagged “belgium”

A Classic Rivalry, originally uploaded by cosmocatalano.

You can read the full explanation of how it came to be on Cyclocosm which is a must-add for your reading list/feeds

If ever there's a good weekend to come down with a heavy case of the manflu, aka the common cold, this weekend past was it. Temperatures below freezing added to sleeting snow and rain should and would have had me reaching for the excuses book had "ill" not got there first.

Looking around the internet I see people still went out riding; the Belgians even held a Superprestige cyclocross race in it. Don't believe me? Then go to the Sporza.be site and click on "wedstrijdverslag" to see the video proof.

If I had one, I'd be putting a big Asterix-tapping-his-head graphic up to qualify the lunacy involved. Instead I shall just continue snuffling into my umpteenth hankerchief of the weekend. I've taken to dousing them with a few drops of Olbas Oil
which is excellent for helping clear the tubes.

In winter I'll put a dot or two on the back of my glove when I go out as I find it quite nice to get that menthol scent and eucalyptus in to help clear my sinuses and make breathing less congested. It's not much different to a dab of Vicks VapoRub on the chest but in a slightly more convenient form as far as I'm concerned.

Nearly forgot to mention Observer Sport Monthly which featured some excellent cycling stuff this month including:

The Forgotten Man - a great interview with Mark Cavendish, winner of Best individual achievement 2008.

Elsewhere in the paper, there's an equally fascinating interview with Nicole Cooke, under the heading 'Queen of the road'.

Meanwhile the times carries a David Walsh piece on the most fascinating figure in the whole of the British setup: Steve Peters, cycling's psychiatrist. I think it's hard to over-estimate the difference that he makes to the whole operation. There's a huge part of living and performing that relies on confidence and he seems to be key to making sure there is confidence.

The clatter of bikes on cobbles can mean only one thing: it's time for the Northern Classics, starting with the Tour of Flanders, this Sunday.

Last year I made the pilgrimage to Flanders fields (and hills) to ride the sportif and watch the race. There's a whole bunch of stuff archived in the Tour of Flanders archive on the site. The tag cloud doesn't seem to be working for some reason which I'll try and figure out.

There's also my reports on the BBC:

Twenty thousand Belgians can't be wrong - on the sportif

First over the Muur wins - on race day

Or rather my hostel in a former nunnery that dates from the 13th Century in Ghent. Less than £100 for four nights seems very reasonable to me. Staying in Ghent will also give me a chance to perhaps visit a few places of significance to Tom Simpson, for whom the city was one of his European bases, which I have read about in discovering his story.

Now I just need to book my Eurostar, register for the event and work out how to get from Ghent to Ninove on the morning by train or other means. Then there's just the small matter of getting fit enough in 3 months for a tough 140km ride. At least I've started earlier this year than last with at least two 120km rides under my belt already.

Not that that makes it any easier mind. So I'll hold off a sigh of relief just yet. More on the 2007 edition at procycling.com:

http://www.procycling.com/news.aspx?ID=2528

I'll need to start sorting hotels, transport and so on if I'm going to head over and ride the sportif the day before the real thing. I'm quite excited by the prospect of it even this far ahead.