Josh Cunningham Cycling

Just a quick update to inform those interested in recent happenings, namely the trip back to the UK for the South East Divisional Championships, and the SERRL Stage Race the following weekend….and some quite unbelievably good weather. Oh, and the arrival of Mr James Bowtell to these foreign shores.

Well, I turned up at the divisional championships on the back of 10 days consisting of either no training, or 1 hour rides as I was of course an invalid. So the only taste of riding hard I had was during an interval session I did on the Thursday. I started the race with a very open mind, with the only goal just being to be as active as I could and see what happens. For the first 2 laps I was racing as I would normally, but it was taking a lot more out of me than it usually would. As it was I was in the right place when the break went, and knew that it was THE move, but I just didn’t have the legs, and had to watch them ride away. In the end I was 19^th.

A week of errand running, spending time with the girlfriend, and catching up with friends played a good part in taking my mind off of an appalling weeks training. I had a dismally poor interval session, followed by an easy road ride, and a sprint session which was even further down the rungs of substantiality! The first stage of the 3 day was a time trial a little over 10 miles….and just to prove how out of shape I was I pulled out a time which was 2 minutes slower than I did last year on the same course. That left me a little out of GC contention to say the least! The second stage was that afternoon, a crit around the same circuit, at Fowlmead. We were riding for a stage victory, as we got 2^nd and 3^rd last year. We covered every move off of the front, but after returning from one particular attack, another slipped off and, despite a hard chase from us and the development squad riders, it was race over. Stage 3 was a road race around the testing Frant circuit. A few riders slipped off the front from the third km. Team mate Adam rode at tempo on the front of the bunch, and as we crested it I attacked and bridged over to the leaders. We worked well together and after a while, 3 more joined us and we had pulled out 50 seconds by the time we went through the start/finish. On the next lap all of the main GC contenders, including team mate Adam, broke away from the bunch and came up, making a group of about 20 riders. Everyone was working well, but I was not feeling good. A few riders were dropped along the way, and then with 3 laps to go Adam sort of accidentally rode off the front of the break, got about 20 metres, and then took his chances and started riding! I took it as a welcome break from working and happily patrolled the rear; a tactic which came back to bite me, as when we went through the bell the break split, and I was obviously caught up. My own fault for putting too much trust into the other riders and not moving up.  The front half caught Adam, who ended up just missing out to Ian Field, and I rolled in for about 12^th, although I haven’t seen the actual result. Day 3 and the final stage was the same stage that I won last year, so that was the intention again. There was a lot of attacking for the first half, but in the end I think everyone succumbed to a bunch sprint. Will and Dan did a great job keeping things fast at the front for the last couple of laps, but were finished by the time it came to the final few hundred metres so it was pretty slow and cagey. I was caught out on the wrong side of the road,  was swamped  and freewheeled over the line. Altogether a fitting end to a rather unsuccessful week. At the very best it was a good weekends training, and hopefully the first building block of fitness.

For now we are back in Belgium, and up until today were enjoying a bout of 25 degree, clear skied sunshine to deepen the tan lines! It has turned for the worse today though, and has been raining since we woke up so I think we are either going to be re-acquainted with the dreaded turbo trainers, or use a day’s free gym pass at the gym in Waregem. Either way has us all missing the sun after being lulled into a false sense of meteorological security. It is Belgium after all.

 Ok, late again. Apologies. To be honest it is hard to motivate one’s self to write a blog, when there is not a great deal of positivity happening in my life as the Belgian pumelling continues! My trusty immune system has gone to play hide and seek again, the devil. He’s a joker he is!

So the last time the blog and I conversed, I was off to play laundrette tennis, and pack my bags to head home for the Lincoln Grand Prix. Well, I’m proud to announce the former was a whitewash and I went 5 games unbeaten, but the latter was less of a spectacle.

The week started pretty well, with a Kermesse in Ardooie. Once again I narrowly missed out on the winning move, timing my effort a few seconds out. But I had the most positive race in the Belgian campaign so far, finding myself actually racing rather than hanging on. As it turned out I came 22^nd, and in two minds about whether I did well, or not well enough for the legs I had. I guess the best way is to just take a bit from both sides and move on, so I did.

A couple of races mid-week saw an early exit and a puncture (bad legs / good legs respectfully). So, after some compartmentalisation (I think it’s a word?!), I put the mid-week efforts to the back of my mind and was looking forward in eagerness to the Lincoln. Adam had taken a few days off with a runny nose, and when I woke up on Thursday morning to go home, I was greeted with a blocked nose and sore throat. Bums. I proceeded to take it as easy as possible on and off the bike, limiting myself to 1 hour rides and armchair training, as well as ramming down as many vitamin C tablets and orange juice as I could. I went up with my parents to Lincoln on Saturday, and didn’t feel TOO bad on a course reconnaissance that afternoon. Although the cobbled climb of Michaelgate seemed to have gained a few degrees in ferocity! Still a fair way off the assortment of boulders that make up a cobbled climb here though.

During the race, I was spluttering, snotting, gasping and just generally looking rather unpleasant I’m sure! If it was any other race I wouldn’t have even started it. As it was though, I hung on for as long as I could. I got dropped on lap 5, 6, 7, and managed to claw my way back in each time, but on the 8^th lap I lost contact , by which point the broom wagon had obviously had enough of my antics and proceeded to hurtle past.

Since returning back to Belgium the cold has manifested into a full on chest infection and I have again had a week of 1 hour rides, vitamin tablets and cough medicine, whilst tuning in for a most entertaining first week of the Giro, and kissing goodbye to any chances I might have had for next week’s Regional Championships. Team mate Adam however has found a rich vein of form, nabbing a 6^th place in a hilly race in Wallonia, as well as a 12^th and 25^{th ,} in the week we have been back, and long lost team mate Jay is at long last racing his bicycle again after 12 weeks out with an injury, and is joining us in Belgium on Wednesday. Not that we will get much chance to say hello though as we are going back to the UK for the South East Championships on the 23^rd, and the SERRL stage race starting on the 29^th.

With a bit of luck I should be able to ride again properly in a few days, fit in a race to blow away the cobwebs, and do as much as I can on Sunday to help Adam get the win, and with a bit more luck I might even be fit again for the following week! Now there’s a thought.

I think it’s high time I sorted myself out and put pen to paper. Or put finger to keyboard as the case may be, in a fashion that doesn’t involve typing facebook or cyclingnews.com. It’s amazing how hours turn to days and days turn to weeks in one big blur when the only thing one is obligated to do is ride ones bicycle, and drink absurd amounts of coffee. So the last few weeks have seen me settle in to life as an amateur cyclist abroad properly. There has been no Tour of Flanders or such like to uphold the jolly boys outing we encountered for the first few weeks. Neither have I been house bound from sickness (not that I curse this by any means!). No, my life has consisted of sleeping, eating, training, and racing. The way it’s supposed to be!

 I am racing at least twice a week now, becoming very well acquainted with Kermesse racing and all that goes with it, and for the time being, I’m taking my fair share of punches! A successful race in England I would count as either winning, coming close, or being one of the main race creators. In Belgium, it’s a different story. To even contemplate being victorious, finishing a race is kind of necessary! And this is a task in itself over here. As soon as the race officials deem you to be out of contention for the win, you, and the group that you are in, are pulled out. For example it wouldn’t be uncommon for a race with 200 starters to only have 30 finishers. The Golden rule is BE NEAR THE FRONT, because the races fall apart from the back and go off the front in equal measures. At the moment I’ve finished about half my races with the full distance. It isn’t for lack of fitness, or trying, it is just familiarisation with the style of racing; I have almost made the winning break on two occasions, but have ended up rolling over the line in 40th or something. Because the unbelievable relentlessness of the attacking, it really is a gamble for me on which moves to go with. In time though, I’ll have the legs to go with more, and the head to increase my chances. That’s what I’m hoping anyway!

I’ve had a few crashes in the last couple of weeks too unfortunately which has put paid to two of my races. I had my front wheel taken out on one occasion, but somehow managed leap over my handle bars and run down the street in the middle of the bunch! The second crash I have myself to blame for, over cooking it on a corner and getting a hip load of tarmac before somersaulting into a ditch, with a bent wheel and chain ring to boot.

Two days later I was successfully crashed into by an ignorant motorist, who decided that she didn’t like coming out of blind T junctions at anything less than 20mph. Luckily no broken bones, although I can increase my checklist of broken items with another wheel. The police advised me to walk away as I wasn’t Belgian and she also had damage on her car. I decided to take the hit and fork out for my damages, than risk forking out for hers as well. Hiss. Luckily I didn’t have time to dwell on it too long as my girlfriend Emily had planned to visit the following day, and we did the rounds of Brugge, Bruxelles and Gent, as well as a small spoonful of Waregem! It was a great few days. Good to get out of the house and see some different sides to the country. Still, there’s always time for training….

For now, I’m back to the daily routine, and slowly but surely I am moving in the right direction. The infamous tan lines are defining themselves nicely with the clear skied, 25 degree weather we’ve been blessed with lately. Racing back-to-back and mixing interval sessions with long rides in between, I should be riding a wave of form in no time. We have a couple of trips back to the UK planned for May; the first fast approaching in a week, The Lincoln Grand Prix on the 9TH, South East Divisional Championships on the 23rd, and the SERRL Stage race starting on the 29th. I promise I’ll banish my former blogging lacklustre self and keep a regular update on all such events, and any other happenings before then, but right now, I’m off to the laundrette with Matt and Adam to show off some skills in ‘Laundrette Tennis’.

Last Saturday marked the eve of the Tour of Flanders, and also marked the day of the sportif event, where Adam, Dan Tilley (Development squad rider staying for a few days), and myself joined in excess of 10,000 other riders in conquering the 260km epic course of Flanders.

After sorting out the logistics of getting a vehicle to the finish town of Ninove, and driving to the start in Brugge for 8am, we soon realised it was going to be a long day. Expecting to be met with hoards of riders all setting off, we were quite dismayed to be met with a few dribs and drabs traipsing under the start banner. Half an hour later and we were no more than 20km from the start town, due to a series of unfortunate events involving inner tubes, and a lack of air inside them.

100km later, after riding through and off through wind and rain, we arrived in our home town of Waregem. A quick stop for a change of socks and we were off again, through Oudenaarde and onto the main course, the remaining 160km containing 22km of cobbles spaced over flat Flandrian fields and cripplingly steep climbs.  The first couple, the Kluisberg and Knokteberg were not cobbled but certainly not easy after 160km, but merely a shadow of things to come. The Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg were next, and after having seen a couple of pro races come over these recently, we knew what we were in for. The gutter was rather inconveniently barriered off leaving no choice but to grind up the cobbles. Next was the famous Koppenberg. Due to the less than idyllic conditions, the cobbles were wet and muddy, so the ranks were pushing their bikes up. I must have got lucky with my line up, as with a couple of pushes from some spectators, I managed to crest it still mounted. It is clear to see why, in the race over these roads, the race is to the bottom of the climbs, enabling a clear run up it.

A few tarmac climbs later and we were on the final duo of the Muur de Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg. After about an hour of going through hell, running out of food and misplacing my legs on some climb, I necked some energy gels and a few red bulls, and found myself feeling….well, feeling ok! We were at km 239 by this point, so I wasn’t holding anything back, so went up the last two climbs hell for leather, and again to the finish in Ninove. My most prolific day in the saddle to date by a long way, and an eye opener as to how hard a course the Tour of Flanders is. Credit where credits due, Fabian Cancellara had his work cut out in his win the following day.

We watched the pros on the Paterberg, where the big names were forming on the front (my sweepstake bet of Matti Breschel on the front!), and then on the Tenbosse, where Boonen and Cancellera were clear, and Gilbert (my other bet), Millar, and Leukmans were chasing. After seeing the peloton through, we piled into a bar to watch the finish. It was not a happy place to be when Boonen was dropped along with the hopes of Belgium.

On the subject of Boonen, his name translated from Dutch is Tom Beans. Childlishly amusing I’m sure you’ll agree, even if it does tarnish his super-cool reputation.

On Monday, the day after, we made a spur of the moment decision to race, a kermesse in Wingene. This being my first race in Belgium, and coming off the back of a week totally off the bike, followed by a 260km epic, I was not expecting to be feeling tippity top. My thoughts going into the race were “hang on for as long as possible!”, but once we got going I actually felt ok. Whether or not it was the adrenaline of being the first race, I don’t know, but I managed to stay competitive and near the front of the bunch. I knew lot of riders were getting dropped, as at one point I was about a third of the way down the field, and the next time I look behind me I see the following car! I began to make my way back up, but guys were letting gaps go here there and everywhere, and in my haste I was closing them. The inevitable happened soon enough and I was spat out. Just as well there’s a hell of a lot more to come!

Another day, another race.

I may as well start with a quick update of recent happenings, which have consisted of helping an ex team mate of Matt’s, Tommy Nankervis, move a bed into his new flat, and eventually having a mosey around our hometown of Waregem. Certainly no complaints in that department, as it’s a lovely place. Not too small to be a bore, not too big to be a distraction. There are a few bars and cafe’s around the town square, which is dominated by quite a spectacular church, and from which there are 2 or 3 roads sprouting off. Most of the shops on these roads seem to either be chocolatieres, clothes boutiques, or jewellers. All every day convenience goods for the average cyclist of course.

Quite surreal moment was while walking through the square, noticing one particular bar vibrating from the hardcore euro-pop that was echoing out into the street, and the throngs of what can only described as school-kids packing the place to the rafters, each of course with half-pint in hand. All this, at 5:35 in the afternoon. Obviously  “Tommy’s” is the place to be for the matinee’.

As we all we have done in the evenings so far has consisted of watching the track world champs on tv and browsing the internet, we decided to venture into town to see what we will be missing out on while tucked up in bed on Friday and Saturday nights. There was a grand total of 4 places open, ranging from “Tommy’s”, with a few familiar faces from earlier in the day, Maarkt 28, for the sophisticated wine drinkers, and a couple of others for the masses. We poked our noses into each, had a quick drink, attempted to steal a poster for the E3 Prijs from the toilet of one, and returned home. If we came to Europe to party, we would have gone to Amsterdam. Luckily though, we are here to ride bikes and looks like Waregem is going to be just fine!  

This morning was the day of the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen Harelbeke, first of the double header of races this weekend, before Gent-Wevelgem tomorrow. Traditionally known as the dress rehearsal for De Ronde next weekend it was going to be a good race. The day started with Jaco Ehlers, team mate for a short while last season, arriving as he is staying the night to meet the Quick Step team tomorrow, and spend the day a team car as VIP.  Once he was all set, we went out for a quick 1 hour spin. (yes, my cold seems to have subsided enough to advocate this!) It was a first for me as we went on the infamous canal route, which is basically mile after mile after mile of uninterrupted smooth tarmac, following the canals that run between all the major cities in Belgium. Casually spinning along, 3 abreast, I noticed a couple of riders coming up fast behind, so swung in front of the other two to let them pass. Next thing I hear is a couple of American voices, next thing i see is a guy wearing a BMC kit, next thing I see is a guy next to him wearing the American national champs jersey. A couple of moments of being star-stricken, I managed to blurt out “its George Hincapie!”, and the last few km’s of our ride were sat happily behind the two on their pre-race ride for the following day.

For the race itself, we drove over to the Paterberg. Having ridden this on our first ride, we knew that it would be a great place to watch and we weren’t disappointed as it was where the winning move formed. We got there nice and early, and saw the home-made climb gradually fill. –home made as it was literally installed by the farmer upon who’s land it lies, so he could have his own climb. The remnants of the break were ahead by a matter of seconds as they approached, slogging up in the gutter. Tornado Tom Boonen was first of the chasers to pass, having attacked at the bottom. He was closely followed by JA Flecha, and Fabian Cancellara, and after a few seconds, Pippo Pozzato, at the head of the main bunch with 3 Rabobank  and 3 Vacansoleil riders hot on his heels. Once the whole bunch had gone past, it was a race back down the hill and into the van, before shooting over to the Oude Kwaremont, seeing the tail end fly by. The plan was then to find a bar to see the finish on a screen, but in the search we landed on our feet when we were stopped at a junction and saw the lead car go past! Quickly jumping out we saw Boonen, Flecha, and Cancellara coming like a train. A true summit meeting at the front of the race. Pozzato was a lone chaser, and the Rabobank and Vacansoleil riders were clear by this point. It was pretty cool to see how the race had panned out since seeing it a matter of minutes earlier, and then putting two and two together to work out we had seen the winning move go on the Paterberg. Our luck wasn’t out yet either as there was a bar across the road, so we crammed in along with more than a few others to see the last 15 or so kms. Pozzato was swallowed by the second group, and Cancellara attacked with a K to go, leaving Boonen and Flecha looking at eachother to take a great win.

Has been a great day, but once all the excitement of the classics is over, and we are still here, it will be a bit of a reality check that we are here to race, not spectate.  Adam has got his first race of the Belgian campaign tomorrow, a kermesse at Wijnendale. Should be mine to, but after no riding all week, and still feeling the remnants of the last few days in my chest, I think it’s wise to give it a miss, so I’ll be designated team soigneur for the day.

It would just be downright outrageous to move to Belgium at the start of classics season and not take full advantage of the abundance of pro races that we are quite literally surrounded by.  Well, there is no need for outrage as no time has been wasted in getting stuck into being a race groupie.

Yesterday was the Dwars Door Vlaanderen, and as I was writing my previous post, I was just setting off to go and watch it on the Paterberg. Well, road closures, navigational ease, and plain impatience meant that we instead chose the Oude Kwaremont to watch the race. We parked up the van on a grass verge on the main road, and made the short walk to climb, where hundreds of Belgians were bustling around outside the pub and along the climb, most of which with the standard half pint of Pilsner in hand. Anyone would think there is a low employment rate, but I think it’s more of a case of everything being put on hold for cycling. How any modern civilisation should operate really.

A few minutes later and the breakaway emerged behind the musical convoy of strange vehicles, just under a minute up on the chasers. A few riders back and looking su-perb was Tomeke Boonen, looking the absolute business, closely followed by eventual winner Matti Breschel and Fabian Cancellara. We tried to pick out all the English guys, and saw Roger Hammond, Dan Lloyd, Geraint Thomas and Ian Stannard all flying high at the front of the bunch.  

The aura of the professional peloton was then gone, and the stragglers came through. Even those that have been dropped, covered in dirt, and are totally wasted, still manage to look the “absolute b***ocks”, as Adam not so eloquently but perfectly described them.

We then jumped back into the car with the intention of racing back to Waregem and walking to the finish, but so did a hell of alot of other people, and a hefty traffic jam ensued. We missed the finish, but the team buses were still parked up so we did the decent thing and joined the masses milling around, and managed to harass classics legend Sean Kelly into a photo!

This weekend is the E3 Prijs Harelbeke on Saturday, and Gent-Wevelgem, so hopefully we will be able to go and do more of the same at some point. Obviously we are scheduled for our first race too, on Sunday, but with the current state of affairs regarding my health, I’m not banking on pinning on any race numbers unfortunately.

Ps, I hope whichever AN POST rider managed to do this to his bike yesterday, didnt suffer the same injuries to himself!

So, we have arrived! Here goes first blog on foreign soil. No matter how much stuff I thought I had ready, piled in various places around my house, there was always going to be the last gasp dash of “oh yeah and that…..better put that in….that’ll be useful”.  After the good byes, and the fare thee wells on Monday morning, Adam arrived at mine and we just about managed to cram everything in, minus a couple of boxes food that I had accumulated hoping to take. Alas, it would be porridge oats and nutri-grain bars until we could get a shop in.

Our ferry was at 2, and on the crossing I didn’t really get the sinking in feeling of what we were embarking on that I was expecting. Just felt like the next page of the book really. We got to Andy’s (landlord) at about 7 ish, and as he had clients and Matt was out visiting a friend, (Matt Green, ex development squad rider, current VL Techniks rider, house mate), we were left to our own devices in bringing all the stuff in. An hour later and with some sort of order in the room, we were just about settled, and that night was spent just knocking up a bit of food, and just chilling out with Andy and Matt. No milk in the morning resulted in porridge just made up in the microwave with water, a preference to some, and to those few I simply say “why?” But with nothing else, and a busy day ahead, it sufficed.

Job one was to go and pick up the new van, courtesy of Jet Air, which would accommodate all of our logistical needs for the months ahead. It’s a near-new Mercedes Vito, and has more than enough space in the boot for bikes, kit, food, Jay and Adam. So many thanks to Jet Air for being so generous. www.jetair.be  Driving it back took a fair amount of concentration though, as I have never driven a van before, let alone a left hand drive van, with a pedal for a handbrake! No troubles were encountered though, and via a trip to IKEA for some forgotten items, it’s now sitting proud in the driveway.

More or less as soon as we got back though, it was time to go and do what we came here for! Ride bikes, and we did so eagerly following the route for Matt’s race tomorrow, which took in the Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont and the Kluisberg. Never having ridden a Belgian cobbled climb before, it was a great experience and the equilibrium of beauty and torture was immediately evident! No matter how good the ride was though, I couldn’t help but feel absolutely awful on the bike, as I’ve picked up a terrible cold, and my chest was feeling like I was doing an interval session in minus degrees, not a normal ride in sunny 16 degree weather. I now have to put up with the torturous task of moving to Belgium, and not being able to ride! No training for me until I’m better, which is why I’m writing now while Matt is racing, and Adam training. Jay, you have a peer.

On the plus side though, today is the Dwars door Vlaanderen, the “race across Flanders”, a pro race which is a warm up to the big classics over the next few week. When Ad get’s back from his ride, we are going to watch the grovel up the Paterberg, then bomb it back home and take the ten minute stroll to the finish line! Hard life. For now though, I’m off to watch Matt on the Nokerberg, in the preceding under 23 rac, and try and get rid of this cold!

Josh

As I write this, on Wednesday, only 5 days remain before we finally make the move over to Belgium. With the date approaching so quickly, or slowly, depending on what respect I look at it, throughout this week I have been developing a pile of stuff on my bedroom floor of all neccessities for being a full time cyclist in another country for 6 months; Bike maintainence and cleaning stuff, clothes rail, under-bed storage box, pots and pans, a few toiletries, kit and clothes, and not alot else. Oh, and some uneccssities too; I’m sure Adam and Jay could do without my DVD collection for example. I’ve got a stash of food to keep me going for a bit too, like porridge oats, dolmio stir ins, and about a million packets of casserole and chili con carne mixes. Luxury living.

So other than assembling my suitcase, this week has compromised of a few health-check appointments, and spending a bit of time with family, girlfriend, and friends, before I go. I’m currently visiting my girlfriend at uni in Bournemouth, who’s then coming back to join the rest of the family and completing the personal fan club at the sidelines of the Wally Gimber on Sunday, my last race in England.

 On thursday I’m having a session on an SRM power bike at the University of Brighton in Eastbourne, following on from my physio treatment regarding my hip. After an X ray, you could see a protruding lump of bone on my femur where alot of ligaments locate from, and this was coming into contact with my pelvis in certain positions. Obviously there’s nothing that can be done about the bone, but by keeping the respective muscles supple it should minimise any discomfort. The power test is to see if there is actually any difference in power between the two legs, and if any changes can be made to equalise them. On the subject of physio, spare a thought for my team mate Jay who following the crash at the first race of the season, has a torn calf muscle, and has been forced to have 3 weeks off his bike, and has only just started doing a little riding again. Racing is still a few weeks off for him, as is joining us in Belgium as he has to stick around for treatment. Get well soon mate!

If you’re starting to fidget, don’t worry I’m almost done updating! I dont want to fill this blog up too much with endless race reports as there are far too many cycle-racing blogs out there that just drone on about every minute detail in every race, and it can get a bit monotonous, so I’ll keep it short. Last Sunday was the Jock Wadley Memorial road race, in Colchester, Essex. Its a big, well established race and is always a good turnout of riders. No less than a near full strength Rapha Condor team rolled up this year. I felt pretty good in the warm up and was really up for it, as I haven’t done a “proper” race for a long long time. An early break went, and included eventual winner Jon Tiernan-Locke of the Rapha team. For the next third of the race the rest of the Rapha team controlled everything in the bunch, and we were rolling along like a prosesion. With 5 laps to go, a front echelon formed in the cross winds and with the rest of the bunch lined out in the gutter, gaps started to form and carnage ensued. I think at one stage there were about 6 groups on the road. I made the second group, and used alot of legs to get there, but it all came back together. A group of 15 slipped off with 2 laps to go, leaving the bunch to sprint for the early twenties. With no legs for a sprint, I churned over the line a place of two behind team mate Adam, somewhere between 20th and 30th. As a starting point, it went pretty much how I expected, and has just whetted my appetite for the season even more.

Just a quick one to draw your attention to ‘TORQ Fitness’, a fitness consultancy who offer both coaching and nutritional products, with their roots lying in the world of mountain biking.

For the coming season Adam, Jay and myself will all be using TORQ products to keep ourselves nourished throughout the year. We all used TORQ last year too, at the One life Development squad, and I can honestly say they are the best for all of pre, during and post race needs. Not only do the products do the job but they are very easy to stomach, which I find is a problem with a lot of these type of nutritional supplements. As well as the carbohydrate drinks and energy gels, I’m going to be using some HMB, of the TORQ raw range.

So, many thanks to TORQ, and without further ado….  www.torqfitness.co.uk ……..(or click the link on the link on the sidebar for future reference)

Cobbles + Bergs. A match made in heaven and luckily its that time of year again where the two intertwine to make what is undoubtedly the most entertaining period of the cycling calendar. Taste buds have definitely been left tingling after Flecha’s win at Het Volk on Saturday, riding away from Gilbert in the first semi-classic of the year. And the conditions that were endured the day after at Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne showed the kind of scenes that I’m sure the riders dread, but make for great viewing. This is Bernard Hinault riding to victory at Liege in 1980, and yes, that is snow.

Milan San Remo or La Primavera is next in line, and, in my opinion,  not quite on the same level as some its spring time siblings. There isn’t a cobble in sight for starters.

Gent Wevelgem is the weekend after on the 28^th March, and is known as the sprinters classic. I went to watch it on top of the Kemmelberg, and it will always be a day to remember. It was a jaw dropping experience. I had my camera at the ready but when the riders came grovelling over the top, I could not help but gawp. It was a bit of a reality check, as up until then these pro cyclists were not real, they were deities on posters and on the tv. But seeing these guys, basically doing what I do every week, just at a much higher level, was quite groundbreaking.

Anyway, back to the meat. 4^th April= Tour of Flanders. This race lies at the heart of many a Belgian, and crowned by many as the biggest and best race of the year. And who can blame them?! It is almost always a great race; there is only one way to win, and that is to attack. Eddy Planckaert once said of the Muur van Geraardsbergen “ The Muur is a rendezvous with your character”. I’ll leave it at that.

No rest for the wicked, as the following weekend is THE righteous queen of the classics, Paris-Roubaix. I’m not exactly sure why I like this race so much, but this picture sums it up well.

The rest of April is filled with The Amstel Gold Race and the Ardennes Classics, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Fleche Wallone, with a whole new breed of contenders to victory,  to taper off a what I’m sure will be a tantalizing few weeks.

Who am I hedging my bets with? In no particular order- Boonen, Gilbert, Haussler on the cobbles, Andy Schleck, Cunego and Evans in the Ardennes. I’d be more than happy to see an underdog prove me wrong though.