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06-04-03, 07:17 AM
The bliss... :)
Last Saturday, my mate and I rode our first 'official' classic for cyclotourists: the Flęche Wallonne ('Walloon Arrow'), organised by Cyclo Spa (http://www.cyclo-spa.be).
This one is less well known than for example the Ronde van Vlaanderen ('Tour de Flandres') or Ličge-Bastogne-Ličge, but by no means less interesting: 210 km, 3835 altimetres, over 20 cols (some of which are quite tough: Thier de Coo, Stockeu, Redoute).
Never in our lives did we work so hard. We both live in the Netherlands, so we never encounter hills--only headwinds. And this Flęche is all about climbing... But our dedication to the bike (I clocked some 4.500 km this year prior to the Flęche), the pure beauty of the landscape and the weather, the fun of cycling together with some thousand or so other lunatics, and an occasional hectometer on foot (gradients of around 17% are not yet our cup of tea) pulled us through quite allright.
Just wanted to share that with you folks. For those who have had the opportunity, but somehow did not grasp it: go enjoy those classics! For those who are already bitten by the bug and who perhaps were there last Saturday: it was nice to have ridden with you!
:beer:
Last Saturday, my mate and I rode our first 'official' classic for cyclotourists: the Flęche Wallonne ('Walloon Arrow'), organised by Cyclo Spa (http://www.cyclo-spa.be).
This one is less well known than for example the Ronde van Vlaanderen ('Tour de Flandres') or Ličge-Bastogne-Ličge, but by no means less interesting: 210 km, 3835 altimetres, over 20 cols (some of which are quite tough: Thier de Coo, Stockeu, Redoute).
Never in our lives did we work so hard. We both live in the Netherlands, so we never encounter hills--only headwinds. And this Flęche is all about climbing... But our dedication to the bike (I clocked some 4.500 km this year prior to the Flęche), the pure beauty of the landscape and the weather, the fun of cycling together with some thousand or so other lunatics, and an occasional hectometer on foot (gradients of around 17% are not yet our cup of tea) pulled us through quite allright.
Just wanted to share that with you folks. For those who have had the opportunity, but somehow did not grasp it: go enjoy those classics! For those who are already bitten by the bug and who perhaps were there last Saturday: it was nice to have ridden with you!
:beer: