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Retroronde 2018; who's going?
Two years after the last edition one of my favorite events is back: the Retroronde.
What L'Eroica is to the Giro d'Italia, the Retroronde is to the Ronde van Vlaanderen. For a taste of what may be expected, see the previous reports here. |
Oh my word, how long is the cobble section? I can't imagine riding that on some skinny 23s.
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This qualifies as very cool. Love the video.
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Play dress up, get on the podium and you get a kiss - hehe
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Just a few more weeks before the event, and time to prepare our bikes. Mrs non-fixie is still very happy with her '68 Mercier, so that will be her steed. I'm less sure what to bring this time. Currently it seems to be a toss-up between the Vittorio Strada and the Mann-Libertas. Took the latter on a test ride today:
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f4d2425ee.jpg It would do nicely, but there are a couple of issues to address: the gearing is a little high and the freewheel is not very 'free'. Lowest gear is currently 42 x 24, which is good enough for the local polders, but not for the Retroronde, not to mention Eroica Britannia, which we'll be doing a week later as part of the same trip. So, a different freewheel with bigger cogs is a no-brainer, but where to find a smaller inner chainring for the TA Professionel cranks? One reason I'd like to take the Mann-Libertas along is the Huret Allvit transmission. The better I'm gettting to know it, the more I'm liking it. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...67f7cf30ef.jpg |
^^ Nice one
Was looking forward to this event, the newly added 160k is tempting. But I'm off to Spain instead next month, took up touring again since a few years. Have fun! Stronglight TS 42 More of these on French Ebay. |
Looks a nice ride, but I will be doing a 400 (around the IJsselmeer) that weekend. So will have to give it a pass.
Good looking Libertas. |
Originally Posted by CMAW
(Post 20354383)
^^ Nice one
Was looking forward to this event, the newly added 160k is tempting. But I'm off to Spain instead next month, took up touring again since a few years. Have fun! Stronglight TS 42 More of these on French Ebay. Enjoy your trip to Spain! Will you be going fully-loaded or might you perhaps be taking just a clean pair of white socks, your credit card and that lovely Bertin? |
Originally Posted by non-fixie
(Post 20355987)
Thank you! I will be keeping an eye on the various ebays, but so far 42T (which is what I've currently got) seems to be the smallest size on offer. But there's still three weeks to go ... :)
Enjoy your trip to Spain! Will you be going fully-loaded or might you perhaps be taking just a clean pair of white socks, your credit card and that lovely Bertin? Fully loaded, yes. Not C nor V but Surly LHT. |
Originally Posted by paulkal
(Post 20355356)
Looks a nice ride, but I will be doing a 400 (around the IJsselmeer) that weekend. So will have to give it a pass.
Good looking Libertas. The Mann-Libertas was a lucky find. In Herentals, no less, the home of the Emperor of Herentals, the most famous Libertas rider ever: https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9aa050f4e8.jpg |
Originally Posted by CMAW
(Post 20356140)
Ah, of course, I was looking at the pic...
Fully loaded, yes. Not C nor V but Surly LHT. Saw your LHT. Nice bike for the job at hand! |
Not sure to come this time.
I'll decide on Saturday evening if not too tired. Sorry no fit ... |
Originally Posted by Munny
(Post 20376520)
Not sure to come this time.
I'll decide on Saturday evening if not too tired. Sorry no fit ... Tonight I made the final adjustments to my bicycle of choice for this ride and Eroica Britannia: I exchanged the TA Pro 52/42 crankset for a Stronglight 49D with 50/36 TA rings. Made possible by [MENTION=266503]JaccoW[/MENTION], who, as luck would have it, sent me the missing French-threaded left crank today. :) https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ae8e6dc382.jpg |
36 teeth ring ...
This is an aspect of the Ronde preparation I would have like to address by accumulating lot's of km. I used to be limited by my equipment choice like BCD 151 cranks ... and the rings I can still find in my stock for these, or vintage campa derailleurs Also the crank arms lenghts. Last time my Merckx Fiat team bike was with 180 cranks (the team member size to compensate) I'd be very hesitant on the bike choice for this edition. Have ready one of my pijote PY10 but stuffed with many titanium parts; have de ready Zeus De Vlaeminck but same titanium and even more fragile with these holed cranks ... Preparation is key to enjoy the coblestones Don't forget loctite on much threads and good quality tubulars |
Originally Posted by non-fixie
(Post 20378804)
That would really be too bad! Well, you can always just drop by later for a Kwaremont anyway ...
Tonight I made the final adjustments to my bicycle of choice for this ride and Eroica Britannia: I exchanged the TA Pro 52/42 crankset for a Stronglight 49D with 50/36 TA rings. Made possible by [MENTION=266503]JaccoW[/MENTION], who, as luck would have it, sent me the missing French-threaded left crank today. :) Never would have expected to sell it to a bikeforum member. what are you doing with the rest of the crank? I'm guessing spare parts? You could have gone even lower with the 30T ring. |
Originally Posted by JaccoW
(Post 20380369)
Looking good! :thumb:
Never would have expected to sell it to a bikeforum member. what are you doing with the rest of the crank? I'm guessing spare parts? You could have gone even lower with the 30T ring. Actually, I could have gone down to 26T. But the 50/36 x 14-28 combination gives me a useful 34" to 96" gear range, while still looking sort of credible, and an amount of chain wrap within the Allvit's limits. |
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Originally Posted by non-fixie
(Post 20356279)
...
... In Herentals, no less, the home of the Emperor of Herentals, the most famous Mann-Libertas rider ever: https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...300a67e184.jpg Sorry for smart-assing! Enjoy Retroronde! |
Originally Posted by qd-s
(Post 20385096)
I'm quite sure that your picture shows Herman van Springel (not "Emperor" Rik van Looy), seven times Bordeaux - Paris winner, no less.
Sorry for smart-assing! Enjoy Retroronde! |
In the meantime I'm enjoying myself immensely in Oudenaarde. Ran into fellow member [MENTION=311155]Zieleman[/MENTION] this afternoon, sporting some C&V facial hair and trying for the win in the pursuit race in the town square: https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c89c409c29.jpg |
Didn't work out for our friend Zieleman, alas. :( He was just too fast, and didn't make it around the corner on the improvised track on the square. Not vertically, anyway. Didn't break his spirit, though. He had his wounds seen to and dutifully rode the 160k today. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a63b3a6587.jpg |
I won't have access to a proper computer for another week, so you'll have to make do with what I can accomplish with hand-held devices from a hotel room for now. After a one-year lapse the RetroRonde van Vlaanderen is back, and just as good as, if not better than before. Lovely relaxed atmosphere, some 800 participants from all over Europe, beautiful and challenging routes, excellent food stops and great entertainment. A few pics: Getting the bikes ready in the morning. Checking the tension on mrs non-fixie's chainring bolts (cobblestones will relieve you of any parts that are not properly secured) meant breaking one of those irreplaceable aluminum TA bolts. :mad: Luckily I had another bolt that fit. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aa1da1b29c.jpg The town square was already quite lively when we arrived for the start. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0741588d98.jpg |
When signing the start list, mrs non-fixie's bike was singled out and presented to the crowd. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0be3c2450a.jpg The 75k and 100k rides commenced with a group start, which made for busy roads during the first part of the ride. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e0de1237b5.jpg |
The 75k had four stops, all of which were lovely meeting spots https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...70dcd27a49.jpg .... calories against a rustic background .... https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4c42444924.jpg ... music ... https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7211d54a17.jpg ... and even dancing, as this British lady and Belgian gentleman demonstrate: https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5a69abb70f.jpg |
One of my favorite bikes of the day was this Lejeune tandem: https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f349e7703c.jpg The owner of this bike also rode the 75k. No mean feat on solid tires ... https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7f9b474f52.jpg .... if you consider the roads he had to negotiate: seven kilometers of gravel and six kilometers of these cobblestones https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a6bd2d4b57.jpg All in all, a grand day was had by all. |
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