Month: April 2014

HTFU – Peter van Petegem Classic

Over the past 10 years, I’ve participated 6 or 7 times in the Amstel Gold Race. While that is a very well organized Gran Fondo, it became a bit boring.

Besides, you can now ride this all year long and have a nice arrangement to go with it at the Amstel Gold Race Xperience centre – you’ll get more value for your money.

After my visit to Flanders and the Flemish Ardennes early in March, I decided to get back there “somewhere in April”.

When I saw the announcement for the Peter van Petegem Classic, I subscribed to that, because I know that the Bpost Bank Cycling Tour is a series of well organized Gran Fondos…

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Club Crap

Going over some of my old posts today, I noticed that I seem to be stuck in the Sufferfest’s Downward Spiral.

Despite the observation(s) I made when I received the bonehead award late February, I’ve continued to make the same stupid mistakes.

I fumbled in Flanders, got back on my bike before I fully recovered and then increased the stakes for the next BHA while freezing off my bike in the Hochsauerland.

And because I wanted to crush the competition, I followed that with a week of egghead rides, finishing myself off in Fourons…

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l’Oeuf au Plat Fourons

l'Oeuf au PlatKlimmen-Banneux-Klimmen

Returning from the trip to the Hochsauerland, I enjoyed the wide-open flat polder for a couple of rides this past week.

The weather was enjoyable too, for the temperatures were around 20 degrees Celsius and the wind was steadily blowing from the (South-)East.

I was just aiming to ‘maintain form’ for the trip ‘down south’ on Saturday.

Late last year, I subscribed to the Volta Limburg Classic, a Gran Fondo in both the Dutch and the Belgian provinces of Limburg.

Until 2011, it used to be named ‘de Hel van het Mergelland’, which is irresistible in Italian: Inferno del Mergelland.

It’s a UCI Europe Tour (1.1) race on Saturday and the mortals get to ride their version on Sunday.

Sadly and as a reminder to not subscribe to anything in advance, something came up and I would not be able to ride in Limburg on Sunday.

Of course, not subscribing early means that some Gran Fondo’s will be ‘off limits’ as they are fully booked months in advance, but I’ve done most of them at least once anyway…

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