Belgium
Kuurne Brussels Kuurne: Part II
After rolling out from Kuurne, the peloton allowed a break to accumulate about 8 minutes before they comfortably reeled the escapees back in. Riders tried again to breakaway, but no one could get a gap to stick. In the final 40km of the 200.7km course, 16 riders went clear. Below: the lead group passes under … Continue reading
Kuurne Brussels Kuurne 2016: Part I
I had every intention of asking for autographs this morning when I arrived at sign on. But then I remembered I was in Belgium and, despite the beautiful sunshine, the cold temperatures and fierce wind quickly changed my mind. My general rule is that if my fingers are too cold to remove and replace the … Continue reading
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2016: Men
Because the men’s race was broadcasted live on TV with 95 kilometers remaining and was thoroughly covered on twitter, when I ran out of the pub to the climb, it was undeniably more exciting. The early 12 man break had started to fall apart as fatigue began to set in. With just under 50km … Continue reading
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2016: women
I kept myself up far too late last night, agonizing over where to watch OHN today. Intent on seeing both the women’s and men’s races, I poured over the race books, Google maps, and train schedules until I realized that there was just one climb that both races would tackle: the Wolvenberg. I’d never heard … Continue reading
2015 Tour de France stage 4
At 223.5 kilometers, stage 4 from Seraing, Belgium to Cambrai, France was the longest of all twenty one stages, but the truth is the first 177 kilometers really didn't matter much. The peloton was delighted to let a non-threatening breakaway go in the form of Lieuwe Westra, Thomas De Gendt, Perrig Quemeneur, and Frederic Brun. … Continue reading
2015 Tour de France stage 3: Mur de Huy
Chemin des Chapelles, so named for the bus-stop sized series of chapels on the roadside. Three hundred sixty four days a year, this Belgian road lies in quiet obscurity and then roars to life for the spring classic, Flèche Wallonne when the men's and women's editions race laps up the steep road as it's better … Continue reading
2015 Tour de France stage 2
The Tour organizers have clearly been busy brainstorming new ways to improve the race, from restructuring the points competition to making changes to the daily sign on routine, both for the riders and the fans. The most notable of these sign on changes is the sign on itself. No longer satisfied with old fashioned paper … Continue reading
Ypres, Belgium
With the Tour de France starting in Ypres (or Ieper, if you prefer the Flemish), this seemed like a good opportunity to write about some of the ways World War I is remembered here. Back in April, I visited In Flanders Fields, a museum dedicated to documenting the experiences of the soldiers and civilians. … Continue reading
Tour de France stage 5
The only way I could imagine making the Tour a bigger deal was to bring it to the Mecca of cycling, Belgium, yet the Tour organizers went one step beyond with their course for stage 5. With 9 sections of cobblestones, the stage is essentially a mini Paris-Roubaix and let's not forget Paris-Roubaix's nickname: the … Continue reading
Liège-Bastogne-Liège
La Doyenne, the old one, not a bad nickname for a race that dates back to 1892 and is celebrating its 100th edition. The only way I can begin to understand the ridiculous amount of barriers erected by the race organizers is to assume that their goals were threefold: (1) to keep fans always … Continue reading