MFP Cycling Classics Challenge 2013
Replies
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40.6km hampered by snow this week.
http://app.strava.com/activities/44746432
TBY Edit : Ride logged (and I dropped the link in for you
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http://app.strava.com/activities/44921184
Here's the "Ill Fated CHEW 9 Ride" posting - we were only about 9 miles in to the scheduled 50+ mile group ride (http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1962585 - 4 subgroups totaling about 50+ riders) when two of the riders crashed and had to be taken to the ER in emergency vehicles. They will both be okay although one will probably have to scrap her cycling goal this year for doing a one day Seattle-to-Portland ride as she will probably need surgery on what appears to be a broken wrist. The other rider ended up with a broken finger and maybe cracked ribs but will probably return to cycling much sooner. The moral of the story is to keep your spacing between riders - too many people ride too close together despite all our safety warnings not to do that! Pace lines are for people who cycle together a lot and know each others riding characteristics - even then, pace lines can increase exposure to accidents (although they are a wonderful way to save energy!!).
I ended up shuttling their bikes from the crash site (thanks to my bride for driving out to help us!), going to the ER to be sure they had rides home, returning their bikes to loved ones (as they couldn't ride their bikes that day), and filling out paperwork on the incident. I'll get a longer ride in during the week since indoor classes have ended for me.
TBY Edit : Ride Logged, and well done on the "good samaritan" work!0 -
I rode 61.5km - OK, that is if I can transfer the data from my Polar CS200. If I can't I can only report 15.5km as this is how many the Strava app on my phone recorded :glasses:
Spring time - don't know the name, they just look lovely (10:57 17/03)
More spring time (10:58 17/03)
60.3km @ on the way home. Taking photo while riding with that huge Samsung Note & had to take it out from the protection cover - something I've never done! (11:24 17/03)
61.5km @ Home (11:32 17/03)
Date (11:31 17/03)
Ride time (11:32 17/03)
Avg (11:32 17/03)
Here is my Strave 15.5km :laugh:
http://app.strava.com/activities/44715296
TBY edit: I'm going to make an "executive decision" here - from Strava it's clear that "something" happened between minutes 25 and 151, and seeing as the polar screens show distance/time that overlap the GPS tracklog - in this particular case I think it's okay to give the 61.5km.0 -
I, like many in the real Milan-San Remo ride, did not finish. Actually, I didn't even start. Was a rough week at work, been fighting a head cold and just feeling punky so I soothed myself with sleep, time on the couch and a couple of Guinness. Somedays you know when you can't "race".
TBY Edit : Better to rest up and come back strong next time - DNS entered in this case
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Okay - Entries for the Milan-Sanremo phase of this challenge are now closed.
Anyone who hasn't got an entry in this thread has missed the cut-off, and will be awarded a DNS.
Congratulations to everyone who managed to get a ride in, especially to those of us who were out in similar weather to what the Pro's were riding in.
Results will be posted ASAP.0 -
Provisional Results for the Second section of the Classics Challenge are as Follows:
- Congratulations to cyclenut64, an awfully long ride, especially for the temperatures logged :drinker:
- Me (how the hell did that happen again )
- A Fantastic ride from katozdad - Am I correct in saying this was your longest ride so far ? If so, it's very impressive indeed, Chapeau sir! :drinker:
And once again well done to everyone who got out there and did a ride - and to those who didn't make it - not to worry - one race doesn't make a classics campaign, plenty of time to catch up.
I'd also like to add my personal thanks to all the people who joined in the spirit of things and did the "spot prize" bits - they're a bit of fun, but really help add to the atmosphere, IMO!
So, we've only a brief hiatus now, before we're back on the road in Belgium for the Gent - Wevelgem on Sunday 24th March. Here's hoping the weather improves a bit by then.0 -
24.03.2013 Gent – Wevelgem
The Gent–Wevelgem is a Flanders Classics cycle road race held in Belgium in late March each year. The event was first run in 1934, and it is often called the sprinters' classic due to its flat finishing terrain. Its early-season date means riders are often tested by wind and rain. Further challenges include a number of climbs, including two ascents of the cobbled, difficult, and often selective Kemmelberg.
Indeed, the selectivity of the course means that very few editions of Gent–Wevelgem actually end in a bunch sprint. An smaller elite group (including some sprinters) often contest the finish line. In recent years, the race has been situated on the Wednesday between de Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris–Roubaix, and while not officially part of the Vlaamse Wielerweek (Flemish cycling week), it can be seen as an unofficial finale of the series of cycling classics in Flanders. In 2010 the fixed date of the race shifted from the Wednesday after the Ronde van Vlaanderen to the Sunday before the Ronde. Since 2005 the race has been part of the UCI ProTour, and since 2009, part of the UCI World Ranking calendar.
Despite its name, the race hasn't started in Ghent since 2004, traditionally beginning on the market square of nearby Deinze. The course then sets westward towards the Belgian coastal region, after which it moves southwards near the French border towards the Monteberg and Kemmelberg, before heading towards Wevelgem. The 73rd edition was held on March 27, 2011, and covered 219 kilometres.
The first edition was played on September 9, 1934 as a junior race for a distance of 120 km. Its origin is a tribute to Gaston Rebry (Wevelgem natural) who in that year to the win in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. After the Second World War took place, and for professionals, on July 29, 1945 for a distance of 200 km. and organization, to this day, the cycling club "Het Wiel Vliegende."
In 1947 the Gent-Wevelgem joined the timing of the "spring classics" and constituted, for the period 1957–1959 the "Trofee van Vlaanderen (Flanders Trophy) next to the Omloop Het Volk.
The competition started in 2004, despite the name, not in Ghent but in nearby Deinze. Gent–Wevelgem is the first race toward the coast, which ends must be followed. Near Veurne the winds broke open the game normally. Because of the often strong winds on the flat Flemish roads the race often develop fans. The main obstacle is the Kemmelberg, a difficult climb with cobblestones which must be climbed twice, but equally notorious for its dangerous descent, where many a cyclist dropped. Often is the two-part Monteberg Kemmelberg the breakpoint of the match. Furthermore, the relatively flat trail, which is often in Wevelgem race ends in a sprint of a small group or a larger group.
From the 2008 edition of the trail is substantially modified and the riders not to the coast, but drive a detour along the Steenstraat (Bovekerke-Works) and then approach Furnes from the polders in place from the direction of the coast. Then comes the Hill Zone, with the Vidaigneberg, the Rodeberg (Belgium), Monteberg (to the summit and then left), a detour and Kemmelberg approached from the village of Kemmel. The descent is made along a detour to rebuilt the dangerous descent and avoid potential crashes. Then this hill area repeated in the same order and then drive toward Wevelgem. The new trail has been adopted by most riders. Some believed that the launching of the Kemmelberg nervous, but this is according to race director Hans De Clercq normal and part of the course.
In 2010 another major change was made. The date of the race was changed from the Wednesday between the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix to the Sunday before the Tour of Flanders. Also, many more slopes inserted before the Kemmel climb, Scherpenberg, Mont des Cats, Berthe, Black Mountain, Baneberg, and then Rodeberg Monteberg and Kemmelberg. This series of hills the riders climb twice before hitting the finish in Wevelgem cycling.
It is currently held on the Sunday before the Tour of Flanders, and although not officially part of the Flemish Cycling Week, can be seen as a final unofficial series of classics in Flanders.
http://www.gent-wevelgem.be/
Here’s the last 40km or so of the 2012 race to help “get into character”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBcj253BErw 0 -
And the Obligatory "Spot Prize" post...
1 Point - Excessive Gradient (10% or steeper)
2 Points - Excessive Gradient on Cobbles (10% or steeper)
1 Point - Ride Snack - Waffles
1 Point - Recovery Drink - Hoegaarden
(there's a few Belgian classics, and We'll be having a different Tipple / Snack each time.)
Thread will open for entries around 12:00 Noon GMT on 23rd March for the convenience of any nocturnal antipodeans...0 -
Thread open... Good Luck and be careful out there....
Drie, Twee, Een, ga, ga, Ga !!!0 -
Hello - ridden 74.4km
38km http://app.strava.com/activities/45603275 (start time 09:20. Moving time 1:40:40, ie to 11:00:40)
Stop to check the GPS tracking on the phone & want to take some photos as evidence - Strava went frozen when the phone camera came up - desperately try to get it back working - it kept kindly asked me if I want to Force Close or Report - No thanks I just want you to back online - request refused. OK finally got the strava page again, it says there is an unsaved ride, do I want to save it or discard - no thanks I want you to continue to log - again request refused.
So here is the second part
36.4km http://app.strava.com/activities/45610940 (start time 11:08. Moving time 01:41:00, ie to 12:49:00)
The road that kind of look like cobblestone I could find...
The manageable gradient under the circumstances
Rolling down
Just trying if anyone is paying attention
Waffle - Chinese style
I find this photo prize is really fun!!
TBY EDIT - Distance Logged 1pt Waffle, 1 pt extreme gradient, 1/2pt each for the "nearly cobbles" and "not quite Hoegaarden" (it's never going to be easy for me to pick something for spot prizes that EVERYONE has access to, but frankly, anyone who TRYS that hard is getting into the spirit of things and deserves reward IMO...)0 -
24/03/13 - 30.1km - http://app.strava.com/activities/45665945
Anything not to get a DNS!
No piccies. I didn't want to stop!
Roads dry, but horrendous winds; I hate riding downhill, but feeling like I cycling up 'em! :noway:
TBY Edit : Distance logged, no hill bonus (Scroggs Lane seems to peak out at around 8% per strava... :sad: )0 -
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288228373
114.50km - dry, snow-free but cold & a bit windy, which slowed me down a bit!
Cobbled "Steep" Road; Constitution hill, Swansea.
Mid-ride snack - Waffle; (Got to say i will definitely stick to this for my rides, felt like premium in the tank!)
and finally the post-ride refreshment;
TBY Edit: Distance logged, full set of 4 bonus points and a well done from me if you rode up Constitution Hill - not that I condone rideing the wrong way on 1 way streets you understand!!)0 -
Another "cynical short ride to avoid the dread DNS" I'm afraid...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288266053 - 5.31km (don't laugh...)
I'd actually fallen twice before I managed to mount the bike... Had to carry the MTB out of the estate - roads were a foot deep of frozen rutted ice! Main roads were marginally better, but every time there was a break in the hedgerows, the road as filling again with spindrift... I'd originally set out to ride up the nearest excessive gradient to me, however, it's in the middle of a housing estate, and similar to where I live, the roads were just impassable without a Landrover or similar...
Decided "stuff this for a lark" and came home and did 3 hours on the trainer (I'd based my weeks riding around a big-ish ride today, so needed to get some miles in and some kCals burned.
Mainly to get ready for these...
Hoegaarden shot too follow later this evening, after the kitchen is closed for service... don't fancy making sunday dinner drunk (like I did last week!)
(this was the second one... hence the blurring)
(5.31km logged, no excessive gradients - at least it wasn't a DNS!)0 -
Finally managed to get a ride in for the Challenge:
http://app.strava.com/activities/45687925
43.8 miles; 16.2 mph; 3,357 elev
(70.4km)
TBY Edit - distance logged, and 1 point for the "excessive gradient - (Karl Daly Complete sector hits 11.9% at one point!)0 -
http://app.strava.com/activities/45656139
No waffles to be found and i am of the sauce for Lent..
1st club tour of the year Cold and very windy but an enjoyable day
81 mile, 130km
iphone battery died in last run..
TBY Edit: 125.8km logged, excessive gradient bonus achieved (R250 climb hits 10.4% at one point!)0 -
No ride for me today. Wife been working 12.5 hours and had kids and Sunday lunch to look after. Well done to everyone for putting the miles in today.
Hopefully I'll be back for the next ride.
TBY Edit : Thanks for Declaring your DNS - Look forward to seeing you next week at the Ronde Van Vlaanderen0 -
No ride me today....it has been snowing most of the day. I am a chicken and don't ride the road bike when the roads are wet and snowy.
TBY Edit : Again, thanks for declaring the DNS, and frankly, this is supposed to be a fun challenge, no sense in getting injured or ill for the sake of a few silly points...0 -
Once again it looked like I wasn't going to get out... It's nice when things go your way!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288515018
Couldn't do the waffles mid ride, so they became part of my recovery meal! Yum!!
Oh and that beer was 8.5%! *hic*
Sorry to see the weather put a stop on some peoples rides, but good effort for doing what you could considering! Kudos for trying! :happy:
TBY Edit - Ride distance logged, and 2 spot prize points (Mmmm.... Duvel and Waffles. Nom-Nom-Nom)
(Actually, it was SUPPOSED to be Hoegaarden this week and Duvel next week, but hey... at least it was Belgian, so fairynuff!)0 -
Fabulous riding weather here in the Pacific Northwest of the US today!
http://app.strava.com/activities/45734911
The route designer made a mistake so we ended up with all the hills but a little less distance than planned - still it was a great day!! Strava says 42.8 miles and 3885 feet.
My group had 9 riders in it (lost one early due to mechanicals) and overall the total riders on the route today was about 50 in total.
TBY Edit - Ride logged, bonus point for "excessive gradient - 164th to Lakemont hit 15.1% at one point....0 -
Had fun going south nice and fast, riding back home was a little slow, but over all faster than last week. Another cold one my feet were really cold. It was snowing on the way home.
Distance: 41.67 mi
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288578194
had 10% grade at lap 11
had a picture but it did work properly.
TBY Edit : RIde Distance Logged, bonus point for excessive gradient (the elevation track on GC certainly goes bananas around lap 11 :laugh:)0 -
24.03.2013 Gent - Wevelgem
DNS
8 hours of OT at work (0600-1030 and 1400-1830), wife had to fly out for a funeral and just couldn't leave the girls home alone for another 3 hours for a ride.
Next week.
TBY Edit : DNS entered - thanks for confirming, and hope to see you riding along the line...0 -
40ish miles, nothing steep though. Haven't been using Strava as its been a royal PITA of late, that means I have to export and import, except there's issues exporting my ride. Will provide a complete update tomorrow after my court date...and when I can get the ride exported.:mad:0
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OK, ride exported, photos downloaded, here goes:
The ride: http://app.strava.com/activities/45826881
64.2km distance, 457m climbed, 4 sections of "cobbled" gravel washboard roads, 15-20mph headwinds for 75% of the ride, 2 stops to re-inflate tire, sunburn to face and neck and a big grin on my face!
Post-ride refreshments:
May not be cobbles, but these washboard gravel roads sure feel like it!
Thanks for leaving the thread open long enough to post!
TBY Edit - ride logged, 3 bonus points - Beer, "Cobble Substitute" and excessive gradient (11 mile hill hit 11.0% per strava)0 -
Submissions Closed. Results to follow...0
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Provisional Results for the Third section of the Classics Challenge are as Follows:
- Congratulations to Harksey, another strong ride. - Well done to FatDadSlim - loved the cheeky wrong way up constitution Hill BTW.. - A great ride, and some inventive "interpretations" of the spot prizes from narak_lol.
And once again well done to everyone who got out there and did a ride - and to those who didn't make it - not to worry - one race doesn't make a classics campaign, plenty of time to catch up.
I'd also like to add my personal thanks to all the people who joined in the spirit of things and did the "spot prize" bits - it's difficult to come up with something that's within the "theme" of the ride, that's also available worldwide - by their nature, the classics are obviously a little "euro-centric" so I'm sure that the UK based riders will bear with me if I cut the rest of the world a little slack on the interpretations...
Once again, we're back in Belgium on Sunday for the Ronde van Vlaanderen... Once again, I'm hoping the weather improves a bit by then.
See you all in Bruges....0 -
31.03.2013 Ronde van Vlaanderen / Tour des Flandres
The Tour of Flanders or to give it it’s correct name Ronde van Vlaanderen, is a Flanders Classics road cycling race held in Belgium every spring, a week before the Paris–Roubaix road race. It is part of the UCI World Tour and one of the so-called monuments of the European professional calendar. It is the most important cycling race in Flanders. Its nickname is Vlaanderens mooiste (Dutch for "Flanders' finest").
The Tour of Flanders was conceived in 1913 by Karel Van Wijnendaele, co-founder of the sportspaper Sportwereld. In that era it was customary for publishers of newspapers and magazines to organise cycling races as a way of promoting circulation.
Historically, the race was usually held on the same day as the Milan–San Remo competition in Italy. Prominent Italian and French racers preferred the latter which explains why there was only a single non-Belgian winner before the war. After the war the race grew in importance when it became a part of the Challenge Desgrange-Colombo, a precursor of today's UCI ProTour, of which it is now a major round. The record holders are the Belgians, Achiel Buysse, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, and Tom Boonen, and the Italian, Fiorenzo Magni, each with three victories.
The course has changed considerably. For the first 30 years it was a loop starting and ending in Ghent, although the finish moved every few years.
In 1913 the race at first went inland to St-Niklaas before turning a clockwise circle through Aalst, Kortrijk, out to the coast at Ostend and then back to Ghent with a detour to Roeselare. The course stayed the same in 1914 but without the leg to the coast.
In 1919 the direction turned to counter-clockwise, turning south at Brugge. The route extended to the coast in 1920 and stayed that way until 1938, heading out through Eeklo and Brugge to reach the North Sea between Ostend and Blankenberge. Van Wijnendaele included the coast through his sentimental vision of Flanders. The ride there was often into a strong wind that inhibited attacks but spelled the end for those left behind the shelter of the main field. Turning left at the sea meant the wind blew from the side, producing the diagonal line of riders, each sheltering the other, characteristic of the Ronde and other Belgian races.
It changed with the outbreak of war because access to the coast was restricted.
The wartime route was a circle within the heart of Flanders but the return of peace brought the race back to its pre-War route in 1946. It stayed much the same until 1952, when the ride to the coast was abandoned and the route turned off in Brugge. The stretch to and along the coast came back in 1961 only to disappear again in 1964. From 1973 the race was no longer a loop. It started in Ghent and finished in Meerbeke, still not taking in the sea. Then Ghent was abandoned in 1977 and the start was moved to the neighbouring city of Sint-Niklaas. The race now curved only around inland Flanders, going no further west than Eeklo or Roeselare. Only the move of the start to Bruges brought the race back along the North Sea, although avoiding almost all the long windy ride to get there. The move from Sint-Niklaas to Bruges brought criticism unrelated to the route change. Until then it had been a tradition that spectators could mix and meet with riders before the start.
Fer Schroeder said: "On the Grote Markt at St-Niklaas, at the foot of the magnificent town hall, the start of the Ronde was always a privileged moment. The riders came there to sign their papers for the race before happily going to meet their fans, giving autographs, posing for a souvenir photograph with a young admirer. So far as that is concerned, times and customs have changed since 1998 and the five-year agreement with the city of Bruges. Now there are railings to hold back the public from mixing with the riders. The start of the Ronde van Vlaanderen has manifestly lost, in its new configuration, everything that made it charming."
The strategic part of the race comes after it has turned back inland, running just north of the French border. The course goes into the only short, sharp hills in the otherwise flat Flanders countryside. The route twists and turns to ride as many as possible. Some of the hills are cobbled and one – the Koppenberg – has been dropped some years because of its danger and difficulty. It is hard for riders to take all the climb while still riding. A fall by one rider can bring down many others and, in turn, halt those behind. The stopped and fallen often have to continue to the top on foot. In 1984 only two riders – Phil Anderson and Jan Raas – got up without walking.
The Koppenberg returned in 2003 after its surface was improved. It was then dropped again in 2007, replaced by the Kluisberg and the Côte de Trieu, which had roadworks in previous years, and the first ascent of the Eikenmolen. The Koppenberg came back in 2008 after the city of Oudenaarde renovated it.
The short, sharp hills are a defining feature of the Ronde. The race has offered prizes to the first on many of them for more than half a century. There were 500 francs offered in 1940 for the first rider up the Kwaremont, Edelare and Kruisberg. A combined prize for performances on all the hills came in 1950, when Maurits Blomme won bedroom furniture as the best climber. The prize at the top of the Kruisberg in 1953 was a washing machine. The first up the Wall of Geraardsbergen won 18,000 francs. In 1950 Fiorenzo Magni won 30,000 francs in primes during a long breakaway, enough to buy a house.
This years parcours takes in the following hills – hellingen in Dutch
Tiegemberg @ km91,Taaienberg @ km113, Eikenberg @ km119, Molenberg @ km134,
Rekelberg @ km149, Berendries @ km154, Valkenberg @ km160, Oude-Kwaremont @ km182,
Paterberg @ km186, Koppenberg @ km192, Steenbeekdries @ km198, Kruisberg/Hotond @ km209,
Oude-Kwaremeont (pass 2) @ km219, Paterberg (pass 2) @ km223, Hooberg/Hotond @km230,
Oude-Kwaremeont (pass 3) @ km239, Paterberg (pass 3) @ km243
There are also 7 sectors of pave –
Holloweg @ km120, Ruiterrstraat @ km122, Kerkgate @ km126, Jagerij @ km129, Paddestraat @ km139,
Mariaborestraat @ km196 and Donderij @ km 199
There’s a route sheet available from the RVV’s Website (http://www.rondevanvlaanderen.be/en)
http://rvv.pro.p.assets.flandersclassics.be/files/1670/original/rvv2013-elite-men-map-profile.pdf?1363371475
My personal Favourite memory of the Ronde would have to be 2010, with Fabian Cancellara just riding away from Tom Boonen on the cobbles…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn-oHTCgR84
And, once again, there’s a sportif version for anyone inspired/mad enough to want to ride the parcours… this version is particularly impressive, as it’s actually run the day before the race, so theoretically, you should get as near as possible the same experience as the pro’s…
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Thread will open, as per usual around noon tomorrow (30/3/2013 GMT time)
Bonus Points as Follows:
In Ride Bonus - 1 point for 500m of ascent, 2 points for 1000m, 3 Points for 1500m or above.
Snack Bonus - 1 point for Waffles OR Belgian Chocolate (eat both if you want, but there's only 1 point for it...)
Post Ride Recovery Drink - 1 point for any GENUINE Belgian beer... so, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Duvel or any fancy trappist stuff you can find... I reserve the right to withold points if someone posts "wifebeater", or award extra if someone gets a really exotic one!
Nothing for Pavé this week - I'm saving that one for Next Week.
And finally, what I'm calling a "Billy No Mates" bonus - 1 point extra for anyone who's riding solo... extra kudos to the poor benighted souls out in the freezing conditions for 4-5 hours with only their Garmin and that irritating creak from the rear mudguard for company
Thread Open...0 -
This ride won't count as it was done on Saturday 30 March but it was a pretty good one - temps near 70F, blue skies, mountains out with snow on them....pretty much a postcard type of day. For the final week of our hill climbing series, we had 59 riders out in 3 paces covering a fun series-concluding route - this makes the 11th week we have been able to pull the ride off starting way back in mid-January. Very cool experience this year. We'll try to do this next year again as the popularity has been high! Here's the ride data: http://app.strava.com/activities/46552409 We'll have a shorter and slower one for Sunday as that is the day this week we are running our "beginner" ride.0
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http://app.strava.com/activities/46603434
64.5km 1989ft climbed 16.7 avg
Shorter ride this week, Easter dinner duties..
made it count though and took in a couple of tough strava segments winning a KOM and a 2nd on a short steep climb which rise to +15%
sorry to be boring but no pics again this week..
happy easter all..
TBY EDIT: miles logged, 1 bonus point for 606m climbing0 -
31.03.2013 - Ronde van Vlaanderen - MFP Classics Challenge #4
97.32 (lonesome) KM with 1,514m of climbing
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/291133999
Here's the halfway snack;
And a little beauty i'm saving for later on;
dat is alles!
TBY EDIT: miles logged, 3 bonus point for 1514m climbing, 1pt snack, 1pt recovery drink, 1pt solo ride0
This discussion has been closed.