Lining up at the Tour de France

Or so it seemed today...

I've done a number of races since arriving over here in Belgium, all of them different in unique and distinct ways. Today was no different.

I raced two crits earlier this week after the "hometown" kermesse in Ottignies last Sunday. You remember that one? Pouring rain, drama, broken spoke, sitcom etc...  Well, on Monday, the Weather Gods opted for dry roads and clear skies, lots of people, beer, and a crowded festival. I'm starting to like the celebration vibe over here. Every weekend, it seems like a party is going on in a different village. I have no idea why, but it's a great excuse for frites and beer consumption, and to watch a bike race.

The first crit was the center of attention on Monday night. Not a lot of riders, but a lot of people watching. I'm starting to realize that it's "easier" to win money in a crit than a kermesse simply because not as many riders show up. But, it can also be more difficult with the small field, endless attacks, no cooperation, and a prime almost every lap. This course had a hill, which I liked and tried to use to my advantage. It seemed like I was constantly at the front of the race for the first half, off the front, attacks, following. Still though, even with my own perceived presence at the front, I somehow missed the winning move. It is so #@*#$)@# hard making the break over here. You need the correct riders, ones who cooperate, ones who are strong, and a briefly apathetic pelaton.

It was still a fun race and I finished in the money. WOOO!


The second race was two days later in Lichtervelde in Flanders. All flat. C'est Bon.
What made this race cool though was that the Omloop van het Houtland was starting at the same time and finished on the same circuits a couple hours after we finished. Which meant a lot of people.
Again, the field was small and the break went. BUT, I finished in the money! Some Quickstep guy won and only 5 riders(the break) were still on the course to do the final lap.

The finish on Wednesday to Omloop. I wonder how much money people made off  the race.

The highlight of the day for me was seeing Patrick and his family again. Patrick is a cycling journalist in Belgium and a friend of Freddy's. Not only are they an awesome family, but they speak perfect English,
which was a nice respite. What was really cool though, was walking around Lichtervelde while waiting for the race to come in. Man, so many people on a Wednesday afternoon. It's like no one works when a bike race is going on. And the betting boards! Something I will probably never see in the U.S; at my first kermesse in Flanders I was introduced to the cycling casino, but here, white board after white board was lining the street. The bookies even had radios connected to the race official's car as well as to other people stationed along the course and would constantly update the betting odds based on the information they were receiving. There was a break of around 10 riders and the odds changed every time a new time gap was relayed. So cool.

And today...the title says it all.

Perfect weather. 148 km. 184 riders. My first "pro" kermesse.

I didn't really have any idea going into the race what the big deal was. Luc said it was an easy course. Freddy told me it was going to be a very hard race. The first thing I learned here is that no race is easy. So I went into it with the approach of soaking up the experience and seeing what happens.

One of the funny aspects here,(funny to me only because I've never seen it before in the U.S., normal to everyone else here), is that cycling and bike races are a very family oriented occasion. Not that it isn't in California, but it's just a different atmosphere here.  The whole crew comes out for the weekend brawl on two wheels. I've made several observations over the past couple of weekend races and here is what  stands out in particular:



1) After the entourage arrives, The racer, immediately sits down in a folding chair and cooly sips from his water bottle.
2) The father usually assumes the role of the mechanic. Setting up the bike on the stand, going through the gears, making the machine spot clean.
2) The mother is the soigneur, and has the duty of massaging some white cream or paste into the rider's legs as he looks on in content.
3) The girlfriend, either stands there watching the whole ritual unfold, or is sitting next to the rider in a different chair, holding or stroking his arm.
4) The grandparents are just returning from the bar with their buddies, clutching a nice cold beer and the start list of the race.
5) The sibling(s), are playing in the nearby field with a soccer ball or Frisbee.

After everyone completes their respective job, the racer leaves the comfort of his chair and girlfriend, jumps on his bike, and rides to the start.


Back to the race today.
A lot of riders, a lot of teams. It was almost like a stage race or an interclub. Teams had their trailers, trucks, R.V.'s etc. We rolled up in our Honda mini-van.

I got a pretty good starting position but more importantly, got my picture taken at the front. Which sometimes, is just as good as getting a result. Even with 1 minute to go, I was still kind of celebrity watching. Well not really, but sort of. To my left,  was a rider from Cofidis. To my right, a rider from FDJ. In front of me, a rider from Omega Lotto. Behind me, a rider from Garmin. Plus, a hand full of continental pro teams from Europe. A lot different than some Velo Promo race, eh?

This was an "open" race, which meant that anyone that is in the "Elite " category-masters, juniors, espoirs, pros etc, can race, regardless of age.

The race was fast but it was surprisingly easy sitting in the pelaton. The relatively flat course(although there were some small risers) and zero wind made a pretty comfortable draft. Going off the front is a different story. Godverdomme! I'm not sure how fast we were actually going, but my moment of glory for the day was short lived, as were probably 100 other riders who attempted to break away. I followed one move off the front, but we were going so fast, and the pelaton wasn't slowing up, that is was extremely difficult to even pull through. After I did, some other riders came by, but the large mass of 170+ riders shortly after swallowed us up. At least I saw the front.

What was cool to see though, was how masters in the race would casually chat it up with a Pro Tour rider during the race. And these guys were old, like 45+, or they looked old. It's like if some rider on Danville Blvd(you know the one's I'm talking about) suddenly started a conversation with Tom Boonen in the middle of some race like Merco. Well, not Merco, but you get the idea. Very cool to witness.

Somehow,  a group of riders got away. With such a large field and highs speeds, it was very hard to move around. I managed to finish somewhere near the front of the pelaton but have no idea what my actual place was. All I know is I beat some Cofidis guy. :)

All in all though, it was a pretty cool day. Great weather, great course, world class riders. Just another Saturday in Belgium.