tour of Flanders

Don't get too carried away at the beginning if riding the 265km route - stay tucked in a big bunch until you get past Oudenaard / Kluisberg. Check that all your bolts / screws are tightened firmly e.g. bottle cage bolts. Fit the fattest tyres you can fit run them at a safe, low pressure 5-6 bar. Double wrap bar tape and wear your cushiest mitts. Don't be disappointed if you can't ride the Koppenberg - stalled riders or mud on the road often makes progress near-impossible
 
a few of my club buddies are going. Watch for these jerseys ...
http://www.sheffrec-cc.org.uk/
edit : some have been before, they reckon the most important is not to get too enthusiastic and to set off at a pace thats comfortable(ish) and ride yourself thru it. Apparently 2009 was a sunny tailwind day, 2010 was a horrible headwind where those who conserved energy at the start were the best performers (from our lot anyway)
 
Last weather forecast I saw said it will be 21 degrees and sunny, so not the classic mud and rain conditions, it would seem.
When riding the cobbled sections, the usual tip is to stay in the middle of the road if possible - the stones are usually a bit less rough there.
Some people say you should stay on the left when climbing the Muur of Geraadsbergen though.
I just read an article with Roger de Vlaeminck about Paris Roubaix and he said something along the lines of "riding over pave is easy, if you're going fast enough you don't notice the cobbles anyway"
 
Flanders

All good advice apart from the word "fast"
I've got gatorskin hard shell tyres and 4 tubes, and people have said avoid the queues at the feed stations and seek out a local cafe
 
FWIW the Muur is nothing like as rough since it was re-laid about 2005 - before the lefthand line was the only rideable bit whereas now it's more like block paving - spoilt IMO. My fave is Oude Kwaremont - a long wind-up that really sorts everyone out. Don't confuse the pave of Paris-Roubaix with the kaissen of Flanders - the pave is a wholly different degree of severity in comparison.
 
flanders

so flanders is" Paris Roubaix light''
nice to know , not too many cobbles to practice on .
All great advice, i'll write a little summary on my return
 
The Ronde has to be on the 'to do' list so really looking forward to hearing how you got on.
 
flanders

What a great weekend,
An early start and a 7.50 chunnel meant we arrived in Ninove at friday lunch, signed on and collected race number , on to hotel in oudenaarde and met up with the rest of our club.
Bikes were hastily put together and the iconic climbs rattled off as we knew they would be very difficult to ' clean' on the day due to the sheer amount of cyclists.
Nothing really preapares you for the first taste of cobbles,tough to go up tough to down, where best to put your hands?
bar top, drops,hoods.. all tried, one of our party had severe blistering to his hands even though he had gloves on.

I was reintroduced to my lunch at the top of the Koppenberg, it was tough , but i was not feeling to good.
I retired to bed early to much mickey taking as the club sampled the very strong belgian beer'
We decided to have breakfast at the Hotel and not dash to a 7am start, 9.30 saw us joining around 25,000 participants on the well signposted and marshalled route.First hour quite flat, then come cobbles and about 13 climbs, 2 were so busy, we had to walk, so we glad we'd done them the day before.
If you start early or late i think you might get a clean run at most climbs,.
It was hot and sunny 23 c, not typical and stopping for water took time, but rather than the busy official stops , local cafes kept us hydrated.
Broken chain, was the only mechanical, no puntures, but it's tough on frames and bodys.
The cobbles were littered with bidons and cages and levers and food , jiggled out of normally cosy pockets and tight holders.
The level of interest in flanders is high and spectators were on hand to encourage you up the steepest climbs, whilst they drank beer in the sunshine.
Finish, meant beer and chips, and a medal...
Great hospitality in the bars on saturday night.
Sunday morning we saw the womens race set off, then dashed to see the men on the iekenberg, they do go very fast up the hills, has to be seen, you are very close to the pro's.
Watched the race climax in a bar then a couple of hours saw us back on the chunnel and home for a decentt cup of tea.
Great way to spend a weekend.... roll on next year, but i'll take a compact chain ring, next time and loose a stone... honest.
 
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