Like something out of a dream, I’ve found myself in Belgium on a 10 day holiday for the most fervent of all the cycling classics: Belgian Holy Week, encompassing the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix. I’m not only drunk on the palpable cycling history, but also the delicious and bountiful Belgian bier: De Konnick, Westmalle, Duvel, even the lovely Jupiler, to name but a few. My inveterate cycling tour guide is one W. Jeffrey Lockwood, longtime friend, International Man of Mystery/slash/Marketing Man at Ritchey Bicycles EU, and definitely the host with the most.

 

Fueled by jetlag, adrenaline, and waffles, I’ve experienced first-hand, the mighty bergs of the Ronde, – the Muur Van Geraardsbergen, the Valkenberg, the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont, the Pateberg, riding the 240k RVV Cyclo on just four hours of sleep, with thousands of my closest friends.

 

But let us not prevaricate around the bush. The real reason we’re here is to see the pros crush the cobbles. Massive crowds swarmed the team buses for a chance to see riders and equipment.

ran into old buddy DWP!

And then the crushing got under way...

Mitch Docker from EF-Drapac. He hit the deck going into a ditch and had to be extracted from barbed wire by spectators. But the power of his moustache brought him up the Oude Kwaremont.

Niki Terpstra on his way to victory.

22 year old Danish champ Mads Pedersen hung on for 2^nd. Could be a force in the classics for years to come.

Tiesj Benoot!

Sagan, Stybar, Gilbert, Vanmarcke, Van Avermaet, Naesen, CRC!

My head is still trying to process everything I witnessed, in such close proximity, thanks to Jeff for the Press Pass. Today’s a “rest day” so we’re heading to Kortrijk to see Earthless, (hey, you must respect the rock). Tomorrow is SCHELDEPRIJS, the final tune up before Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. But first Jeff & I are riding the Malteni Gravel Bootleggers, 250k of all the bergs, cobbles and pain you can muster. Stay tuned…