Ten ECB Riders at the start tomorrow!

Frankfurt - The ECB Cyclosports Team is expected to line up ten riders for tomorrow's Henninger Turm event, the home race so to speak. Here are the names:

AMUNDSEN, Elin
BENNETT, Julia
BORGHINI, Lorenzo
HAGEDORN, Marcus
HANSEN, Morten
KRUSEC, Dejan
MONNET, Cyril
RICHARDSON, Alan
VAN DE VELDE, Kris
VAN DOMBURG, Guus

Göttingen: official results

Göttingen - The results have now been modified according to the rules of the T-Mobile Cycling Tour, which say that the first 15 across the line occupy the first 15 spots regardless of each rider's netto time. As of rank 16, the classification is based on netto time.

These rules, incidently, were changed last week on Friday. In Cologne the first 250 across the line were also the first 250 in the result list.

We have already discussed the system earlier this month. At least the result is not purely based on netto-time...

Men's 80 km (1060 Hm) - 1326 finishers
1. Michael Rademacher (team UGS) - netto 2:05:46 (5)
2. Oliver Beerman (Faktor magazin) - netto 2:04:07 (1)
3. Nino Ackermann (Blue Essentials) - netto 2:06:09 (6)
21. Kris Van de Velde (bobteam) - netto 2:07:01 (10)
83. Cyril Monnet (ECB Cyclosports) - netto 2:11:02 (83)

Women's 80km (1060Hm) - 71 finishers
1. Annika Grüber (Team Agapedia Münsterland 3) - netto 2:09:19 (1)
2. Elin Amundsen (bobteam) - netto 2:11:41 (2)
3. Katja Hernold (TV Kettwig) - netto 2:19:13 (3)

Göttingen Newsflash: Another second spot for Elin!

Elin Amundsen yesterday scored another superb second spot in the Tour d' Energie 80km race in Göttingen. She initially appeared stronger than eventual race winner Annika Grüber, but when the latter made her move at Hoher Hagen, a rather steep and irregular 2km climb 12km from the finish, Elin had to let go. Annika was the overall T-Mobile Tour winner last season and can always count on two, three male Agapedia teammates by her side, so Elin has no reason to be disappointed. In fact, normally she is now leading the T-Mobile Tour as Grüber was only fourth in Cologne three weeks ago...

In the men's race, I crossed the line between an estimated15 and 20th place. The netto-time based result put me just inside the top 10. Cyril Monnet equalled last season's result with 84th, and Morten Hansen sadly suffered a big crash which put him out of contention. Luckily, he did not break anything but he did bruise a few ribs.

There were 1800 participants. More info in my full race report later this week.

T-Mobile Cycling Tour: Stage2: Göttingen

Four core riders of the ECB Cyclosports Team are travelling to Niedersachsen on Sunday for the third edition of the Tour d' Energie jedermann race, leg 2 of the 2007 T-Mobile Cycling Tour. The early summer weather will continue so we could expect another big group making it to the finish line - like three weeks ago in Cologne.

I myself have really enjoyed racing in Göttingen the past two years. It's very well organised and somehow the atmoshere is still an extra friendlier and stimulating then for other T-Mobile races. Apart from that, the so-called pacco gara is also excellent, especially the CDR filled with photos of the race that every participant receives after the event.

The ECB quartet consists of myself, Cyril Monnet, Morten Hansen and Elin Amundsen. My goal is simple: don't do worse than 41st (2005) or 36th (2006) :-)

For Elin, second in Cologne, it is the first start in Göttingen. She will square off against her main rivals Annette Kolf, Jennifer Schloden and Annika Grüber again for the win.

Cyril is the man to watch. The talented Frenchman has (finally) managed to train consistently for months and is in the shape of his life. Last year he was 84th, now he should be able to get closer to the front. The same for Morten. He put himself under a strict regime over the winter and enters the season with confidence and without superfluous weight. He finished in 308th spot last season, a top 200 rank is not impossible.

Nove Colli closes registration early

The organisers of the biggest Italian granfondo, Le Nove Colli, on 20 May in Cesenatico have prematurely closed the registration facility. The response this year has been immediately tremendously high, and it has been decided that 11.000 participants is the absolute maximum for logistical and security reasons.

A few riders from Frankfurt will be making the trip down there, including ECB riders Lorenzo Borghini and Guus Van Domburg.

Check the very nice Nove Colli website for all info on this superb event.

Giro della Sardegna - Negrini already on top!

The Giro della Sardegna, a week long stage race on the Italian island, is gaining popularity year by year. A large 'international' contingency takes part every year as well, but the Italians still clearly dominate the proceedings. In fact, mountain hero Emmanuele Negrini took top honours in stage 1, the traditional granfondo over 152 km. He outsprinted teammate and break-away companion Maurizio Frigo to take the win. Yesterday, Monday, another Salieri-rider won the so-called first stage: Marco Bettini stayed ahead of the peloton in the 113km long race.

Details of Höchst Loop

Upon request we have quickly set up the directions to get to the Höchst Loop from the Eurotower, using Google Maps.

Over 1700 registrations for Göttingen

The Tour d' Energie, the jedermann event in the context of the Niedersachsen Rundfahrt, already has a record number of registrations. One week before the event on Sunday, 29 April, 1752 people have signed up for the 80 or 50 km distances.

The event in Göttingen was a prime example of good organisation - with a lot of extras - the past two years. Reports that the pro race was lacking funding threatened the future of the race recently, but now everything is set for a great day on the bike again!

For last-minute registrations, go to the website.

ECB Cyclosports Team in Henninger Turm

The past number of years the cycling group of the European Central Bank has always had a good number of riders participating in the Henninger Turm on 1 May. Despite a few regulars leaving Frankfurt over the winter, nine people have already signed up again for the event: Elin Amundsen, Julia Bennett, Lorenzo Borghini, Guus van Domburg, Morten Hansen, Cyril Monnet, Kris Van de Velde and newcomers Alan Richardson and Marcus Hagedorn. Unfortunately, another motivated newcomer Roswitha Hutter had to cancel due to persisting back pain.

Granfondo in detail

Thanks to Lorenzo we now have a new link on the right hand side, which goes to a website where you can find much more than just the annual calendar of Italian granfondo events. Results, pictures, weather forecasts, links to the relevant websites, everything you need in other words!

Check the website

RuK - Organisers respond to timing issues

The organisers of the FOCUS Challenge race (Rund um Köln) have kindly issued a response to the many complaints on the timing of each rider's race and the corresponding result lists.

The timings have largely been confirmed by the provider MIKA timing and the result lists are entirely correct according to the new T-Mobile Cycling Tour rules, which say that the first 250 across the finish line are also the first 250 in the result list, independent of each rider's netto time. Beyond 250, the riders are ranked according to their netto time.

This of course to prevent riders starting in blocks C or D to race to the front of the peloton in the early stages of a race - when the pace is still moderate - and thus gain a significant time advantage over those in earlier start blocks. As such, it happened frequently in the past that such a rider only had to sit in wheels and follow the first group to "win" the race.

At last

It is a rule I personally welcome a lot!!! These are indeed races and not time trials. Should the Köln result be based on netto time as in the past, the top 100 would have been completely different. Read this: race winner Wernicke, who did an outstanding sprint, would have been relegated to 46th place (!!!). Second-placed Tobias Bosch would have sunk to rank 70, and Jörg Arenz (now third) to as low as rank 80!

Winner would have been Torsten Lorenzen. He was 7th in the sprint to the line. His team-mate(!) Marcus Fischer would have been second (in reality 18th in the sprint). Now, one could argue these two guys were right up there anyway and they came from the back. Riders three and four in the netto-time list, though, were only 97th and 92nd across the line and effectively dropped off the group in the final kilometre(s)!

Finally, in the top 10 of the netto-list, there are four guys from Team Düren-Merken (one, two, five and six) and three guys from Team Agapedia Münsterland (seven, eight, nine). Coincidence? There's a nice cluster of Blue Essentials guys and Team Focus guys between rank 80 and 100, though. Indeed, those teams were standing entirely up front at the start.

Still there are people who feel the results should be based on netto time. I cannot understand them. Of course it is impossible for everyone to start at exactly the same time. Unless you do time trials. But the T-Mobile races are labelled as they are: 'races'. They say you have no chance if you start in blocks C, D or later. I'm not disputing these riders' chances can be a lot smaller, though not always impossible, to reach the front of the peloton, but the riders starting in block A are also in block A for a reason: merit. The new T-Mobile Cycling Tour rulebook says that the first 250 riders in the current ranking are entitled to a block A starting position if they register for the next race on the tour. That's only fair: these people show commitment to their sport and produce good results over an extended period of time, instead of perhaps just 1 race a season. Block A is furthermore filled with riders who did well in the same event the year before and then with those who registered first. In my view, that's quite transparent and logic.

If you want to do the Nove Colli, Oetztaler, Maratona, Marmotte or any other major international event you also don't demand nor get a first block starting position. Do a good enough job this year, and in so doing secure a better starting position for the next edition.

With mass events, that's just the way it is. No system is perfect, but the 2007 T-Mobile rulebook is a significant step forward compared to last year.

Background:
Rund um Köln statement

Race Report: Rund um Köln
09/04/2007, Köln (DE)

On the pace!


A group of circa 80 riders storming to the finish.
Strassacker's Nico Wernicke was clearly the fastest


Köln - After weeks of anxious waiting, uncertain of how the legs really are after the winter break, the 2007 T-Mobile Cycling Tour finally took off with Rund um Köln on Easter Monday. Due to the mild weather of late it was no suprise that the average participant was in better shape than for last year's edition, but more than 80 guys storming to the line after 103 km in superb conditions was also not exactly foreseen. The rather dangerous finale resulted in a bunch sprint clearly won by Team Strassacker's Nico Wernicke. Annette Kolf of the newly founded Team T-Mobile took top honours in the women's A-event, even though Elin Amundsen (bobteam) was celebrated as the winner at the victory ceremony in Cologne!

I entered and left Cologne with mixed feelings. I did not know how the legs would respond only two days after Flanders, and apart from that I wasn't too sure I'd be good enough in the first place to follow the first group - which was my main objective. That turned out not to be a problem. The race was quite nervous and most of the time I was sitting between 30th and 50th position within the first peloton. At some point, about halfway, there was a descent and a sharp corner to the left, after which the road went uphill. There I had to grit my teeth together briefly, but mainly because some jerk - pardon the language but I cannot think of any other term - just bumped me aside with his shoulders and handlebar! Later in the race I also saw him carelessly zigzagging through the group, causing abrupt braking manouvres and risking massive crashes. I memorised the fool's racing number and have his name. Hopefully I can forget it soon.

Prior to the event, there was a lot of debate on the sense or non-sense of the cobblestone climb to the Schloss Bensberg. Coming from Flanders I obviously found this debate on e.g. the RuK forum rather funny. I know already for a long time that Germans are, well, almost scared of cobblestones and they generally have no idea how to tackle such stretches. Before the race, I was dreaming that - if I was still in front - I would show them :-). However, I was a bit too far down the group when it mattered. Still, I was amazed about the panic reactions of some riders. One nearly crashed somehow and held up others - including myself. And those cobblestones turned out to be mere city centre stones! Very strange.

The result of being held up was that the first group split in two. Luckily, it only took about 3 km to close the small gap. And so a group of over 80 riders flew to Cologne. Of course there were attacks (I even joined one briefly) but it was my impression that the strongest teams were keeping things together to set up a sprint. On the line I estimated some 20-25 riders ahead of me - the results claim there were 39. Considering the many complaints on the RuK forum about the time registration and the result lists, I also have my doubts about my ranking, considering my own estimate. In fact, all riders between rank 22 and 41 have the same time - just how they differentiated between those 19 people I do not know.

I understand all those who complain about the time registration performed by the company MIKA timing. It seems several people started and finished the race together but are separated in the result list by minutes. And the women's race winner was initially ranked as a man, hence Elin got awarded the victory and the prizes. These are just two examples. Clearly, when people participate in an event labelled as a race they expect to see their efforts rewarded with a precise ranking and timing. About right is not good enough. Because it's part of the T-Mobile tour, which has implications on the starting blocks of upcoming races, points are not properly distributed. So people nag, some even feel cheated and who can blame them? A fee of fifty something euros is for many people still money. I find it hard to understand what could have gone wrong here. Cyclos are organised every week in France and Italy and these issues never occur over there.

That is why I kept my mixed feelings about RuK, even though for different reasons. Apart from the time registration, the organisation was superb with an extra plus for all the danger signs and accompanied flagging. The next event is Göttingen on 29 April. I like that race, I finished 41st in 2005 and 36th last year. Doing slightly better will be my goal!

FACT SHEET:

Name: Rund um Köln (FOCUS Challenge)
Date: 9 April 2007
Location: Köln
Type: Race (T-Mobile Cycling Tour)
Distance: 103 km
Hm: 1000Hm
My Result: Rank 40/1115 (f), 2:40:07 (netto 2:39:57)
Info: Website
Event rating: 2/5



Elin eventually second behind Annette Kolf

Event report: Ronde van Vlaanderen

No season without de Ronde


The mild winter resulted in an early season's start for
wasps, even when they've already lost their sting...


NINOVE - For a Flemish rider, the Tour of Flanders is a must. Even with Rund um Köln only two days ahead, I had to ride the Ronde or my season wouldn't have been complete. There was no question at all, because even the weather forecast was brilliant! The latter led to the expected attendance records: overall between 18 000 and 20 000 people from 30 countries (depending on the source) participated in the cyclotour, with 2 800 riders even doing the whole 260 km distance starting from Bruges!

As usual, I opted for the 140 km distance starting in Ninove, which includes all but two of the 18 hellingen of the pro race. The night before I had removed the Krylions for Conti GP4000 tyres and at 8 a.m. I crossed the starting line. The earlier the better if you want to avoid 'traffic jams' on crucial climbs like the Paterberg and the Muur. The first 30 km towards the first climb, the Molenberg, are traditionally just a warm-up, sitting in a good group that matches your pace and ambitions. It was no different this year. The Molenberg is short, only 400 metres, but quite steep and the cobblestones are in bad shape. The way you go up there will tell you what to expect of the day. I felt good :-)

Then onto the 3km cobblestone stretch of Kerkgate in Mater (Oudenaarde). The first km is false flat, then it levels out, before climbing again and turning right sharply for cobbles in worse condition! Yes, this one is no nonsense, the closest Flanders comes to Paris-Roubaix. In 2005, nine colleagues at the ECB joined me on Flanders and I still remembered their long faces after their struggle on this stretch, including Morten's famous words "I will never ever do Roubaix" (last year, of course, he did).

I managed a solid rhythm on Kerkgate, saw many bidons on the cobbled road - which creates dangerous situations sometimes - and moved on to the first food & beverage stop in Oudenaarde, nicked the heart of the Ronde (the museum of the Ronde is located there and the women's world cup race starts there too). With Cologne just around the corner I had decided before the start I would take time to refill my bidons and eat a little extra. Just to be on the safe side. I would do the same at the second stop in Lierde (normally I just continue straight to the finish).

Sitting in the wheel of two Britons wearing the Flemish Lion, we passed by the Kluisberg and the Cote de Trieu and proceeded straight to the Oude Kwaremont. Last week in the E3 I had to push a little more (see report), but in Flanders the cobbled climb is so early in the course I never have any issue there. Luckily, all these narrow climbs were not yet overcrowded so it was possible in general to do your own pace. Even on the Paterberg with its 20% slope! In previous years I had to zigzag through people who were walking to the top, this time the path was wide open! I took advantage and powered to the top on the 23 - I don't think I've ever gone so fast on the Pater! Thinking about that, I was suddenly disappointed this year's Ronde skipped the legendary Koppenberg and instead turned right to do the Kortekeer. Curbing my enthusiasm, I opted to do the non-cobbled climbs en souplesse and push a little extra on the cobbled hills (Taaienberg, Steenbeekdries, Eikenberg...). The years when you have the luxury to make these kind of considerations, the Tour of Flanders is probably the event in which you have most fun.

Dark clouds appeared causing a temperature drop of about five degrees. Not the hills, but the cold became my biggest adversary. Even while riding I couldn't keep myself warm enough. In the mean time I was in the finale that traditionally starts with the Berendries. There was a brand new climb too. After Tenbosse and before the Muur - we no longer hit the main road to Geraardsbergen - the organisers found a nasty little stretch called the Eikenmolen. Not very long, not really steep but the 2km leading up to the climb are seriously false flat! Many people didn't like that one with the Muur already within sight...

On the Muur I enjoyed the same rush as on the Pater: I was flying like never before. Unfortunately, I got held up at the end of the steepest part but on the Kapelmuur I came around on the 21 and dashed to the Bosberg. Last year I was pretty knackered on the Muur already. After the Bosberg, energy conservation was my rule. I arrived in Meerbeke satisfied, with good legs and no hurting bones. Ready for the T-Mobile Tour :-)

FACT SHEET:

Name: Ronde van Vlaanderen
Date: 7 April 2007
Location: Ninove, Belgium
Type: Cyclotour
Distance: 140 km
Hm: Unknown (estimated 1200Hm): 16 hellingen: Molenberg, Wolvenberg, Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Kortekeer, Steenbeekdries, Taaienberg, Eikenberg, Boigneberg, Leberg, Berendries, Valkenberg, Tenbosse, Eikenmolen, Muur-Kapelmuur, Bosberg
Organisation rating: 4/5
Info: website

IMAGES:



The Kapelmuur in Geraardsbergen





Bosberg (above), Berendries (below)

Rund um Köln - Some results

No changes in the result lists so far, despite heavy criticism on the RuK website forum. On the T-Mobile Cycling Tour website it is announced that the first rankings will be published on Friday.

A full race report will be published soon. In the mean time please see below the top three plus a few results of Frankfurt-based riders on the 103 km distance:

Women (48 finishers)
1. Annette Kolf (Team T-Mobile), 2:43:55
2. Elin Amundsen (Bobteam), 2:50:15
3. Jennifer Schloden, 2:50:16

Men (1117 finishers)
1. Nico Wernicke (Team Strassacker), 2:40:05
2. Tobias Bosch (Team Voba RSV 06), 2:40:05
3. Jörg Arenz (Focus), 2:40:05
40. Kris Van de Velde (Bobteam), 2:40:07
89. Alex Nikolopoulos (Team Strassacker), 2:40:18
262. Gary Weir, 2:50:18
541. Daniel Hochtenert, 2:57:54
582. Martin Kohlhase, 2:59:10
684. Sven Graven, 3:02:56
1067. Thomas Blascyk, 3:29:59

Newsflash: Köln - Elin wins... or didn't she ?

Köln - There appears to be quite a bit of confusion concerning the actual result lists of the first T-Mobile Cycling Tour event of the season. Many people are complaining about timings that cannot possibly be correct (I myself am a bit puzzled by my ranking).

Frankfurt-based Elin Amundsen (Bobteam) was celebrated yesterday as winner of the 100 km women's race, beating Jennifer Schloden by 1 second. However, today the name of Annette Kolf (T-Mobile team) heads the result sheet! In fact, that makes sense because Elin saw Annette ride away from her at some point, and I personally saw a T-Mobile woman finish in the group that preceeded Elin's.

It all seems a bit odd, but if one looks at the forum of the Rund um Köln website, it doesn't seem to be the only - but certainly the most significant - anomaly.

More to follow soon...

T-Mobile Cyling Tour starts on Monday

The second edition of the T-Mobile Cycling Tour starts on Monday with Rund um Köln. The weather forecast is good, so it promises to be a start in style with circa 3500 riders expected to participate.

About 30 of those riders have a Frankfurt address with 9 "Frankfurters" signed up for the 100km event.

Check this blog for the results and a report next week!

Event report: E3 Harelbeke

Perfect prep for De Ronde!

HARELBEKE, Belgium - The Tour of Flanders, de Ronde van Vlaanderen, has been the first genuine cycling challenge on my calendar for nearly ten years. It is no different now. Even though the weather has been very beneficial this winter to retain a basic conditional level, my experience and respect for the event told me not to enter Flanders unarmed. Hence, I decided to check out the E3 cyclotour in Harelbeke last Sunday, 1 April. On the menu: 130 km with 11 hellingen, some of which will also be climbed in the Ronde (but in a different order - which led to a few surprises...).

The alarm clock did not need to go off at 6.30 a.m. as I had been awake for 20 minutes already. Two rice gateaus, a cup of Toraja coffee and off we drove to Harelbeke, some 35km past Ghent. At least two huge parking lots had been foreseen by the organisation so arriving at 7:45 I did not have any issue there. I signed the registration papers, paid 8 euros and set up my bike. I was riding my newly acquired second-hand scandium Eddy Merckx frame, used by Wim Van Huffel when he was riding for Vlaanderen T-Interim in 2004, before he changed to Lotto and finished 14th in the 2005 Giro d'Italia. Equipped with my old Campa Centauer group and Mavic Cosmos wheels, this allows me to save my premium bike for the actual races and mountain events later in the season. Besides, I am not convinced these ultra light racebikes are optimal for cobblestones and windy conditions on flat courses anyhow.

I started my ride with five guys from a cycling club in Kontich (Antwerp). They kept a solid pace. However, I couldn't help but feeling uncomfortable but I shrugged it off thinking I was just not used to the new bike yet. Until after some 20 km, one guy suddenly pointed at my rear wheel: the tire was constantly scraping the chain stay!! No wonder I felt awkward. I was riding my Michelin Krylion 25" tires that I purchased for Paris-Roubaix last year, and it turned out they only narrowly fitted between the two lower bars of the frame that attaches the wheel. I lost contact with the small group and had to ride on my own for a while but the riding was a lot smoother :-)

The first climb was the Edelare after 30km. Nothing serious, in de Ronde it is not even recognised as an official climb. Just before La Houppe, 2000m at 6%, six guys stormed past me. I attached my waggon but boy they were flying! After the first food & beverage stop, the climbs quickly succeeded each other. I restarted earlier than those six guys but they stormed past on the Boigneberg, 1400m at 8.5%. This time I did not insist. These guys were just a little too advanced at this stage of the season. Were they?

I maintained a good pace and absorbed the climbs without any problem, which boosted my confidence. After all, you don't know what to expect the first time you hit the hills each year. The Taaienberg, on cobbles and with a stretch of 19%, was a hard one. And the Paterberg with its 20% stretch as well. I had to dig deeper than usual on those. Either the 25" tires glued me to the stones, or... By the way, the Paterberg is considered by Flemish women to be the most erotic of all hills, as they claim the hill offers superb views on the riders' bums ...

Next was the Oude Kwaremont. Never really a problem in de Ronde, but in the E3 - after the Taaienberg and Paterberg - the Kwaremont does matter! When exiting the cobbled stretch and hitting the main road that goes uphill, I suddenly saw two of the six riders who flew past me on the Boigneberg. They were knackered :-) And yes, the four others were not far ahead. I would finish ahead of them in Harelbeke. A perfect reminder for myself to go easy in the early stages next Saturday: the Flemish hills are relentless, you run out of steam, you'll go through hell just to reach the finish.

The E3 was a very pleasant tour, well-organised with good signposting (also for dangerspots) and two modest but sufficient food stops. Recommended.

- KVDV

FACT SHEET:

Name: E3
Venue: Harelbeke, Belgium
Type: Cyclotour
Distance: 130km
Hm: unknown (11 climbs: Edelare, La Houppe, Berg Stene, Boigneberg, Eikenberg, Taaienberg, Kapelberg, Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont, Kluisberg, Tiegemberg)
Conditions: Chilly but sunny (8:15 - 12:45 a.m.)
Organisation rating: 5/5
Info: Website

Prestigio: Rumsas wins GF Selle Italia

Controversial Lithuanian Raimondas Rumsas continues his winning ways in the Italian granfondo circuit. In the Prestigio-opener, GF Selle Italia, in Cervia last Sunday he beat Parkpre-teammate Timothy David Jones in the sprint after 152 km.

Apparently Rumsas is still allowed to participate in these races despite rumours he would no longer be. The GF Selle Italia saw close to 5000 participants this year, i.e. a new record. Its place in the Prestigio therefore seems guaranteed for the next few years.

Emmanuele Negrini finished 20th, Andrea Ciavatti 18th and Christian Ceralli 22nd. Names who wil appear more to the top of the sheets come June and July.

The women's race was won by Barbara Lancioni, outsprinting Gallucci and Bandini.

Interesting is also the striking number of Russian-names in the results...

The next Prestigio event is the Dieci Colli Bolognesi in Bologna on 1 May.

Veltec Team Granfondo

Holland has its first genuine cyclo team: Veltec Team Granfondo. The team consists of six riders, including well-known climbing specialist Oege Hiddema, a.o. second in the Marmotte 2003 behind Laurens Ten Dam (currently ProTour rider with Unibet). The initiative shows oncemore the ever growing international popularity of cyclosportive events.

More info on the new team and Oege's training and event diary can be found on his website.

Sunny weather forecast for Flanders!

The Ronde van Vlaanderen is a traditional early season event for many cyclo riders and one expects again over 15 000 people on the various courses next Saturday. Because of the treacherous course with the cobblestone sectors, the weather is an important factor for this cyclotour. At present, the conditions are promised to be excellent, comparable with 2005! To check the latest forecast, see the website of the KMI in Belgium.

CHIBA Alpencup

An increasingly popular trio of events is the CHIBA Alpencup, which includes the Amade Radmarathon (Radstadt, Austria), the Berchtesgadener Land Radmarathon (Bad Reichenhall) and the Engadin Radmarathon (Zernez, Switzerland). The official dates have been announced and a few regular visitors to this blog are considering riding the Amade Radmarathon on 20 May. More info on the events via the website: