2012-04-20/22 - Flanders shenaniganza

If riding up in the passenger seat of the van with my feet on the dashboard qualifies me for said prize then none of you will beat me.

48x18 eesh! I'm impressed. I was going to gear down and do it 44x18 as I don't think 44x16 ('The Gentleman's Gear') will get me up the Koppenberg or the Grammont. I've done 20% on 'TGG' for, like, 50 feet.

not sure the van will go up this way bothwell..
fines for insubordination :P

I think I'd be more likely to have a better chance at getting up some of those hills if I was riding fixed.... seeing as I'll be on gears, I'm not holding out much hope!

obviously dan wasn't impressed that i rode TLC with 48x18 on sunday :(

i have bought a 44T chainring to give myself a half chance of conquering the oude kwaremont, koppenberg and muur.. laps of swains lane beckons next week for the final prep

saturday's route looking like this:-

bruges
asseboek
beernem
wingene
tielt
wielsbeke
elsegem
kluisbergen (lunch)
kwaremont
driestraat
wlkenaarswag
rotlenberg
steengat
koppenberg
rijlsweg
taaienberg
eikenberg
hauwaart
heerweg
opbrakel
nederbrakel

Al that's crazy. I was well impressed with you at TLC.

Wed night laps of Swains?

if doing Kwaremont why not do Paterberg too?

Good luck!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTZAm1nSok8

This ^. Especially as you're going to go past it on your way to the Koppenberg anyway.

Al that's crazy. I was well impressed with you at TLC.

Wed night laps of Swains?

Just to remind everyone who may be free and in London tomorrow, good Friday, there is an early ride from Elephant and Castle to Box Hill and back.

I al leaving Norbury at 8:20, Brixton at 8:30-8:40am, Elephant and Castle at 9am, outside the Fusion Sports Centre, post code SE1 6SQ. Hope to be back with Nellie by 1pm at the latest.

Now I like hills. And I dislike cobbles much less than I did before TLC. But hills + cobbles ...

I think I'm pretty much decided on gears though - might make the climbing less fun, but means no cobbled descents fixed.

Very, very, VERY excited.

Just to remind everyone who may be free and in London tomorrow, good Friday, there is an early ride from Elephant and Castle to Box Hill and back.

I al leaving Norbury at 8:20, Brixton at 8:30-8:40am, Elephant and Castle at 9am, outside the Fusion Sports Centre, post code SE1 6SQ. Hope to be back with Nellie by 1pm at the latest.

I'll see you at the sports centre at 9am. Fixed bike is sorted for tomorrow's ride.

Al that's crazy. I was well impressed with you at TLC.

Wed night laps of Swains?

I'm up for this...i'm not so much a mountaingoat as my name suggests...

I'll see you at the sports centre at 9am. Fixed bike is sorted for tomorrow's ride.

Good man Matt. PM me your mobile, just in case.

Have to pull out of tomorrow peeps - having a wall built in the flat, need to try and rebuild my Canyon, and still nursing a back complaint.

Have a good ride, and gutted i couldn't make TLC, it looked like an idyllic day.

S

Have to pull out of tomorrow peeps - having a wall built in the flat, need to try and rebuild my Canyon, and still nursing a back complaint.

Have a good ride, and gutted i couldn't make TLC, it looked like an idyllic day.

S

No worries, get yourself fit for next Friday, and drowning OLC with vitamin G.

Did his jeans really need shrinking last time out?

Splendid event, here's a bit more Belgian Waffle http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=195472

This ^. Especially as you're going to go past it on your way to the Koppenberg anyway.

bruges
asseboek
beernem
wingene
tielt
wielsbeke
elsegem
kluisbergen (lunch)
kwaremont
driestraat
wlkenaarswag
**paterberg (somewhere around here)
**rotlenberg
steengat
koppenberg
rijlsweg
taaienberg
eikenberg
hauwaart
heerweg
opbrakel
nederbrakel

of course you are both right zed & andyp
as i unskillfully traced part of the RvV route from 2011

sunday will see us conquer the muur and bosberg
before arriving in Ghent for lunch

bernie, best wishes for today's ride
sam, get well soon and good luck with wall building
looking forward to swains lane reps wednesday night
hopefully with new gear inches :)

Just to remind everyone who may be free and in London tomorrow, good Friday, there is an early ride from Elephant and Castle to Box Hill and back.

I al leaving Norbury at 8:20, Brixton at 8:30-8:40am, Elephant and Castle at 9am, outside the Fusion Sports Centre, post code SE1 6SQ. Hope to be back with Nellie by 1pm at the latest.

Thanks Bernie, was a fun and sunny day out today! Owe you a guinness or two next friday!

Thanks Bernie, was a fun and sunny day out today! Owe you a guinness or two next friday!

Good man. Lovely day for a ride, and amazing sunshine given the weather forecast. See you next Friday. Should be a nice, quiet affair...

Err... 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS.

Oh yearrhh :)

champagne breakfast to compensate for the early depart (0650) for the eurostar team

Splendid event, here's a bit more Belgian Waffle http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=195472

that was a great read. Really funny.
Enjoyed the LFGSS tshirt too.

i hope one of our squad will provide an equally entertaining blog for our trip..
and do LFGSS proud on forrin roads ;-)

i do hope the London Classic yesterday has whet your appetites for cobbles and hills.. cos there are a few which need taming during our weekend.. in no particular order i give you the stats,

(snip)

those with* i'd strongly recommend.. if you want to do them all, then we should forego Ypres and Kortrijk on Saturday. and Sunday for those bergs situated closest to Brakel..

A xx

I have to be honest - reading all of the stuff like this is really, really putting me off going on this trip. I don't mind a hill or two but I'd rather have as flat a journey as possible, I've not started doing any proper riding since the winter started, and I'm not particularly keen on my first longer outing this year being a total hammerfest / testosterone oneupmanship over doing the steepest, most dangerous cobbled hill.

Admittedly I haven't participated in group emails etc as much as I'd have wanted to (very difficult to wade through 20+ group mail thread after a day of work) but I was under the impression this was a more relaxed, fun group spin... not training for people's trips to the alps later in the summer!