GUTS, GLORY AND CAMARADERIE
Belgium in springtime is a true playground for those who love cycling. Home to some of the world’s greatest races and riders, you can totally immerse yourself in cycling culture whilst indulging in the best beer and frites. Even if you are not there physically, it comes across on TV; as soon as you see the fans waving their big flags blocking views of the narrow streets as the peloton snakes its way through. Belgium in springtime encompasses what the sport is all about: guts, glory and camaraderie.
Liege-bastogne-liege, alias ‘La Doyenne’ or ‘The Old Lady’, is one of the Ardennes Classics with a capital C. The race, which has been taking place at the end of April since 1892, is a one-day event in the Ardennes region of Belgium.
LBL set the stage for cycling legend Eddy Merckx, who took the victory five times and for the great Bernard Hainault, who claimed the win twice.
The race is one of the five prestigious Monuments of European cycling and well-known for its ‘no mercy’ climbs and uphill finish. The long and punchy loop particularly favours the mountain goats of the peloton and serious Grand Tour contenders. This year’s 102nd edition promises to be challenging as the organisers have made some small changes to the route. Among them is the addition of a misleadingly painful climb in the final three kilometers with 550m of cobbles and a 10.5 per cent gradient. It comes after 253 kilometers of riding with more than 4000 meters of climbing along the way. Some of those climbs include gradients of up to 12 percent. It’s going to hurt, and I ‘m going to know about it.
It all started last year when I joined a group to tackle the Parisroubaix challenge. Hesitant at first, I decided I could at least give it a go. Never had I ridden any cobbled roads on my road bike before and 187 kilometers was a distance I had not taken on in one go either. To be honest with you, I did not really know what I had signed myself up for.
My training ahead of the big day mostly compromised of spin sessions, one or two longer rides of 80-100 kilometers and my general running routine. The set-up of my bike was taken care of by one of the group, Graham,
who owns his own bike shop in St Albans and another, Colin, a bike mechanic. Reading some tips and watching a few videos about Paris-roubaix online, I still remember classics specialist Fabian Cancellara say: “I respect the cobbles, but I do not fear them.”
This remained my motto for that day in the saddle and I like to think it helped me power through. Keeping speed over the cobbles and riding in the middle of the road were some of the tactics I tried to use. Nearing one of the final “secteurs pave” out of the 28 in total, a friend exclaimed: “Keep on going. You’ve made it so far, you just need to bring it home!” When I zoomed into the Roubaix Velodrome for the final loop before the finish, I felt an enormous sense of accomplishment and relief. Over celebratory beers, the gang mused over a new challenge the following year, preferably one of the other Monuments. A unanimous decision was made: LBL it is!
Now, one year further and the sportive looming, it is time to take it up a notch. So far, training has been similar to Roubaix’s, but already with more time spent in the saddle. This is to prep the legs and mind for what is going to be a particularly long day on the bike with a total of 273 hilly kilometers.
Epping is a great place to ride with its lumpy stretches. Sunday morning rides with an 8 AM start have occurred three times since the beginning of the year. Strava records an average distance of about 70-80 kilometers and elevation of about 400 meters.
I tend to ‘bonk’ or ‘run out of fuel’ quite easily on these rides, mainly because the guys keep a good pace. So I’ve learnt to keep a pace that I can sustain over a longer time and eat and drink regularly. Next is a long ride to Brighton, via Ditchling Beacon, to get mileage and elevation in the legs. With spin classes for intensity and running regularly for strengthening, I’ll hopefully be ready to take on the “old dear.”
I’ll need to show guts. Somewhere along the way, I’ll feel glory as I realise just how prestigious this race is. As for camaraderie, I don’t think cycling really exists without it; just ask a Belgian.