Next Saturday, me and my friends of Neptune Cyclo will cycle part of the track of the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders). It’s the third year in a row we take part in the most important cycling event of Flanders. Instead of the full 257 kilometers (160 miles), we’ll skip the first 120 kilometers of flatlands (the real Ronde starts in Bruges and is flat until it reaches the Flemish Ardennes). We start at the finish line and cycle 140 kilometers through the Flemish Ardennes. Our ride includes a lot of cobblestones and many climbs, among them the Paterberg, Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and the legendary Muur – Kapelmuur in the village of Geraardsbergen.
Knowing how things went past years, I’m a bit worried about this edition. First I haven’t trained as much I should have. It’s been really busy for me the last months, both at my job and at the University. Not only am I undertrained, I’m also a bit injured. During my skiing trip in the French Alps two weeks ago I injured my left knee. Things have healed somewhat, my physiotherapist says it’s OK to cycle, but it still doesn’t feel 100% right. But watching TV to the smaller tours in Flanders past week brought that special feeling back. It’s great to be part of the pack, cycling together with my friends are among my favorite things to do. So, we’ll see what the Tour brings this year. Two years ago the weather was bad and the roads turned into a Flemish Hell (cobblestones are becoming very slippery with only a small amount of rain, not to mention the mud). Last year the weather was great and I had one of my best days cycling thus far. I’ll come back to you on this one next Sunday.
