Info/advice for Tour of Flanders sportive

4 of us going over to do the middle distance first time can’t bloody wait !!!!

I’ll be there. Hoping for snow.

Digger, I usually start off close to 7:30. It’s usually getting light by then. There will be loads of people around so you will get into a big group quite quickly when you set off. Be careful on the cyclepath stretches, the locals ride them fast.
To pick up your pre_entry pack, head to the big clock tower, behind the TofF stage, in the market square. Go through the entrance directly under the tower. There will be an area,usually on the far left of the inner square, where you hand over your confirmation email with your start number on it and get your pack in return.

Thanks plop_pants… do you mean the market square in central Burges or is there one near the start?

I’d assumed that the event started in the centre of Bruges but according to the web site the start is approx 4.5kms away: Jan Breydelstadion, Olympialaan 74, 8200 Bruges

See here http://sport.be.msn.com/cyclingtour/rondevanvlaanderen/2012/eng/praktischeinfo/

Oh heck! Didn’t see that. It’s always started in the main square before.
Scrap what I said then. Thanks for letting me know!!!

I’ll be there. Hoping for muddy snow.

There’s a bunch of us going over from LVIS – self, Big Dummy, pjt90210, Nouveau and Lady Luck. We’re riding the full distance but not aiming for anything other than to beat the cutoff! Keep an eye out for the imperial purple and olympic gold train, somewhere towards the back. 😉

you might not be aiming for anything else Mr A 😉

Aim for this, roller boy.

Mr Agreeable – I’m also riding the full distance and not aiming for anything other than beating the cutoff too.

Maybe the STW Peloton could have some form of identification, just to say ‘Hi’.. like a ribbon or something? Mind you, the chance of spotting people among the estimated 15,000 – 20,000 participants is slim I s’pose!

Well, I’m very tempted to rock the Carradice, just because one of my fellow riders has said he won’t participate if I do.

But it’s probably easier to keep an eye out for the purple and gold kit we’ll be wearing:

Go Vegas!

There’s usually ‘only’ 5000 or so do the long one. I think about 70 brits did it last year. I’ll be in my bright red and yellow club kit, GS Invicta.

Do not queue! There is no control at the start. I spent a frigid 45/60 mins in the very cold morning air at Brugges along with many other hopefuls last year

When we got to the front, some old boy looks at me like Im waiting for a bus! Arggh!

Just get on the road.

Good luck!

But surely you have to collect your race number before you start?

Nah, you get that long before.

All UK riders must pick up their numbers at the start and put their numbers on their bike.
The organisers used to post it to you but that stopped in the last couple of years.

I think Merak is just refering to queueing to get his route card stamped/clipped once you are ready to go. I’m not sure how necessary it is to get this done, I’ve just always done it.

Mr Agreeable – Member
Well, I’m very tempted to rock the Carradice, just because one of my fellow riders has said he won’t participate if I do.

If you “rock” the carradice I will be forced to make that literal and fill it with rocks for you at every opportunity.

gutted won’t be there :'(

Received email confirmation from the Organisers today, with the following info…

With this number you can pick up your identification tag and participation package at the pre-registration desk :
– On Friday 30th of March between 1 pm and 7 pm at the Qubus, Lindestraat in Oudenaarde
– On Saturday 31th of March from 7 am at the Jan Breydel Stadium, Olympialaan in Bruges (244 km) or at the Qubus, Lindestraat in Oudenaarde (138-87 km).

Bring this email with you!

Got mine too Digger. Only thing now is to wait for the forecast!
Looking forward to it.

Rode 102 miles today and boy was I knackered!

Took me 9hrs too, including food stops.

I’m now worried I won’t make the cutoff time for the 244kms distance…

grab as many wafers as you can at the feed stops, best feed station food ever!

Cheers Warton.

HOw many food stops are there on the long route do you know? There’s no info on the Web site…

Digger, there will be soooo many riders that you can get into a big group and sit in at 20 mph easy, especially on the flat run all the way to the hills. There are 4 feed stops. 2 on the way to Oudenaarde, one in Oudenaarde and one in amongst the hills.
Have a look a the route map link on the website:
Route Map

Just a word of warning when riding in a big bunch, keep your head up when riding through the towns as it can be a bit twitchy with some hard braking at times. I’ve also seen the odd rider crash into the back of parked cars.

Would love to go do this again this year .. did the full distance last year and it was a great day out …

.. hmm might go look at ferry prices 🙂

Oh, and before I forget, CHEESE SANDWICH! Take a hearty cheese sarnie with you. You will get fed up with all the energy drink, waffles, cakes, energy bar etc. At some point you’ll crave something different. A cheese sarnie in my back pocket has been a god send when things start to get tough and everything hurts and your stomach is doing somersaults.

Katie and I will be there. Middle distance. Signing on the line. Sounds like a blast. 🙂

So, any last minute advice?

Drink – take your own bottles or are you given them? One? Two?

Food – rely on the food stations or start with a load of your own bars and gels?

I’m just in the middle of packing…!

Drinks: I’m taking 2 full bottles to start (plus will take 20-30 euros with me in case I need to pop into a shop and buy any more)

Food: I’m led to believe the food stations are good, but I have a full complement of museli bars, dried pitted dates, salted nuts, trail mix, Soreen malt loaf and energy gels.

Now I’ve just got to figure out how much I can take and split it all up into bite-size/manageable portions..

Don’t forget your Passport! 😀

very jealous

I’m taking 1 bottle and drinking 1 on the start line both with Torq
2 gels, shot blocks and cash. I’m riding with locals so should be ok, fingers crossed!!

May see you out there!! Enjoy.

take some money and stop for chips and mayonnaise half way

was very pleasant last year

Anyone else in the queue for the DFDS ferry sailing at noon? There are lots of cars with cross bikes on them.

nope. I’m waiting for the 10am sailing to dock 🙂

What a superb event – can’t believe just how brilliant that was – or how painful!

So, how does everyone feel? Did you make it?

I finished it – the full 244kms – in 10hrs 15

oof. good stuff mate. 10hrs in the saddle is fair going on any terrain. not sure if i fancy 10hrs on cobbles!

In fairness, there are only a few cobbled sections and they’re mostly quite short. I found the jarring of the first cobbled section quite a shock after after spinning along on smooth tarmac for the the first couple of hours and although I fancied myself as a good rider for the cobbles I was rubbish – I was literally blown away at just how fast some of the Belgians can ride over the Pave.

The real killer is that nearly all the serious climbs are cobbled and some of them are demoralisingly steep.

I rode the whole parcours with the exception of having to stop on the Koppenburg because the rider directly in front of me went down, taking out another 2 riders. Lots of shouting, arguing and gesticulating then ensued and a fight nearly broke out.. it was all quite entertaining really although I was disappointed to have had to stop.

The Koppenburg was like a War Zone – bodies and bikes everywhere, bidons, toolbags and stuff strewn all over the place, people pushing, some looked like they were close to tears!

carnage ya say?

well done all the same.a good event to have ticked off.

What’s the pace on these sort of things like (for the average rider)? I’m going to do the Liege-Bastogne-Liege sportive this month and a little concerned that its going to be me riding in at midnight, alone 😉

That was completely ace! We started pretty late (just before 10am) so I guess that it was quieter on the Koppenberg by the time we got there.

Made all the cobbled climbs (nice being cheered up by locals and even some bloke walking breathed ‘keep pedaling’ as I passed him). I was one of the slower climbers and exchanged smiles with quite a few blokes who were similarly not speedy but determined.

Only did the 136km – but pleased as it’s only my third 100km+ ride ever (the first two were earlier this month) & 6 hours 50 sounds pretty respectable…

But did anyone else find the last 12 km on the flat in the face of a howling headwind the most difficult part of the whole thing?? Like you think you’ve cracked it as you roll over the lip of the Paterberg and can smell the beer and frites in the offing, but no, wait, there’s a wall of resistance that gradually slows you down until you think it was all a mirage and you’re stuck riding the wrong way on the travelator of doom. Until, after an eternity and a half you notice that all the people around you sprinting to the line and you realise you might make it after all…