Anyone going? looking forward to seeing if Quick-Step can boss things or Sagan finds some form.

Hi Gary,

I’m going to ride the 174km version of the sportive on Saturday and also to watch the pro’s on Sunday.

Seeing as we haven’t seen each other since we MTB’d in the surrey Hills circa Chocolate Foot era (although i think we crossed path’s on a London cycle commute once since then) you should probably look out for me and my 15 buddies in our slightly pretentious but worn for a reason* bespoke kit

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And how it looks in the flesh. Check out the cobbles design on the stomach #flanders #tourofflanders #rvv #steva #stevakit

A post shared by Richard Sear (@ralph_e_rogers) on Mar 27, 2019 at 6:17am PDT

Say hello if you see us.

* worn in memory of my mate Nick who introduced many of us to the delights of the RVV/Flanders but sadly took his own life last year.

Richard

“virtual wave” 👋
hope you have a good one in memory of your mate.
unfortunately i have had to cancel due to last minute transport/accomadation issues but TBH i only knew 3 weeks ago that it was happening and I’m no way 140kfit let alone 174k
hope to do the long one next year with a bit more prep.

(if anyone is wanting to do the 139k but going to sign on the day as registrations are now closed then let me know, you can have my entry for £35. i can change the name for €5 )

Utterly brilliant race (and sportive)

The crowds make it, it’s astonishing how many Belgians come out to watch it… and drink beer.

Every racing cycling fan should go at least once.

I did it back in 2011, utterly knackering and exhausting… but that’s not the overall impression it left on me… it was the support from the roadside from literally everyone.

👍

Did it last year (the new 160 mile version for a stag do!), great event, really quite flat for us with all the famous bergs packed in at the end, then day we parked up and went into the Patterburg supporters area and had a few beers and cheered them on, it is was a good weekend in all.

I’d like to see Sagan recover some form, he seems to be running at 80% at the moment, but hard to look past the Quick-Step boys on the form they’re having.

Not doing it this year, but off to ride Malteni Gravel Riders event, which is 180 miles and links up the Flemish bergs, the Roubaix cobbles with much of the route off-road, then back to Belgium in August for a bikepacking route from Ardennes.

Can’t believe it’s 15 years since I last rode DeRonde! You could just roll-up and sign-up on the Saturday and ride on the Sunday – Bus from Ninove to Bruges at 6am – big pelotons out of Bruges which battered it’s way up to DePanne at 40kph as lots of the Flemish clubs treat this an the unofficial Flemish club champs! It started raining and was a strong headwind on the way to Oudenaard, so by the time we hit the Wolvenberg, there wasn’t much of a big group left and starting catching the big groups riding the 140km event walking up the Paterberg and Koppenberg. Due to a sign missing / detour I’d ridden 300km in 9 hours by the time I got back to the hotel – slept well that night!

Can’t believe it’s 15 years since I last rode DeRonde!

I was going to say that we must have done it the same year, then you mentioned rain and wind. I got sunburnt both times I did it! (2002 and 03.)

Every racing cycling fan should go at least once

+1

Such a great experience riding the Sportive and finishing with a flourish to sit in Oudenaard with Chips, Mayo and beer, then on Sunday drink my way through the race in a route-side farmhouse with a Projector and screen.  Great fun staggering outside to cheer at the riders with a bottle of Kwarmont in each hand. 😀

Gang of 8 of us going from work. Signed up for the 108 miles route in a rush of blood to the head, but will probably do the 85 miles. It’s more about the social aspect of the weekend than the riding TBH. Will keep an eye out for you Richard, I’ll be wearing my club kit, which is a quite noticeable royal blue and yellow sunburst design.

I was going to say that we must have done it the same year, then you mentioned rain and wind. I got sunburnt both times I did it! (2002 and 03.)

I also rode it in 2002 and 2003 – the relatively mild weather lulled me into a false sense of security, so it was a bit of shock to encounter proper Flandrien weather in 2004 – viscous cross/headwind back from the coast that split all the groups before we even got to Oudenaard. Because of the rubbish weather, the big Belgian club groups were distinctively not present meaning you couldn’t draft in a big bunch until you hit the bergs. To compensate, the P-Rx sportive that summer was 33 degrees – people were collapsing from heat stroke.

Not been able to ride this since my first time in 2015, always coincided with our son’s birthday. Next year however doesn’t :-).

Man, that was ace. Perfect conditions and I feel much better this evening than previous 84 mile rides. Did the 108 in the end. Brilliant.

How would I go about entering this next year?

Entering the sportive is no harder than a UK one. Just sign up for the e-mails and enter online, I think it opens about October. If you are serious about it, you probably want to be looking for accommodation soon though, with 16,000 riders plus fans for the pro ride the next day, it’s at somewhat of a premium.

Did anyone see this guy?

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It’s all just kicked off!

greg van avermaet looks a bit, well, mamil ! 8)

Good ride from the winner, chasers were poor.

yep they closed the gap to 15 with through and off then started playing silly buggers

it seems to be the problem with this race.  They were saying on Belge TV that if you get 20-25 seconds at the top of the Paterberg you stand a good chance of making it which seems crazy with 14k still to go (at least that’s what I thought they said.  Appears to have worked)

yep they closed the gap to 15 with through and off then started playing silly buggers

It’s a tough one, with a strong rider out front and a chasing group full of individuals who’s going guarantee blowing any chance by leading the chase 🤔🤔

Chasing group had three quick step riders in it and they all seemed to ride as individuals

I simply dont understand why you would ride all that way to guarantee you will finish no better than second just because you Might lead somebody else out. You have to be in it to win it.

Did anyone see this guy?

Yep, saw a surprising amount of world champions this weekend. All seem to have put a bit of timber on in the last few months!

Cracking race, well worth staying in for.