After the great time we had in Belgium last year, we just had to get back to the Spring Classics. This comprises of three one day races spread over 8 days. The first is De Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), the second is Gent-Wevelgem and the third is the Queen of the Classics, the Hell of the North, the one and only, Paris-Roubaix. Just to get fully submersed we decided to ride parts of the courses ourselves.
Belgium, April 2008
At the start of the Tour Of Flanders (Brugge).
The square is packed on race day.
UCI president Pat McQuaid oversees the start.
And they are off! The mayor of Brugge fires the gun.
Ballan leads the peloton into Oudenaarde.
Boonen flies past the RVV Museum and it was snowing!
Eventual winner Stijn Devolder leads Tom onto the Koppenberg.
Stuey O’Grady makes the tight, wet corner.
Looking up the 22% Koppenberg.
Ballan comes off the Valkenberg (and leaves part of his hip on it).
... followed closely by Geoge Hincapie.
Performing the drink driving test with Matt at Westvleteren.
Another sunny day for Gent-Wevelgem.
Philip Gilbert rolls out.
and so does Ballan.
Serguei Ivanov and team mate roll back in.
Mark Cavendish is ready to give Gent-Wevelgem a shot.
Tornado Tom gives me the eye.
Peter van Petegem looks as fierce as he rode.
RVV winner and Wouter Weylandt (ends up 3rd in this race).
The Belgian heart throbs get serenaded at the start.
Flecha (3rd in Sundays RVV) peaks under Cancellara’s armpit.
Robbie and Zabel struggled up the Kemmelberg.
And so did Cavendish.
Eventual winner Oscar Freire.
Graham Watson thinks hard about where to get the best shot.
Pippo Pozzato giving it some.
Stephan Wesseman on the Kemmelberg.
Tom’s out of the saddle.
We had the boat to ourselves in Gent.
Scenic Gent.
Old Gent.
Johnan Van Summeren signs in for Paris-Roubaix.
2004 Winner Magnus Backstedt
2001 Winner Servais Knaven
The two Toms (Steels and Boonen).
2006 Winner Fabian Cancellara
2007 Winner Stuart O’Grady
Pozzato shows Italian style.
The riders roll up to the start in Compiegne.
Leif Hoste didn’t have a very good classics season.
Nick Nuyens (2nd in last Sunday’s Tour Of Flanders)
The riders seem pretty relaxed ahead of 260kms of Hell.
And they are off.
Van Summeren heads onto Sector 28 at Troisvilles.
Flecha and Cancellara head to head.
Hincapie and Devolder concentrate on the first of 60kms of cobbles.
And the dust starts to kick up.
Blurry shot but check out the pain on Ballan’s face in the Arenberg.
O’Grady bumps through the Forest (Sector 18).
Dunno who this is but the face says it all. Welcome to Hell.
Catching the race involves some tricky maneuvers.
Toms fan club at Sector 13 - Orchies.
It’s a stampede!
The herd is tearing it up.
Riders are looking for the smoothest surface.
We made it to the velodrome to catch the finish.
My brother Andrew was very impressed with his first bike race.
Watch the finale unfold on the big screen.
Ballan, Cancellara and Boonen cross the line on lap one.
Boonen makes his move...
... and gaps the others.
Boonen takes it for the 2nd time.
Martijn Maaskant comes over the line in 4th.
The other contenders cross the line close behind.
The Lion of Flanders roars!
The ballons are set off for the winner!
Tom Boonen holds the Pave as high as he can.
