Beautiful blue skies once again here in Mol, Belgium! The usual 30km recovery ride was uneventful but we were all very excited to race our very first Belgian Classic. At 140km it was also one of the longest races we would have ever ridden, not to mention the likelihood of over 100 starters! After some breakfast we rested for awhile and slowly began to gather our things. We hit a massive road block when our internet cut out and were left stranded without directions to the race! All we knew was that the race was in a town called Rummen and it began at 4pm. Once all our bags were packed we jumped in the car and drove into Mol to pick up a map. By some miracle the Europe sized map we bought was able to be deciphered by Glenn and we arrived in the nick of time.
All 4 of us jumped out of the car with Matt, Brad and I going to collect our numbers while Glenn set up our bikes and laid out our clothing so we could get kitted up as soon as we returned. Everything ran smoothly and we actually had more time up our sleeves than we thought. We were on the start line and after a minute silence to mourn the passing of a local cycling veteran the flag dropped and we were off. Normally classics consist of one large lap (~80km) before finishing the remaining 60km on a smaller circuit through the main streets of the town. However for the Rummen Classic the course was a figure 8 so we actually travelled past the finish line in both directions. The first section of the course was about 10km while the second half was approximately 5km. I think this type of course makes good viewing for the spectators but it was slightly confusing at first for the riders. The 110+ strong field took off at a moderate pace but their were several traffic hazards early and some very average paved roads so some of the speed was washed off from the peleton. There weren't too many corners on the first part of the course with only a quick downhill left-left, very fast dead straight tail wind section before a sharp left hand corner which opened up onto a double carriageway road and then a flowing right which lead onto the finishing straight. Once we passed the line we did another loop in the other direction which was particularly dangerous with a deep gutter in the centre of the road and a sharp left hand corner which lead into a very narrow 'path' weaving through the cornfields. The road was barely wide enough for one car and the whole bunch bottle necked trying to squeeze through.
There were some very quality bike riders in the field and I think they realised the sections of narrow road were dangerous for the peleton to maneouvre and the weaving nature of the course favoured a break away. Very early on in the race a front bunch slipped off the front catching everyone by surprise. The bunch tried gallantly to reel them in but there were too many pauses in the chase which played into the hands of the break away. It was quite difficult to move up in the peleton and by the time we were able to the break was out of sight. Brad hit the mother of all pot holes and double punctured, ending his afternoon wheeling his bike back to the start. Matt and I tried gallantly to escape with a bunch of rider's constantly attacking the bunch but nothing stuck. In the final few laps of the course the peleton got organised with a few teams sitting on the front and trying to cut into the breaks advantage. By this time there was at least one other chasing group somewhere ahead of the bunch. In the final lap the peleton was very sketchy with riders trying to position themselves for the bunch sprint. The bottle necked roads were extremely frustrating as the few riders who got through first took off and were able to weave through the narrow paths much faster than the bunch.
The run to the finish was an uphill slog straightening out with about 300m to go before the big yellow banner marked the finish line. With 70-80 riders left in the bunch the fight for position was vicious with none of the teams having a well organised lead out. I managed to avoid the carnage at the front and timed my sprint well coming from about 15-20 wheels back down the gutter. With a solid kick I was able to reel in all but one rider who finished just in front as we crossed the line. I claimed 2nd in the bunch sprint but with all the groups off the front it only equated to a top 30 finish. Matt crossed the line in the middle of the bunch and managed to keep upright. After the finish we washed up and packed the car before walking over to the nomination desk to collect prize money/return numbers. I waited in line chatting to a New Zealander rider James Williamson who finished 4th and is preparing for the World Road Championships in Copenhagen next month. The festivities of the race had well and truly continued afterwards with a big tent set up for the locals to drink and talk loudly amongst themselves. The race was very well organised (as always here in Belgium) with several lead and support cars, marshals absolutely everywhere to mark corners and hazards, barriers lining the last 500m of the finish and cycling fans covering most of the course cheering us every lap as we passed.
The drive home was much quicker when we actually knew where we were going. We watched an incredible sunset as we made our way back to Mol and snapped a few pictures. The race was good experience for us (except poor Brad who punctured early) but the race didn't quite unfold how we anticipated which was unfortunate as we all had relatively good legs. Almost every race here in Belgium finishes in a break away and to pick the correct one is often quite difficult. We are now officially at the half way mark (race wise) having completed 5 races (Booischot, Aarschot Criterium, Hove, Tremelo and Rummen) and 5 remaining (Tisselt, Westerlo, Booischot, Sint-Gillis-Waas and Montenaken). Tomorrow we have a cruisey 2 hour ride planned before venturing into Antwerp to explore and enjoy the extremely good weather we're having!
All 4 of us jumped out of the car with Matt, Brad and I going to collect our numbers while Glenn set up our bikes and laid out our clothing so we could get kitted up as soon as we returned. Everything ran smoothly and we actually had more time up our sleeves than we thought. We were on the start line and after a minute silence to mourn the passing of a local cycling veteran the flag dropped and we were off. Normally classics consist of one large lap (~80km) before finishing the remaining 60km on a smaller circuit through the main streets of the town. However for the Rummen Classic the course was a figure 8 so we actually travelled past the finish line in both directions. The first section of the course was about 10km while the second half was approximately 5km. I think this type of course makes good viewing for the spectators but it was slightly confusing at first for the riders. The 110+ strong field took off at a moderate pace but their were several traffic hazards early and some very average paved roads so some of the speed was washed off from the peleton. There weren't too many corners on the first part of the course with only a quick downhill left-left, very fast dead straight tail wind section before a sharp left hand corner which opened up onto a double carriageway road and then a flowing right which lead onto the finishing straight. Once we passed the line we did another loop in the other direction which was particularly dangerous with a deep gutter in the centre of the road and a sharp left hand corner which lead into a very narrow 'path' weaving through the cornfields. The road was barely wide enough for one car and the whole bunch bottle necked trying to squeeze through.
There were some very quality bike riders in the field and I think they realised the sections of narrow road were dangerous for the peleton to maneouvre and the weaving nature of the course favoured a break away. Very early on in the race a front bunch slipped off the front catching everyone by surprise. The bunch tried gallantly to reel them in but there were too many pauses in the chase which played into the hands of the break away. It was quite difficult to move up in the peleton and by the time we were able to the break was out of sight. Brad hit the mother of all pot holes and double punctured, ending his afternoon wheeling his bike back to the start. Matt and I tried gallantly to escape with a bunch of rider's constantly attacking the bunch but nothing stuck. In the final few laps of the course the peleton got organised with a few teams sitting on the front and trying to cut into the breaks advantage. By this time there was at least one other chasing group somewhere ahead of the bunch. In the final lap the peleton was very sketchy with riders trying to position themselves for the bunch sprint. The bottle necked roads were extremely frustrating as the few riders who got through first took off and were able to weave through the narrow paths much faster than the bunch.
The run to the finish was an uphill slog straightening out with about 300m to go before the big yellow banner marked the finish line. With 70-80 riders left in the bunch the fight for position was vicious with none of the teams having a well organised lead out. I managed to avoid the carnage at the front and timed my sprint well coming from about 15-20 wheels back down the gutter. With a solid kick I was able to reel in all but one rider who finished just in front as we crossed the line. I claimed 2nd in the bunch sprint but with all the groups off the front it only equated to a top 30 finish. Matt crossed the line in the middle of the bunch and managed to keep upright. After the finish we washed up and packed the car before walking over to the nomination desk to collect prize money/return numbers. I waited in line chatting to a New Zealander rider James Williamson who finished 4th and is preparing for the World Road Championships in Copenhagen next month. The festivities of the race had well and truly continued afterwards with a big tent set up for the locals to drink and talk loudly amongst themselves. The race was very well organised (as always here in Belgium) with several lead and support cars, marshals absolutely everywhere to mark corners and hazards, barriers lining the last 500m of the finish and cycling fans covering most of the course cheering us every lap as we passed.
The drive home was much quicker when we actually knew where we were going. We watched an incredible sunset as we made our way back to Mol and snapped a few pictures. The race was good experience for us (except poor Brad who punctured early) but the race didn't quite unfold how we anticipated which was unfortunate as we all had relatively good legs. Almost every race here in Belgium finishes in a break away and to pick the correct one is often quite difficult. We are now officially at the half way mark (race wise) having completed 5 races (Booischot, Aarschot Criterium, Hove, Tremelo and Rummen) and 5 remaining (Tisselt, Westerlo, Booischot, Sint-Gillis-Waas and Montenaken). Tomorrow we have a cruisey 2 hour ride planned before venturing into Antwerp to explore and enjoy the extremely good weather we're having!
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