Flanders Follies # 1 - 11 March

3 Peaks Challenge @ Falls Creek @ 10 Mar - Tom Green (BiciSport Happy Wheels) muscled his way around 3 Peaks in 9 hours 59 minutes. A courageous effort in really hot conditions and a welcome return to the hurt box for a great athlete. Proud of you Tom.

**Strade Bianche (Italy) @ 2 Mar - Mike Lawson (BiciSport) at the Strade Entry Wall. Mike finished 12th in the Masters M8 category in Strade Bianche.**

**Strade Bianche (Italy) @ 2 Mar - Mike Lawson’s bike on the famous Tuscany white gravel.**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - The BiciSport starting line up in the Masters 50+ category - L to R …. Eric Dole, Dudley Hoskin, Danny O’Keefe, Steve Holland (what am I doing here ?) & Matt Coy**
West Head racing is a great way to set a personal racing benchmark, learn from the experience, go away and train harder & smarter, then return to see how you’ve improved. Everybody gave it their best, save for Danny who punctured not 2k from the start having driven all the way down early from Newcastle !. Cyclists are a timid bunch but you’ll enjoy the “please avoid feeding the wildlife” traffic advisory.
**Dudley finished an excellent third in the Masters 50+ category**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - Dudley Hoskin takes 3rd in the Masters 50+ category**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - Dudley Hoskin takes third (lost second by a tyre)**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - Dudley Hoskin**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - L to R …. Eric Dole (fluro shoes), Steve Holland (blue knicks), Dudley Hoskin (fluro shoes) and Matt Coy (green jersey) passing the BiciSport team car near the finish**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - a determined Matt Coy (BiciSport Pilu Racing) passing the BiciSport team car**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - Steve Holland**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - L to R … Dudley Hoskin, Steve Holland with Eric Dole (slightly obscured)**

**West Head Road Race @ 10 Mar - Robbie Brown rode well in Womens B grade passing the BiciSport team car**

Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 5 Mar - L to R … Julian Arias, Christian Quintero, MOR, Rolly Delaytz & Raphael Avecedo (all BiciSport Happy Wheels). The Heffron handicapping maybe requires a *Royal Commission* with a heavy A grade bias evident from the very start and so it proved.
**Rolly Delaytz took 2nd in B grade but A grade took the overall podium in a canter.**

**Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 5 Mar - Julian, Christian & Raphael on the Heffron Park start line**

**Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 5 Mar - Rolly Delaytz approaching the Heffron finishing straight**

**Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 5 Mar - Julian Arias leads Christian Quintero**

**Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 5 Mar - Raphael Avecedo**

**Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 5 Mar - the post race post mortem**

BiciSport Team Force @ St Gillis Wass Belgium @ 5 Mar - BiciSport co sponsors the Belgian Team Force for the second year in 2024. The team meets outside the local church in the village of St Gillis Waas on 5 March for the first group ride of the year

**BiciSport Team Force @ St Gillis Wass Belgium @ 5 Mar - Team Force at the post ride coffee at De Kikker (The Rabbit) Cafe in St Gillis Waas near Antwerp.**

Flanders Follies & the Belgium Spring Classics in 2024

Welcome to the first edition of Flanders Follies 2024. The detailed race by race, cyclosportive by cyclosportive, cobbles by cobbles, beer by beer review is now posted in BiciSport Special Events section of this website. This is a useful guide to the Where, the When and the How to get around the Belgian Spring Classics.

Accommodation will be at the Kokerelle B&B ‘service corse’ in the tiny Flemish village of Maarke Kerkem which is situated just 5k from Oudenaarde and adjacent to the Eikenberg cobbled climb used regularly in the Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen) professional cycling classic.

The first week in Belgium is action packed with professional races at Nokere (13 Mar), Denain (14 Mar), Monsere Tribute (15 Mar), Dwars Vlaanderen Cyclosportive (16 Mar) & the Antwerp Junior Race sponsored by BiciSport (17 Mar). This is the second year of BiciSport sponsorship of the Antwerp junior race.

Photos will be posted in Flanders Follies # 2 on this web page on Monday 18 Mar. Hope you enjoy the Flemish journey.

**Flanders Follies Belgium 2024**
**This picture is taken on 12 March 2024 in wet & freezing conditions. The Kokerelle B&B in Maarke Kerkem is just 5k outside Oudenaarde**

**Flanders Follies Belgium 2024 - Kokerelle B&B in Maarke Kerkem has a nice outside courtyard except when it rains. Accommodation is on the left.**

**Flanders Follies Belgium 2024 - Kokerelle B&B in Maarke Kerkem and conditions are cold & damp. The farm behind has the loudest sheep on the planet.**

FLANDERS FOLLIES - DATES THIS WEEK

13 Mar - Nokere Course 14 Mar - Denain Grand Prix (France) 15 Mar - Monsere Anniversary Tribute

16 Mar - Dwars Vlaanderen Cyclosportive 17 Mar - BiciSport Antwerp Junior Race (in Velle)

22 Mar - E3 Grand Prix 23 Mar - Gent Wevelgem Cyclosportive 24 Mar - Gent Wevelgem

27 Mar - Dwars Vlaanderen 30 Mar - Ronde van Vlaanderen Cyclosportive 31 Mar - Ronde van Vlaanderen

April

6 Apr - Paris Roubaix Cyclosportive, Paris Roubaix (Women) 7 Apr - Paris Roubaix (U19, U23, Professionals)

10 Apr - Brabant Arrow (Brussels) 14 Apr - Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands) 17 Apr - Fleche Walloon (Huy)