E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - Mathieu Van Der Poel climbs the Katteberg climb just outside Oudenaarde. Photo MOR
The day dawned damp & cold but the rain held off - PTL. There were three viewings today of the E3 - on top of the Katteberg climb just outside Oudenaarde after 30k, Then a short drive to the Kortekeer climb and some up close & personal pictures of Mathieu & Wout. Conditions were bordering on bleak - the wind was up as was the drizzle. The final viewing was on the Mariaborrestraat cobbles just before Mathieu VDP put the race to the sword. It really was a VDP demolition.
Next week on BiciSport website News is Flanders Follies # 4 and the Across Flanders (Dwars Vlaanderen) race plus the mighty Tour of Flanders (Ronde Van Vlaanderen) race & RVV cyclosportive.
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - Michael Matthews climbs the Katteberg climb just outside Oudenaarde. Photo MOR
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - Bin Girmay climbs the Katteberg climb just outside Oudenaarde. Photo MOR
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - Mathieu Van Der Poel climbs the Kortekeer climb just ahead of Wout van Aert. Photo MOR
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - Wout van Aert on the Kortekeer climb. Photo MOR
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - MOR (left) on the Kortekeer climb in cold condtions. Photo MOR
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - Mathieu Van Der Poel with Wout van Aert on the Mariaborrestraat cobbles. Photo MOR
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - tasting a nice champagne on the Katteberg climb with L to R … Anthony, Wesley, MOR & Gunther. Great company lads, what a laugh
E3 Grand Prix @ Harelbeke Belgium @ 23 Mar - a fine peloton of English lads over for the E3 Grand Prix with MOR keeping them honest. The blue Gazelle retro bike something of a rare gem.
Ghent Wevelgem CycloSportive @ Wevelgem Belgium @ 24 Mar - MOR over the line frozen solid, not interested
Ghent Wevelgem CycloSportive @ Wevelgem Belgium @ 24 Mar - Mike Lawson (left) & MOR at the GW Cyclosportive start area in downtown Wevelgem
The GW Cyclosportive is a well drilled affair with great organisation. Within 3k from the start you’re out in isolated country lanes headed towards famous World War One flash points at Geluwe, Zonnebeke & Passchendaele. The day was getting windy & the wind chill factor was literally right in your face. Mike Lawson was doing it easy but MOR dug more holes than a WW1 trench. MOR retired at 50k but Mike Lawson completed the 80k loop.
FLANDERS FOLLIES - DATES THIS COMING WEEK
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)
BiciSport Team Force @ Kallo (on the coast near Antwerp) Belgium @ 17 Mar - Koen VerHulst (BiciSport Team Force - right of picture) is very much finding his racing legs in the early season competitions. The form is coming Koen … be patient man …
BiciSport Flanders Follies @ Belgium @ 21 Mar - a most pleasurable ride around the rural laneways of Temse (near Antwerp) with L to R … Maarten VerHulst, MOR & Eddy VerHulst
Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 19 Mar - Julian Arias (BiciSport Happy Wheels) second from the left on the start line
Heffron Park Tuesday Criteriums @ 19 Mar - Christian Quintero (BiciSport Happy Wheels) far right