VeloResults

The Storm is Over (I Hope) (0)

So the run of bad luck continued through July and into August, including a collision with a car and less than a week later getting taken down by a bidon during the third stage of the Ronde van de Provincie Antwerpen.

The body has taken a bit of a pounding and I have less skin now than the start of the month, but no broken bones or injuries that will keep me off the bike, which is always a bonus in my mind. Midway through July I decided it was time to take a bit of a break anyway. A lot of racing up until that point and the body was calling for a rest.

Ruaraidh McLeod – First Win in Belgium (1)

It’s been a month or two since we last spoke, and it’s nearly time for Ruaraidh McLeod to head home to land of the long white cloud – but we thought we’d best say ‘congratulations’ on his first win (and see if he’s crossed paths with those Scotsmen that are also over there in Belgium).

All the bad luck at once! (0)

So it’s been a few weeks since my last blog post.

This is because I was waiting until something went my way again… I’m still waiting! The last few weeks of racing has been filled with bad luck, with mechanical problems at the wrong times and a few crashes to go with, not to mention a national championships that was reduced to a training ride.

I suppose I can count myself lucky until now with very few problems this season, however they all seem to have come at once.

Dougie Young – Off to Belgium with Realistic Targets (4)

Here at VeloResults we’re always banging on about riders getting themselves across the North sea to Flanders, so when one actually does, it’s only right that we should pay a bit of attention.

It was Glasgow Wheelers’ Rab Wardell who tipped us off that his 20 year-old club mate Dougie Young is off to Oudenaarde on Tuesday for nine weeks – best have a word.

A Close Call (0)

Came close to another win at the weekend, this time in Grandglise.

I was second to an ex-pro called Jurgen Guns, who used to ride for Vlaanderen 2002 – Eddy Merckx around 1999/2000.

We were away in the break when Jurgen and another rider attacked, with still around 35km to go. I went across to them, and straightaway we dropped the other rider – so it was just me and Jurgen for the remainder of the race.

Up and Running, First Win! (0)

Well It’s been on the cards all season and last weekend in the town of Ghoy I took my first win in Belgium. Like always the attacks came from km 1 and I managed to get away midway through the first lap – and this was to be the move that stuck.

At first we were four, then three, and then six, but knowing we were being chased down I tested the water by attacking coming out of one of the corners onto a drag with 30km to go. This was still a long way from the finish but I felt it was the right time to go, and so it proved…

Dan takes his first win in the Heartland! (1)

Racing for Asfra flanders, VeloResults contributer Dan Patten bagged his first win of the year in Belgium, at a kermis in Ghoy.

It has been on the cards for a while but Dan finally got the first one under his belt.

Away from the beginning of the race in the break, Dan rode away from what was left of the group with around 30km remaining as they were being chased down by another group – so even though it was still a long way from the finish he felt it was the right moment to go…

Back in the Game! (0)

So, I’m recovering well – so well in fact that I came my closest to date to winning here in Belgium last Sunday, finally ending up in 3rd place, but so close to taking the win.

The race was in Sint Kornelis Horebeke, which is a town close to my base here in Oudenaarde, and is the home town of one of the team’s main sponsors, so it was an important one to do well in.

It was a good field but I was ‘on it’ from the start (really thought it was going to be my day!).

Getting Back on Track (0)

As the season rolls on the races are coming thick and fast. May was always going to be an important month with the Belgium Cup (Beker Van Belgie/Coupe de Belgique) series taking center stage.

As reported in the last blog post I had been to see the doctor after feeling very low for a couple of weeks. Of course it was not going to turn around overnight but I was hoping that it wouldn’t take long before I was feeling back to normal.

I continued to keep things easy in training and low and behold on the day of my first cup race of the season in Kampenhout the body didnt feel half bad…

Ruaraidh McLeod – Lots of Time in the Gutter! (0)

For 2009, our ‘Kiwi discovery’ was Jack Bauer – who will it be this year?

Clinton Avery? Or this man, who has a great Scottish name, but is also from the land of the long white cloud…

Back to Essex (0)

For the first time in two months I’m back in the UK.

I’m back for this Sundays East Midlands Cicle Classic/Rutland Melton and with the form I’ve built over the last couple of months in Belgium I am going into the race with great optimism.

Having spent three years at Loughborough University (just down the road) and thrown myself into the break in what was my first attempt at doing the race in 2008, it’s a race I am looking to go well for this time around.

Tyler Storms the Scheldeprijs (0)

“I didn’t have good legs,” said Tyler Farrar after his surprise victory in the Scheldeprijs today,”but my team did such a great job that I felt I had to give something back in the sprint.”

On Being a Pro (2)

I clicked on Hamish Haynes’ name on a palmares website, just to see who it is that he’s beating to win these races in Flanders; ‘Melle 2005′ that was Steven de Jongh – twice a Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne winner.

Or how about when he won the British Elite road champs in 2006 – Roger Hammond was the victim.

Despite the fact that year in, year out, he competes with and regularly beats the best cyclists that Flanders has to offer – including quality East Europeans – he’s one of British Cycling’s forgotten men.

Sean Newington – Ready to Move Up a Level (0)

‘Whatever happened to Sean Newington?’ says me to Vik.

The next day, Vik’s back on the phone: ‘he’s in Belgium – I saw his name in the results.’

Time for that detective work!

Podium Number 1 of the season and a chance meeting with Kurt Asle Arvesen! (0)

On the 28th March my Asfra Racing Team (and support club) headed to Montreuil sur Mer in France.

The race had the mixed characteristics of a race in France, a Belgium kermesse and almost like a criterium in the UK. 23 laps of a 3.8km circuit was the order for the day…

Coming Close in Merelbeke (0)

Best part of 200 riders, good crowds, the music playing, the beer flowing and the kermesse burgers cooking… all the elements of a typical kermesse here in Belgium.

I made the point of being on the front from the start here, knowing like usual it would explode from the off and not wanting to be caught too far back when it did.

Not long into the frist lap and I found myself in the first move off the front but this was to be pulled back only a few kms later. After a few laps in the bunch I thought it was time to try again…

Just a typical Wednesday afternoon in Belgium (0)

172 starters on a Wednesday afternoon… only in Belgium.

This was a hard race from the off, again typical of Belgium. With only one amateur race taking place on this day it meant this race was full-on.

A couple of crashes in the peloton on the same corner on consecutive laps didn’t help matters…

Gathering Momentum (0)

The result in Lierde was backed up with an 8th in Geluwe (13/03/10).

A chase of the lead group over the last 30km led to an exciting finish. Unfortunately the chase group I was in just run out of road to make the junction with the leaders… another km maybe would of done it!

Even though some of the riders were pulled back six remained just in front and would fight it out for the win.

Mixing it with some Kermesse Kings (0)

Perhaps a combination of Majorca, having a hectic time before getting out to Belgium, and a bit of illness and settling down in Belgium, but for the first few weeks certainly I have been feeling rather lethargic.

However it’s just been a case of taking a day at a time and allowing the body to feel fresh again. I think the key however was trying to re-establish some sort of normal routine again and get some structure… can make a huge difference!

James Spragg – Right in the Mix (2)

Viktor calls; ‘there’s an English boy – James Spragg – riding the Three days of West Flanders – he rode the Samyn too – you should find out about him.’

For sure, Vik!

Het Nieuwsblad 2010 goes to Flecha (1)

It was a difficult phone call to make, he picked up on the tone of my voice at once; ‘no, don’t tell me, please!’

But it was best he heard it from me; ‘Flecha, he won it well, Viktor, sorry!’

‘That’s it, I’m finished with Pro Cycling, for good!’

Team SKY’s first classic win didn’t go down well with Vik – for that matter, it didn’t go down well with our fellow tele watchers in that bar near Brakel, either.