doff of thecap

Sources re-port a rareoutbreak ofsunshine inFlanders, butbrisk windsoff the NorthSea and lowsof -2C as wego to presswill makeThree Days of De Panne a race for the brave. Chapeau toevery man onthe start line.

gent–wevelgem review

Sagan takes Wevelgem

Dubiously dubbed a ‘semi-Classic’, Gent-Wevel-gem was traditionally held on the Wednesday be-tween Flanders and Roubaix. In a bid to maximise(i.e. ‘footballize’) cycling’s appeal, in 2010 theUCI moved it to a Sunday slot, before Flanders.The unseasonably cold weather led to rumours the75th edition of Gent-Wevelgem might be movedto Monday. Instead, it was shortened by 50 kilo-metres, starting not in Ghent, nor in Deinze, but inGistel. Amid the changes one thing remained cer-tain: the big boys ride here. And none came biggerthan three-time winner Tom Boonen, who onSunday ultimately proved the old adage about ‘thebigger they are’ when he came a cropper on akerbstone. Boonen still climbed the Kemmelbergto massive cheers but his Omega Pharma team hadCav right up there in the mix.Of the other contenders, Heinrich Haussler and2010 winner Bernie Eisel both flattered to deceiveas the business end of the race approached. Bear-ing not one but two lucky sevens on his back, Peter‘The Terminator’ Sagan timed his move withCancellarian precision, launching his decisive at-tack 4km from Wevelgem (and gambling, of course,that the race would actually finish there).Sagan is a rider for these crowd-pleasing times,popping a one-handed wheelie on the line, albeitonly at the second attempt. Perhaps it was inrecognition he’d only won a semi-Classic. On theother hand (the one not used for the wheelie),perhaps he was giving us another message: “I’ll be back.”

belgian style special

Hardmen soft pedal Ahead of last Sunday’s Gent-Wevelgem, Omega Pharma-Quick Step’s (Belgian) DS, Patrick Lefévère, was over-heard telling his riders: “The only way to keep warmtoday is to pedal hard.” While there was more than akernel of truth in what he had to say, Lefévère was show-ing his age: here’s a guide to Belgian cycling style pastand present.

roger’s sideburnsModern Belgians are Little Lord Fauntleroys incomparison to vintage hardmen like Roger DeVlaeminck and Big Teddy Merckx. No hi-tech in-sulation, hats or eyewear for them. Instead, theysimply grew massive sideburns and rubbed goosefat on their legs. De Vlaeminck's backwards cap,Brooklyn jersey and permanent face-huggersmade him one of the most iconic riders of any era.flecha’s kneesIf Rik van Steenbergen had witnessed fellow Bel-gian Greg van Avermaet sprinting for his thirdplace in Wevelgem in full tights and gloves, he’dhave been spitting waffles. Once, knees could onlybe covered (bandaged) if they were bleeding. OnSunday, Spain’s Juan Antonio Flecha, honoraryBelgian and all-round tough guy, kept things realwith knee warmers. The rest? Soft tappers.freddy’s sausagesUnfortunately for Flemish fashionistas, compul-sory aero lids have heralded the demise of the‘sausage helmet’. Pioneered by the likes of FreddyMaertens, they were once the crowns worn by thekings of the cobbles as the peloton hammeredacross northern Europe. With their crude con-struction, they exuded a simple, rudimentarycharm. Today’s modern plastic lids reflect onlythe automaton-chic of the modern era.phil’s muffsPhilippe Gilbert's ear muffs might well be the lastword on modern Belgian style. His furry whitepom-poms take some beating. However, the BMCrider is from the French-speaking south of Belgium,so greets the stylings of his northerly compatriotswith a certain Gallic indifference. To carry off per-formance earwear like this? Bon courage.

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31SATURDAY—Volta a Catalunya S6—Critérium International

SUNDAY—Volta a Catalunya S7—Gent-Wevelgem—Critérium International

MONDAY TUESDAY—Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde

WEDNESDAY—Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde

THURSDAY—Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde

FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY—Ronde Van Vlaanderen

a weekly double-shot of road racing

is that wheelie # prost y le?

Wednesday 27th March 2013

rapha.ccissue 02

quote:

The racingat this timeof year isalwaysdangerous.John Herety,DirecteurSportif,Rapha-Con-dor-JLT, aftera crash-strewn Tourof Normandy,during whichseveral of hisriders wentdown.

Peter Sagan CANNONDALE

1Borut Bozic

ASTANA

2Greg van Avermaet

BMC

3

Like the race badges featured in the Doppio?See the whole set in our Team Sky SeasonGuide 2013, available at: rapha.cc

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weekend weather

LondonSun due to ap-pear this week-end. Highs of 7C.Winter Jersey, Winter Collar,Merino Hat.

a weekly double-shot of road racing Wednesday 27th March 2013

tour of flanders preview

Flanders’Finestrace type: Monumentdistance: 256km region: Flanders, Belgium

Hot on the heels of Milan-Sanremo,the Ronde van Vlaanderen is thesecond of the Monuments on thecalendar, each year carving out newheroes on the celebrated climbs ofFlanders: Bosberg; Lerberg; Muur Kappelmuur; Paterberg; andKruisberg. To paraphrase W.B. Yeats, it is sometimes difficult to dis-tinguish the rider from the ride, as it is over the various ‘muurs’ and‘bergs’ that a Ronde champion is made. Often cobbled, always steep,these are climbs that, when slick, push the front of the race fasterand make the back a disaster area. This year’s race starts in Bruges and ends in Oudenaarde. After sev-eral passes over the Oude Kwaremont – considered the first real testof the race, it has featured in every edition since 1974 – it’s on to thedreaded Koppenberg. By some margin the most recognisable andfeared part of the race, it’s a climb known affectionately as the ‘VDBof the bergs’, in honour of Frank Vandenbroucke, second at theRonde in 1999 and 2003. The late Belgian racer was known as muchfor his panache as his failures and the Koppenberg invariably pro-vides a backdrop of similar extremes, with the ability to create starsor send pretenders crashing back to earth. As for contenders, look for Fabian Cancellara, who rode away fromthe bunch in 2010 only to be accused of ‘mechanical doping’. NickNuyens has been relatively quiet since his win here in 2011. Will hehave the legs, or ride for team-mate Johan Vansummeren? Three-time champion Tom Boonen should not be counted out, and neithershould Peter Sagan after his victory at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday.

is that wheelie # prost y le?

critérium international

Froome on Corse

Until 1978, the Critérium International was actu-ally the Critérium National de la Route, a de factoFrench national championship won by the likes ofAndré Darrigade, Jacques Anquetil, RaymondPoulidor and Bernard Hinault. However, last week-end the podium chat was all English as a Kenyan-born Brit, an Australian and an American took thetop three positions.The Critérium, also known as ‘Le Tryptique de laRoute’ because of its three different stage types,has always been difficult to characterise – perhapsbecause it is the only top-level road race still tosplit stages in one day. On Saturday, Theo Bos(Blanco) won a flat, 89km road stage in the morn-ing, while Richie Porte powered to the yellow jer-sey in the afternoon’s 7km time trial. But Corsicais all about climbing. On Sunday, Chris Froomelaunched a solo attack on the final climb, the14.1km Col de l’Ospedale, to leapfrog Porte in theGC. Porte then attacked the remaining peloton totake second place on the stage and overall, as wellas the points jersey. Perhaps it’s also difficult to pin the Critériumdown as the race has so often changed location,first taking place in 1932 in the Chevreuse valleysouth of Paris and finishing in the Parc desPrinces velodrome. One edition even started inAlgeria, when the country was a French colony.Following its move to Corsica (widely seen as atest run for this year’s Tour de France start on theisland), it seems to have found a home: since 2010,the island has consistently delivered weekends ofexciting, intense racing. For a look at the beautiful cols of Corsica in betterweather, check out Rapha’s Spring/Summer 2013lookbook: ss13.rapha.cc

Chris Froome TEAM SKY

1Richie Porte

TEAM SKY

2Tejay van Garderen

BMC

3

San FranciscoTemperaturestouching 50F, clearon Saturday, rainSunday. LongSleeve Pro TeamJersey, Rain Jacket.

OsakaChilly but sunnyon Saturday, witha maximum tem-perature of 8C.Pro Team Jacket,Winter Tights.

Oudenaarde5C on Sunday. A little rain andlight winds, clas-sic RVV weather.Wind Jacket,Winter Hat.