The Tour of Flanders is The Big One. For classics riders, it’s the one they all dream of winning, and it holds a place in the cycling consciousness only challenged by Paris-Roubaix.
We’ve already bought you complete coverage of the race, a mega tech gallery from the start, and some racing shots too. Thanks to Ridley I was able to see the race from the roadside and get a feel for what it’s like to watch it live and close-up.
I didn’t get any great shots of the riders but I discovered what it’s like to be in the beer tents with the smell of sausages in the air, what it’s like to be halfway up the Molenberg in a braying crowd, and what it’s like to be nearly run over by the Israel-Premiertech team car.
Kilometer zero
We were first dropped off more or less at the kilometre zero point of the race in one of the many little towns the race passes through.
Despite the fact the race was only just underway, the crowds were large, the racing fast, and people were already on the beers.
A beer tent atop a climb
Next, we were whisked to the top of a climb of no great importance, at least not enough for me to remember its name ever being mentioned.
It was a small climb, with a feed at the top for riders, but also home to a packed, muddy beer tent with a barbeque churning out sausages at an alarming pace.
The Molenberg
The climbs are steep, muddy and narrow. Fans are hemmed in on either side between farm fencing and a red rope.
Locals ride up until the…
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