Prolog - Tuesday 29th March
After all the talking and preparation, today was D-day for the Wheelers bound for the cobbles and climbs of Flanders, as all roads led to “Kenny’s Koal Kabin” where the trusty Renault van awaited in all her sparkling glory and looking rather smart she was too, with the “Lakeside Wheelers” magnets adorning her flanks. Robbie had her washed and cleaned out in readiness for the all important cargo.....16 spotlessly clean carbon fibre and triple butted aluminium steeds all equally treasured by their respective and nervous owners.
1pm to 6pm was the time allotted for loading the bikes and by tea time all but
four were snugly packed between the protective sheets of cardboard, cut with surgeon-like precision by Robbie, Joe and Shay. There were lads arriving with everything from rucksacks to full blown suitcases that would make you wonder were some of them emigrating?? I texted Robbie late on Tuesday night to see if all the remaining bikes were on board and to make sure we had no last minute defaulters and his reply said it all, “....Loaded up and Mad for Road...and Cobbles”. Belgium here we come!!! Wednesday 30th March Robbie, Darragh, Mossie and Mickey (latter 3 in camper van) depart Mullingar at lunch time for Rosslare to catch evening ferry to Cherbourg. Little did they realise, that there was a major storm brewing which would delay their arrival in Geraardsbergen, Belgium by two hours the following day, Thursday, 31st March. However, they all made it to Hotel Grupello safe and sound at midnight and slept soundly. Friday 1st April An unusually early rise for half of the remaining group to travel (the other half took the evening flight) as we convened at Dublin airport at 5.30am, bleary eyed and sleepy but eagerly awaiting the departure of flight EI630 to Brussles. Lads were even tucking into Irish breakfasts at this ungodly hour in an effort to boost the Carbohydrate stores for the 140KM event that was the holy grail of this trip. “Hard” men as we are, nothing would do us but to cycle via two of the biggest climbs on the route for Flanders and so we headed straight over the Muur with its gradient tipping 19.8% and then on to the Bosberg where it is “only” 11%. As the teenagers (which none of us could claim to be) would say, Oh My God, what a wakeup call? The gradient was one thing but the cobbles were unreal and with 140KM of this facing us the next day, lads were second guessing their judgement. On reaching Ninove the queue to register wasn’t too bad so within the hour we were on the road back to base, but this time we took the easier route along canal pathway which was very pleasant. However, the sensible attitude did not prevail too long as on returning, we decided to once again attack the Muur. It didn’t get any easier, and after a quick photo shoot we decided we deserved a treat......Leffe (gorgeous Belgian beer) and chips!!! ![]() Saturday 2nd April Rendevous was arranged for 8am and was almost strictly adhered to as we all gathered at the van to unload the precious cargo. With last minute adjustments made to the bikes, we were soon 18 strong on the canal path to Ninove for the start line. What an amazing sight it was to see 18 Wheelers all kitted out in full club gear (even John Kiernan, a friend of Damien O’Brien, and our guest from Wicklow for the weekend, wore our colours) cycling two by two on this bright sunny morning. On arrival we stopped for a group photo, then it was time to rumble. ![]() After Koppenberg there is a series of several cobbled sections that requires all of your energy just to stay in the saddle. The next big climb is the “Muur-Kapelmuur” in Geraardsbergen where we were based. The “Muur” is approached via the very steep main street of this lovely town which would test any rider on a Sunday spin but as we learned on our recce the previous day, this is NOT the climb!!! Onwards and upwards the peloton goes to the cobbled section where the climb starts and although not very long the “Muur” winds up like a stairway to heaven made all the more ironic by the church on top. ![]() With 140 very tough KM’S in the legs all Wheelers gathered back at the tented village where cold beer and “Bratwurst”, this time totally deserved and purely for protein replacement purposes, were the order of the day as we swapped stories of our respective journeys and took a well earned rest. However, before we got carried away, and after Mickey Hynes repaired his mysteriously exploding tyre, we realised we still had another 15KM to cycle back to our hotel.
![]() Unusually, after such a hard cycle there was a great atmosphere in the bunch as we spun back along the canal, so we put it down to a combination of adrenaline and alcohol. Needless to say, dinner on Saturday night was devoured and with the “relaxed” attitude that the Belgians take to service, there was lots of time for more banter, slagging and no doubt lies!!!
Sunday 3rd April
Having slept well and not feeling too bad considering the hammering the body took the previous day, I was awoken at the crack of dawn by my two roommates (Robbie and Charlie) surfing the net on Charlie’s I-Phone trying to pick suitable riders from the starting line-up to make a sweep draw for the pro race that was taking place later today. Honestly, it was like Christmas Eve all over again! Anyway, what a race it turned out to be, the atmosphere in Geraardsbergen was electric and could only be comparable to Landsdowne Road or Croke Park in Irish terms. The sun shone all day and there must have been 40 thousand people in town, all awaiting the arrival of the pro tour on the slopes of the Muur. After a few hours watching the big screen the accompanying carnival came into sight and then the helicopters appeared overhead. The crowd started to scream as the leading two in the breakaway, Fabien Cancellara and Sylvian Chavanel raced by on the cobbled hill with the peloton bearing down on them. For the travelling Wheelers it was time to further replenish our protein and carbohydrate stores so we headed for more “Leffe and Bratwurst” and then some more, until we were all talked out and ready for the bed. Monday 4th April It was now time to prepare for the return journey, so after brekkie we gathered at the van and commenced the job of reloading the bikes. Between Marmotte and this trip we now have this task down to a fine art so it didn’t take too long. Time for one more coffee and pastry and you would think this trip couldn’t get better?? As we sat on the pavement eating gooey stuff and drinking latte, the bould Charlie spots a cyclist.... not unusual in the home of cycling you may say, but this was no ordinary cyclist. Upon interrogation from the Donegal man (who should have known better) this was none other than Radioshack’s Robbie McEwan out for a post Flanders leg loosener and who very kindly agreed to stand with the crew at the “Lakeside Wheelers” adorned van for photos. What a finish to a great weekend, and then just as McEwan rode off into the street, our taxi arrived to bring us back to Brussels airport... and reality. What a weekend!!!!!! Epilog
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate and compliment each member of the travelling party on the exemplary way in which they represented themselves, their club and their country, at the Tour of Flanders, 2011. The full Lakeside Wheelers team at the 2011 “Tour of Flanders” was: Robbie Kenny, Charlie Sheridan, Shay O’Toole, Mark Monoghan, John Nugent, Dermot Hogan, Brian Collentine, Kevin Marshall, Mick Reynolds, Joe Duffy, Noel Kennedy, JP Kilmurray, Damien O’Brien, Karl Pentony, Darrgah Caffery, Mossie Keane Mickey Hynes and John Kiernan (Wicklow). |