KBC-Driedaagse/3 Days of De Panne – Preview

by Whit

Six days left to Flanders—that means one thing: time for a trip to the Belgian coastal town of De Panne for a lovely three days of sun and fun by the North Sea.Obviously you’ve never been to De Panne in April.The 3 Days of De Panne is the final chance for riders seeking to fine-tune their form for Sunday’s Ronde. With 4 stages over 3 days the race does not disappoint—unless you’re one of the many who will crash on these windswept coastal plains. De Panne is race that will literally make or break a rider’s form. For some, it...Continue Reading

The Stones of Belgium – Part 2

by Whit

The following is the second part of a story I wrote for Embrocation Cycling Journal, the brain-child of Jeremy Dunn. The story appeared in Issue Number 2. (You can buy issues 2 and 3 here. Please support them!) The third and final section will appear next week.            The Flemish call the stones kassein, and I often wonder if this word came from the French word cassé, or “broken”. Only farmers use these stoned pathways now, and they were designed with little thought to traffic flow and sight lines—certainly with no regard for skinny, smooth-legged cyclists....Continue Reading

Brabantse Pijl – Live Stream

by Whit

Sorry this is a bit late.Click here. ...Continue Reading

Brabantse Pijl Preview – Will Silence Remain So?

by Whit

Tomorrow’s Brabantse Pijl begins in Leuven (my old stomping ground) and winds it’s way to a suburb east of Brussels. Tackling over 15 hills on the main loop, then 10 more via the 5 finishing ronden, the race usually ends with a small group duking it out to hit the line first on the Alsemberg. Last year Chavanel and Gilbert waged quite a duel, with Chavanel taking it in the end. However, don’t be surprised to see a sprinter with the ability to suffer through the climbs win this one—Freire’s won it three times, in fact.The trouble with predicting winner...Continue Reading

Domo Ariagato, Pippo Pozzato!

by Whit

“Would you describe, in your own words, what happened?”“Bro… was ON! Didn’t trip. But the folks was freakin’, Man. Hey, and the pilots were laid to the bone, Holmes.”I couldn’t have said it better myself.Brabantse Pijl preview coming soon. ...Continue Reading