Competitions

Liege-Bastogne-Liege 2011: reconnaissance of the route

Details

Parent Category: Competitions

Category: Race 2011

Published on Tuesday, 26 April 2011 21:43

Written by Luca Salvatelli

Thanks to: Ridley, DCM, Vacansoleil, Fast Forward, Etixx, Vredestein, Rotor, KMC, Tacx, Morgan Blue, Lazer, Selle San Marco, Deda Elementi, Forza, SMS Santini

Go to Photo Gallery

It is not clear in the full effort of a rider and race until you take the same road that will make the athletes.

With us, the leaders of Ridley Bikes, Yannick Crhistiaens and Heylesonne Filip, event coordinator, and journalist Borys Aleksy (Magazyn rowerowy), Michal Kuczynski (Magazyn rowerowy), Nadir Haddou (Top Bike), Eric Vandeweyer (Het laatste Nieuws) George Scott (Road Cycling), following us in cars, head of communications Ridley Bikes, Jan Geudens that will give continued support to the whole group together with the Ridley Bikes technical Roland. We are also lucky, finding a summer climate for Belgium, with sunshine and mild temperatures. For all the same bike, excellent Ridley Excalibur, assembled with components Deda Elementi, SRAM Force/Rival and Flandrien wheels. It starts with a group in the first part very easy, but care must be taken to the road in some places damaged with potholes and treacherous. The comfort bike is excellent and we appreciate that the choice of a pair of wheels are not light, but reliable and comfortable. It comes to the first real climb, the Cote de Wanne, a quick jump, 2.7km at 7.3% slope, and we're lucky, we do after 25 km from the start and after more than 150 km .... A difficult because it breaks up the rhythm and the breath and the subsequent descent, does not allow technical and difficult to recover, should also pay attention to the road and be quick, our group is prudent, but the athletes can afford it. La Cote de Stockeu is only a mile but has a slope to 12.2%, with a first part a little easier and a second much more difficult for an amateur nothing insurmountable, but difficult is it fast, "running leg" and knowing that there are still many miles to the end of the race. The subsequent descent is narrow and damaged asphalt, but very steep, does not allow an error of assessment or a bike not a point. We are OK, but we understand how the mechanics have carefully reviewed all the braking systems. And so we come to the Cote de Haut Levée, another 3.6 km long climb with a gradient of 5.6%, these numbers portend an easy climb and it would be, if not arrived after almost 170km of the race, we have made many of us less, at a tourist pace, but despite that we climb is a tough test. We drove about half the actual number of kilometers of the race and only three out of eleven Cote and yet the effort was significant, it is nothing that can not be done at your own pace and the views in which you ride amply repays the effort made, but Pro is a very different thing. It 's a tough race because the steep slopes cut your breath and your muscles are going to lactose, which gradually harden and it is the end because it's easy to stand still uphill. A race that requires specific preparation and a great workout on these roads. A Cote does not put fear in anyone, but when they are facing 11 different matter entirely and it requires extraordinary preparedness to challenge for wins, but also to reach the goal ....