Omloop, K-B-K this weekend

[liam7020]

As I’m sure a good number of you already know the Belgium road season starts this weekend with the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (still can’t get use to not calling it Het Volk) and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, thus marking the beginning of the Cobbled Classics season. I’m an old fella now but every year the prospect of six weeks of foul weather sh*t fights across Flanders and northern France still gets me well excited, nay almost orgasmic! In bike racing terms it doesn’t get any better than this – let battle commence!!

[liam7020]

Resurrecting this old thread again. Tomorrow's the day THE REAL SEASON BEGINS!!!!

[mrgray]

yes indeed this time of year is a ripper. i am very new to cycling and so this is probably the first year where i am managing to watch the races and really take it all in. i have also been incorporating viewing of previous years races into training so that i get some context for the upcoming classic. so all this week it has been strade bianche. the only issue it is over so soon!

[liam7020]

Once more into the breach, dear friends! Just caught the weather forecast on een - it's to be -6 overnight and only 4 degrees tomorrow with biting winds in Flanders. I've got goose bumps just thinking about and it's got f*ck all to do with the weather! Step up all the hard lads.

[TonyM]

I also love this time of the year in terms of Pro races!

Can’t wait to watch it!

[liam7020]

Looking forward to the new finale in the Omloop. Just like the old De Ronde parcours and so much better than the present iteration.

[Ritsuke]

And, where you satisfied with the new finale?

[liam7020]

Oh yes, hard fast racing on an excellent parcours. Felt sorry for Vanmarcke – he made the selection on the Muur but only came away with 3rd. Guess that’s racing. To my shame my Flemish is extremely limited but towards the end of the Omloop on Saturday I thought I heard Michel Wuyts and Renaat Schotte talking about a "vintage De Ronde finale". And that's just what it reminded me of. Memories of De Leeuw attacking on Tenbossestraat and soloing to victory in the ’98 De Ronde! Superb stuff!!

We should get up a petition to get the old Flanders finish reinstated. Of course that would never work because there’s just too much money to made from those big hospitality tents sitting on the Oude Kwaremont on the 14th Sunday of the year!

[liam7020]

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad today and K-B-K tomorrow! My aging ticker has already moved into palpitation mode and there's rain forecast for Flanders....

[Jugi]

Not many seemed to enjoy themselves at K-B-K today, but B.Jungels certainly was. He looked very cool & composed through km's 80->20, and then launched a classic long solo effort for the win.

Chapeau!

[liam7020]

So settle down children and pay attention. Unfortunately the Pro Tour didn't get a chance to play with the kangaroos this year but there's been some interesting skirmishes in the south of France and the Grand Tour contenders are still flaffing around with the dromedaries in the desert.

All very well and good but tomorrow in Vlaanderen the big lads come out play on the kassien and the real season begins with Omloop on Saturday and K-B-K on Sunday! For a while there it looked like there wasn't going to be any coverage scheduled for Omloop (or the Gent-Gent race as King Kelly refers to it) on Eurosport/GCN... distraught didn't cover it....the doc refused to give me any more tranquilizers!!! Anyhow all is well with the world as Flanders Classics and ES appear to have struck an 11th hour deal and both mens/womens Omloop will be broadcast live and dangerous!

So bring it on, we're good to go!! Enjoy people!