ronde van vlaanderen RSS

castelli, cycling, Epic Climbs, koppenberg, riding, ronde van vlaanderen, tour of flanders -

The Koppenberg: It’s steep, cobbled and mythical in nature

There are very few climbs in modern bike racing that can bring a pro racer to his knees. With the evolution of intelligent gearing, the steepest climbs have been tamed. However, defying all technological advances, the Koppenberg takes us back to a time when plodding upward on foot was just as common a means of forward movement as pedaling. It’s steep, cobbled and mythical in nature. A magnificent setting for many of the photos used in our catalogs. We’ve always felt a tie to Belgium, cycling’s other heartland. When it comes to cobbled climbs, few can compare to the Koppenberg for difficulty. It’s not massively long, and the stats are nothing to go home crying about, but with gradients of up to 22 percent and an average of just under 12 percent over 600 meters, it’s an incredibly challenging climb, even for the professionals. There’s only one ascent of the Koppenberg in the Tour of Flanders, but it comes 224 kilometers into what many would say is the most difficult one-day race of the year, and with just 46 kilometers to go, so no one can afford to take it easy. There’s no real run-up to the Koppenberg. When you ...

Read more

De Ronde, flanders, Photo, ronde van vlaanderen, Team Sky, Team Sky In Images, tour of flanders -

Inside the race – De Ronde

Let’s look back on an intensive and thrilling race full of action in the heart of cycling. 260k with cobbles, bergs, climbs, tumbling favourites and Philippe Gilbert who realised one of his childhood dreams. Lean back and enjoy a small selection of images by Tim De Waele, Ashley and Jered Gruber.

Read more

cannondale, cannondale-garmin, flanders recon, garmin, Photo, pro team, pro team recon, recon, ronde, ronde recon, ronde van vlaanderen, ronde van vlaanderen recon, tour of flanders -

Ronde Recon – A day with Cannondale-Garmin

The work never ends. Cannondale-Garmin DS Andreas Klier said that there was a lot of work for the staff today. Long-time mechanic, Geoff Brown, looked up from swapping out cassettes and laughed, “When do we not have a lot of work?” Klier laughed. Good point.   11×28 The cassette that all of the riders will be on come Sunday. N8. Between Oudenaarde and the Oude Kwaremont, the team bus pulled over, and the riders tentatively made their way out clad in every kind of protective garb you can imagine. It was cold and wet and windy. A few snowflakes even fell at the beginning at the beginning of the day. First on the menu: oude kwaremont. The plan for the day: ride the final 155 kilometers of Sunday’s Ronde van Vlaanderen. No shortcuts, no skips, no zigs when the course zags – just the route. Simple. It’s a Klier thing – keep it simple. And thorough. Eikenberg. It won’t look like this on Sunday. The Eikenberg is a complete mess on race day. Andreas Klier. Andreas is one of our favorites. Andreas was our first ever model on our first ever shoot on a snowy, icy, freezing cold December morning ...

Read more

Tags