“I’m by no means happier than after I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Pricey Readers – Our beloved colleague and good friend Ed Hood suffered a critical stroke in February. We don’t count on Ed will make it again into our bunch, so we’ve began a GoFundMe web page to assist Ed along with his future. Learn the total put up right here – and please think about donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a collection of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get outdated.
PEZ Roadside: You recognize when the season correct has began when your inbox is stuffed with images of cobbles and chilly bike riders from Belgium with the identify Ed Hood on the e-mail. First up was the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday, however the Basic weekend began on Friday night time in Gent for Ed and his gang.
Friday night time, ‘De Karper,’ Iljo Keisse’s dad, Ronie’s bar – who’s appeared earlier than within the pages of PEZ in his personal proper – a stone’s throw from ‘t Kuipke Velodrome in Gent, was in full ‘Omloop mode’ with footage of earlier winners adorning the partitions.
We notably just like the certainly one of Eire’s late, nice Shay Elliott from 1959 when he turned the primary English speaker to win the race – we waited a very long time till Ian Stannard turned the second in 2014. We had a chat with Ronie who advised us that Iljo reckons GVA is the person for tomorrow. However we solely imbibed a few pils at De Karper, our favorite hang-out is simply alongside the street.
“Open up your eyes, you then’ll realise right here, I stand with my eternal love,” the Love Affair’s timeless basic from 1967 is simply one of many high tunes the Vivaldi’s juke field gifted us because the Jupiler flowed. However we had a race to observe within the morning so we referred to as, ‘time’ at a modest 02:30 am Saturday. Because the race went World Tour the Het Nieuwsblad begin simply isn’t the identical; the buses used to line up on the street, you might have a look at the bikes proper till begin time and brush shoulders with the riders as they pedalled to the sign-on. Not now, while a number of the buses park up exterior, the bulk park within the enormous 30’s exhibition corridor adjoining to ‘t Kuipke Velodrome in Gent. PEZ sage and soothsayer, Viktor refuses to attend; “all too glitzy now for me,” he says.
Within the corridor it’s onerous to get close to the bikes because of the manner the busses are parked shut to one another and the crush of individuals, while the air is heavy with diesel exhaust fumes. The riders get introduced within the velodrome and there are ‘janitors’ in every single place to stop you from getting too near the riders. I opted to place myself exterior on the finish of the fenced ‘runway’ from the presentation to the buses exterior.
Happily for me, eventual winner, massive Jasper Stuyven was one of many riders I acquired a pleasant clear shot off, he was trying sharp. He’s a pleasant man, I interviewed him a yr or two again at le Tour and located him to be a really grounded, simpatico rider. And on the finish of this present day he would be part of the likes of Nick Nuyens, Peter Van Petegem, Johan Museeuw, Jan Raas and Roger de Vlaeminck as certainly one of solely 9 males in historical past to win each races of the ‘Opening Weekend,’ nobody has ever received each in the identical yr and it’s one of some feats within the sport to elude Eddy Merckx who ‘solely’ received Het Volk.
Additionally trying cool was World Elite Highway Race Champion, Mads Pedersen – straight out of a washing powder business.
Group mate, world junior street race champion, Quinn Simmons is properly on along with his ‘Wild Man of Borneo’ look although.
We left the janitors behind and headed off to our first vantage level simply as 3 times winner up to now Peter Van Petegem – aka ‘De Pete’ – strode purposefully into view.
Oombergen, 16K in and it’s windy, very windy with rain blowing by; 5 are clear – two Movistars – Jurgen Roelandts have to be feeling recent – an Astana, a Wallonia Bruxelles and an Alpecin.
There’s a lone Cofidis at 1:30 and the massive, verbal, relaxed peloton at round three minutes.
Subsequent up we’re simply previous the highest of the Leberg, first climb of the day, 42K in and the rain has stopped enjoying at it, horizontal, searing, stinging your face.
The break scurries by with a 5 minute plus lead, Movistar’s US import, Matteo Jorgensen leads them out of the nook on what’s creating into one horrible day.
Trek lead the chase – no chat or laughter within the stretched peloton now – with their younger staff helper braving the rain to cross bottles up.
The village of Mater, which is on the parcours however we’ve acquired our navigation unsuitable; nonetheless, we catch the women race; an enormous peloton is huddled collectively for heat however there are teams behind – and teams properly behind. We give ourselves a shake and get again on monitor.
The highest of the Valkenburg climb, with 66K to go and the 5 escapees are historical past and a brand new band of desperadoes has slipped the clutches of a grime coated peloton which is once more stretched.
There are perhaps eight within the break together with two Deceunincks – Lampaert and that beast of a person, Tim Declerq; a fan factors to Stuyven within the break.
British Champion, Ben Swift (Ineos) doesn’t appear to be he’s having fun with the day, nor does Bahrain’s former Aussie Champion, Heinrich Haussler.
Neither is it a great day for earlier winners Sep Vanmarcke (EF and Belgium) or ‘Stybie’ (Deceuninck – Fast-Step and Czech).
A lot of these guys on the again simply aren’t going to see the entrance once more.
We leap within the automotive, glad of the heat; that wind is icy and has proved an excessive amount of for some.
The tip of the ‘massive dipper’ Haaghoek cobbles the place they dive left and into the Leberg, the ninth climb of the day with 35K to run. Burgers in our paws we march all the way down to our vantage level previous extra of the casualties of struggle.
Declerq drives however Massive Jasper is trying imply and we reckon it’ll be between him and Lampaert as a result of we don’t assume this break is coming again.
And that’s regardless of the presence of pre-race favourites like Jurgen Roelandts (Movistar and Belgium), Stefan Küng (Suisse and Groupama-FDJ) and Massive Sep within the chase group.
Former British Elite Champion, Connor Swift is incomes his salt right this moment however received’t be excessive within the remaining reckoning.
An enterprising chap has arrange a TV in his van, we catch a glimpse of the break dashing in direction of the dual horrors of the Kapelmuur and Bosberg, respectively the twelfth and thirteenth ‘hellingen’ of the day.
Nonetheless, we’ll be at neither, to get a great vantage level one must be there hours upfront then be trapped by the site visitors attempting to ‘escape.’ As a substitute we head for our trusty bar, ‘t Gaaike, the large display TV and presumably the worst espresso in Europe.
As we anticipated, after the Muur it’s a Lampaert v. Stuyven present down with younger Dane, Soren Kragh Andersen (Sunweb) on their coat tails – ‘til they shake him off on the run in.
The dash was a formality for giant Stuyven; and there’s nothing the Monday morning papers like greater than a Belgian winner. A Belgian onerous man one-two with Deceuninck on the rostrum, not a foul day – as soon as we dried out that’s.
# You’ll be able to see ‘Ed Roadside’ at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne’20 HERE: #
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