Before you leave to go racing in Belgium, make sure you are at a high level of fitness. Racing in Belgium is very competitive and unless you do well at the regional level in the US, you will have a very hard time staying in the races in Flanders. It is probably best to try to peak around the time you go, especially the first time.
Don't set your expectations too high. Most foreign riders don't do so well on their first trip. Several who attend the USA cycling camp for nieuwelingen don't even manage to finish one race without a mishap or without getting pulled. And these are pre-selected riders, so don't let early poor results worry you too much.
Racing in Belgium takes some getting used to. For young people it is best to try out European racing at the earliest possible age, which is 15 years (racing) age or 1st year nieuwelingen. For anyone younger than 17 it is probably best not to go alone. Although it can be done it is better not to, in case something happens and you need medical assistance. At that time, it is better to have an adult around.
Make sure your bike handling and pack riding skills are well honed. You can sharpen your skills by mountain biking and mountain biking is a good way to prepare for Belgium in more ways than one. I mentioned this before in this post.
Expect to ride in aggressive large packs, even in local kermiskoersen and expect the race to be very fast, especially in the beginning. When you go to Belgium, try to arrive several days before your first race so your jet lag clears somewhat. Ride around to become familiar with the roads, the width of the roads, and the pavement types. Go out to where your first race will be held and see if you can ride the course. Definitely arrive early on race day and ride the course. Most are relatively short loops so there is time to explore. Pay attention to the many obstacles that you will have to maneuver around in the race.
Try to ride near the front of the pack as much as you can. Don't overdo it though and don't go pulling all the time. Belgian riders will gladly let you pull and do all the work. But remember, it is the finish that matters, and the key reason for riding near the front is to stay out of trouble, not to show off. To stay near the front, you have to try to start in front and that means arriving early and holding on to your spot.
When you stay in Belgium for a whole season, and especially when you are an U23 rider, make sure not to race too much. Even younger riders should watch their calendar, although the restrictions that are in place for younger age groups do help somewhat. Even so, most riders overreach and burn out. Racing in Belgium is not like racing in the US. If you race several times a week, chances are very high that you will overreach and your performance will suffer.
Showing posts with label European bike racing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label European bike racing. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Traveling to Belgium for bike racing
The easiest way to get to Flanders is to fly into Brussels (BRU) aka Zaventem after the village it is located in. From the East Coast there are many direct flights, but from the rest of the country a layover is needed. The shortest, but not necessarily the easiest or least expensive route is to fly through London Heathrow (LHR). Even Frankfurt can be shorter than a US layover.
In the US Chicago is best and the further south you go the longer the trip, especially if San Francisco or Seattle are your final destination. In those cases Dulles, Atlanta or Dallas are far less desirable stops.
Another easy way to go is to fly Amsterdam, aka Schiphol (AMS), just a short train ride away. Frankfurt or Paris also work but they are more inconvenient entry points. Just remember to add the extra cost for rail before you decide to take advantage of a cheap flight to one of these. The advantage of AMS, Paris and Frankfurt is direct flights from SFO and other West coast cities. I would not recommend flights to Britain. It is just not worth the extra trouble, even though Britain has the best airline deals.
These days you nearly always pay extra for bringing a bike. A one way fee of $150 to $175 is the rule. Even airlines that advertise free bikes, such as Continental -that won't last much longer now that United bought them- do not guarantee free passage. Continental for example code-shares with United and the United airport personnel in Brussels charge EUR150 to load a bike, regardless of what airline you made reservations with.
Always add $350 to your fare when comparing offerings. You may away with paying less but you will almost never manage to get the bike to fly for free both ways. On my last trip I paid $100 on the outbound and EUR150 on the return. A friend who flew Continental, paid $0 outbound and EUR150 on the return. Given that the United flight was $200 cheaper I got the best deal.
When it comes to shipping bikes there are as many prescriptions as there are people doing the prescribing. I prefer hard shell cases, but many frequent travelers like soft padded bags. I like to stuff the bike bag to the maximum allowed weight since they charge a flat fee for it anyways. That leaves me more room in my regular luggage. Others do the opposite and try to make their bike cases as light as possible, even packing bike parts in their regular luggage.
I have traveled successfully many times using either a Trico Ironcase or a Performance Team Bike Case. The Trico case is sturdier but heavier and less convenient to load in a (small) rental car. The Team case is lighter and fits more cars, but on one occasion mine lost a wheel due to rough handling. It happened on the way home from COS and I had a spare wheel but it would have been inconvenient if it had happened on the way out. However, since the case is made by SRM in Germany I probably would have found it easy and cheap to repair in Belgium.
I put my shoes, helmet, and bike clothing in the case. It all helps with padding and a full case prevents items from moving around. Be careful how you pack though and rest assured that TSA will open the case and repack it with far less attention to detail!! So make sure all small items are in bags and that the wheels are well protected with end caps.
The only tools I bring are a (portable) set of allen wrenches and a small pedal wrench. Make sure to leave out your CO2 lest you want tons of trouble at the airport. Bring a small pump instead. It is totally unnecessary to bring extra items as all can be bought locally and often for far less money. I always buy Michelin race tires when I go to Europe, and the Ronde van Vlaanderen Centrum in Oudenaarde has the cheapest high quality bike clothing on earth when they do sales.
Leave your expensive carbon wheels at home and opt for a sturdy wheelset that can take a beating. Make sure to tighten all nuts and bolts before you hit the first section of cobbles. And if you absolutely need a fancy bike computer to record your deeds or measure your awesome power output, use an extra rubber band to secure it, lest it ends up crushed in the gutter.
Racing in Belgium is especially instructive for younger riders as it will show them that you do not need a $5,000 bike or a lab bench full of measuring devices to win races or be competitive. Although promising local riders tend to have more fancy equipment, most get by with a much cheaper bike and lot less gadgets than their American counterparts. When it comes to tracking your speed and vital signs, just remember that as long as there is someone in front of you, you are not riding fast enough. That is really all the speed data that matters.
Before you go take a closer look at the calendar so you know where your first race will be.
 |
| Brussels National, Zaventem, or BRU for short is the only major airport |
In the US Chicago is best and the further south you go the longer the trip, especially if San Francisco or Seattle are your final destination. In those cases Dulles, Atlanta or Dallas are far less desirable stops.
Another easy way to go is to fly Amsterdam, aka Schiphol (AMS), just a short train ride away. Frankfurt or Paris also work but they are more inconvenient entry points. Just remember to add the extra cost for rail before you decide to take advantage of a cheap flight to one of these. The advantage of AMS, Paris and Frankfurt is direct flights from SFO and other West coast cities. I would not recommend flights to Britain. It is just not worth the extra trouble, even though Britain has the best airline deals.
 |
| Amsterdam airport, Schiphol or AMS |
These days you nearly always pay extra for bringing a bike. A one way fee of $150 to $175 is the rule. Even airlines that advertise free bikes, such as Continental -that won't last much longer now that United bought them- do not guarantee free passage. Continental for example code-shares with United and the United airport personnel in Brussels charge EUR150 to load a bike, regardless of what airline you made reservations with.
Always add $350 to your fare when comparing offerings. You may away with paying less but you will almost never manage to get the bike to fly for free both ways. On my last trip I paid $100 on the outbound and EUR150 on the return. A friend who flew Continental, paid $0 outbound and EUR150 on the return. Given that the United flight was $200 cheaper I got the best deal.
When it comes to shipping bikes there are as many prescriptions as there are people doing the prescribing. I prefer hard shell cases, but many frequent travelers like soft padded bags. I like to stuff the bike bag to the maximum allowed weight since they charge a flat fee for it anyways. That leaves me more room in my regular luggage. Others do the opposite and try to make their bike cases as light as possible, even packing bike parts in their regular luggage.
I have traveled successfully many times using either a Trico Ironcase or a Performance Team Bike Case. The Trico case is sturdier but heavier and less convenient to load in a (small) rental car. The Team case is lighter and fits more cars, but on one occasion mine lost a wheel due to rough handling. It happened on the way home from COS and I had a spare wheel but it would have been inconvenient if it had happened on the way out. However, since the case is made by SRM in Germany I probably would have found it easy and cheap to repair in Belgium.
 |
| These cases fit easily in European cars |
I put my shoes, helmet, and bike clothing in the case. It all helps with padding and a full case prevents items from moving around. Be careful how you pack though and rest assured that TSA will open the case and repack it with far less attention to detail!! So make sure all small items are in bags and that the wheels are well protected with end caps.
The only tools I bring are a (portable) set of allen wrenches and a small pedal wrench. Make sure to leave out your CO2 lest you want tons of trouble at the airport. Bring a small pump instead. It is totally unnecessary to bring extra items as all can be bought locally and often for far less money. I always buy Michelin race tires when I go to Europe, and the Ronde van Vlaanderen Centrum in Oudenaarde has the cheapest high quality bike clothing on earth when they do sales.
 |
| You will need one of these |
Leave your expensive carbon wheels at home and opt for a sturdy wheelset that can take a beating. Make sure to tighten all nuts and bolts before you hit the first section of cobbles. And if you absolutely need a fancy bike computer to record your deeds or measure your awesome power output, use an extra rubber band to secure it, lest it ends up crushed in the gutter.
Racing in Belgium is especially instructive for younger riders as it will show them that you do not need a $5,000 bike or a lab bench full of measuring devices to win races or be competitive. Although promising local riders tend to have more fancy equipment, most get by with a much cheaper bike and lot less gadgets than their American counterparts. When it comes to tracking your speed and vital signs, just remember that as long as there is someone in front of you, you are not riding fast enough. That is really all the speed data that matters.
Before you go take a closer look at the calendar so you know where your first race will be.
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