Post mortem

One thing you learn when you go to Belgium is that everyone, from the grocery store clerk to the bank teller to the local doctor and village priest, has a (rather strong) opinion about bike races and how to win these races. Everyone has a magic formula and everyone is quick to point out what so and so did wrong and why and when they won or lost the race.

Swiss cheese

To be fair, I have to admit that most Belgians, even those who don't care much for the sport of cycling, do know a lot about bicycle riding and racing, especially when it comes to racing in the conditions that are prevalent in the Ronde.

When you grow up in Belgium it is simply impossible not to know about cycling. Unlike soccer, which may well be a more popular sport, cycling is in your face. It takes place on public roads and everyone at one time or another has run into a race or been inconvenienced by one. As a matter of fact, you can't go anywhere in Belgium during the season without bumping into bike races left and right. At times, even freeways are blocked by races.

Furthermore, every Belgian has ridden a bicycle as a kid, and most have continued to do so through adolescence and adulthood. Every Belgian has ridden on cobblestones, in wind and rain, and even the most disinterested Belgian knows how to draft or ride an echelon (een waaier) in crosswinds. It is a skill many US Cat 1 racers struggle with, but your Belgian grandmother can explain it to you and give you a demo if requested. Every Belgian has raced his or her friends and found out the hard way what works and what doesn't.

Cat 1

So it is not surprising that after a Ronde like the one we witnessed on Sunday, sentiment is running high. Everyone agreed the big Swiss cracked, but the real question is why. Many fault him for being impulsive and for being foolhardy. Some pointed out that 40 Km solo just can't be done in the Ronde. They are quick to point out Fabian made the same mistake in 2007. Then he died before the muur. But he was not as well known back then.

Then there is Husovd, the world champion. Lighting a fire but burning out quick as a match. Haussler, a favorite who was nowhere to be seen, and Tyler Farrar who had to settle in a sprint for 13th.

Most of the criticism is going to Quick-Step and Garmin-Cervelo however. The latter because many saw them as the team to beat in 2011. They had retained Peter van Petegem, a colossal force in the classics, and a man who promptly called Garmin the best team around. The result wasn't just bad, it was awful, according to the Belgian press.

And Tommeke, who decided to bridge the gap to Chavanel on the Haaghoek, a move many call reckless and a sign of overconfidence.

And then there is Quick-Step and what many call its profound lack of strategy. Despite being in car 5 and having access to the latest technology, Quick-Step waffled.

Tom could not match Cancellara, but did he wait too long in the end? Chavanel was out there and it took the Swiss rider almost 10Km to make up 24s. The consensus is that Quick-Step should have supported Chavanel, whom most now see as the strongest rider in the race.

Finally there is Nuyens. Although he did not win with bravado, a closer look at his ordeal reveals a man of strength befitting the Ronde. He was in trouble on the Knokteberg, crashed on the Kwaremont descent, had trouble with his clipless pedal and had a loose cleat. He rode with that cleat for two hours not knowing if it would come off or not. He gambled, worked hard and won. Granted it looked opportunistic, but given what he was faced with, it was deserving.

Magic Cranks

In the world of pro cycling, EPO is so yesterday.

Real pros like Fabian Cancellara use special motors, and now, it was revealed, special cranks as well. Although Denis Migani begs to differ. "Fabian doesn't have a motor," he was quoted as saying. And Migani should know, he is the mechanic. So what does Fabian have?

"Fabian rides since 2007 with revolutionary Gold Race-cranks. A special liquid is injected that reduces friction by 95%. The system can result in a gain of 2.5 seconds per kilometer and is UCI approved."

The friction is so low, these cranks can't remain still

The rest of the pro-pack apparently doesn't care and according to Migani "lots of riders are not interested in novelties and therefore they do not know the system." Or maybe they put their trust in the novelties prepared by the pharmaceutical industry?

But I can tell, not so with you, my dearest bike consumers. Gold Race may soon be as hot as the iPad2. It sounds like a must have item for any self respecting triathlete or Cat 1-2-3-4 rider. Especially since it is priced at a sweet 1,100 Euro  (only $1,542!). In short it's a steal, but you may want to wait for the SRM or Quarq CinQo power meter version, which will be just at tad under $5,000 if I calculated it right.

Saturday, la primavera.

Gas prices, always on the rise! Latest in Oakland.

Another day, another sale

Today is known as President's day. On this day Americans are invited to do their patriotic duty and abscond from work so they can shop until they drop. By now all of the items bought on Black Friday and Cyber-Monday have returned to their eternal resting place in the cosmic landfill, so everyone is reminded that it is high time to restock the shelves. By sheer coincidence or intelligent design, shoppers are about to find out that major retailers just happen to have one-time sales on this very day. Such are the miracles of the consumer society that we inhabit.

In other news, the world woke up to the shocking revelation that the Formula One Grand Prix of Bahrain scheduled for March 13 was canceled. Most American sports fan couldn't care less as they do not fall for this type of Eurotrash event, preferring instead to watch the opening of the Nascar season. Fortunately, the Daytona 500 did not disappoint. With 14 major crashes the event had all the excitement we have come to expect from an average Cat 4 race, but without the doping that is so rampant in cycling.

Speaking of cycling and doping, Alberto Contador was kicked off the podium in the Tour of Algarve, where German Tony Martin won the time trial and the overall classement (classement is Eurochic for classification).  In Oman, Robert Gesink walked away with the victory. As expected Sven Nys won the Gazet van Antwerpen (GvA) trophy in cyclocross, where Pauwels lost his second place spot to team mate Zdenek Stybar who did all he could to help the Belgian win.

But none of that matters in Flanders now where all attention is focused on the upcoming season opener. At this time, the cycling world is down to two riders. One of these is the unbeatable Fabian Cancellara who swept the classics in 2010, and the other is defeated Tom Boonen, who is said to be out for revenge. I have not seen the blood-thirsty Boonen poster that upset Eddy Merckx so much but it is sure to reappear later in the week.

Bring me Cancellara

Belgian networks sent reporters out to Oman last week, not to cover the racing, but instead to find the two favorites and ask them about the upcoming showdown.  Here is Tom, wearing the latest in fashion sun wear.

Tom Boonen in Oman

The reporters pulled out all the stops when they re-broadcast the infamous muur video with the enhanced Cancellara. The video purports to show Fabian activating his mechanic doping device to leave Tom in the dust. Tom was asked about it but he declined to comment other than to say he thought it was funny. For some reason it is hard to picture Mr. Nice Guy Tom as a blood thirsty cannibal eager for revenge; Or soft-spoken Fabian as the great destroyer.

Cancellara on the muur

Cancellara on the other hand called himself a "marked man" and said he feared Boonen and Haussler. He also stressed he was looking beyond the early classics, throwing out names such as Amstel Gold and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, that sounded like blasphemy to Flemish ears.

But the reporters were not impressed. They labeled Tom humiliated and out for revenge, and Cancellara thirsty for more.

Stay tuned as the showdown is about to begin.