Gent 6 Day Weekend: Ed Hood is often working laborious bellow the monitor within the Gent Velodrome, however again in 2017 he was in Belgium as a spectator and a fan. For a full weekend of enjoyable it’s a must to take within the bars, the beers, the burgers in addition to a cyclo-cross and the motion on the boards.
“I’m by no means happier than once I’m writing.”
~ Ed Hood, as spoken to Martin Williamson from the passenger seat, driving alongside a stage route on the Tour de France.
Expensive Readers – Our beloved colleague and good friend Ed Hood suffered a severe stroke in February. We don’t anticipate 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 complete put up right here – and please contemplate donating.
** Click on this hyperlink to donate to the GoFundMe web page to assist Ed **
We’ll be posting a choice of Ed’s work from the previous 16 years, as a result of nice story-telling by no means will get previous.
Ed takes up the story:
A person with a weak bladder might simply go bust in Gent at 50 cents per journey to the ‘little boys room’.
They have to make fortunes from that alone, by no means thoughts the tons of of gallons of pils which trigger you to go to within the first place. That’s one of many many issues which have modified in Gent – the bathrooms don’t scent practically as dangerous as they used to.
Don’t purchase into the nostalgia that little has modified in Gent: it has. Gentrification goes on apace with grubby previous retailers being transformed into stylish barber’s retailers, hipster cafes and funky delis. Gent was lately voted one of many 10 greatest metropolis locations in Europe by one of many huge English newspapers.
Up at The Kuipke issues have modified too; the monitor remains to be 166 meters and never for the faint hearted, the pils nonetheless flows like a Scottish Highland river in the course of the spring soften, the rider cabins are dire, and the Flemish followers nonetheless love these Dernys. However while the plumbing has improved, the racing has not.
Final yr’s Wiggins & Cav late lap achieve and win was excruciatingly apparent and clumsy. This yr Kenny De Ketele & Moreno De Pauw went into the final chase with a lap and a 77 factors lead on French World Madison Champions, Morgan Kneisky and Benjamin Thomas.
An hour later it was a TWO lap lead and 75 factors – hardly a cliff hanger.
When Iljo Keisse gained his first Gent six with Matt Gilmore; when cavalier Robert Slippens & Danny Stam swooped and swerved to prime spot and when rainbow jerseyed Michael Mørkøv and Alex Rasmussen gained, it was all on that final dash. Theatre coming to a beautiful climax – not a rattling procession. OK, that’s off my chest. . .
Friday: Ryanair, Edinburgh to Charleroi then decide up the rent automotive – however not earlier than we raid the frituur on the airport. Gent, test in to the resort and head for bar de Karper to gather our tickets from proprietor – and Iljo’s dad – Ronnie Keisse – however not earlier than a pils or two on the Vivaldi (probably the perfect bar on this planet). Our seats had been good ones, block C simply previous the end line.
Kenny & Moreno gained the satan, the time trial, the madison and the Derny – it’s possible you’ll detect a sample there. . .
We took time to go down and see the Nice Britain crew: Ollie Wooden who was fourth within the U23 World Street Race Championship in Bergen and European U23 omnium and particular person pursuit champion, Scotsman Mark Stewart.
Ollie crashed on night time two so maybe wasn’t on his greatest recreation however each males had been in good spirits, contemplating – together with Martyn Frank, their soigneur. And the bike of the race?
Elia Viviani’s metallic blue Pinarello Derny/TT machine, the gold bunch bike was only a tad too blingy for me.
Gary Hagger was the leisure for the night, suppose dangerous pub singer allowed to wander freely round a cycle monitor with a radio mic. However butchered songs and Belgian domination on the boards – or is it gluttony? – aside, not a nasty previous night time.
And rattling! These burgers hit the spot. The tunes within the Vivaldi had been nice – even the dig was getting down – the corporate was good and Maes pils was simply good.
Saturday: The hangovers weren’t too dangerous and it wasn’t to date as much as Uitbergen and the cyclo-cross. Just a few years again it was the Koksijde World Cup ‘cross within the sand – however there was a program reshuffle and the dunes are left in peace this weekend. Perhaps for the perfect; Uitbergen was cool – grass roots, schoolboys, juniors and U23/elites with out contract. We missed the masters’ races however caught the end of the schoolboys end.
‘Cost of the Mild Brigade’ – that’s the beginning of a Belgian ‘cross, the juniors went off like crew dash man primary’s.
We’ll be working a full report on our day within the fields however thought you may prefer to see how the quick guys hop these hurdles?
Winner Yenti Bekaert is definitely nonetheless a junior and will nicely be a reputation for the longer term.
It was chilly, rattling chilly as we headed again to the rent automotive however the bikes should cleaned, regardless of how chilly it’s – there’s a race tomorrow, you already know?
Gary Hagger had the night time off and it three pretty girls serenaded us, The Supremes they weren’t however with legs that lengthy, who cares?
Moreno has been nursing a nasty again by means of this race and between races his soigneur Tino was working to ease the ache.
However he regarded sharp sufficient within the Derny with our mechanic amigo, Dirk administering the massive push in the beginning. We’d fancied watching the five hundred meter time trial however this system was working hideously late and Saturday is at all times a very good night time for tunes within the Vivaldi; Billy Paul with ‘Solely the Sturdy Survive’, Englebert’s Europop model of ‘Strangers within the Night time’.
Dave needed to drag me out someday carrying on for 03:00 am, when does The Vivaldi name ‘time!’? Who is aware of?
Sunday: Years of follow meant we had been up for breakfast on time and within the Kuipke the place our amigo Dirk Van Hove was taking good care of the Kiwi U23 crew.
It wasn’t an impressed race and Dirk’s face says all of it – the native Belgian lads ran away with it.
For the primary time, we caught the rolling presentation of groups; some riders like is as a very good heat up and others suppose it’s a bore.
Mark and Ollie battled laborious within the satan however Viviani was simply that bit too fast for everybody.
The ultimate chase wasn’t nice however Kenny and Moreno WERE the perfect crew on the monitor – I simply want they had been extra of the ‘Bruno Risi College’ the place it’s not only a final chase, it’s the ultimate act of an opera.
As I stated to Iljo Keisse up at his dad’s bar, de Karper after the race; ‘we miss you, man!’
Monday: No ‘crosses on a Monday and many of the retailers are shut so we headed into city to see our amigo Ian Whitehead who works with Fietsambassade. Gent, which is supported by the Metropolis of Gent and is a large bike rent/restore depot which operates as a non-profit making group.
The town goals to take over from the Dutch cities as ‘The European Metropolis of the Bicycle’ with packages like this and the introduction of increasingly bike lanes across the metropolis. You solely suppose you’ve seen numerous bikes in a single place till you go to right here.
The Tour of Flanders Museum in Oudenaarde, we haven’t visited for ages – it was definitely worth the journey.
It’s nonetheless a thrill for me to see Tom Simpson’ identify up there with these of among the biggest bike riders who’ve ever lived. Within the window there’s a row of cobbles with the identify of each winner painted on them – the 1977 entry has two although, Roger De Vlaeminck the official winner however on prime of it’s one for the ‘ethical victor’, Freddy Maertens who Le Gitane sat on for 70 kilometers and duly out-sprinted Freddy while Maertens was declassed for an ‘unlawful bike change’.
What many overlook is that Freddy was ‘double declassed’ as he additionally failed a dope check. Completely different days. . .
Then was it again to de Karper to interview Iljo’s dad, Ronie – that can run quickly and it’s a goodie.
What was left to do?
Discover a frituur after all. . .
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