Let’s start with a bit of culture; it’s famous Flandrian ‘luminist’ painter Emile Claus who keeps an eye on proceedings as the 2019 Gent-Gent comes to life on a chill, grey but not too savage morning.
The race begins with a presentation in the big exhibition hall adjacent to the Kuipke Velodrome; we liked it better when the buses lined up in the street across from the track – but with the race now part of ‘Flanders Classics’ package there has to be glitz.
It is pretty cool to watch the team wagons roll in, very military – but the diesel fumes aren’t so much fun.
The teams do their best to keep saddos like us away from the bikes with those tapes they use outside night clubs – no creds for us for this race, we’re just fans – so you have to make do with the ‘B’ bikes on the team car roofs for.
This neat rear suspension on the Direct Energie Wiliers caught our eye though.
It was nice to meet up with our old friend, former Belgian Time Trial Champion and now the face of Shimano at all the big races; Bert Roesems, seen here speaking to UAE DS and former pro, Alan Peiper.
How do they keep so skinny?
From old pros to neo pro; 24 year-old Englishman Harry Tanfield started his World Tour career nicely with the best young rider jersey in the opening time trial of the Valenciana – he was also silver medallist in the Commonwealth Games TT last year – but the Opening Weekend has scant regard for chrono palmarès and our Harry had a bit of torrid time.
But he’s a versatile, talented lad and will have learned a lot over the weekend.
Meanwhile the UCI guys go about their business of checking for hidden motors…
Swiss TT star, Stefan Küng took time out to meet his fan club – it’s a fair trail from Switzerland to Flanders…
Let’s dash, we don’t want to get stuck in the road closures and traffic jams.
‘Break of the day’ at Oombergen some 16 K in, working sweetly; Alex Howes (EF), Roy Jans (Correndon), Tom Wirtgen (Wallonie) and Tom Devriendt (Wanty – it’s not a proper break without a Wanty guy.
The slowest moving peloton we’ve ever seen in Het Nieuwsblad followed a couple of minutes later with the ‘start of term’ chat audible from way down the road.
Eventually winner, ‘Styby’ was back among cars with no sign of anxiety.
Time to move, the top of the Leberg and the break had built such a lead – it would top out at 14 minutes – that we missed them.
But we did catch the bunch; there was no chat in that peloton this time with Iljo Keisse doing what he gets paid for – hammering away at the front with another four of the windows and floors men in line astern behind him.
Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain) was looking as cool as ever but it wasn’t his day – or weekend.
Over the cobbles at Mater the break was still looking tidy but behind the pressure was telling with gaps in the peloton and discomfort etched on most faces.
Small wonder, that beast of a man Tim (The Tractor) De Clerq (QuickStep) had the pain dialled up to 11 as the QuickStep purge continued.
Some 30 minutes later we were among the big bucks poseurs at the junction at the top of the Valkenberg; no Decathlon ‘sports’ bikes for these dudes.