Thursday, March 28, 2024

Living in the Heart of Flanders!

-

HomeJournalsTeam Wiggins Pro Dan PattenLiving in the Heart of Flanders!

The things that can happen in the space of a week when you’re living in the heart of Flanders. As mentioned in the last blog post I happened to meet Kurt Asle Arvesen on a ride and had a nice spin and chat with him. A couple of days later I was in the Asfra bike shop when fellow Norwegian and Team Sky rider Edvald Boasson Hagen walked in on his way out training.

Again I got to have a little chat with Edvald and like Kurt was a thoroughly nice guy too… seems to be a common trait with these Norwegian Team Sky riders!

Heart of Flanders
Edvald and me at the bike shop.

We happened to be treated to a stage finish of the Three days of de Panne here in Oudenaarde, which was great but was merely a warm up to what was to come at the end of the week – the Ronde van Vlaanderen!

A great experience to be here and see the race live… it really is a special day of the year here in Belgium. The atmosphere had been building in and around Oudenaarde with more and more cyclists about as the Ronde drew closer.

Heart of Flanders
I was pretty close to the action on the bergs.

However the day it self was something special: every town welcomes the passing of the race, every berg every pave section is packed full of cheering spectators (clearly aided by the flowing beer) and traffic is left at a stand still as the race passes and the spectators dart from one location to the next.

Clearly the bike was the best mode of transport for getting about to see the race and also had the added benefit of being cheered by all the fans as you pass.

A very special atmosphere indeed for this monument and hopefully something I will get to experience for myself in the future.

Living in Oudenaarde means easy access to the RVV route and so anyday of the week I can ride the Bergs and pave sections that make the race so special – I like to think Im building the ‘local knowledge’ for the future in doing so 🙂

Heart of Flanders
Unfortunately, there’s no crowds like this when I train on these cobbles!

Of course I have also had my own races in this time.

I put together 3 kermesses within six days to use as a good little block of races/training. Some very wet and windy Belgium weather experienced in Herne and Anzegem but consistent placings of 17th and 16th.

Heart of Flanders
Using the races for training means I don’t get too fussed over the actual result.

Anzegem I took the bunch sprint leading out the sprint early, some consolation after missing out on the lead group when the race split after 10km following a mass pile up in the bunch.

I would also place 31st in Schepdaal. Nothing spectacular in terms of results but some more racing km’s in the legs, which I’ll be the better for.

Until next time…

Related Articles

Dan Patten Blog; Up and Running

So it's been a fairly quiet start of the season for me, but I can say now on the Dan Patten Blog that things are underway. A blood test here in Belgium revealed lower iron levels, which most likely explains my lethargic start to the new year.

Dan Patten Blog: The Run-In is Approaching…

Well we've hit September and so the final month or so of the season for the Dan Patten Blog. The good news is I'm still feeling motivated to race and race hard to finish off the year. The bad news is the last few weeks I've been caught out with a bit of illness that seems to be going round these parts at the moment, and which has proved hard to shake off.

Up and Running, First Win in Ghoy, Belgium!

Well It's been on the cards all season and last weekend in the town of Ghoy I took my first win in Belgium. Like always the attacks came from km 1 and I managed to get away midway through the first lap - and this was to be the move that stuck.

Off-Season Report – So Far! Dan Patten’s Blog

It's Christmas time, which means the first half of the off-season is coming to an end. Time has flown by since finishing up my season in Belgium mid-October. The body was certainly in need of recovery, after hitting the ground too many times in the second half of the season. Not least because on two occassions I was hit by cars, with the last time coming just a week before the end of the season...

At Random

Jakob Fuglsang Takes Us Inside His Spring Classics Season

In English we’d say, ‘Birdsong’ – in Danish it’s ‘Fuglsang.’ Despite the fact that he seems to have been around for a long, long time, Jakob Fuglsang is still only 28 with his best years as a stage race rider surely yet to come. We felt we needed a proper look inside an Ardennes Classic; so who better to speak to than Amstel top 20 finisher, said Mr. Fuglsang?

Why Not Take the Scottish Road Race Championship 2009 to the People!

The Scottish Road Race Championship; a nice day, a good course - past the village green at Denholm is cool - well marshalled, a full field.

Scottish Vets’ Road Race Championship 2007

When it became apparent that the Scottish Vets' Road Race Championship 2007 - over 65 wet and hilly miles at Alford - would end in a sprint finish, most bets were on fast-finisher Graham McGarrity (Edge RT); John Kermode (Dundee Thistle) had other ideas however and McGarrity had to settle for second. Kermode was, understandably; 'delighted', whilst McGarrity: 'hates to lose a sprint, especially in vets' race!'

Rotterdam Six Day 2012 – Day Six, and it’s Peter Schep on top

Peter Schep / Wim Stroetinga win, Franco and Mouris second, Stam/Havik third - a result which everyone is pretty happy with. The Dutch winners are the classic Six Day combo - big, strong, mature, silky smooth Peter Schep and the younger, smaller, more erratic but rapid Stroetinga.