After building up my Gazelle track bike on Saturday evening and going for a short test ride, I received a text message from Erik; Meet up at the Central Station at 8 o’clock in the morning. 8 o’ clock on a Sunday morning. Oof.
Fortunately I was able to get up on Sunday. I dragged my tired body into the shower, took a quick shower and wiggled myself into my classic ’78 Gazelle wool jersey and pants I got off Marktplaats, after receiving several e-mails by RFG members, pointing out this two-piece to me. Turned out the jersey was really, REALLY tight and warm. I was already sweating like the old Erika Terpstra putting the damn thing on!
I grabbed my bike, gave my love a kiss and raced down to the station – yes, the Gazelle is quite fast. Grabbed a quick bite to eat and met up with Erik and his dad Chris, our teamleader for the day. Erik’s kickass classics – a cherry red Chesini and white n’ blue Colnago – were already attached to one bike stand and my bike got to ride on top. Then Rien popped around the corner and we nearly needed a crane to get his huge Bob Jackson on top of the car.
The sun was already coming down on us hard, so we got in the car and drove off to leave Rotterdam a.s.a.p. Erik’s dad isn’t just fast on the bike, he got us to Belgium within no time. After passing Ghent the scenery started to change. The hills started rolling, small, idyllic villages were popping up left and right and we could see the first roads made of the legendary kasseien. I was excited to be in the heart of a country that has so much love for cycling.
The RFG Team car
When we reached the centre of Oudenaarde, we already saw some cyclists from a black-and-white past and the start and finish on a little square. Parked the car, stretched our legs and decided to check out the square by foot. Amazing atmosphere. You could practically smell the spaghetti being made by maman int café, chansons were “bumping from the speakers” and the blistering sun was already making me thirsty for some infamous Belgian beers.
Before we even registered, I made my first score of the day at one of two parts stands. A period correct Campagnolo headset for my Gazelle for… Only 15 euros! This made my day, for it was the only part I was missing to make my bike an all Campa build.
After registering with some nice Belgian girls (I’m a sucker for the accent) it was time to check out the next vintage part stand. This crazy guy had an amazing collection of vintage parts, clothing toys and other memorabilia like really old Torpedo brakes, pantographed stems, adjustable Titan stems, Binda straps and d’Oro groups by different brands such as Miche and Simplex. He had only one shelf with parts for sale, but it was JAM PACKED with Campagnolo parts, Cinelli stems, Cristophe toe clips, Benotto bar tape, and so on. Amazing. I asked how much a set of Cristophe Special clips cost. Allez, drie euro. Like Lil’ Jon used to say: WHAT?!! I’ll have two please.
Of course, we couldn’t race without having a descent meal. So the four of us took a seat inside the café and ordered a nice plate of homemade spaghetti bolognese. Just the café by its self is a good reason to visit Oudenaarde. The walls are covered in cycling pictures, newspaper articles and an amazing collection of vintage jerseys. You can order Moser wine - red and white – and pop right into the Ronde van Vlaanderen museum that’s around the corner.
Where have I seen that Radar shirt before?
Time was starting to run out so we got our “vintage” photograph taken, we were blessed by the town’s priest and found a nice spot in the starting line. In front of le peloton there were three old Citroëns and a BSA and BMW motorcycle leading the way. Great to see everyone who volunteered was also dressed up for the occasion. But it was nothing compared to nearly 180 cyclists of all ages decked out in old-fashioned gear, checking their bikes one more time, waiting for the race to commence.
The start
Tideli tideli tideli. (Insiders' joke)
And off we went. Straight into the centre of Oudenaarde. First we did a rondje rond de kerk and then headed to the countryside. The first part of the race was a small route around Oudenaarde. We got a little taste of asphalt road, small gravel and dirt paths and those typical Belgian concrete plates. I wasn’t expecting to ride gravel at all! Crazy! We crossed the city centre once more and then we were really off.
Rien and Eddy. While cruising the dirt path. Of course, Eddy is no stranger to track bikes.
We increased our speed and started passing some guys on geared bikes. It was great to hear the reactions to our track bikes. Allez, is da’n pistefiets? Met vast pignon?… Haha, veel succes. But Rien and I were stoked to climb up the first hills. On one way down, Rien nearly tackled the famous Eddy Merckx imitator by skidding his black killing machine. Bob Jackson has no manners. Nor does Rien by the way, you cheater! You know what I mean. ;-P Hahaha
On our way to the first checkpoint we got our first real taste of the famous kasseien. Damn. Going fast on them is just crazy. Your body is shaken up really bad and you truly feel your bike is going to fall apart. I got paranoid, because I had just built up my Gazelle the day before, without test riding it properly. “Did I tighten my headset? Did I forget any chainring bolts?” Turned out my Gazelle can take quite a beating, even with its super skinny fork legs. I must thank Erik’s dad Chris for giving Rien and me advice on our tire tension. 6 bar turned out to be just right!
The first checkpoint, after a good 20k, was on the top of a hill next to an old windmill. Beautiful view. When I got there and got off my bike the heat kicked in. I started sweating like crazy – “damn you, tight wool jersey” – so the cool lemonade and sweet pudding cake was more than welcome. Pretty soon Erik and his dad climbed up the hill and after them, the rest of RFG followed. Rien was already gone, trying to keep up with his archenemy Eddy Merckx.
Up the hill to the windmill. Look at Niek's calfs! Knallen!
I decided to take it a bit slower and enjoy the ride and scenery some more. After all, this was not a day to race or train, but to enjoy the Burgundian way of life. So after we all got something to drink it was time to descend once more. KNALLEN! Erik and Chris had already left, so now I was riding with “zee Germans”, Niek and Ilonka.
Unfortunately, Klaas ran a flat when we turned onto a gravel path. So we had to stop and listen to the birds singing their Sunday chansons in the midst of green cornfields and enjoy a cool breeze picking up and cooling us down – Goshdarnit. Couldn’t enjoy the beautiful quiet too long because Mister Magic Mechanic Magnus (oh that’s bad and not Michael Jackson Bad) had a new tube in within no time! Deutsche Gründlichkeit, nah.
Turned out the next checkpoint was only a couple of K ahead. And due to the fact we had already reached the top of the hill, it was an easy stretch. Cool detail, we actually crossed the courtyard and main gate of a farmhouse! The family that lived there was cheering and having fun looking at all the bikes and outfits. The parcours was really amazing.
“Word on the street” was that at one checkpoint you’d get fresh strawberries with ice cream! And this was the one. Huge strawberries with a nice cone of homemade vanilla ice cream. Sooooo good. I imagine that if a tour like this would be organised in Holland, you’d maybe get a wit bolletje met ham of kaas. We need to step up our cuisine, people.
Fresh Strawberries. Yummy.
Zee Germans and I decided to sit down, relax and enjoy this beautiful little old farmhouse restaurant. There was a guy playing dressed down blues, the terrace seats were really kind to our battered rear ends and the sweet treat was just too nice to stuff down our throats hastily. Niek and Ilonka joined the fun and our little group of achtervolgers was complete once more. Rien, Erik and Chris were on already their way out when we got there.
The last kilometres were really laid back. No more climbing, just going downhill. And there were some wicked descents down really narrow paths! Really cool to get a feel for what the guys over in San Fransisco experience on a daily basis. KNALLEN!
The finish came kind of like a surprise. We took one turn and we were back at Oudenaarde. One last little sprint, crossed the finish line and had to put my hands in the air like a true champ. Well, actually… I was trying to order five beers. We were all so thirsty.
Parked our bikes, took a seat on the town square and got some more small cakes (forgot the name, Niek, what was it?) and ice-cold beers. Erik, Chris and Rien had also decided not to ride the entire route and joined us, after having changed and freshened up. Aaaaah, la vie est belle.
Cake and beer. What a treat.
There was just one thing left to do. Check out the vintage stands once more. Erik decided to buy the parts he needed to complete his Chesini as well, because the prices were just too good. Niek bought a nice CInelli stem with painted grooves and I got myself a nice nineties jersey and…. A truly beautiful Titan stem from the sixties. Still perfectly chromed! Not sure if I’m gonna use it on the Gazelle, but it was just too good a deal to pass by. But don’t think we forgot about you, dear RFG readers. We got a nice stack of world champ stickers for everyone. So this Friday, if you want one, holler! Cause op = op.
After a quick peek in the Tours of Flanders museum it was time to leave this magical place. We all had a great and unforgettable day. To me it felt like a mini vacation. The experience you get for just nine euros is simply amazing. You get to see over 180 vintage bikes, meet even weirder bike geeks than yourself and most importantly, ride the beautiful Belgian landscape. I have to give crazy kudos to the Centre for the Tour of Flanders for putting together such a nice event.
Who’s coming next year?
You can see all the pics Erik and Magnus made on Erik’s flickr
