Today was the 98th edition of the one-day cycling classic in Belgium, The Tour of Flanders (de Ronde Van Vlaarderen). This race is a monument in cycling with numerous short steep climbs with cobbled roads. The defending champion, swiss Fabian Cancellara, only managed 3rd today while Nick Nuyens stole the show in a three-up sprint finish. It is my dream to one day visit this race and the following week take in Paris-Roubaix as well. Seeing some of the classic races and the grand tours of Italy, Spain and of course France is akin to the American baseball fan visiting the storied parks of Fenway, Yankee stadium and Wrigley Field. (I've seen games at Fenway and the old Yankee Stadium).
Following is a nice sized highlight clip of the last 50k from Flanders.
For more clips see this cyclingfans webpage -
More clips here!
Tomorrow is the start of the Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco. This race is a tough 6 days in the mtns of Spain and the defending champ is American Chris Horner. It should be good racing and a great lead up to Paris-Roubaix next Sunday.
