The Lion

One of the big highlights in this adventure without a doubt will be the day when we meet and ride with Johan Museeuw.  Johan who, some of you may ask?  Well, where do I start?! How about the great "Lion of Flanders," 3-time winner of Paris-Roubaix AND Tour of Flanders among other many great victories during his 16-year career as a professional?!

Yes, Johan Museeuw (mew-say-oh), quickly became one of Belgium's prized possessions - winning the world's greatest races with a style that was considered by many to be saturated with sheer determination and unbelievable power.  His passion and will-power set him apart from the peloton every single time - Museeuw was the standard, the one-to-watch.  His career did not exclusively shine in the spring, either.  He proved himself the Belgian National Champion twice, claimed the World Championship in 1996, and even took two stages of the Tour home with him.

One of Museeuw's most-memorable stories has got to be his incredible comeback following a near-career ending injury in the 1998 Paris-Roubaix - an injury that occurred in the haunting Arenberg Forest about 100 km's from the finish.  The slippery pave brought him down hard, his left kneecap taking the brunt of the fall, shattering into pieces.  If that wasn't demoralizing, the injury almost immediately began to become infected and he was later told that the leg was to be amputated.  Horror to anyone, let alone a professional cyclist.  However, the tide somehow did turn at the eleventh hour and he was spared this horrific circumstance!  He was given, however, the "no more cycling" speech, the same one that goes in one cyclists ear and right out the other.  Johan returned to Roubaix victorious in 2000, against all odds, proving once again, that the true "Lion of Flanders" indeeds calls himself by the name of Museeuw!

This video put out by the good folks at Rapha, in conjunction with Ridley Scott of London, captures the heroic drama of Paris-Roubaix and illustrates how it relates to Museeuw's career.  It's helps to answer why the"Hell of the North?" How can such a place, such an event, each and every year,  over the course of many years past from today to Easter morning this year, have such a profound effect on everyone, cyclists and/or non-cyclists alike?!  It's the moment that the impossible is defeated, once again - sometimes with the discovery of a new hero or perhaps the return of a living legend.  Either way, Paris-Roubaix will try to win and may get the best of most, but it will always loose to one.  And you can bet that it's all too familiar with the name Museeuw.  Allez Museeuw!


Enjoy!


http://youtu.be/cNmQQuHfRHg

The Inspiration

Gotta say, pretty good start to the day - the sun's been bright, the breeze playing with the trees, and the coffee, delicious.  My thoughts have been a week ahead of the rest of myself for a while now - time to get things in order.  Took a moment to click a bit on the computer and found a worthwhile reminder on George's fb page - George, a dear friend of mine from Scotland, who is also of the most passionate and genuine of gentlemen I know, posted a nine-minute flashback of the 1992 Milan-San Remo finish.  The one where the great Sean Kelly took us to a whole new level of inspiration, in a matter of seconds. 

I have to share it with you.  Milan San-Remo, being one of the great Classics, was just last week, and although this year's edition was not quite like the 1992 result, it was still a ball-buster.  MSR still stands as the longest, professional one-day race on the calendar at 298 km, and is considered a "sprinter's race" due to the long, straight approach to the finish.  Sean Kelly is one of cycling's greats, winning an incredible 193 races in his 14-year professional career - this edition certainly being an excellent display of his incredible tenacity.  Enjoy!


And thank you, George for the reminder!  My best to you.


http://youtu.be/CUQKOSti7FQ


Ps: Nevermind the music, by the way, unless you just happen to be a fan of quality elevator music.

The Video

There are two significant DVD's out there that will help illustrate the intense nature of these races, especially Paris-Roubaix.  If you are a cyclist and have a couple cycling dvd's but not this one, then drop everything and buy this movie!  From the interviews to the cinematography, it will certainly inspire and hopefully motivate you to ride.


Road to Roubaix, trailer:  http://youtu.be/buQGibzq8Sg

Another movie that is a must-see, must-own is "A Sunday in Hell."  It captures all senses, taking you back to the early 70's, when the races were more about sport and less about money.  This legendary film is the real deal - so genuine, it takes just minutes before you've forgotten where you are, finding yourself straining to smell the chain lube and avoid the dust.  It follows two of cycling's greatest legends, Eddy Merckx and Roger de Vlaeminck.  Such a sincere film truly captures your heart while at the same time showing you that despite all the years gone by, the basic nature of Paris-Roubaix still remains the same. This is the entire film courtesy of our beloved YouTube. 


A Sunday in Hell:  http://youtu.be/D4IDCkcnnHg

With this two visuals, I hope you gain a better understanding what Jeff and I are about endure - an enduring experience that should only intensify our love and passion for this sport.  Thank you and enjoy!

The Pursuit

This year is a "big year" for both Jeff and I as we continue to enjoy and revel in all that life brings us.  This year is going to count, to really leave a mark, if you will (and no pun intended, by the way).  I called Jeff up a few months ago with the idea of getting overseas to experience, firsthand, some of the passion that floats in the air over there, especially the air that hovers above the epic "Spring Classics."

At first, we discussed our options, should we chase after the Tour or Giro, or should we maybe stick around here and hit up some of our great domestic rides?  It was when we started considering the Classics when the deal got sealed in our hearts.  Of course, Paris-Roubaix!  After all, we're only talking about some of the greatest cycling races in the history of the sport?!   For those of you who are not entirely familiar with these crazy races, no worry, I'll tell you a bit about 'em.

Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are back-to-back tests of endurance, pain, and utter determination.  They belong to a group of one-day races called the "Spring Classics" or "The Monuments." They were given this distinction because they all first began prior to World War I.  Both just over 260 km (162 miles), they take you across Belgium and northern France during a time of unpredictable weather and over many sections of rough, old cobblestone farm roads - soldiers used these very same roads during WWI.  French and Belgian farmers still use the cobbled sections today, passing the many war memorials that still line the many sections.  It was following the War, during a scouting trip to gauge the damage, when this northern, French area was eventually given the name "Hell of the North." The square cobbles are rough - they jar the body horribly, can be very slippery, and are the cause for many a puncture.  In fact, tire pressures are kept very low to cushion the ride and help reduce the likelihood of a puncture.  Many do not finish these races - Tour of Flanders mixes in climbs called "muurs" (walls), 11 of which are 11% or more and eight of which have cobblestones!  While Paris-Roubaix may be considered the "Queen of the Classics," Flanders is considered by many Belgians to be more important than a yellow jersey in the Tour de France.

If, as a professional cyclist, you end up winning any of the Spring Classics, then consider your career set.  Your role in cycling history will have been solidified, and you'll be placed on the podium of cycling greatness.  While many professionals have pursued this greatness their entire careers, trying to win just one - greats like Eddy Merckx and Roger de Vlaeminck have both been victorious multiple times!

So, at the recommendation of my good friend, Lou Vergne and his wife, Susan, back in Arizona, we decided to join the Velominati comrades and enjoy riding substantial sections of both races as well as watch cycling history unfold before our very eyes!  The Velominati Keepers created a blog years ago as a means to express their incredible passion for the sport - they call themselves "Keepers of the Cog" and even created "The Rules," which are a long list of humorous "do's and don't's" in cycling.  Well, not so humorous to some, but to most everyone, each stubborn rule usually draws a chuckle or two.  The shed a comical light on a very serious and passionate sport that we all love so much!


Velominati has joined up with Pavé Cycling Classics to arrange what will easily become the time of our lives!  We'll be landing in Brussels on the 29th of this month and staying outside of Roubaix in a small community called Westouter, also near Kemmel.  From there we will begin our rides as well as watch the races.


Here's a promo video that the Pave gang put together.  Enjoy!

http://vimeo.com/28540282

Please join Jeff and I on this short, yet epic journey into the heart of cycling passion itself!  I'll be posting a day-to-day journal as well as including all photos that we're able to shoot - considering the cobbles, let's just hope for the best.  See you soon and as always, Allez! Allez!

The Post

And with this test, Jeff and I have rolled in with a splash.  Lille, see you soon!