The Cycliste Moderne, April 1, 2005

As we settle into this process, my plan is to publish Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Monday will be a weekend recap, Wednesday general cycling commentary and Friday will preview the weekend ahead. I had intended to preview this weekend’s Ronde Van Vlaanderen or Tour of Flanders and we will get to that momentarily. However, today’s events regarding Lance Armstrong require comment first.

If you had not heard, Thursday, March 31, 2005, was not a particularly good day for Armstrong. In his ongoing litigation with his former assistant in Texas, Armstrong was faced with allegations that he used steroids in court filings made by his former assistant. In light of my professional responsibilities I have seen a lot of scurrilous claims made in the heat of litigation. Doping cannot be tolerated. However, I fear that allegations of doping have become the nuclear weapon of sport. Moreover, I fear that the frenzy associated with doping allegations has become the Spanish Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, and the McCarthy hearings of our era.

Additionally, Armstrong made himself available to the magistrate in Lucca, Italy, investigating the allegations that Armstrong intimidated Filippo Simeoni during last year’s Tour de France. Simeoni is the Italian rider who testified against Armstrong’s friend and doctor Michele Ferrari after he admitted that he had used EPO. Armstrong’s appearance was a surprise as it was voluntary on his part. At some point in the future we will discuss the nuances of European legal systems and cycling. Anyway, Armstrong’s cooperation evidences him taking responsibility for what was clearly an unnecessary and brash action on his part during last year’s Tour.

On to the Ronde. . .

This weekend is the Ronde van Vlaanderen, the first of the northern classics. The Race covers most of Flanders, starting in Brugge, heading west to the coast and then back across the flats of West Flanders. The race really starts once it crosses in to East Flanders and the first of seventeen cobbled hills.

In November of last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Oudenaarde, Belgium, the home of the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen, the museum dedicated to the Tour of Flanders. A small but entertaining museum, the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen is also the starting point for the women’s Ronde van Vlaanderen, which is contested a few hours before the men come through. The Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen lets you select one of twelve past winners of the Ronde and follow them through interactive exhibits, lets you ride Eddy Merckx’s bike over simulated cobbles, lets you race Peter van Petegem up the Oude Kwaremont and teaches you more than you will ever need to know about the cobbles that make up the back country roads of Flanders. Check out its website .

A couple of miles south of Oudenaarde is the 12% climb up the Koppenberg. The Koppenberg was made famous by Jesper Skibby’s unfortunate accident in 1987 when the race commissar ran him over midway up the climb even though he was leading the race. Cycling photojournalist Graham Watson happened to capture the accident on film as he was on a motorcycle a few meters ahead when it happened . Skibby’s bike was ruined, and needless to say, he did not win the 1987 Ronde as the peleton quickly passed him. Due to its steepness and narrowness the Koppenberg was immediately banished from the Ronde only to be reintroduced a few years ago after it was rebuilt.

Knowing I would be in Belgium, and knowing that I would be visiting Oudenaarde, I had to take the detour and visit the scene of this now famous incident. With my map of the Ronde route and my sister at the wheel of our rented Renault, we left Oudenaarde, headed south looking for the sign to the Koppenberg.

After a couple of wrong turns, I spotted a small brown and yellow sign that said “Koppenberg.” Marianne made a hard right turning onto a small lane that was not much wider than the Renault. I became increasingly concerned as I realized that we were not approaching the Koppenberg from its base, as the racers do but rather from its top. Sure enough after a couple of sharp turns, the front of our Renault rose sharply only to drop precipitously as the pavement turned to cobblestone.

Needless to say the Koppenberg is narrower, steeper and scarier than I could have ever imagined. As we reached the bottom of the Koppenberg, Marianne let me out as she proceeded to drive back into the small village Melden to find someplace to turn around. As the mist turned to rain and the light was rapidly diminishing, I hiked back up the Koppenberg to the very spot where Skibby’s day ended in 1987. It was incredibly quiet.

Just then two young guys rode up to the base of the Koppenberg. The first was in a complete US Postal Service team kit ridding a carbon fiber Trek. His friend was on a full suspension Decathlon mountain bike, wearing a heavy coat, and jeans. Postal Boy shot out of the saddle and raced up the hill. Mountain Bike Boy stopped looked up the hill and I asked him an incredibly stupid question: “He’s not really a Postal rider, is he?” Mountain Bike Boy laughed and said “Of course not, if he was, he could actually make it to the top.” Mountain Bike Boy then started up the climb after his friend, the cobbles were slick from the wet leaves and his tires spun without much traction. By then Postal Boy had stopped about the point where Skibby crashed and headed back down.

By then, Marianne had parked the Renault at the bottom of the road. As I headed back down the Koppenberg, I stopped to take the only photo that I had enough light to take: a picture of the cobbles at my feet.

The point of the story is this: somebody who actually can make it to the top of the Koppenberg will win on Sunday. And if he is Belgian, then he will be a national hero. Tom Boonen very well could win on Sunday, although he is overcoming the effects of a crash earlier this week. Peter van Petegem has had a quiet spring but he is a threat every year at the Ronde. However, if Discovery Channel rides to win and Armstrong rides like a super domestique, then the team could win the Ronde this year. Discovery Channel is bringing its strongest team ever to the Ronde. George Hincapie has had success in Flanders already this spring and young Stijn Devolder is coming off his first major win.

Needless to say the season has begun for real.