Sram Force is good enough for the AN Post Team. As light as Dura Ace but way cheaper it's not a cop out and it enables the Teams without Thousands of Euros budgets to compete.
Museeuw may have long retired from the racing scene, but his bikes are now used on the roads he made his name on. Flax Carbon is comfy and stiff and is ideal for the cobbles.
Cervelo, although only Pro Continental, are one of the big boys and looking at their kit they have all of the toys to play with.
I really liked the little beads hanging off the saddle rails. Not sure what the story is behind them, but I'd love to know, no matter
I am a sucker for a Ridley. I think that having owned one they ride great and have a look all of their own. The new colour scheme is to my liking and they really stand out. They are built for the tough roads of Belgium and beyond.
Milram are another Team who have some nice toys to play with. The hi-light no doubt being the Lightweight wheels, which are really something else. I am sure that when they can't use them in races it must make them a little less happy.
Last minute tinkering by a Milram Mechanic. Not sure if anything was really wrong, or if he was just doing it to calm a riders nerves. Nice tool kit though.
I apologise that the photo isn't great on the saddle and you can't see the decal properly. But Danny Pate was using a Arione Tri saddle. Same cool shape with a little more comfort thrown in, good call.
I'm not the worlds biggest carbon bottle cage fan, but these from Arundel are really nice, a bit like the ones from Zipp. The Zipp ones are a bit easier to get hold of outside the USA.
Mr Meyer in his dashing white.
A fan bags a signature, happy days.
This was just off the roadside, a think some sort of priest box. I think its really pretty.
The Pros hitting a corner hard and fast.
The Pave is what adds another element to what makes Belgium special and its races extra tough.
This was at the finish. Few finished as the course was tough, but being circuits it allowed them to get off much easier than in the middle of knowhere.
Nico is nicknamed 'Rambo' and for good reasson as I think he was made out of granite. We where told he'd had a crash a few days before. A couple of days later I found out he'd cracked a vertabrae, which is pretty impressive as he was in the escape group for over 100km.
The Pro photographers waiting at the finish.
It seems funny after seeing the Garmin boys on Mavic wheels after being on Zipp for so long. I like the Mavic wheels especially as I have a habit of wrecking alloy freehubs on more exotic brands.
This was close to Waterloo. The peloton was closing down fast on the escape group and the speed was damn fast. They split over the roundabout and I chose the right, which ended up being the wrong side as most riders when on my left. (pic left)
I'm in the Team car at this point. Going round in the car just went to prove how tough that circuit was. Very lumpy, which never truly comes over when you are watching on TV.(pic above right) I'd really like to ride this circuit and if I could manage five circuits like the Pros did I'd be super happy.
The AN Post team at the start. The weather was around 21c, so much nicer than two weeks previous when I was there for the Tour of Flanders.
Oh so pretty, but I hate that long winded graphic down the seatstay. Not sure why they think they need to do this. The bikes are cool and don't really need a lot of marketing to attract a bunch of customers, just better availability. Although I'd like it with Sram or Shimano better.
Even the valve extension shows its battle scars. Cole wheels are still pretty rare on any Pro bike.
The AR, it looks more like a weapon than a bike. Riders mainly chose the F series (which I love) but it must be nice to be able to ride the bike that suits you the best.
Steve Cozza (above) is a super nice guy and I managed to exchange a few words. I wished him the best for the day and would love to have a beer with him some day.
Some of the Garmin team where using these Prototype Vittoria tyres. Not sure what was different about them but they looked a lot like regular CX tyres. They also bore a stricking resemblance to the new Vredestein tyres. Be interesting to see what they are like when they come to the market.
The K-Edge chain catcher has become increasingly popular in the the peloton. It looks far nicer than the custom ones that the mechanics have been making for years. I think I'd like to get one on the next bike, if only just to look Pro.
