Amstel Gold (and hopefully, more kibbeling)

On that last trip in the fall, my Navy classmate Chris regaled me with stories of life in the cycling capital of the world….the Spring Classics are in his backyard, the most prestigious one-day races on the planet. 

Ghent-Welvegem, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Paris Roubaix…the latter is 150 miles, with 30 of them cobblestones; choking dust on dry days and ice skating on wet ones. 

And Amstel Gold….Starts and ends in Maastricht. Something like 30 climbs, a bunch of loops, and plenty of drunk Dane spectators to make things spicy. 

I told Chris last fall that I would return to watch some of these goodies in person. And here I am once again!

Lovely riverside city, home of the first treaties to create the European Union. 

Race morning was more than a little nuts. 

Each team of 10 riders will have several support cars, each with a half dozen or more spares. And a whole lot of extra wheels inside….Each bike is probably $15,000 or so!!

Team introductions…

No more ‘hopefully!’ And I don’t care if the time of day is more suited to pastries…for NBC, it’s lightly fried cod cheeks at 10am!!!

For years, I drove an official’s car in Bend’s Cascade Cycling Classic. So much fun to see the race from the inside!

The cargo on this one car could pay off my house!

And they’re off!!

Pro teams (at least the well-financed ones) have their own RV…

Chris and I got into an animated discussion about last week’s epic Paris-Roubaix race…250km, with 20% over cobblestones!! The hometown winner, Wout van Aert, has a habit of showing off the best hair in the business….

Chris called him ‘Heat Miser.’

I opted for Buster Poindexter. 

I think we’re both right. 

You find the strangest things in the Netherlands, like this hat. Meanwhile, an Oregon kid just broke the NCAA record for the 1500m on his own track with a 3:31, that’s just ridiculous. 

The breakaway came thru as the rain started to fall, with the pack several minutes in arrears. 

We watched the rest of the race from Chris and Mary Martha’s lovely home in Eijsden, just a few miles south.

Belgium, a stone’s throw away. 

Chris’s daughter did some damage in Corvallis. 

I did some damage at the restaurant….scampi salad?!? Yes please. 

Chris’s wife Mary Martha said “you’re the reason we moved here!” Since I didn’t know them until 3 years after they relocated, I took that to mean they enjoy having visitors!

Lovely town, great experience, excellent friends!