We want to look like Pros, sure, but what we’re really after is feeling Pro. All the aesthetics are just a tool we use to fuel the fickle internal combustion engine of Morale. In the end, there is little that will make you feel Pro more than clattering along a stretch of cobbles in a small group; instant “select breakaway”. One of the magical things about the cobbles is the risk of crashing is always there, so your adrenaline is always pumping. The other magical thing about the cobbles is that you have to ride them full gas to smooth them out, which means you have the combination of bombing along a tooth-rattling road at full gas with adrenaline coursing through your veins like it’s New York in 1984. And then Johan Museeuw blows by in the gutter and now it’s a real party.
The most Pro you’ll ever feel, however, is clattering along the cobbles, feeling your back rim start to hit the stones and realize the worst: you’ve got a flat. You don’t have any tools; in fact you have nothing in your pockets at all. But fear not, you just swing off, do a cyclocross dismount while reaching for you back QR skewer which you unlatch right as your second foot hits the ground. A snap of the seatpost and the wheel comes loose. You hold it up in the air and the support van screeches to a halt as the mechanic jumps out with a fresh wheel. Moments later, you’re back on the street, in the non-prostitute sense.
This is Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics. I’ve never had a flat on the cobbles, but I’ve seen it enough first-hand to attest to the above scenario. I also recognize that due to my hubris in mentioning the scenario, I will experience it firsthand this year.
Keepers Tour is back for 2015; based out of our Gite outside Lille, we’ll be crushing cobbles and watching the best races of the year in dust-covered front-row seats. Roubaix, Flanders, Wevelgem, we ride them all. Roubaix, Flanders, Scheldeprijs, we watch them all. This is an amazing time of year to be a Cyclist, and it’s the most magical time to be a Cyclist in Belgium. Our trip is 100% all-inclusive; get yourself to Lille and you will not need to spend a dime until you’re back in Lille nine days later.
The provisional agenda is below. Changes will likely be made but the basic agenda of major events will stay intact. All-inclusive cost for the full 9-Day Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2015 is €3,250. A 50% deposit will be collected in January, with the balance due upon arrival in Lille. Register on the Keepers Tour: Cobbled Classics 2015 event page.
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@Harminator what a tough call, but what a great choice to be able to make too.
Always loved that picture of Hedrick Redant: leading the '91 paris-Roubaix, going for a career defining classic victory, and then ppppffff. Over. That's Roubaix.
@Harminator
See you in Lille mate!
@fignons barber
Cool. I couldn't figure out who that was. No wonder he has a look of total desperation on his face.
I can't make it until the end, but hoping to reprise some of what I miss the following days as y'all go back to recover from the battering of the cobbles and hepatic lobes...
Reading that itinerary made me salivate slightly. Alas, as a recent university graduate new to the World of The Bike, I lack both the funds and ability to join. I hope I will rectify this in years to come.
@Chris
Definitely interested too.
@Harminator If you live closer to the moon than Roubaix, like I do, then It's a simple choice. Nothing makes you feel Pro than a new Grouppo and wheelset, enjoyed every other day. Then again I'd give my left testicle to go on this trip, just once. This is "My sort of riding"...
@GogglesPizano
Nice work, let me know how that plan comes along. What could possibly go wrong ?!?!?
@brett
Problem solved