064: Belgium (and France) — end of the road...

"No Comment." Again.

Standing on the edge of the Velodrome...

It was a rare moment. I haven't been at a spot near such an excruciating race finale. For most of the riders their emotions preceded them. One step off the track and the rider Silence-Lotto's Johan Vansummeren started balling his eyes out and blubbering to his girlfriend in his native tongue (of German?) Seemingly unaware that we stood nearby offering our private console.



The Two Cofidis riders that came through (Florent Brard and Sebastian Minard) had to be my favorite. Sublime and a part of everything that was happening around him. Possibly the gravity of what had just been accomplished still sinking in to ones gut. Not to mention Minard's interesting tape job on the arms. Apparently this was simply to keep the jiggling and shaking of the muscles down. Some riders had taped their wrists and even their fingers as well.


Roger Hammond didn't even get off his bike until he did this sweet cyclocross manuever into the shower building. Way to go Rog'. Is everyone with me in thinking that this guy is an amazing hardman?

The comparision for myself comes from this past weekend and the Battenkill course there. I stood at the finish line wholely pleased with myself. Despite the conditions and mechanicals I was pleased with myself. However, my preference at this point was to wander off alone and smile at what had just been done.

These riders are faced with the lot of us standing and pointing cameras into their faces.

Which is better?

060: Belgium (and France) — Part Two: Paris Roubaix

This is the third spot that we set up our cameras. Sorry for the jerking around at the beginning of the clip. See the dirt rut at the side of the road? I don't know why I did not think that the riders would be utilizing that path. Only two days earlier, I was utilizing that path. Now, I was trying to stay out of the way of the riders.


I like the sound that the cars make over the cobbles. It doesn't come through entirely on the video, but they rumbled the hell out of that place. Well, I guess they didn't rumble the hell out of it, because it still looks like hell to me. I like this photo below because the Rabobank rider looks so off kilter and about to tumble over. He didn't.

Nothing to exciting happened over this section. Nothing exciting besides a bunch of badass PROfessional cyclists ripping over cobbles that is. However, the huge 15 person motorcycle crash was right at the end of this section of cobbles. It was a pretty gruesome scene, blood everywhere and people running around like madmen. The scariest part about it, and I have no idea how they got it all cleared out of the way in time, was that the rest of the field was bearing down on us as we slowed for the crash. I looked out the back window at one point and could see the roiling crowd of dust that was the peleton rounding the curve behind us.

Also included a little snippet of whats to come as far as actually driving on the cobbles. From here on out the crowd 'participation' stared to get a little hairy. As you can see in the video, they were lined up and ready to go...