Last Friday we started a 4 day, 5 stage, stage race. On Friday we did a TTT. We finished 7th of 24 teams. We had a Kermesse that night. We have had Kermesses each day since. I finished in the top end of the 140 rider pack both day. Breaks got away both days, but I wasn't able to get into either of them.
Today was a flat fast Kermesse. I started in the middle of the pack and slowly moved up. I found that if I stayed in my 52x16 (hardest gear allowed for 15-16s) my legs would lose their pop after accelerating from 10kph to 50kph out of every turn. I started shifting into my 52x18 and could accelerate faster and move up through the group. With 2 laps to go (12km) I got near the front. I fought for position and stayed in the top 15. With 1.5km to go a break of 2 riders got up the road. At 1km to go I jumped and got a gap on the field. I stayed away until the final turn. The pack caught me and I was shelled off the back.
I risked it and it didn't pay off, but I gave it a try
Tomorrow is the final day.
2 comments:
Hi Marcus,
Some great racing in Belgium.
Not to be too pedantic but I noticed that all you guys use the word kermesse to mean a race. That is not correct. A kermesse/kermis is a village festival. There are kermesses without races, and kermesses have lots of events other than races (such as dances, performances, archery contests, etc. etc.
See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermesse_(festival)
In Belgium, villages often do hold bike race(s) during the festival. These races are called kermiskoers(en) or course de kermesse.
Koers is the word for a (bike) race. Although it means race it is rarely used for other races (a notable exception is Waregem koerse, a horse race).
The cycling tour is not a kermiskoers or a series of kermiskoersen, but an interclub event organized independent of a village festival.
Frank, you're wrong. A kermesse is the name of a festival, but is shares the name with the style of bike race usually shared with the festival. the word for bike is fiesten. kermesse can be spelled kermis.
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