Monthly Archives: March 2012

The Art of the Poker Face at 500 Watts: Recalling the Tour of Flanders

  By MJCT | March 29, 2012 - 5:18 pm | Luxury Cycling Tours
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The Tour of Flanders:  An account from 3 time participant, Marty Jemison

Also known as the “Ronde van Vlaanderen” (RVV), The Tour of Flanders is the first of the ‘Spring Classics’. It was first held in 1913 and is raced one week before Paris-Roubaix.  The 2012 race will be the 96th edition of this ‘monumental classic’ and will take place place on April 1st. The course is 254.4 kilometres (158.1 mi) long, between Brugge and Oudenaarde, Belgium.

The route has been changed this year and the new final features the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg, both will be climbed three times. Also included in the final is the infamous Koppenberg, this cobbled climb (hellingen in Dutch) has an average gradient of 11% with a maximum of 22% over and is 1.5 miles in length. (Yea, hard!)

Here is a list of the 17 climbs in the 2012 edition and their characteristics.

1. Nokereberg – Cobbled at 5.9% average and 1,200 feet long
2.Taaienberg – Cobbles at 6.6% average and 1,700 feet long
3.Eikenberg – Asphalt at 5.9% average and 2,000 feet long
4. Molenberg – Cobbles/Asphalt at 7% and 1,500 feet long
5. Rekelberg – Asphalt at 4% average; 9% max and 2,500 feet long
6. Berendries – Asphalt at 7% average and 3,000 feet long
7. Valkenberg – Asphalt at 8.1% average and 1,730 feet long
8. Oude Kwaremont – Asphalt/Cobbles at 4% average; 11% max and 2,2000 feet long
9. Patterberg – Cobbles at 12.9% average and 1,150 feet long
10. Koppenberg – Cobbles at 11.6% average; 22% maximum and 2,000 feet long
11. Steenbeekdries – Cobbles at 5.3% average and 2,200 feet long
12. Nieuwe Kruisberg – Cobbles at 6% average and 3,200 feet long
13 Oude Kwaremont – Asphalt/Cobbles at 4% average; 11% max and 2,200 feet long
14. Patterberg – Cobbles at 12.9% average and 1,150 feet long
15. Hoogberg-Hotond – Cobbles at 3.5% average; 8% maximum and 1,000 feet long
16. Oude Kwaremont – Asphalt/Cobbles at 4% average; 11% max and 2,2000 feet long
17. Patterberg – Cobbles at 12.9% average and 1,150 feet long

*don’t just look at  ‘average’ as the experienced riders know which climbs have extreme maximim percentage grades with horrid cobbles…

There is 100 kms or 62 miles of flat riding on the narrow roads of Flanders, Belgium before the race gets to the first hellingen (climb).  I have raced the the Ronde van Vlaanderen as a Professional on three occasions and every time it took almost exactly two hours to reach the first climb. The peloton starts with 198 riders and many who will not finish the race,  ride at the front keeping the pace around 30 mph average (Yea, it’s flat out!).  The course has a lot of turns so keeping a high average pace means that the peloton is screaming fast whenever there is a straight away. If there is any wind, it means that you will spend a lot of time in the gutter suffering before the first climb.  :)


Photo: Marty taking a dig on the Pattersberg hellingen

In 1999 I took 39th in the RVV and in 2000 I was in the race proudly wearing the stars and stripes as the US Professional Road Champion.

I had trained very hard over the winter and wanted to have a strong season while wearing the national champions jersey. You can see me racing in this short video

leading the peloton up the Kluisberg climb 180 kms into the race.  This was only the 5th climb in the race that year and most of the peloton was still together. As the climb got steeper, all of us at the front were pushing over 500 watts of power.  Its a real art to produce that kind of power with a poker face, but, even so you’ll only drop a few of the best Professional riders in the world.  As the race progresses the champions will attack the climbs with accelerations that greatly exceed 500 watts and likely hit 900-1000 for the real show.

If you watch the short youtube video you will see me get a flat tire at top of the Kluisberg. After getting a wheel change from my teammate, I desperately chased back to the group. Just as I had regained contact, a group of protagonists were escaping without the leader of my team, Viatcheslav Ekimov. Over the next hour I played a huge role to help him bridge back to the leaders. In 2000 I finished 71st.

My first year as a Professional, I was riding for the Dutch team, WordPerfect and was living close to the Murr de Geraardsbergen.  Living in Flanders, meant that I had ridden all of the hellingen several times, but the local Belgians are still amazing to race with. They ‘know’  exactly where to place themselves in the peloton and how to gauge their efforts. In that first year I had learned a lot from locals I was able to train with. It’s amazing to hear ‘what side’ of the peloton to be on and when to be in the top ten riders etc. etc. What may not be apparent on tv is how critical it is after the top of some of these climbs. After the hellingen where it flattens out, it’s often exposed and very windy, you must have good position with strong riders who will make sure the leaders do not get away.  The tactics in the Tour of Flanders can not be understated and the Belgians are the masters. Honestly, the hairs on my arms rise as I think about it.

The race starts in the beautiful city of Brugge and I encourage you to put this race on your bucket list of races to see in person. The last time I saw the race I was there as a spectator and visiting some of the riders and director sportiff’s that I knew.  I remember commenting to Scott Sunderland (DS at CSC at the time) about how quiet all of the riders were and he smiled and reminded me that for the riders it’s not all that quiet and that this was the calm before the storm. We had done so many races together, but perception as a rider and an observer are quite different. As quiet and calm as the riders seemed there ares enormous hearts beating strongly and preparing for the battle ahead. In the competitors minds it’s everything but quiet.


I’m living here in Park City and I will be watching the Ronde van Vlaanderen, live at Park City Roasters and will be happy to answer questions about the race. There is a deep tradition of bike racing in Belgium and the fans there, are hardened with knowledge and appreciation for the athletes.  It you are in the area feel free to stop in and say hello.

Marty Jemison
1999 US Professional Champion
Tour de France (1997 & 1998)
www.martyjemison.com

Marty’s Spring Classics photos with Jemison Cycling Tours can be found in our Gallery.

Adriaan Brouwer, fresh beer found only near Oudenaarde, Belgium and the finish of the Tour de Flanders aka Ronde van Vlaanderen

Milan-San-Remo:

  By MJCT | March 16, 2012 - 6:22 pm | Luxury Cycling Tours
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Milan-San Remo: Full throttle with Lance Armstrong and Andrei Tchmil

Milan San Remo – MSR kicks off the ‘Classics’ season on the Union Cyclist International calendar. The race is officially 298 kms long (185 miles) and will take the riders approximately 7 hours to complete. This year, there will be 3 Americans in the race: George Hincapie, Tyler Farrar, and Kiel Reijnen.

MSR started in 1907 and has been held 103 times. This year it comes six days after Paris-Nice, and only four days after Tirreno-Adriatico. Both are significant early-season stage races that open up the engines of the greatest riders in the World.

I rode the race in 1997 and 1999 and placed 80th and 60th, respectively. In those same years, I finished Paris-Nice 32nd and 28th. As a rider I remember wondering which stage race was better preparation for Milan San Remo. After racing over a week, you get to know how strong the riders are in the peloton, but what you don’t know is how you’ll do against the riders that rode the other stage race. MSR will have the strongest riders from both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adiratico: the combination means that there is a lot of horsepower lining up for the first Classic of the season.

The race starts at the Castle Sforzesco in Milan, Italy. It is so packed with fans that it is difficult to appreciate this beautiful citadel, the construction of which began in the 14th Century. After signing in, the riders follow the race director out of the city which adds 10kms or so to the official distance. Every rider knows: this is going to be one long day on the bike. Each year, when the flag drops the attacks start. In 1997 we covered 100kms in the first 2 hours! This is an important race, and every Italian fights to ride on the front to be on television. Thankfully the first 120kms are relatively flat.

The first difficulty of the race comes between 134 -142kms, but this only slows the pace of the peloton slightly. The climb is gentle and only 8kms long. Next comes the Manie-Valico climb at 199kms, and it tends to test the condition of your legs. It only averages 6.7% over 4.7kms, but has a small section of 11%. After 120 miles of racing it can feel like somebody is driving nails into your legs or, if you’re feeling good, it can give you confidence for the remaining 98kms.

In 1999, just as we hit the coast of the Mediterranean, Lance Armstrong rode up next to me and asked calmly, “Why do you do this? Why do you race’? I was working harder relative to him, and was a bit puzzled by his question. Because of the brutally fast pace and constant fighting for position, I couldn’t answer him right away, but I remember thinking to myself: “I race because I love it.”

I had a good position riding up the Cipressa when Andrei Tchmil started fighting to come up on my right hand side, right on the edge of the road. This was the wind-protected side of the peloton, and he had the confidence to overtake me, but I shut the door on him. I knew it pissed him off but I was determined to hold my position. I was working for Viatcheslav Ekimov and had no reason to help anybody else. A few moments later, I heard Andrei mention my name to Eki. Whatever Eki said to Andrei worked in my favor. Later that year, in the Tour de France, both Andrei and I worked together on more than one occasion in the mountains of the Alps and Pyrenees. In some way, respect and friendship were formed that day on the Cipressa.

I dug deep and made it over the top of the Poggio — the final climb of the race — with the leading group, but on the descent I struggled to match the pace of the super-skilled descenders. I rode white-knuckled around each switchback, wondering if my tires were going to break free from the pavement causing me to slam into the stonewall. I lost several positions on the descent but managed to hang on the back of the group. On the way down the Poggio I thought about Sean Kelley’s achievement years before. As I fought to hold my position, I replayed the images of how he gained time and ended up winning the race in 1986, just ahead of Greg Lemond.

Looking through a dense cloud of dust and tasting lactic acid, I lifted my head to see someone’s arms being thrust into the air: I had finished in the same time of the winner and when I heard who had won an electric shock went through my body. The rider who had tried to nudge his way up my right side on the Cipressa, and who had time to chat with the rider I was working for, had just on Milan San Remo: Andrei Tchmil. His ability to have a ‘chat’ on the ascent of the Cipressa made a little more sense to me now.

Italians have won the race 50 times, and the best American finisher was my teammate from the 1993 US National Team, Fred Rogriguez. Fast Freddy took 2nd in 2002 behind Mario Cipollini.

Both George Hincapie and Tyler Farrar are sprinters and have a chance to win the race this year. On Sunday, I will also be looking to see how American Kiel Reijnen ends up.

After 300kms of professional racing on the bike what do you think happens next? Well, in my case, you take a quick shower and get in the soigneur’s car, who then drives you home to Girona. San Remo to Girona, Spain is 627kms away. Back in 1999, 200kph on the Autoroute was acceptable — and that was what the fast lane was for.

Thanks for reading,

Marty Jemison
www.martyjemison.com

A Look Back at Summer Adventure with Marty Jemison Cycling Tours (by Sam Starr)

  By MJCT | March 16, 2012 - 6:15 pm | Luxury Cycling Tours
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A Look Back at Summer Adventure with Marty Jemison Cycling Tours

Part of the story of building out Edwin into a pizza making machine has to do with bikes. Well, most things in my life can be traced to bikes. But especially in this case. You see, kitchens in trucks are expensive to build. Not to mention wood-fired ovens. The process also grinds away at certain emotional reserves. Both of these facts led me to gladly accept an invitation to temporarily return to duty on some of the most beautiful roads in Europe starting last August. And what a call of duty is was! Working with Marty and Jill Jemison is always full of fun challenges, excitement, and truly spectacular moments in the saddle and at the dinning table. I blocked out 6 weeks on my calendar, stitched up Edwin’s gaping holes in his aluminum side, and hopped the Atlantic.

I had the pleasure of joining up with four different groups traveling in three different regions: Basque Country, Provence, and Normandy. I’ll walk you through bits and pieces of my Basque trip, feeding on some great images that Marty has posted, as he always does with each trip. For a complete collection of images, in addition to more information about upcoming tours visit www.martyjemison.com.

The things most people think of when you mention “Basque” have to do with the separatist politics of the region in relationship to its ‘parent’ nation, Spain. While a fairly small portion of the population is interested in officially breaking away from Spain, it is true that the Basques are proud of their very independent history and distinctive culture. Furthermore, many Basque traditions (culinary, linguistic, architectural) extend beyond political borders.

We Even Found a mini-Wood-Fired Oven Pizza Place!

For example, our journey began in France, in the seaside resort town of Biarritz. Biarritz felt very much like a French sister city to San Sebatian, where our two-wheeled pilgramage would end seven days later. While both cities are historical resort towns, Biarritz boasts a history of high-profile vacationers, namely European Royalty. In 1854, wifey of Napolean the III built a palace on the beach there. We saw no European royalty, but a steady pack of surfers could be spotted in the water when we left for rides in the morning, and they were usually there when we came back. Strange, in some way, to see young Frenchies carrying surf boards, dressed in ROXY and RIP CURL gear, shouting to one another about surf conditions in French. Santa Barbara meets French west coast, I guess.

As you ride inland from the beaches, you’ll find a landscape that is lush to the point of flourescence. It reminds me of the hills in Vermont. Except with corn added into the equation- there is a lot of corn being grown there. Marty often introduced the day’s rides by talking about the surreal quality of the fauna and wildlife in the area, and it was true- you get the sense as you crest steep summits that the birds, cows, flowers-  even the shrubs- emit a robust, healthy glow.

Our next stop was St. Jean Pied du Port, or ‘foot of the pass’, traditionally a point along the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. I played the role of picnic-er and luggage transport for the day, so I scooted ahead of the group in the van to set up a lunch spread in a quaint village perched on a steep hilltop. These towns are so sleepy around lunchtime- not much was open. That didn’t stop us from pushing our noses against the glass of a local bike shop display window after we ate to admire the shop owner’s collection of antique racing bikes. The stuff he had was really amazing- old models that had early versions of derailleurs or braking systems,  wooden handlebars, hand-hammered fenders, all sorts of juicy curiosities.

St. Jean Pied du Port had some nasty climbs in store for us, some of the steepest I would see all season. But they took us up into such surreal cloud-lined pockets of the mountains, so it was worth the little bit of suffering. Some of our guests were skeptical

that they could make it over the pass, but I think everyone surprised themselves, as they always do. It turns out, world-class roads and scenery (with a small dose of peer pressure) can do a whole lot to your engine. Beyond the flourescence of the coastal hills,

these summits were mostly tree-less and very rocky. The fog was so thick that our visibility often fell below 30 or 40 feet up the road. We were almost as likely to encounter a slowly puttering car coming through the moist air as it was we were a herd of enormous mountain cows or goats. These cows were seriously large. Just before descending back into civilization, we explored an open grassy area adjacent to an old goat herder’s mountain hut. As you can see from Marty’s pictures, the site contains an arrangement of stones, presumably left-over artifacts from ancient Basque ritual and mythology. And I would believe it if you said some of our dear guests understood that mythology better that night after our group dinner that included some marvelous wines and an electric green Chartreuse!

The last leg of our journey connected St Jean to San Sebastian, leading us down out of the foggy mountains to one of the most gorgeous beach cities in Spain. The early part of the ride was what Marty and Jill might conservatively refer to as “lumpy.” After another amazing village picnic under the roof of an outdoor handball court, we descended from one of the larger summits. After you’ve crested that one climb, the whole rest of the ride is a seemingly endless serpentine dance with the Basque topography- down, down, down we coasted. Just to keep us from getting too spoiled, there was a bit of vertical left to conquer coming into San Sebastian. In fact, we got to enjoy one small chunk of the race course for the 1997 World Championship Road Race where Marty raced.

The final flourish of a fantastic week of adventure came on our dinner plates, as we enjoyed the Basque’s version of tapas, better known as “Pintxos.” Both of our nights out in San Sebastian were filled with amazing cuisine and local wines. There is a remarkable white wine produced in that coastal area that has a slight effervescence to it, and is very dry with a strong mineral presence. The pintxos will enchant you in a number of ways. First, the experience of ordering and eating these little creations could not be any more Spanish. The more yelling and close-quartered nudging, the better. Everyone crowds around the bar, trying to catch the server’s eye or ear as best they can. You can smell the woman’s perfume next to you as much as you can the sea urchin paste on the pan tostado sitting on the counter. Second source of enchantment: The Look. It’s often hard to imagine destroying the pintxos because they’re such amazing micro-sculptures. It’s obvious the chefs have put as much thought into the flavor as they have the presentation. Lastly, your mouth’s opinion of these culinary masterpieces will seal the deal: you’ll be back for more. I know I will be…

Life of a Professional Cyclist leading up to the Spring Classics

  By MJCT | March 16, 2012 - 6:01 pm | Luxury Cycling Tours
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Competitive Cyclist has asked me:  “What did the races leading up to the Spring Classics mean to you”?

After nearly two days of thinking about it my response is;  “Everything”.  Pure and simple, I loved to race my bike and, harder the races the better.  The harder the races, the less time my mind wanders. The Classics demand more ‘focus’ than other races in the world and I like that.  If your a bike racer then you’ve had moments in the pain cave. In the Classics, time in the pain cave lasts for hours and hours.

To start this blog I went back to look at some of my results that I found here:  http://wielrennen.hour.be/Renners_Wedstrijden.asp?NumRenner=989
It’s an interactive list and the results tell the story.  If these races don’t mean ‘everything’ to you then you’ll likely get spit out the back of the peloton.  The notable European races in the Spring are the true Power tests for cyclists. The races leading up to the ‘Classics’ are hard, but we all know that when you arrive to best races in the world there is more talent and riders who are peaking.  There are battles, and then there is war.  The Classics are a legalized war amongst men – modern gladiators.

As I neo-Pro, I remember the excitement and anticipation before my first semi-classic. I was focused on proving to my team that I had value and deserved my contract.  In the end I got good result and caught a lot of attention;  Omloop het Nieusbald was stacked with big hitters… (http://wielrennen.hour.be/Renners_Wedstrijden_Detail.asp?Day=26&numwedstrijd=1&numjaar=8&Code=A )

As a neo-Pro with WordPerfect I suffered badly in Paris-Nice. Later, I finished 32nd and 28th in ‘97 & ‘99 respectfully.  Each year we made it to Nice, my engine had been transformed and was starting to fire. It takes hard stage races like this to prepare yourself for the what is coming up.

As much as you fine tune and open up the engine, in Paris-Nice for example, it’s a whole another level in the first Classic; Milan-San-Remo.  MSR  is the longest Classic and takes nearly 7 hours to complete. There is at least an extra hour of time in the pain cave over any stage in Paris-Nice, but because of those 8 days of intense racing, mentally and physically, you’re ready for a 298kms day. That’s nearly 185 miles, with an average speed close to 45kph or 28 mph, each year.

When was the last time you averaged 28 mph for over one hour?  In Milan-San-Remo  we do it for nearly 7 hours. If a race like this doesn’t mean ‘everything’ to you,  you’ll get spit out of the peleton and likely spit out of the sport.

The Classics in Belgium are harder than Milan San Remo. It’s going to take the imprinting of MSR and more racing and training to be ready for what’s waiting up North. After another tune up stage race like Catalunya or Basque along with a semi-classic or two, are the battles that prepare you for the war ahead.

I’ve done all of the Classics, but I like certain races more than others. I prefer Tour of Flanders over Paris-Roubaix, because of the cobbled climbs. Out of 200 riders, I’m much better on the cobbled climbs over the flat cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. In 2000, I made the early break in Paris-Roubaix for nearly 120kms and this made the race bearable and enjoyable really. It was an honor to be wearing the U.S. National Championship jersey and showing it to the world all the way to the Arrenburg Forest.  See a video clips here:

PR-A  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHbHu8-NeKQ
PR-B  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYgVewERQcw
PR-C  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJgcYOsrv5Y


Climbing the Pattersburg in the Tour of Flanders

Tour of Flanders 2000:  Marty leads the Peloton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27nzucHpm5Q

My favorite Spring races are: the semi-Classic race, Fleche Wallone; and, the Classic race Liege-Bastogne-Liege. I improved my results each year, and finally, in 1999, I took 2nd place in points behind Michel Bartoli for the combined results by placing 19th in Flech Wallone and 18th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege. LBL is often argued as the hardest of the Classics and cracking the top 20 means your throwing/ducking punches with the best riders in the World. I had a good week.

Fleche Wallone clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuP0kyz-HDA
Liege-Bastogne-Liege clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=549OtINR_LQ
Hammer down on La Redoute 1999
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJintCgzG5o

Amstel Gold usually comes after the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.  The first 150-200kms of this race scares me the same way being in the peleton across the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix does. However, the dangers of Amstel Gold come from the ‘traffic furniture’ found throughout Holland. Loosely translated, ‘traffic furniture’, refers to all of the tight round-abouts, curb and gutters, sign posts, bike paths and all kinds of urban concrete for motorists and bikes.  It makes stressful racing if you were not born and raised in that part of the world.

I have survived and avoided the many crashes that occur in Amstel Gold to be in the mix as the race reaches the hilly sections in the last 50kms. This is a big relief, but the stress of the first 200kms always took its toll, and I just didn’t have the legs for a top 20 in the final.

In 1999 I did every Spring Classic, Milan San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Amstel Gold which I believe is pushing the human limit. I only counted 3 other riders that did all those races that year.  Usually the teams split their riders who  prepare and do 2-3 Classics before taking a much needed rest.  However, I loved to race my bike and the harder the races the better.  I guess that includes a program, the harder the better;  but looking back on it, I believe it was a little over the top.

For most riders who will race the Tour de France in July, it’s okay to completely destroy yourself in the Spring Classics and then take a rest before focusing on France.

Thanks for reading.

Marty Jemison
www.martyjemison.com