Watching the race on TV while not home

Waiting for the race to come in the mountains is not so exciting. Some
people bring a TV set with a satellite receiver. I recognized this back in
2005. Those who drove up into the mountains in their camping cars often 
had a TV set with a satellite receiver.

This mobile satellite receiver had been on my mind for a while before I
bought one on my own August 2006. I had this receiver with my while 
following Tour of Germany but never used it because I did not have
the time to set it up. In fact, I have never seen a satellite broadcasting
with this equipment.

When not up in the mountains (in cities and suburbs), the usual
terrestrial broadcasting can be received, analog or digital.
So called DVB has been in use for a while in Europe. I thought having
a mini LCD TV receiver with a battery might be great. I am going to
get one sometime soon.

There is this incident that has been on my mind since Amstel Gold Race
2006. I was standing on the road side where I thought the riders would
throw the sacoche away about 1km after the Team CSC's team car. I did 
get a sacoche that day from Michael Blaudzun. However, the incident I am
describing is something else.

There were houses on the opposite side of the street. I was standing with
my back to the woods. The house directly in front of me had a big 
glass-paned window with no blinds or curtains down. I could see the living
room. I was not peeping. A couple, middle aged, were sitting in a couch
and watching TV; Amstel Gold Race was being broadcast. I peeked at the
screen sometimes in a distance. I could see the riders were approaching
as the TV program showed the riders struggling that Cauberg climb and 
as the helicopters were approaching. The woman, his wife, stood up  and
peered outside through the window while the husband sat in the couch
with his back to me. People came out of their houses to cheer for the
riders. The man never stood up nor looked back. He was glued to the
TV all the time. He could see his own house in the screen, I guess. 
Perhaps he saw himself most likely his own shoulders.

I will turn off the TV before the race comes! If watching the race on TV
were what I want, I would stay home and save money.

Deutschland Tour (Tour of Germany)

Today (27th March) this year's route was unveiled. It starts in
Saarbrücken (Friday 10th August) and ends in Hannover (Saturday
18th August). 

That means, because I am going to spend most of my holidays 
for Tour de France, that I can only watch the 3rd Stage, which starts 
in Pforzheim and ends in Offenburg. I guess Pforzheim is less than
100km from where I live and Offenburg is located about 200km. I 
have to look into the detailed course to see if I can do 3-point watch.
Not bad! I wish I had more holidays (Urlaub in German).

I will try to take a day off on Saturday 11th to see the TTT
(Team Time Trial or MZF, which in German reads
Manschaft-zeit-fahren) in Bretten (Karlsruhe).

In 2006, I followed 4 stages of D-Tour from Austrian Alps to Karlsruhe.
It was Tour of Jens Voigt. He dominated the Tour of Germany. Does
he do it again?

Tour of Cologne

Or Rund um Köln

This event is held on Easter Monday. Three years ago (2004), I was in
Cologne. At that time I went there by train and stayed all day at the
goal. Back then, I did not have a road racer. Four months later I bought
Cervélo.

I think it was the first time I actually watched a road race. 
(I came to Germany at the end of September 2003)

This year I plan to go watch Rund um Köln on my way back home from
Ronde van Vlaanderen. Two races in two consecutive days. Convenient!

I did this in 2006 when I saw Rund um die Hainleite (Erfurt) and Giro
Bochum (Bochum). This year I may be able to see only Giro Bochum.

Team CSC's official site has announced the participating riders. My guess
was some of the riders from RVV might come to this race.

I was dead wrong! I was an ass! What was I thinking? Riding RVV is
hard enough and riders need a good rest. 

Well, good thing is I will be able to see Kurt-Asle Arvesen,
Matthew Goss and Chris Anker Sørensen for the first time this year.
In fact,  I will see Goss and Sørensen for the first time ever!

I have already loaded a camping site, I plan to stay, near the start
(Leverkusen) in my GPS. Later I have to figure out the best route
to do the 3-point watch (Start, Feed Zone and Goal).

3-point watch is a term concocted by me. I don't know the proper way 
to express it. Basically, it mean watching a race at the start and goal and
an additional point of space during the race. This additional point is
Feed Zone for me because you can expect to see the soigneurs there and
you can sometimes get some souvenirs.

Normally, 3-point watch is only feasible when the race is held in
an area where motorways are dense. It is almost impossible to do 
this

Painting the road

Camping is the economical way of staying in France (and other
countries). No doubt. It is cheaper than staying at hotels. However, 
the cost is not the only reason that makes camping the better way of 
finding to place to sleep when chasing Tour de France.

In the mountains, camping (putting out a tent or sleeping in a camping
car) is the only way to find lodging. As so many people show up and stand 
along the course to watch the riders climb and suffer, you may want to 
get there first and reserve the best spot you can find before others
show up. Getting there and staying there gives you an edge. 
Getting there earlier than others means something else, too.

This year, I am planning to stay on top of Col du Galibier and Col
d'Aubisque and probably other places in the mountain.

In 2006, I could not do something that I wanted to do althoug I prepared
for. That is painting the road. I took a paint can and some brushes in
the car but never had the time to do painting. I even made a template 
for the CSC logo before leaving for France. I realized that to make time 
for painting camping out there the night before was mandatory.

This year, I paint the "CSC" logo in that red and riders names.

Ronde van Vlaanderen Part III

Team CSC's official site updated the calendar and as expected Fabian
Cancellara will participate in RVV. And as expected, Allan Johansen 
and Lars Michaelsen will be there, too. There was an issue of
"Procycling" which had an article on Team CSC's riders testing
the equipment for the upcoming fight against cobble stones. 
Cancellara, Johansen and Michaelsen were there.

I wrote that Fabian Cancellara had already voiced his ambition to
win RVV in some interview. 

Cancellara's parents might be there.  I am sure they still remember me
easily if I am there wearing Team CSC team wear.

Anyway, the next day, 9th April, I will be in Cologne (Koeln) Germany
to see Rund um Koeln. I expect some of the riders who take part in RVV 
will be there. I will look for a camping site near Cologne.

Critérium International Part II

My GPS already knows where to drive to (Start and Goal). There are
two stages held on 1st April. I have to be there early in the morning.
Luckily I don't have to drive too far, only 370km to get there. And
my GPS tells me to drive via Luxembourg and Belgium. Before I
enter France, there is no motorway (highway). That means 
I won't be paying the toll.

What is missing is Team CSC 2007 team jersey and etc.

GPS Navigation System

I purchased Garmin StreetPilot C510 Deluxe December 2006. 
And I love it. Driving to unknown locations via unknown route 
has never been so easy. 

GPS Navigation system is a godsend electronic gadget, at least
it is so unil some other gadgets replace it in the future. 

My Garmin StreetPilot C510 works great. So far I have been to
Buurne (Belgium) and Paris (France) using the GPS Navigation. It
saves time and energy on my part. There are some usuful sites. Some 
sites post free POI's for GPS users to download.

• GPS Data Team (http://www.gps-data-team.com/)
  
• Garmin's POI's (http://www.maft.co.uk/garmin/)

I need the coordinates for camping sites and others. I would appreciate
if someone step out and let me know other useful sites.

Of course, I would like to have a GPS Map60 CSx, which enables
one to take a log and to see the altitude. One can mount it on a bike.

Camping in France (and other countries)

Camping in France! I love it. According to some guide books, there are 
about 8,000 camping sites in France. In 2006 I visited 4 sites. 

1. "Camping France" by Michelin (www.ViaMichelin.fr)
   
2.  "Campingfuehrer Deutschland /Europa" by ECC (Europa Camping + Caravaning www.ecc-campingfuehrer.de/)

The word "camping" means in both French and German what it 
means in English, I guess. I had never realized camping was so
convenient and practical until 2006 when I travelled in France
to follow "Tour de France". 

I camped out at places not designated for camping. People just 
put out their tents wherever (along the parcours of the TdF stages)
they wanted. I joined them. I guessed, at that time, that the police 
turned a blind eye to those campers during TdF as long as they 
did not disturb the local community.

I talked to people who also chased the Tour and they told me 
that the police helped them find the place to put out their tents 
where usually camping is not allowed. I can not say that this is 
always the case with the police and campers outside designated 
camping sites.

Staying at camping sites is very reasonable (or at least cheaper)
than staying at hotels. I am not sure if staying at camping sites
is more fun than staying at YMCA (you know, the Village People),
though.

They have at least restrooms with running water, hot showers
and most importantly, security. All you need is a tent, sleeping 
bag and a cooker of some kind to boil water for a cup of coffee.

I purchased Garmin StreetPilot C510 Deluxe December 2006. 
And I love it. Driving to unknown locations via unknown route 
has never been so easy.

National Flags

Team CSC riders come from many countries. I collect the national flags
that Team CSC riders' nationality represents. Yesterday, 20th March,
I bought Russian, Argentine and Luxembourg national flags. I wanted
to have small size flags (about 300 x 500 mm?) so that I can carry them
with ease. Unfortunately they were not available. I have to devise a way
to display them. At Critérium International, I will display Danish flag, 
Argentine flag, German flag, Luxembourg flag and the Stars and Stripes.

Now the list written previously is complete.
Argentine (Juan José Haedo)
Russia (Alexandr Kolobnev)
Luxembourg (Andy and Frank Schleck)

I have them (flags) in my car all the time. My automobile is not
equipped with a spare tire. In case of a flat, I am supposed to pour 
some icky fluid into the tire and inflate it with an electric pump powered 
by 12V battery by way of the cigarette lighter socket. So I can fill the
empty space left by  the ghost spare tire with those flags along with a 
sleeping bag and other stuff. This other stuff include plastic champaigne
glasses just in case I am to celebrate a big victory on Champs Elysées.

Ronde van Vlaanderen Part II

One thing came to mind after reading the previous posting again. Fabian
Cancellara, ITT World Champ, said that he would like to win Ronde van
Vlaanderen in 2007 in some interview. He added, something like, that
defending the Paris-Roubaix title would be great but winning RVV 
would be great, too since he had not done it. I do not recall where
I read this nor his exact comment. I know that Fabian Cancellara
wants to win RVV.

Anyway, 1st October 2006 at  Züri Metzgete in Zurich, I had a
surprise meeing with special people. I was at the Feed Zone near Team
CSC's team cars with my Cervelo in Team CSC team kit when a man
called to me and beckoned to me saying, "Cyclista! Kom!"
(This may not be the exact words he emitted but this was
what I thought I heard)

I thought he was drunk and that he wanted to make fun of me or 
something. As he kept beckoning to me, I had to come to him. 
He looked like Sean Connery, I thought. I tentatively and very
politely greeted him. It turned out that he was sober and was a gentleman.

He seemed to be interested in my jersey at first. We talked for a
while about my Team CSC jersey filled with Team CSC riders' autograph.
Then he asked if I had Fabian Cancellara's autograph. I had had him
autograph my jersey just a while ago. (Getting his autograph was
not so easy. I failed in Bern-TdS and in Hamburg-Vattenfall and
perhaps more?)
I pointed at my prized souvenir. He produced an 
autographed postcard and introduced himself and his wife. 
They were Papa and Mama Cancellara. We talked on but my German
was not good. He was a very funny man. As we waited for him to pass by, 
he took out his cell phone and said if he should call his son to say,
"Schnell! Schnell, Fabian!" (German for "Quick")

I knew Fabian Cancellara was from Bern (capital of Switzerland). His
parents could come to Zurich in an hour or so.

Long story short. We, kinda, promised to see again in 2007 at Paris-
Roubaix or somewhere where Fabian Cancellara would be in action.

So, they might be at the goal in Ninove waiting for their son to come
first. So I had to go see the goal if Cancellara participates in RVV to 
look for his parents.  So much to do!

Ronde van Vlaanderen

I am planning to see Ronde van Vlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders, on 8th
April. The first challenge is driving to Brugge to see the start. It is far away.
Secondly, there are so many good places to watch the race where I would
like to be in so little time.

Since the race is known for its tough climbs with cobble stones, I would 
like to see the riders in action there. On the other hand, I like Feed
Zones (ravitalleiment, bevoorrading, Verpflegung) for obvious reasons.

Accoring to the materials available at the official site, those two feed 
zones are only 11km apart. I might find a way to see them both and
quickly drive to the goal (Ninove). Perhaps parking the car in the
midway between those two places and moving on my bike between
them could be possible if the weather permits. Since at the start 
before the race I will meet the Team CSC riders and staff, going
to see the goal is not so essential. The goal will be so crowded that
I may not see the riders at all. 

Mobility is the key. I might buy a rear door mount bike rack for my car.
That way, I can mount and dismount my bike much quicker (than
removing and mounting the wheels and putting the bike in the car).

Thule Freeway 968 would be my choice. Oddly enough, this model is
not sold in Germany. I can buy them via Internet from other European
countries. It is sold in Frace, UK or Poland but why not in Germany?

Critérium International

I noticed earlier this blog site's automatic line feed is terrible. Some text goes out of the 
visible area. I have to explicitly feed the line manually.

I am planning to go to see Critérium International on April 1st. That day
they have two stages; a relatively short race in the morning and a TT in
the afternoon. That mean I had to be there at least 7:00 in the morning,
1 hour and a half before the race start.

Team CSC's participating riders are already announced. Excellent 
members. The Schleck brothers and Bobby and Jens. These are most 
likely room mates at their hotel. I have already met Lars Bak and
had him autograph me. I am reallylooking forward to seeing JJ Haedo
and Chris Anker Sørensen for the first time.
And I will have Anders Lund's autograph, which I missed at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

One concern is 2007 Team jersey is not available yet. Unless the Team
CSC web shop start selling the stuff Monday 19th March miraculouly
and immediately and then the Danish Post and Deutsche Post hand in 
hand deliver the pack miraculously and immediately, I won't have the 
jersey by April 1st. 

I had 27 out of 30 Team CSC riders autograph my Team CSC 2006 jersey
(short sleev and long sleeve) in 2006. I missed Christian Vande Velde 
(although I encounted him at Tour de Suisse and Tour de France), Peter Luttenberger and Brian Vandborg(I could not see them in 2006).

This year I have already had these people;
Lars Bak
Kasper Klostergaard
Martin Pedersen
Luke Roberts
Andy Schleck
Alexandr Kolobnev
Christian Vande Velde
David Zabriske
Frank Schleck
Bobby Julich
and
Bjarne Riis

Paris-Nice Addendum

Addendum:
While hanging out around the team bus hunting for the chance to get the
autograph, I happened to see ASO president Patrice Clerc come to chat
with Bjarne Riis. They had a brief chat with a big smile on Clerc's face.
Monsieur Clerc parted with our Boss with a pad on his shoulder. This 
smile and the pad seemed to me a sign that said, "Your team's spot on ASO
organized races are secure (as long as you are with me)."

Paris-Nice Part V

One thing I did not have was the Start list on that day.
I had taken the photo of the Team CSC rider's start time taped on the bus.
So I knew who was starting at particular time. Since the main objective
was to support (root for) them but not to take picture of them, usually I don't get good picture of them. I don't even bother to 
look at the LCD screen on the back of the camera to see what is in 
the finder. Consequently, I often get those horrible pictures of 
unfocused asphalt, trees and the sky. 

That day I did manage to get Andy Schleck, Frank Schleck and Bobby Julich in action.

Anyway, after the race I managed to get Franck Schleck, David Zabriske and Bobby Julich autograph my Team CSC retro sweater. I also get the bidon that Bobby used while cooling down his muscle on the trainer after the race.

So that was it. a typical race day ended. I had 550km to drive back home.

Paris-Nice part IV

Alejandro's Tool case. A real pro's work place.

It is the autograph time! Riders came and got their TT bike to make the practice rounds. TT stage is not the most optimal occasion for a fan to beg for an autograph. 
Before the TT, some riders, who want to take the staeg, prepare themselves for the stage; and the preparation often requires concentration, thus the riders avoids any distraction. 

I respect that and try not to disturb those riders. Then it is hard to get their autograph. It is also
difficult to get their attention when riders shut themselves behind the tape and ride the trainer.

But this Paris-Nice prologue is differnet. Because the TT course is so short and consequently the riders spend most of the time riding the actual course. They come out of the taped area. Plus, the weather was fine that day. Who is not in a better mood?

I got Christian Vande Velde, Alexandr Kolobnev, Andy Schleck and Bijarne Riis to autograph my CSC retro sweater. In the process Christian commented, "You are ruining a fine sweater." Well, it is not 100% accurate words but he said something like that and I said, "Not. It is for that purpose."

I had already had Kasper Klostergaar and Luke Roberts at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne the previous week. 
I had three more to get, namely Bobby Julich, Dave Zabriske and Frank Schleck. 

I new the course from last year's visit and I also made the morning rounds. The sharp turn in the middle of the ascent was the place I chose to stay to watch the race. 

I have "stuff" in my car. Some national flags, 
Ukrane (Volodymir Gustov), 
Holland (Karsten Kroon), 
Sweden (Marcus Ljungqvist), 
Norway (Kurt-Asle Arvesen), 
Germany (Jens Voigt), 
Australia(Luke Roberts, Stuart O'Grady, Matthew Goss),
U.S.A (Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriske, Bobby Julich),
Spain (Carlos Sastre, Iñigo Cuesta),
Switzerland (Fabian Cancellara),
Danmark (Lars Bak, Michael Blaudzun, Matti Breschel, Allan Johansen, Kasper Klostergaard, Anders Lund, Lars Michaelsen, Martin Pedersen, Chris Anker Sørensen, Nicki Sørensen). 

I am missing the Russian flag for Alexandr Kolobnev, Argentine flag for Juan José Haedo and Luxembourg flag for Andy and Frank Schleck.

Let me introduce myself.

As, I guess, you have already figured out, I am a fan of Team CSC. My hobby is riding my bike,  watching bicycle races and going to a race where Team CSC participate. 
This blog is about Team CSC and my humble existence in Europe.

I have been living inGermany for since September 2004. I once lived in California U.S.A.
 for about 4 years. Oh, I was born and raised in Japan. I guess in my gene I have something 
that makes me want to live in forein countries not in my native country. 

I don't have my picture on this site. On the other hand, you can find me in many picutures at Team CSC's web site in those photos taken at Tour de France 2006 on Champs Elysees Avenue.

Anyway, that is enough. 

Paris-Nice Part III

Bobby cooling down after the race. This very bidon on his bike was to be mine a few minutes later. Thank you Bobby!

This was the second time I did Paris-Nice. Last year, 2006, I came
here. This year was no different than last year; only just one week before
the set date I thought I would not be there. The ongoing and unsettled
battle between UCI and three big race organizers (ASO, Unipublic, RCS)
and its dismal media report made me think that the race would not take
place. So instead of just staying home doing nothing, I decided to go watch 
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. It turned out the dispute was shelved, 
only shelved for momentarily, at the last moment and Paris-Nice
was to take place as it was planned by ASO but not by UCI 
(because Unibet was out).

I had 550km to drive to Paris, a real midnight oil burning so to speak. Driving is easier
and life is much sweeter with a GPS navigation system on board. So I got to Paris
around 6:30 am Sunday morning.

I saw people (policemen, race organizer's worker's) working in the dark. I
found a parking space near the Goal and Start. It was Sunday and the
parking along the curb was free. I dozed off for a while. I woke up around
9:00 and decided to look around. It was a sunny and warm day.

As usual, I took out my bike and assembled it. It was only moment later
when I stoppedat the  intersection when a car honked at me. 
It was Team CSC Skoda Octavia driven by DS Allan Gallopin. I recognized 
Frank Schleck in the front seat (and Bobby Julich was in the back but I 
did not notice that at that time).

I was wearing Team CSC retro sweater and on my Cervelo.  Of course by now they
(team staff and team riders) saw me and recognized me. (I have been haunting
them quite a while by now.)

I did not expect any actions going on this early. I remembered that last year I was wandering about the area for the Start when 
I saw Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt riding the TT bike checking the course 
early in the morning. So it happened again.

This year I wanted to ride the TT course just to get the feel. I figured that
the best way to do this is do the rounds early in the morning. By
then, the course is indicated with those arrows. If I did this too late,
the police would keep the cars, bikes and pedestrians off the course. 

Team jerseys for 2007 are not available. I don't have them. Customarily I 
show up at a race event wearing the team wear and have them autographed 
by the riders. Not so many fans do this; it may make you look like a geek. 
Well, the first time I did this, I was self-conscious and felt a little bit 
awkward. Now I feel comfortable in them. Let's admit it. I am a freak.

Anyway, I was wearing Team CSC retro sweater, jeans, Podium cap, 
Oakley shades and normal shoes (not cycling shoes). You can easily use
Speedplay pedals with normal casual shoes anyway.

I went to the Start and as I passed Bobby Julich and Frank Schleck. I 
greeted them with "Good morning" and Bobby replied "Morning" and Frank 
"Hey man!" They were going to ride the course early in the morning on
their Cervelo Soloist. It was the second time I heard him say the similar. 
At Drei Länder Tour in Mannheim, Frank said, "What's up, man?" to me.

I remember seeing Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt making the morning
rounds alsoearly in the morning last year (2006).
The early bird catches the worm.

I found the Team CSC bus with the material truck. TT machines were
already out and Tacx Satori were also out. As expected Alejandro was there. 

I rode the prologue course. As the profile of the course indicates, the first
half is an ascent and the latter half is a descent. I was at the end of the
descent when Frank and Bobby passed me from behind on their TT bike.

Hanging out around the Team bus is the key to getting autographs and
taking pictures. Most riders (Team CSC or otherwise) came between 
10:30 and 11:00 am. As I saw last year, they rode the course round and round. 

Race watch schdule for 2007

The following is the provisional schedule for this year. The highlight is, of course, Tour de France. The races I actually watched are written in bold red. 

4th March: Kuurne - Brussel - Kuurne
11th March: Paris - Nice (Prologue)

1st April: Critérium International
8th April: Tour des Flandres
9th April: Rund um Köln
15th April: Paris-Roubaix
22nd April: Amstel Gold Race
29th April: Liège - Bastogne - Liège

1st May: Rund um den Henninger Turm (Frankfurt am Main)

24th June: Tour de Suisse (ITT last stage, Bern)

1st July: National Championship (Germany)
7th-29th July: Tour de France (all stages)

4th August: Rund um die Hainleite (Erfurt)
 : Deutschland Tour
19th August: Vattenfall Cyclassics (Hamburg)
26th August: Eneco Tour

23rd September: Drei Länder Tour (Germany)
27th September: World Championship, TT (Stuttgart)
30th September: World Championship (Stuttgart)

7th October: Züri Metzgete (Zurich)

Paris-Nice Part II

Alexandr Kolobnev, who was to win a stage the next day. A lot of fan came up to him with autograph cards with his picture in Rabobank jersey.

A typical preparation for a one-day race watch.

1. Download the race info from its official web site (Parcours, Time table and etc)
2. Inspect the time table and decide where and what to watch
3. Work on the GPS map on the PC to mark the important places as waypoints and transfer them to the GPS navigation system
4. Stock up (food and drinks that I consume behind the wheel)
5. Set up my bike as "race watch" spec. (Zipp wheels etc.)
6. Fill the car up and load the car with the above

A typical equipment set for a race watch.

• Felt-tipped pens (to autograph with)
• Team jersey (to have them autographed)
  
• The Bike (for increased mobility)
• A Digital Camera
• Other cheering goods (National flags etc.)

For Paris-Nice (I can only watch the prologue in Paris), I have completed Step 5 by Friday and Saturday 10th March I will complete Step 6. This is a standard procedure for one-day race watch.

For stage races like Tour de France or Tour of Germany, where I stay overnight for more than two nights, the procedure is more complicated. It involves finding the place to sleep.

In 2006 I followed Tour de France prologue to stage 2 and stage 13 to 20. The first stages took place in Strasbourg (and its neighboring area) and I could travel to Strasbourg by train. Every day I went there and came home by train. DB (Deutsche Bahn) discount tickets are available. The tickets that I used were valid within Germany, 
namely up to the border station "Kehl". I could pay a little bit to ride to Strasbourg. 
Strasbourg is the second stop from there. So, I rode my bike to get to Strasbourg from Kehl.

There is a bridge (Franch name Pont de L'Europe and German name Europabrücke) over the Rhein a couple hundred meters from the train station. 
There is the border line between the two countries in the middle of the bridge. 

Within Germany you are required to pay for the bicycle tickets. Yes, carrying your bicycle with you on a train costs you unless you dismount the bicycle and pack it in a bag. Within France you don't have to pay for the bicycle if you have a valid ticket for the train.

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Kuurne_Brussel-Kuurne part II

The team arrived. They started unloading the bikes and putting bidons on the bike. 
At this stage, I (and other fans) start inspecting the bikes. Sometimes I find something interesting, like new prototype equipment being tested or some peculiar things on the bike.

All the team bikes had Zipp full carbon rim (34mm or 58mm height) with "Pave & Cross" stickers on them with the hubs also marked with "Pave & Cross" and Vittoria Pave tubular with green color. Actually, Pave has to be spelled as a French word " Pavé".

I guessed that Zipp wanted the team to use this wheels through out the Spring including those so called Spring Classics known for their harsh paved roads. 
There was an article in Procycling where Team CSC riders 
(Allan Johansen, Lars Michaelsen and Fabian Cancellara) testing the Equipment on 
the cobble stones (which is Pavé).  Johansen had his wheel (Zipp) broken.

Everybody had the FSA K-Force light crankset (one of the lightest on the market) except for Lars Bak. He had a very special crankset (on his spare bike, too).

After that I went to the Feed Zone, about 50km away from the Start. It was about an hour drive. I don't have much luck getting what I want; bidons, sacoche and others that the riders dispose of. Sometimes I do get lucky. For example, in 2006 at Amstel Gold Race, Michael Blaudzun threw the sacoche at me. 
He was about to get rid of his sacoche when he saw me and threw it at my foot. 

I drove back to Kuurne and had a much needed sleep after all for about an hour in my car.
I woke up around 4:00 pm to see the riders come backand make the rounds. I did not go to the Goal, instead, I waited by the team bus. 

So a typical race day ended. "See you next time!" to the team staff and I was to drive 550km back home. 

Paris-Nice Part I

Sunday 11th March 2007

It turned out that Paris-Nice would take place as it was planned (or as it was not planned by UCI). Anyway, I will be there.

Last year I went to Paris for the first time in my life (excluding the time when I used Charles de Gaulle Airport). At that time I did not have a GPS navigation system and used a rental car. That day it was brutally cold and even it snowed a bit in the afternoon. It was fun seeing my favorite Team CSC. I did not do any sightseeing in Paris.

This year I plan to ride the prologue course early in the morning before the police stop the traffic and start clearing the bikers and pedestrians off the street. Last year I spent much time looking for the Start and did not have enough time to ride the course. I actually saw Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt cheking the course in the morning, though. This year, I don't have to worry about the geography and I can concentrate on what I should be doing, namely, riding the same course as my Team riders and watching the race.

Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne part I

Photo: Lars Baks' Cervelo R3 with a somewhat suspicious crankset. His spare bike had the same crankset. He likes this crankset. FSA logo is a handmade sticker.


Sunday, 4th March 2007

The first trip to the race in 2007. Originally, K-B-K was not on my schedule; Paris-Nice was supposed to be the first race I would go see. Because of the ongoing battle between UCI and 3 grand tour organizers, I was not sure whether Team CSC would participate in Paris-Nice and decided to go see K-B-K.

I bought a GPS navigation system (Garmin Streetpilot C510) back in December 2006.
Since then I have been creating waypoints marking the places that I need as signposts and destinations for travelling to see bicycle races.

As always, I left home very late Saturday evening or more exactly really early Sunday morning around 1:00 am. The destination was a city called Kuurne in Belgium. 550km to go. With a help
of the navigation's system, driving was easy. Via Luxembourg, I arrived at the destination around 6:30 am Sunday morning.

It was still dark but relatively warm. As always, the first thing I had to do was to look for the 
"Start" and a proper parking place. As always, if there is still time to kill, I go sleep.

Around 9:30, I got our of my car and walked to the Start. There were already people (spectators) at the Start. Quick Step-Innergetic, Predictor-Lotte and one vendor were there to sell their merchandise. I thought I had seen them somewhere before. I was sure they would be at Paris-Nice prologue next week.

I walked back to my car and took my bike out. As always, the next thing I had to do was to look for the "Team bus parking place". That is where you get the autograph from your favorite riders.

There were designated  parking for the teams near the Start. 
There I waited for a while. Several teams came but Team CSC did not show up. 
It was then I saw Francaise des Jeux bus take an unexpected turn and head for another 
unknown parking place. It was past 10:30 am. 
"Damn it, there is another parking somewhere!" I chased the FDJ bus on my bike and found it. 
 

It happened to me again, I thought. It happened to me before.   I mean, being late to find the Team CSC bus and getting no autograph nor seeing the riders 
closely. 
It happend in Liège 2006. I could not find the bus and by the time I located it,  riders were gone or leaving hastily. It happened to me in Frankfurt am Main 2006. 

I located the hidden parking place. There was no Team CSC to find. I talked to a guy wearing Team CSC jersey on a bike. He had not seen them either. "Is there yet another secret parking?" 
I decided to return to the Start if Team CSC had arrived there around 11:00. On my way, 
I saw Team CSC bus arriving. They were just coming late. I rode beside them; 
the MAN bus, Skoda cars and VW van. They honked at me. That meant someone who knew me were driving.