Race watch schedule for 2007 update

I have been to the following races:
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)
3rd June: Bayern Rundfahrt (Stage 5)

10th-17th June: Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
24th June: Team Time Trial (Eindhoven)

*****************
(Team CSC non-participating races)
17th & 18th May: Rheinland-Pfalz-Rad-Rundfahrt (Stage 2&3)
7th June: Tour de Luxembourg (Stage 1)

I will go watch the following races:
(Team CSC non-participating race)
 1st July: National Championship (Germany)??? Jens Voigt is in?
*****************

7th-29th July: Tour de France (all the stages except UK stages)
I have to work "indirectly" for Team CSC and that is why I am
going to miss UK stages.


5th August: Sparkassen Giro Bochum
12th August : Deutschland Tour (Stage 3)
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) The race has been cancelled!!

Update on the autograph collection:
Lars Bak
Kasper Klostergaard
Martin Pedersen
Luke Roberts
Andy Schleck
Alexandr Kolobnev
Christian Vande Velde
David Zabriske
Frank Schleck
Bobby Julich
Chris Anker Sørensen
Juan José Haedo
Jens Voigt
Anders Lund
Volodymir Gustov
Kurt-Asle Arvesen
Mathew Goss
Michael Blaudzun
Allan Johansen
Niki Sørensen
Karsten Kroon
Stuart O'Grady
Carlos Sastre
Inigo Cuesta
Macus Ljungqvist
and
Bjarne Riis

Total 25 riders and 1 owner of the team

On my bike I got one from
Gérard Vroomen (Co-founder of Cervélo)

Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré Part VI

I am back from Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. will update the blog later. I am busy updating the other blog (in other language) and preparing for Tour de France so the updating will be slow. I took nice pictures and had a fantastic experience in France.

Update delayed

I should be updating the Bayern Rundfahrt race watch report, Tour de
Luxembourg (Stage 1) plans and Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré final
plans but I don't have much time. I am very lazy and busy preparing
for TdL and CdDL.

I only updated the race watch schedule. There is so much to do and
I have so little time.

Race watch schedule for 2007 update

I have been to the following races:
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)
3rd June: Bayern Rundfahrt (Stage 5)

(Team CSC non-participating races)
17th & 18th May: Rheinland-Pfalz-Rad-Rundfahrt (Stage 2&3)


I will go watch the following races:
 
(Team CSC non-participating race)
7th June: Tour de Luxembourg (Stage 1) ????


10th-17th June: Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
24th June: Team Time Trial (Eindhoven)

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

5th August: Sparkassen Giro Bochum
12th August : Deutschland Tour (Stage 3)
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) The race has been cancelled!!

Update on the autograph collection:
Lars Bak
Kasper Klostergaard
Martin Pedersen
Luke Roberts
Andy Schleck
Alexandr Kolobnev
Christian Vande Velde
David Zabriske
Frank Schleck
Bobby Julich
Chris Anker Sørensen
Juan José Haedo
Jens Voigt
Anders Lund
Volodymir Gustov
Kurt-Asle Arvesen
Mathew Goss
Michael Blaudzun
Allan Johansen
Niki Sørensen
Karsten Kroon
Stuart O'Grady
Carlos Sastre
and
Bjarne Riis

Total 23 riders and 1 owner of the team

On my bike I got one from
Gérard Vroomen (Co-founder of Cervélo)

Tour de Luxembourg Part I

There is a bicycle race called "Tour de Luxembourg" in Luxembourg
just like "Tour de France" in France.

I think I am mildly inclined to go and watch the race despite the fact 
that Team CSC is not there. I want to buy something in Luxembourg.
That flag with a red lion "the official ensign for ships registered in
Luxembourg". I have one, small one (about 20cm x 30cm) given to me 
by one of the Schleck fan club members close to the Schlecks. Now
I want a bigger one.

July 7th is a holiday in both Germany and Luxembourg. Most shops
are closed, I assume. I can still try one of those kiosks at the station.

Anyway, I have not decided yet whether I go or not.

The materials available from the official site, like PDF or JPG files
that describe the parcours, have no "Ravitaillment" in them. I am
sure that riders have lunch during the stage and there is a stretch of
road designated for that purposes. I have to ask someone to tell me
where at the race.

There will be "Tour de Luxembourg Part II" when I decide to go.

Tour de France 2007 Part II

Finally the official site announced the 21 names of the of invited teams. 
I am relieved to find Team CSC there. I am sorry for Unibet for not being
invited. After Patrice Clerc's comment, I don't think we can see Bjarne Riis
at the event. I saw these two men chat at Paris - Nice prologue and took
a picture of them. That was the honeymoon period and now the honey or 
milk has gone sour. 

Now I can concentrate on Tour de France. NOT! I am very much
distracted by Tour de Luxembourg. We have holidays. In Gemany 
June 7th is a holiday. I don't know why but I can accept the fatct.

I looked at the race calendar and realized that Tour de Luxembourg
would be held that particular day. I remember I almost went to
Tour de Luxembourg but did not because I had just bought a set
of ZIPP 404 tubular wheels a week or two weeks before and 
consequently did not have much money left.  ZIPP had a serious 
problem delivering their wheels at that particular time. My order
took over three weeks or so to be delivered. 

Tour de Luxembourg was not on Team CSC's race schedule this year.
So I had forgotten about the race until a few days ago.

I have not decided yet whether I should drive there or not. I have
been to Luxembourg. To be exact, I have driven to Belgium or 
France via Luxembourg. I know the gasoline is a bit cheaper there. 
This fact I came to know by accident. Honestly I just needed to fill 
up there and when the receipt came I was a little amused.  I heard
some people in Germany on the border drive to Luxembourg just 
to get cheaper gas. I am too away from Luxembourg to do that.

Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré Part V

The tentative but final version of my watch plan. 

Team CSC's site has posted the participating riders:
Iñigo Cuesta, Volodymir Gustov, Bobby Julich, Marcus Ljungqvist,
Anders Lund, Nick Sørensen, Chris Anker Sørensen and Christian Vande Velde.

I will try to get the autograph from two riders.

Prologue (Dimanche 10 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: Grenoble
What to do: Staying by the Team CSC team bus if the security
is not tootight. Or at the U-turn point in the middle of the
parcours.
Sleep at: Near Grenoble at a camping site

Stage one (Lundi 11 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: Start in Grenoble / the elusive feed zone
somewhere near Lozanne? (The Itinéraire de l'étape of Stage 1
does not indicate the ravitaillement)
What to do: Try to get the autograph from Iñigo Cuesta and
Marcus Ljungqvist / Pick up some bidons, sacoche or what is 
found / Take pictures
Sleep at: Near Saint-Paul-en-Jarez at a camping site

Stage two (Mardi 12 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: Start in Saint-Paul-en-Jarez, ravitaillement
near Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert and Finish in Saint-Etienne
What to do: ditto
Sleep at: Near Anneyron at a camping site

Stage three (Mercredi 13 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: One of the two MG. 4 or somewhere?
I have not decided where to be or what to do. I will check out the
parcours in the morning and then decide. If I find a good place to
be, I will take my car (satellite TV and paiting kit) and stay there.
What to do: not yet sure
Sleep at: Somewhere near the top of le Mont Ventoux.

Stage four (Jeudi 14 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: le Mont Ventoux
What to do: Watch the satellite TV and paint the road / (if possible) 
Climb the mountain from Bedoin in the morning.
Sleep at: Near Nyons at a camping site

Stage five (Vendredi 15 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: Start in Nyons
What to do: Bug the Team CSC riders at the start
( and then dirve to Col du Télégraphe)
Sleep at: somewhere near the top of Col du Télégraphe

Stage six (Samedi 16 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: Col du Télégraphe
What to do: Watch the satellite TV and paint the road / (if possible) 
Climb the moutain in the morning.
Sleep at: Valloire at a camping site?

Stage seven (Dimanche 17 juin 2007)

Place(s) to watch: Annecy? or Col de la Forclaz
What to do: Support Team CSC riders
When someone from Team CSC is after the general classification, 
I will definitely try to see the finish. Otherwise, I mightbe at the top
of Col de la Forclaz (category 1 climb 18.5km before the finish).

Drive home (over 550km to go via Switzerland) 

There are a lot of things I have to try and see as preparations for TdF.
I have to see if I have enough equipment for a long term camping trip.
I want to have a notebook computer to store the digital photo files from
the camera and to update my blog whenever possible at camping sites
with internet access or WLAN cafes.