"Belgian training for the Societe Generale Paris-to-London bikeride: Liege-Bastogne-Liege (almost) and chips with mayonnaise"
On June 5th, James helped me finish building the Alize in Tokyo in preparation for the Paris-to-London bike ride of June 16th (read: he worked while I watched). The bike was ready with just a few hours to go before I took a plane for Europe the next day, almost one week ahead of the race.
I stopped over for a few days in Belgium before going to Paris, visiting my hometown which lies along the course of the famous Liege-Bastogne-Liege cycling classic... There was no way I could leave the bike in its box!
After a few hours' rest I took the Alize out of its protective bag, put it together and went straight out for a few of the famous climbs in the region.
La Redoute, le Rosier, la Haute-Levee... and many others, less renowned but well known by the locals... Belgium doesn't have high peaks but it does have a number of shortish, nasty climbs with parts at 18-20 pct. They are everywhere and there is plenty to pick from.
In the first couple of days I did a few short rides (60-80 kms with about 1000m climbing each time) as the weather wasn't always great, before waking up to a gorgeous Pentecost Sunday on June 12th and deciding to do the Full Monty, or almost: "Theux-Bastogne-Theux" instead of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Theux is my hometown, about 30 kms from Liege and it's near all the "bad" climbs.
There were lots of cyclists on the roads on that day and a few cycling events here and there. The first reaction of people when looking at the Alize was often: "Beautiful bike. What is it?" Yes it is gorgeous: superb lines, great design, surprising light and together with its GS Astuto 38" carbon wheels and saddle and its "Ganbarou Nippon" stickers (Stand strong, Japan) it is striking. Its lightness and previous training in Japan's mountains allowed me to overtake many riders in the hills and show off my machine!
But the Alize is much more than beautifully designed and an eye-catcher. For the rider, the Alize immediately feels very stable and light and nervous and fast. All at the same time.
It is easy to handle, is reactive, rigid yet very comfortable. It is immediately responsive and nervous as a race bike should be. I love riding it.
The combination of this frame and the GS Astuto 38" carbon wheels is perfect. In the hills, the bike is light and nimble but remains stiff when standing on the pedals "en danseuse"; downhill it is fast, and its aerodynamics make it gather speed very quickly, while remaining stable. I was surprised to be radar-flashed at over 60km/h entering a village in a downhill without really feeling that speed! The bike corners well and the GS Astuto wheels, light but firm and comfortable, add stability in curves and handle very well even on rough surfaces. On the flats, the Alize is also fast and quiet. Over short distances and longer ones, I found it very racy and a great pleasure to ride.
I am Belgian, I was in Belgium, the weather was great and people were out on terraces... Hmm.
But I riding Liege-Bastogne-Liege (almost), wasn't I? I didn't stop for a few beers - at least not until after my return home later on-, but I did stop in Bastogne for Belgian chips and mayonnaise. Certainly not the doctor's orders for cyclists preparing an event, but a Belgian man's gotta do what a Belgian man's gotta do. My excuse will be that this rest allowed many people to stop by and look and comment on the bike. Apart from beer and chips, Belgians like cycling too!
I am now ready for the Paris-London ride starting on Thursday June 16th.
Laurent
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Paris to London Bike Ride
Stay tuned for more reports from this great event.