2004 Ride for the Roses Course

[Eric]

Does anybody have prior year course maps? Or perhaps you raced it
last year and want to tell me the roads raced.

Sounds like a blast, racing in Austin... I'm there. It'll be my first
road race. On my first road bike...

yeeehoooooo!!!

see you there

Eric

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

On Wednesday 04 August 2004 07:18, Eric wrote:
> Sounds like a blast, racing in Austin... I'm there. It'll be my first
> road race. On my first road bike...

I'm sure you will have fun, but it's not a race! There's no competitive
element. Then again, it can be quite hectic trying to stay in front
(or, in the first few 100) to avoid crashes in the bunch of 1000s who
are either going too fast or too slow to pay enough attention to their
surroundings, often have little experience with riding in a (big)
bunch, and all think it's a race (doh!). I did a RftR in Holland a few
years ago with a business team, and made sure to stay near the front
with the celebrity guest riders who knew what they were doing. Besides,
Danielle Overgaag was one of them

 

[Callistus Valerius]

> I'm sure you will have fun, but it's not a race! There's no competitive
> element. Then again, it can be quite hectic trying to stay in front
> (or, in the first few 100) to avoid crashes in the bunch of 1000s who
> are either going too fast or too slow to pay enough attention to their
> surroundings, often have little experience with riding in a (big)
> bunch, and all think it's a race (doh!).

Ah, don't be so paranoid. I did the Tour of Tucson one time, right in the
middle of a bubble of 300 riders, and only had to turn my pedal in anger
only a few times to finish the 111 miles. It was an amazing experience.

My only advice would be not to glue things to the top of your helmet, like
beer cans. I did see a lot of that, and it didn't look too safe.

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 11:06:44 GMT, Callistus Valerius wrote:
>Ah, don't be so paranoid. I did the Tour of Tucson one time, right in the
>middle of a bubble of 300 riders, and only had to turn my pedal in anger
>only a few times to finish the 111 miles. It was an amazing experience.

What didn't help in my case was the peloton size of about 5000, and the
appalingly bad weather. Still, you're right, I quite enjoyed it.

 

[Carl Sundquist]

"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>Besides,
> Danielle Overgaag was one of them

As I googled to see if she looked like Lance's mom, I came up with this:

http://www.sporthumor.nl/index.html?url=/SporTHumoRdanielle.html

(**** shot of the day)

from this:

http://images.google.com/images?q=Danielle+Overgaag&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 07:09:26 -0500, Carl Sundquist wrote:
> http://images.google.com/images?q=Danielle+Overgaag&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search

Google did get this cycling picture of her:
http://www.cyclinggames.com/cyclingcards/14_Ladies_Cycling/card021.jpg
but missed this one:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~ewoud/fan/danielle_overgaag.jpg

 

[John Forrest Tomlinson]

On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 14:23:05 +0200, Ewoud Dronkert <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Google did get this cycling picture of her:
>http://www.cyclinggames.com/cyclingcards/14_Ladies_Cycling/card021.jpg

It's weird, but Sheryl Crow on a bike looks more hardcore racer with
the lean, weathered look.

JT

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

On Wed, 04 Aug 2004 08:55:16 -0400, John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
>>http://www.cyclinggames.com/cyclingcards/14_Ladies_Cycling/card021.jpg
>
>It's weird, but Sheryl Crow on a bike looks more hardcore racer with
>the lean, weathered look.

The 20 year age difference may explain the weathered look. About the
lean part: Overgaag together with Van Moorsel were two the best known
victims of national coach Piet Hoekstra's politics to get rid of all the
"fat asses" in the women's team. Van Moorsel became highly anorexic (but
did win 2 Tours Féminins those years) and Overgaag still has to take
pills to help overcome permanent liver damage.

 

[Ronald]

> > Sounds like a blast, racing in Austin... I'm there. It'll be my
first
> > road race. On my first road bike...
>
> I'm sure you will have fun, but it's not a race! There's no
competitive
> element. Then again, it can be quite hectic trying to stay in front
> (or, in the first few 100) to avoid crashes in the bunch of 1000s
who
> are either going too fast or too slow to pay enough attention to
their
> surroundings, often have little experience with riding in a (big)
> bunch, and all think it's a race (doh!). I did a RftR in Holland a
few
> years ago with a business team, and made sure to stay near the front
> with the celebrity guest riders who knew what they were doing.
Besides,
> Danielle Overgaag was one of them

Also did it once in Holland (the one which started in Naaldwijk).
Ewoud describes it well, i was somewhere in the middle of the
peloooooton (it's very big). Here you also had to avoid lost pumps and
waterbottles laying around on the course. The group often came to a
complete standstill before/in corners and it sometimes took several
minutes to get going again. I had a lot of fun doing it though, it's a
special feeling to ride in a group of cyclist for as far as you can
see. I won't do any more, it's nice to have done it once.


"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Wednesday 04 August 2004 07:18, Eric wrote:
> > Sounds like a blast, racing in Austin... I'm there. It'll be my
first
> > road race. On my first road bike...
>
> I'm sure you will have fun, but it's not a race! There's no
competitive
> element. Then again, it can be quite hectic trying to stay in front
> (or, in the first few 100) to avoid crashes in the bunch of 1000s
who
> are either going too fast or too slow to pay enough attention to
their
> surroundings, often have little experience with riding in a (big)
> bunch, and all think it's a race (doh!). I did a RftR in Holland a
few
> years ago with a business team, and made sure to stay near the front
> with the celebrity guest riders who knew what they were doing.
Besides,
> Danielle Overgaag was one of them

 

[Kyle Legate]

Ewoud Dronkert wrote:
> On Wednesday 04 August 2004 07:18, Eric wrote:
>> Sounds like a blast, racing in Austin... I'm there. It'll be my
>> first road race. On my first road bike...
>
> I'm sure you will have fun, but it's not a race! There's no
> competitive element. Then again, it can be quite hectic trying to
> stay in front (or, in the first few 100) to avoid crashes in the
> bunch of 1000s who are either going too fast or too slow to pay
> enough attention to their surroundings, often have little experience
> with riding in a (big) bunch, and all think it's a race (doh!). I did
> a RftR in Holland a few years ago with a business team, and made sure
> to stay near the front with the celebrity guest riders who knew what
> they were doing. Besides, Danielle Overgaag was one of them
>
What's the attitude for the cyclotourist RVV? I ask because I'm doing it
next year (the second half of the pro course, anyway) and want to know if I
should start doping for it now.

 

[Ewoud Dronkert]

On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 19:21:49 +0200, Kyle Legate wrote:
>What's the attitude for the cyclotourist RVV? I ask because I'm doing it
>next year (the second half of the pro course, anyway) and want to know if I
>should start doping for it now.

You should anyway, just to be sure.

I don't know the cyclotourist (not -sportif?) RVV from experience, but
from the reports I think it strings out rather quickly. The Ride for the
Roses had a 30-35 km/h pace car in front which bogged things up. Rides
like RVV or the Criquelion or La Marmotte are always serious races for
the first few 100 on the road.

 

[Mike Gladu]

In article <[email protected]>, Ewoud Dronkert
<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Wednesday 04 August 2004 07:18, Eric wrote:
> > Sounds like a blast, racing in Austin... I'm there. It'll be my first
> > road race. On my first road bike...
>
> I'm sure you will have fun, but it's not a race! There's no competitive
> element. Then again, it can be quite hectic trying to stay in front
> (or, in the first few 100) to avoid crashes in the bunch of 1000s who
> are either going too fast or too slow to pay enough attention to their
> surroundings, often have little experience with riding in a (big)
> bunch, and all think it's a race (doh!). I did a RftR in Holland a few
> years ago with a business team, and made sure to stay near the front
> with the celebrity guest riders who knew what they were doing.

The problem with the first Austin RftR's was that there were 20 or so
celebrities at the front (Lance, Indurain, Lemond, etc.), and virtually
everyone on the ride (1000s) were trying to get to the front to see and be
seen.

The pressure to be at the front got much more manageable when Indurain
turned back at 20 miles.

Mike G.
-

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