BOLERO GRAVEL SERIES TURNHOUT

A few months ago, my friends and I were having a coffee after the beach cycling race Egmond-Pier-Egmond. We had all participated in that race, some with the results they had hoped for, others were a bit disappointed. But as always, everybody was happy to be fit and alive and the next plan for the season was being discussed. We are talking 40 and 50 something men here. Most of us are caught up in the busiest time of our lives, with the constant juggling of family, work and what’s left of their ‘free time’. Setting a few goals each year works as a big stick to remind them of training time and general fitness. ‘’How about we all ride the UCI Gravel Bolero Series in Turnhout in March? It’s a flat course and it could be the perfect chance for some of you to maybe even qualify yourselves for your age category at the World Championships Gravel’’ I suggested. For me, qualification was not the goal per sé, knowing that it would be very difficult within the Elite Men category, but I was hoping for a fun group of friends to join me. Luckily, two of them were up for it right away, Bob and Ewald. Ewald immediately arranged a spot on a campsite nearby. Three others were keen on joining but not on riding. Jan, Chiel and Jelle would be our soigneurs and allround entertainers. This trip was going to be a success no matter the outcome.

The bike set-up

Now, for me the bike I was going to ride was different than I had planned. I was going for my Specialized Crux, because of the predicted fast and flat course of this gravel race, but it was still being painted, so I took the Roubaix in the new paint job. With the Future Shok it turned out to be a great choice for Turnhout in these dusty, dry conditions. The Roubaix fits 40 mm Pathfinders, but I chose the 35 mm tires, because I wanted fast wheels for this course. How that turned out, I will tell you later.

Getting there

My original plan was to show up at the start of the race with my Oldsmobile 98, casually pulling out the complete bike out of my trunk and having a big mouth about me ‘going to shake things up’. But the Oldsmobile doesn’t like cold, early mornings and to be honest, me neither, so with the start of the race planned for 8.30 am in Belgium and a 150 kilometer journey to get there, I decided it was better for everybody if I would join my friends at the campsite the night before. After I had tested out the new bike and set-up at the track of Sloten, Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon (always test your new bike for loose screws), Jan and I rode to Belgium where we met with the others. A loud gathering followed with a lot of testosteron and big mouthed stories filling the evening air. But athletes stay athletes and by 22.00 h everybody was down for the night.

The unexpected arrival

The next morning, I was surprised by a text message from Frank. He is one of the friends who really wanted to show up for this gravel cycling race, but was not certain if he could make it. In January, he could already count on his fingers that any event end of March would probably be a no-go. His girlfriend is pregnant with their first kid and that weekend, she was looking at 41 weeks + 1. That Sunday morning, at 5.30 am and with no sign whatsoever that things were going to start, Frank had gotten the green light, left the house with his cell phone in his back pocket and pinned up his race number five minutes before the race would start.

The race

I didn’t have the opportunity to do a recon of this race, besides from what I had heard from Ewald, who was there a little bit earlier. The first 20 k was flat, fast and freakishly busy and what followed was a single track that split up the group in three pieces. I managed to hold on to the third group and I wasn’t too disappointed with the way things were going. Right after the first lap I flatted (maybe I should have taken the 40 mm...),  joined a fourth group and had to give my best to get back to the third group in which I managed to stay and finished. Frankly, I was happy with the performance and had felt pretty strong legs when I needed them. 3h40 and 37,4 km/h average speed. Man, I don’t think I ever rode a gravel race at this pace. Good weather, good legs, good times.

The race stories of my friends

My friends all have their individual stories to tell too. After we had rejoined at the campsite, it was time for beer, chips and sausages from the grill. Bob and Ewald, former amateur cyclists in their younger years, had a great day on the bike. They had enjoyed the scene, the speed and the fun of the good old days. The distance of 140 kilometers was a bit on the long side for these old criterium tigers, but they gave their best and were happy with the effort. Frank, the guy with no cycling experience at all, but who had turned into a cycling enthousiast after his 30th birthday, had the best and funniest stories. He had passed the supply post on the left, where he should have been passing on the right side, he fell once, his chain had flown away and even with all the hardship, he had a blast. From not going at all, to getting the full experience. 

No results - but a lot of fun

End of the story: none of us qualified for the World Championships Gravel and not one single tear of sadness was shed - there were a whole lot of tears of laughter. We had spent exactly 18 hours chilling on the campsite, riding our balls off, helping each other out and bragging about every detail afterwards: it felt like a week. Yes, some of us are getting old and yes, it gets harder every year. But there is no age restriction on fun. So wether you're young or considered MAMIL, the question should be: where are we going next?

Photo credits Jelle Mul