La Vuelta in The Netherlands

Before the amazing new stories about the 2012 season will be posted here, we, Marleen and Tien, will dedicate our very first blogpost for Bananas About Bikes! to one of the most amazing cycling events we visited up until now: the start of the Vuelta a España 2009 in The Netherlands.

The Vuelta a España 2009 was the first opportunity we got to visit one of the Grand Tours and the fact that it started in our own country made it even more special. So on Friday the 28th of August 2009 we went to the team presentation in Assen by train. Looking back on that, there are two particular things that come to mind: swans and hail. The podium was built on water and there were fake swans floating in the water. Also, during the presentation there were dark clouds approaching us and when Team Euskaltel-Euskadi entered the podium there was a short hailstorm and we got quite wet. We didn’t care about that though, because it got dry pretty quickly and the atmosphere was great. There were also people standing behind us who had some interesting comments about certain riders. For instance, we will never forget that after Ivan Basso’s introduction to the crowd a man behind us said “That little rascal Basso!”. He said it with a smile and it made us laugh. During the whole presentation, we were standing on the left side of the podium and it was only afterwards that we realized that the right side would have been a better position, because all the riders were going on and off the podium there. Well, we learned that the more races you visit, the more you know about the best places to stand!


The next day we travelled to Assen again by train. This time we had to wait a while at Station Assen for a bus that would take us to the TT circuit. These buses were especially arranged for this event and there were even motorcycles driving along to get us through the long queues of cars. When we got at the circuit we were still able to stand under the roof of the gallery and later on, when there was a rain shower, we were very thankful for that. However, when one of us had to go to the toilet, she couldn’t get back in afterwards because you needed a VIP pass. So we went to one of the open galleries and watched the last riders finish in the sun. The winner at the end of the day was Fabian Cancellara from Team Saxo Bank.


On Sunday our parents took us to Drenthe again by car. They also like cycling and we went to three places to see the cyclists go by. Lieuwe Westra tried to stay away, but eventually the peloton caught him. Gerald Ciolek won the sprint of the peloton in Emmen. On the way back to our hometown in the Achterhoek we were surrounded by team cars who were all heading to the east of Holland. Most of them even drove through our hometown, which we thought was pretty cool and not something you get to see every day.


Then our last day of the Vuelta in Holland was there. The riders had to ride from Zutphen to Venlo and during the first part of the stage they got to ride through the neighbourhood we grew up in. We decided to go to Zutphen, so we could see the start and the peloton passing twice. It was really crowded at the parking lot where all the team buses were standing, but we were still able to make a few decent photos. When they finally left Zutphen in the direction of Venlo, our Vuelta days were over and we had to follow it on the television from then on. It all went by so quickly, but we enjoyed every moment of it.


For more photos you can go to our blog Ride On!.

- Written by Marleen and Tien

What to do during that long and boring winter…

It’s been silent on BAB. In case you are wondering if there’s nothing to write about, we will answer that with a ‘No’. There are still stories coming up, but our writers are busy! And well, it’s true, we may forgot about BAB a few times. We miss our days full of cycling. We miss checking for livestream, reading blogs, or go out to see our beloved cyclists live. A riders life, however, must be respected, so let’s give them a break. Maybe the winter season ain’t that bad. We need a little break too. The first weeks were tough. Now we probably are in a fase of acceptance. We know there will not be cycling on the tellie and we can live with that. However, soon it’ll be 2012 and for me that says: time for cycling again! But no. The first race of the year is not held on January 1st. We need to pass some time. For most of the BAB girls, that means: time to study. In case you don’t study or do have some spare time left, here’s a guide through the wintermonths. What can you do?

1. Cyclocross! We still got the bikes and even some names are the same. For my European friends, it’s perfect to curl up on the couch, get some hot chocolate and watch the poor men get dirty and cold.

2. Wintersports! Anyone who follows my twitter or tumblr knows I love speedskating. I know it’s impossible to follow speedskating outside the Netherlands, but other wintersports might be an option for you. If you’re in desperate need to watch sports, just turn on the tv and see what’s on it. There are some really interesting sports out there…

3. Get your own ass moving! Go cycling yourself. Especially after Christmas and New Years Eve, you might want to get off that couch and on your bike. I know, it’s terribly cold right now, but you can try the gym too. It’s not that bad and you get quick results. For our Aussie readers, come on! It’s summer, get out! Ok, you might be burning off the saddle… Try the airconditioned gym instead.

4. Be creative! We all love watching talented young men suffering on bikes. For some of us, cycling is a talent of ourselves too. For others, it’s not. Then it’s time to spend that lazy Sunday afternoon exploring your own talents. Think of something you’d like to try. Painting? Baking? Or look for some DIY (do it yourself) on google. You can always try and who knows….

5. Know your classics! The winter days are perfect for getting your cycling history right. I recently had to name three cyclist who won the Tour de France at least five times. Lance Armstrong was already given. I failed to name three (out of five others) within the time limit. Can you name them? If you struggle, it might be time to explore the past. You may find some epic inspiring stories…

6. Write! BAB is always looking for more interesting stories. It doesn’t have to be recent! If you once met Andy Schleck in a pub in Luxembourg city before he got famous, we’d like to hear/read. If you are the owner of the dog that ran on to the street during that one stage… Or if you just have a nice tale about a race, behind the scenes information.. Share!

7. Sleep! In case all other options failed, just act like a hamster and sleep through the off-season.

A funny thing happened to me on the way from the Louvre...

This week 'Bananas about Bikes' offers you another tale from the last stage of the 2011 Tour de France. Our previous story about the event had been written by Marleen, but this time our banana-reporter is Susan, a Canadian student who went on holiday to Paris and was lucky enough to watch the final stage of the Tour de France and stalk her favourite riders. Enjoy her great tale and, if you want to see her pictures in a bigger seize (it's worth it!), check them out at http://individual.utoronto.ca/montag/stage21.html :)

I write this in the slight headiness of having just returned from France, and in the delirium of jet lag.

First, a random observation about France, and its ASTONISHING ceilings! Honestly, it's like some kind of national sport over there—it’s like when a French architect, and artist, think of designing a building, the thought process goes something like this: “Let's take a ceiling, vault it to high heaven, and gild it with acanthus ornaments, a Jupiter-sized chandelier, and gold. Lots, and lots of gold.” For example, the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles Palace

 Does anyone else feel a compulsion to wander, when you’re exploring a city for the first time? I feel like there’s nothing quite like a stroll to surprise you, and walking along the Axe Historique leading up to the Arc de Triomphe on Saturday night, I was able to see some of the preparations for Stage 21. I guess I’d read somewhere that grandstand tickets could be purchased for watching the last stage of the Tour, what I didn’t realise was that there are different “levels”, if you will, of seating:

For the unwashed masses, awning-less seats, with no shelter from the elements.

For the slightly richer, an orange canopy, with unadorned steps, and a portable toilet.

Notice how the Presidential ticket holders get a portable toilet with a dainty tent over it, and topiaries on their stairs—because it would just be crude, and uncivilized to go to the loo without artfully clipped shrubs.

I don't quite know how I managed it (I expect I was loaned a Time Turner, and my memory wiped clean of this fact—OBLIVIATE!—later on), but last Sunday, I attended Mass at Notre Dame, visited Saint Chapelle, saw a bit of the Sully wing in the Louvre... and Stalked-a-Schleck(s), not once, but twice! First, on the Rue de Rivoli, and then eventually, on the eastern side of the Champs Élysées.
I literally happened upon the Place de Pyramides tunnel, and Rue de Rivoli intersection through sheer dumb luck, when I exited the museum about 15 minutes before the cyclists arrived. I thought that I’d missed the arrival of the peloton on the Champs, as I had seen the publicity caravan passing through the city, when I was wandering along the Île Saint-Louis earlier that day. For the bewildered tourist, who knows, or cares nothing about the Tour, it must be both frustrating, and inconvenient to suddenly find the major Metro, and RER stations along the Axe Historique, shut down - from about 12PM, trains do not stop at the Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre, Tuileries, Concorde, Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Georges V, and Charles de Gaulle–Étoile stations, for the duration of the final laps, podium ceremonies, and the valedictory lap of honour. Moreover, the sidewalks, and roads, leading to the Champs-Élysées are blocked off from the Place de la Concorde.
Anyway, I noticed a throng of people gathering around the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in the area of the Tuileries gardens just before you approach the ferris wheel. I asked someone in the crowd if the peloton had arrived in Paris already, and to my great shock, I was told that they were expected to arrive at any moment!
Time for another random note! To the men folk who give VAGUE advice on internet forums, about where to watch the Champs Élysées stage of the Tour -THIS is how you give directions. Not with useless, nebulously ill-defined instructions like “go to the Louvre, and the Tuileries” (which both cover a large area), but a precise location, with pictures! The Tunnel is located on the intersection of the Place des Pyramides, and the Rue de Rivoli. Look for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (107 Rue de Rivoli), and the Hotel Regina (2 Place des Pyramides) on the corner.

While the crowds in this section of the route were considerably thinner than what one would see on the Champs, make no mistake, it’s still a lot of people, and unless you’re especially tall, or find inventive ways to see over the crowds—some people climbed the lampposts, and others the trees—you may not see much of anything, which I can say from experience, is kind of disheartening; a little like looking in on a lavish party, from the outside. There were several hilarious false starts, with people prematurely cheering, only to see a Tour car go through the tunnel, with no cyclists in tow.

Now, being a short person, all I could really do was try to see in the space between people, and here we have the parable of the Don’t Be a Douche Bag to a Catholic Who’s Just Attended Mass at Notre Dame, Because God Will Find a Way to Help Her. From where I was standing, just above the entrance, to the left of the tunnel, there was an obnoxious couple at the front of the barrier. When the peloton finally did arrive, even knowing that he would effectively be obstructing the view of those behind him, the thoughtless idiot man stood on top of the barrier—thus creating a thoughtless idiot eclipse. I had to look at the incensed-looking couple standing to my right, with an intent look of, “Don’t look at me, I’m not with these two bozos!” His lady companion (that is, assuming she isn’t a cross-dressing eunuch) was more of a harpy than an idiot. She deliberately put on a HUGE sun hat when the cyclist’s arrived. That’s okay, because after the first lap, God intervened, as if to say, “Take this you mangy cur, thou shall not use sun hats for evil”, and I was unexpectedly given a space at the front of the barrier, by a kind-hearted French family. Their little boy was rooting for Thomas Voeckler, and I won't dare malign that man ever again, out of gratitude for the generosity that family showed me. Basically, on the first lap, I had to literally jump up-and-down to see anything, and I guess that pathetic spectacle elicited their pity. But to that kind, kind family, wherever you are, thank you.
The cyclist’s emerge from the tunnel on an incline, which is meant to slow them down a bit, but it seemed to me that they we’re still going at speeds upwards of about 40mph. It occurred to me that I was actually looking at the peloton in real time, and in person—so what was that like? I liken it to being in the Louvre for the first time, and seeing paintings that you’ve studied in school. You realise when you're in the presence of an actual Delacroix, that reading about stuff in books, is nothing like experiencing the real thing—or what was it that the late David Foster Wallace wrote about watching tennis live, versus watching it on television, it would be like “comparing pornography, to the felt reality of human love”. I would say the same is true of watching cycling. You might get a better view on television, but there is nothing quite so electric, or thrilling, as being there.

The atmosphere is positively festal, there are flags draped everywhere, and I was particularly encouraged to see the presence of the Norwegian flag. I don’t think anything quite expresses national solidarity than sport, and I am glad that Norway has two champions to cheer for, and rally their spirits. I think my heart nearly burst when I saw highlights of Stage 21 that night, and watched Edvald Boasson Hagen bravely try to outsprint Mark Cavendish.

After the bell for the final lap, the crowds around the Rivoli began to disperse, and here the second part of my adventure begins. As I walked through the Tuileries, I saw spectators sitting under trees, and watching the podium ceremony on a big screen in the distance.

People watching the Tour from their balconies over the Rue de Rivoli

Remember that I mentioned that all the paths leading to the Champs are closed off, starting from the Place de la Concorde? Well, I made my way there anyway, to try my luck. Initially, we were all herded like sheep in an enclosure, with French Republican Guards, and Gendarmerie officers, forming a human barricade. All of that security, what on earth could they have been protecting, I wondered.

Then I saw the Team Cofidis bus, and parked right in front of it, Leopard Trek. Now I can’t be certain if these were just equipment buses, but you can imagine my agitation at being so close, yet so far away! We were finally permitted to cross the street away from the Tuileries, but redirected north, to the Rue Royale, away from the Champs. Here, I must have wandered a few kilometres along the Rue Saint-Honoré, trying to find a way back. Terribly frustrating, as there were officers again, blockading the way. They were permitting people past the barriers if they had just come from the direction of the Champs, but not if you were headed towards it. It was a bit of a harrowing experience, as at one point, a man of Indo-Pakistani appearance was stopped by officers. He was walking on the left side of the road, which the guards had kept screaming at us not to do, and when I saw him last, he was pinned down by an officer, while his knapsack was being searched.
Finally, I reached a side street, the Avenue Matignon, where there were no guards, and I ran fast, just in case the security there were just uncharacteristically lax. I passed some café, bought a postcard, and ended up somewhere west of what I’m sure was the Palais de la Découverte (a science museum within the Grand Palais), between the Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, and Franklin D. Roosevelt Métro. I had missed much of the podium ceremony, and really wasn’t expecting to see anything, until I saw what seemed to be what was left of Team Radioshack! Again, through sheer dumb luck, I was going to see part of the gala presentation—from a fair distance, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.
And now for a random note about postcards / carte postales in the French capital. For a city so prepossessing, Paris sure does have a lot of UGLY postcards! I rather pride myself on choosing good ones, but it was a downright challenge most days. You're best bet is a museum (the D'Orsay sells particularly beautiful prints from their collection), but if you want postcards of the city, there's a newspaper stand just outside of the Anvers Métro (68, Boulevard de Rochechouart) that sells fairly good ones. The cost of sending a postcard within the European Union is €0.77, and €0.89 worldwide.

A bit of comic relief for those of us who follow Andy Schleck. I heard his name uttered in about three languages, not by teenagers, but by mums, and grandmothers. First, on the Rivoli, I overheard an Australian mum ask her husband if Andy Schleck had passed by yet, to which he said no, but that he had seen Cadel Evans. To which she replied, “Who cares, where’s Andy?” Second, in what I’m going to guess was Dutch, there was a woman, again accompanied by a man who must have been her husband, burbling, “Dutch Dutch Dutch Andy Schleck, Dutch Dutch.” Later, on the Champs, I heard what I can only conjecture was a Korean woman, speaking to an elderly lady, whom she seemed to be trying to persuade to leave. The elderly woman just stood her ground stubbornly, and said somewhat plaintively, “Korean Korean ANDY SCHLECK!” What is with this guy? He’s even got Korean grandmas on his side. You are a lucky man Herr Schleck.
Anyway, as each team approached, I was too busy taking pictures to notice what the cyclists’ were doing. It wasn’t until I reviewed the photos later on, that I realised that both Fabian, and Jakob, had looked in the direction of the crowd where I was standing—good thing I didn’t notice at the time, otherwise, I might have ducked in panic, and crawled away. Incidentally, I have no idea how Natasha survived her close encounter with Jakob Fuglsang at the Amgen—he was a cricket pitch away from me, and I still felt blindsided. It did not help that by the time he was on the other side of the Champs, he seemed to be donning a Viking helmet. Erk, stop being so adorable!

So there you go - I came, I saw, I Stalked-a-Schleck(s), and a Fuglsang, and a Fabian! And totally by chance, a Gesink too. If you ever have the opportunity to attend Stage 21 of the Tour de France, don’t pass it up. It doesn't matter if you don’t have the best view in the world, or stumble onto it haphazardly like me, it is joyous, exciting, and so much fun to watch! Really, even if you have no interest in cycling at all, what these men endure for three weeks, is a testament to what the human body, and will can do, and surely that deserves an ovation. Don’t just cheer for your favourites, cheer for the guy who is DEAD LAST, because he made it. Finishing the Tour is a massive personal accomplishment, and I’d like to think that in our moments of triumph, that there will be someone there to cheer us on.

Mischief managed. Susan, signing off.

Postcript, A conversation with a statue in the Jardin des Tuileries
Statue: Okay fess up, did you travel all this way just to Stalk-a-Schleck(s)?
Susan: No. I also came for the ice cream!
Statue's response:

Post Danmark Rundt by Leela!

Here's a great report from our Aussie banana-reporter Lee, who spent the summer in Europe and went to PDR.

Check it out!

Eneco Tour prologue

Hello there! While many riders are suffering from post-Tour fatigue, the ladies from BAB have no time for post Tour depression. There has been a lot going on lately. Last week, the Eneco Tour started and your banana-reporter Mar was there.

The prologue was held in the middle of the Netherlands, in a very new quarter of the city Amersfoort, called Vathorst. As usual, the weather forecast didn't look very promising. It turned out pretty good though. The riders probably weren't happy with the strong wind, but the rain stayed away and we saw quite a bit of sunshine. Banana-reporter Mar visited the race with Ilona, a name you might remember from earlier posts.

Ilona and Mar are both big fans of Linus Gerdemann, so as soon as they got off the train, they went looking for the Leopard bus. They found the bus in a the very last corner of the bus area. It's not strange for Leopard Trek to park somewhere out of sight.

When our girls arrived, some riders were already warming up, while others just got off the team car. Mar and Ilona found a good spot to watch the warm up, and got kindly greeted by the mechanics. One guy even recognized Mar from Ster-ZLM and gave her a compliment about her new haircut. Not much later, Linus arrived and Ilona jumped up, asked him for a picture and pushed her camera in Mar's hands. While Ilona and Linus were posing, the camera decided not to work so Ilona could enjoy some more time next to Linus. Mar herself also wanted a pic and after that, both fangirls had to admit Linus smells very nice. They are still wondering what fragnance it is, or what shampoo he uses. Fangirls will be fangirls.

After that, it was time to wait for another German. The new daddy Fabian Wegmann was the next one to 'catch'. When he got off the car, it was Mar's time to jump up like a happy fangirl and ask for a picture. She still feels stupid for not congratulating Fabian on his new born son Otto.

Overall, there was a good atmosphere at Leopard Trek. There were not much people behind the barriers, but Mar and Ilona definitely weren't the only ones. As usual at races in the Netherlands, most people can be found at the Rabobank bus. This time, a lot of spectators gathered around team Sky. Mar and Ilona also spend quite some time there. The team brought Edvald Boasson Hagen with them, who can win the Eneco Tour right now! After his Tour de France stage victories and his win at Eneco Tour last year, he became quite popular.

Mar had a special wish to see Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift, and those two are a good reason to leave Leopard Trek for a while and walk to Team Sky. Giacomo Nizzolo was not happy to see his spectators leaving. He asked in his best English: You go? with a lovely sad face. He stole the hearts of Ilona and Mar with that. They promised him to come back and then left the poor neo-pro.

At Sky, the timing was perfect. Ben Swift was cooling down, while Geraint Thomas was warming up. For some reason, these guys belong together so Mar found it funny to see them ride next to eachother. Unfortunately, Sky placed their buses very fangirl-unfriendly. The riders were doing their warm up between the team bus and the mechanic bus. The light was bad, the distance was long but the riders looked happy.

Then it was Edvald's time to warm up. The mechanics spent a lot of time placing his bike in the perfect position and Eddie looked very concentrated when he left the bus. He did not look at any screaming fangirls, but just did his important warm up. Maybe he secretly looked at said screaming fangirl because later he missed the win by just a few seconds.

After watching Edvald doing his warm up for a while, it was time for Mar and Ilona to head back to Leopard Trek. They passed some other buses to see if there were some big names warming up. When it's busy at Omega Pharma Lotto, you know Philippe Gilbert is there. The same goes for other teams and other riders.

Back at their base camp Leopard Trek, Ilona and Mar saw Dominic wearing a famous (or infamous) Day Birger et Mikkelsen outfit. He was just chilling with his girlfriend and a dog, while other riders still had to do their race. It was a funny sight. Usually the riders head back to the bus and don't show their face anymore.

Talking about buses, at one point Leopard Trek invited a bunch of people into the bus for a quick tour inside. These people turned out to represent Trek. They wore Trek socks and had Trek umbrella's. Unfortunately, their cycling knowledge was limited. They were wondering where the Schlecks were. Not at Eneco Tour, Trek people! For Mar and Ilona it was a little frustrating to see how these people were allowed to enter the bus so easily.

When most riders had finished and left, it was also time for our banana-reporter to leave. Mar and Ilona had a last look at the time trial course and then headed home, knowing that Edvald did a good job and Gilbert was not far behind...

Let's end this post with a few pictures, made by Mar.

The last stage of the Tour de France of 2011

Today Bananas About Bikes is back and we bring you a story about a very recent race, a story about the last stage of the 2011 Tour de France by Marleen. As you all may know this years Tour de France was won by Cadel Evans. Andy Schleck came second and Fränk Schleck completed the podium with a third place.

On the 24th of July I went to the Champs-Elysees with four other cycling fans (including my fellow Bananas About Bikes blogger Mar and Eva, the blogger from lycraandleopards.tumblr.com who also wrote a story for Bananas About Bikes) to see the final stage of the Tour de France and the final podium of the race. We arrived at the Champs-Elysees around 11 o'clock. We walked around the street to find a good place to see the riders race and see the final podium. Once we had reached our spot we sat down on the ground and waited for a long time. The riders would reach the Champs-Elysees around 16 o'clock for the first time. So we had to wait and entertain ourselves for 5 hours. While we were sitting on the ground we could see the organisers bringing the podium on the Champs-Elysees to see if they could get the right shots for the tv broadcasting. Bernhard Hinault was already there and he climbed on the podium. It was pretty funny to see the podium we had been seeing on TV for so many years ride past in pieces. After they checked if they could get a good shot of the podium they rode the podium off the street again. In the picture below you can see the podium when it was put in place for the first time (before the riders arrived).

After this we had to wait for the riders to arrive for the first time. You have to be patient when you want to see the riders. We actually had a lot of fun just sitting on the Champs-Elysees. We still had to wait for 3 more hours. After some time the big screen in front of us started to broadcast the stage from the start. So some of us stood up and watch the riders on the big screen. On the picture below this you can see Stuart O'Grady and Andy Schleck from Leopard-Trek getting back to their teamcar (our view on the big screen)

Around 16 o'clock the riders arrived for the first time at the Champs-Elysees. Everybody started to clap and cheer for the riders. Compared to the footage we saw on the big TV-screen in front of us we could tell the riders were ready to race. They started to ride faster. There was a small group that got away from the peloton. You can see the riders from that small group in the picture below.

After some time, the peloton came to the Champs-Elysees led by team BMC of this year's winner Cadel Evans, and team Leopard-Trek right behind, as you can see in the pictures below.

Because there were a few big guys standing in front of us we had to take pictures by putting our arms in the air and trying to get a good shot. Some shots were successful, other failed misserably haha! We saw the riders pass a few times so we had a few chances to try and take a good picture. After they passed us for the last time they had to sprint for the victory. We were all hoping for Mark Cavendish to win today's stage so he could secure his green jersey. We got what we wanted because, as you all may know, Mark Cavendish won the stage and he won the green jersey!

After all the riders had finished the stage, the organisers brought the podium back on the Champs-Elysees and everything was ready for the final ceremonies of this year's Tour de France. First was Mark Cavendish because he had won the stage. After that, Mark Cavendish came back and to receive his green jersey for the final time this year.

After the green jersey we got to see the ceremony for the jersey of the best climber in this years Tour de France. This year the jersey was worn by Samuel Sanchez. After that we got to see Pierre Rolland take the White jersey for the best young rider of this year.

Unfortunately I was not able to take a good picture of both the jersey ceremonies. After that we got to see Jeremy Roy take the combativity prize, the one for the rider that attacked the most. The final jersey was of course the yellow jersey, won by Cadel Evans.

He was really happy taking the jersey and he should because he deserved it. I really wanted one of the Schleck brothers to win the Tour de France but Cadel Evans was better this year, so he deserved to win. After the ceremony for the yellow jersey, both Andy and Fränk Schleck came on stage so the first 3 riders of this year could get honoured. It was a great podium to see. All of the riders looked happy.

When this lady on the podium started to sing the national anthem of Australia, the Australian guys behind us started to sing along very loudly. It was a very nice moment. You could feel they were really proud of their fellow Australian, and they should be! After this Garmin-Cervélo came on stage to receive the team classification award. It was really funny to see that they brought a cardboard cutout of David Zabriskie, who unfortunately crashed out with an injury.

Congrats to Cadel Evans and his team BMC!

-written by Marleen-

Ster ZLM prologue and 1st stage by Mar

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the reporters of Bananas About Bikes are back! Last week the Ster ZLM tour was won by Philippe Gilbert, but we go back to the first days of earlier mentioned race.

On a the early morning of Wednesday 15th of June, I was already in the train on my way to the other side of the country. The prologue would only start around 4 o'clock, but it was a long way to get there. After three and a half hours of boredom in the train, I arrived in Eindhoven.
This is where the lovely Ilona lives. She and her dad picked me up from the train station and we drove to her house to drop my bags and do some last minute preparations. I met Ilona on tumblr, talked with her on twitter, shared our love for Leopard Trek and Linus Gerdemann and so we decided to go to Ster ZLM together. She offered me a place to sleep between the prologue and the first stage. I won't say no to that!
At two o'clock we got in the car, with her dad, and drove to Alblasserdam. Ilona's dad is a big cycling fan who loves to take pictures of Johnny Hoogerland and Bjorn Leukemans. One hour later, we found a parking spot close to the buses and we were ready!

It was a dusty parking place at the edge of the village where the buses had to stay. Around 70% of the buses had already arrived so we decided to walk around a little. Team Net App were just getting dressed outside their van, Saxobank Sungard were preparing the bikes and there wasn't much going on at the other buses.
Not much later, Rabobank arrived. The team is getting quite popular, so many people followed the bus and waited there for the riders. Did I say 'many people'? Well, not really. The race couldn't attract many people. But most of them went to the Rabobank bus. We had a look, but no one came out of the bus at that point so we decided to wait.
A few minutes after Rabobank, Leopard Trek arrived. From a distance, we could enjoy a great show of how-to-park-a-bus. It was like the driver never parked a bus before. I think it took him 15 minutes to get it in the right spot. First they didn't know where to park it, then they had the door on the wrong side... And everyone was watching it. The good thing was, the boys were not in the bus. It would have made them sick.

We decided to be fangirlish and stay close to the bus. The bikes were placed, the rollers were ready, the barrier tape with Leopard Trek logo was put up; time for the riders to arrive. Three Leopard cars arrived and all of a sudden, a bunch of kids ran to the cars. They all had white t-shirts on with billions of autographs. They needed the Leopards to sign all the shirts. The Leopards that escaped, would be asked later to sign. At the end of the day, there was no place left for anymore autographs and the kids had a bidon from every team. I would like to call that spoiled.

The Leopards escaped inside the bus very quick so we had to wait for the warm-up rounds. First up was Martin Pedersen. Watching him sweating on the rollers was fun for a while, but not all the time so we walked around to see who else was warming up. The guys who were warming up, weren't the most well-known guys. The 'big names' were going for a little spin on the parcours. Every now and then you heard one of the kids screaming "Leopard!" or "Saxobank!" and all the kids would run to the poor rider and ask him (in Dutch) to sign the shirts. Other visitors of the prologue were the parents of the kids. Yes, they were really there, but they were just not doing much. We also saw some amateurs on their amateur bikes being oh-so cool in Cervélo kits...
When the race started, other riders had to do their warm-up too and we were standing at the Leopard bus. When Pedersen left for his TT, I got his bidon! I didn't want to touch the top because he had been using it. I opened the bottle carefully and inside was not water. It smelled like flowers and sugar. A very strong smell, ugh! Disgusting! But I was happy to get a little souvenir.

Now the race was really starting; more riders began their warm-up, riders left for the race, team cars were riding back and forth. Ilona and I were standing at the Leopard bus. They parked near the exit of the parking lot, so we could see all the riders pass, while they were going to the TT parcours. Every now and then, I recognized a rider or I got the start list from my pocket to check the number. I think the Leopards who were warming up, didn't mind us when we turned our back to them.
Even for these fangirls, there's more than just one team. We walked around, visited Saxobank to take pictures of half-naked Jonas Aaen, who was chatting to former team mate Alex Rasmussen. We followed Alex Rasmussen to the HTC bus, saw Mark Renshaw and the winner of the day: Patrick Gretsch.
The most crowded places were at Omega Pharma Lotto, because Gilbert was warming up, and at Rabobank. It was nice to see Michael *bling* Matthews and admire his eyebrow piercing. Jos van Emden was popular too, since he is the Dutch TT champion. At this moment I'm writing, the Dutch TT nationals are held, so it'll be interesting to see whether van Emden will keep his jersey. (note: He didn't!)

Back at our spot at the Leopard bus, we already got recognised as the two fangirls. Giacomo Nizzolo was being very nice to pose for the camera, and so was Robert Wagner, who also threw his cap at Ilona.
At a certain moment, the race doctors came and went in to the bus. It didn't suprise us, because Robert Wagner had sent me a message on twitter the day before about all the injuries the Leopards were having. Well, this was another one to the list. Will Clarke got stung by a wasp and the poor boy is allergic to that. He wasn't feeling well but got medication so he could ride on. He wasn't the happiest rider though, no posing for the camera. He was the last but one rider to start for Leopard Trek and when he finished, he wasn't looking very well. He was coughing and almost throwing up. Well, he must have recovered a little because he did ride the entire Ster ZLM tour.

The last rider from Leopard Trek to start was Tom Stamsnijder, which is Ilona's favourite, so we spent some time watching him doing the warm-up. He was very focused so he didn't mind us, I even think he barely knew we were there. In the mean time, riders like Tyler Farrar, Niki Terpstra and Kenny van Hummel had passed us and done their TT.
When Tom left for his TT, at the end of the race, the parking lot was getting empty. Most of the riders were already chilling in the bus, so most of the visitors went to the finish line or went home. Ilona's dad, who was taking pictures of riders all day, came to us and asked if we wanted to go eat something. We thought it was about time to leave the Leopards alone and fill the tummies. On our way to the fast food restaurant near the finish, we heard Patrick Gretsch had won and we saw people going home from the finish line. So the race was over. If you noticed we didn't see anything from the race, you are right. We made that decision so we could take pictures with the riders and see them longer and closer. We knew we would see the riders again the next day, on the road.

When we were enjoying some fries and other fast food, we missed Tom Stamsnijder cooling down with his jersey unzipped. This is something we realised later, of course. Well, we needed some food and a chair after five hours of standing... Time flies when you're at a race like this. It was around 9 o'clock in the evening when we went home again. After a quick look at the picture, we fell on our beds for a good night of sleep.

The next morning we were packing bags again! There was rain predicted so we took an umbrella with us. The race started at 12 o'clock so somewhere around 11 o'clock we were awake and ready for the race! This stage started at a giant square in Eindhoven. After we found the square and the place to sign-in, we went looking for buses. Vacansoleil had already arrived, but most of the teams were not there yet. Since Leopard Trek is always late, we decided to buy some drinks, which we forgot, first. When we came back, Leopard Trek had actually arrived early! We were standing on a little distance from the bus, so we wouldn't be the stalker-girls again. After a minute or so, the Rabobank bus wanted to claim our spot, so we moved over. No, not to Leopard Trek, to the other side, to watch Rabobank. Again, most people were excited to see Rabobank so we left the bus to take a look at Omega Pharma Lotto again, because Ilona likes Klaas Lodewyck. We saw a few riders, but we didn't recognize them, so they were not Klaas nor Philippe. We had a look at the Vacansoleil bus to see if Johnny Hoogerland was outside, but he wasn't there either. Then the Sky-bus arrived and we all needed to move over. We went to the Leopard bus again, where we found a spot to stay for the rest of the time. Within one minute, it was getting very dark in Eindhoven... We looked at the sky and saw this huge dark cloud approaching. We weren't the only ones who noticed, as the soigneurs and mechanics hurried to get the awning rolled out. When the first raindrops fell from the sky, the bikes were put under the awning and all was safe.

Ten minutes before the start, it was raining cats and dogs. The streets were flooded, there was water everywhere. Some riders from Net App and Vacansoleil were passing us like there was no water. They just went to sign in, ride around, get things from the team car... The Leopards instead, stayed inside the bus for as long as possible. If they needed something, a soigneur ran from the bus to the team cars to get the bags of the boys. They got soaking wet and the boys were dry inside. Spoiled? Well, Dominic Klemme did feel sorry for letting the soigneur run another time because he forgot something. While the boys were still in the bus, we could hide for the rain under the awning. Very nice!

Because it was so dark outside, the blinded windows of the bus weren't completely blinded anymore. They had lamps inside which enabled us to see some of the guys getting ready for the stage. They knew we were watching because at one point Giacomo Nizzolo waved friendly and I waved back. What a highlight of the day.

Five minutes before the start, Anders Lund came outside, checked the weather, saw the roads being all wet and talked with the mechanics for a while. Then he went back inside, put his helmet on, checked himself in the mirror (oh yes) and they were off.

Everyone decided to sign in on the last minute because of that terrible weather. We walked, almost ran, to the sign-in too, jumped over some just created ponds and magically found an umbrella in Ilona's bag.
Now imagine a huge square with a podium on one side. The square was completely empty. All the spectators were standing at one side of the square where you could hide under a little overhang. All the cyclists were either standing on the podium or hiding under an overhang on the other side of the square. In the middle of the square you could see two girls under an umbrella!

Unfortunately, the umbrella was a bit too small for two persons, so we decided to join the riders under the overhang of the city hall. While we were standing there, a smiling lady came to us, our co-blogger Marleen! That was really funny.

While we were standing there, Ilona saw Klaas Lodewyck standing pretty close to us. I needed to encourage her to ask for a picture. The guys were just waiting there, nothing important.. Because she wasn't sure it was really him, she asked him in English and got her picture!

Then, all of a sudden, we heard a loud bang and that turned out to be the starting gun. The riders first looked a little confused but then just followed some others and the race had started. While they were leaving Eindhoven, the sky cleared up again, the rain was over and our clothes could dry.

More photo's on Ilona89.tumblr.com and whatmarlikes.tumblr.com (go back a few pages)