It was a sun-splashed first day of cobbled classics at Dwars door Vlaanderen, with more nice weather on the way. Direct from Roeselare, it's Patrick Verhoest's startline photo diary!

Do these rainbow stripes make me look fat?

Do these rainbow stripes make me look cool?

Clearly a top-ten finisher in a poll of riders you'd like to have a beer with.

Pippo showing some Italian cool in the morning.

Sep lit the race up a bit today. Again. He claims he's useless outside his home country. Nobody cares.

The Wonder of Wenatchee with some love for the Cafe!

Even the Podium gals can't say no to Patrick's camera lens.

I love this. Cstones! No names on the hellingen though.

Moment of silence, for the victims of the bus crash in Switzerland. One last moment of peace and contemplation before the madness began. You know the rest.

All photos by Patrick Verhoest for the Podium Cafe