Bear with me, I'm clipping from Het Nieuwsbladt and using a Dutch-to-English sherlock translator, for a guy who isn't exactly speaking Dutch. Results aren't pretty... but you get a sense of where Tom Terrific is at.
This is the first year in which I cannot fall back on one or an other excuse if I do not win. It ran simply perfectly. If I do not win, then the world ball will not stop turning....But I am certainly not only favorite for the round. I am perhaps the only those there towering bovenuit put but these yielded I saw coming there still above water. Dekker and Hincapie for example. Van Petegem? He is the only renner (cycllist) of whom I don't have to see to know that he will stand Sunday. And then there is still a package which did not show the back of their tongue. I did that the past weeks a lot. But I do that, then I am not also finished by the outside world! (laughs)
There's also a story about reconning the climbs... where the cycling tourists meet the pros.
The Koppenberg lay yesterday under a thick and threatening cloud package. A first sight of steep gone that to the top of these Flemish for the, provide normal people lead shivers: how touched someone on this ever with a bicycle? The kasseiweg are not only hut basin, at some places she is by mud also glibberglad. Will Gilbert and Verbrugghe then nevertheless be right? The first cycle tourist who the flank comes up is opgereden heavily drives Rik Temmerman (26). breathing, but in a good rhythm he in one jolt entirely to. He radiates on the top and almost to see you him thinking that he finds the Walloon renners but wait-- the Koppenberg climb is possible if you are trained. You must twist a this way small possible acceleration and always in the saddle continue sit. He who on the pedals will stand, constantly and then touch you feel its achterband sneak away there natural not,'' he laughs.... Toch is not everyone as strong as Rik and Pierot. Willy Ovaere (55) step halfway the bult of its bicycle and go down. He wants it once again try, because on pace touch on the tending flank is this way good as impossible. Downstairs he takes aanloopje, storms the mount, but falls again quiet. it is onbegonnen work '', sighs he. , the gaps between the cobblestones are also this way broad. That is dangerous if you intervene there with your rims." Willy has in the meantime been caught up with by cycling Japanese of the continental team Nippo, who avoid the modderplassen skilfully. Team leader Harry Lodge encourages its boys from the car. " it is for these boys the first time that they have ridden the Flemish climbs. They found Belgium nice, to now '', he says. The Ronde of Flanders has been discussed in the complete world. Everyone wants climb these hillocks sometimes." The Japanese boys are encouraged on the top by some local occupants of the Koppenberg. Under them the cross-belt tone and C?cile Quaghebeur. "we look forward each year from to the race'', tell tone. Each year our Koppenberg is then cleaned. They come hose here still everything and sweep. It has improved also much in comparison with before. Then layers the cobblestones still much more chaotic. The renners cannot complain now therefore, think I." C?cile laugh. , Sunday morning the mount is closed at 10.30. Then there already twenty up to thirty men in our home. I make then a large pot soup and then am the here koersdag. remove the Koppenberg from the parcours? No, that I would find doodjammer."
It's awkward, but I love these stories. Here's more:
The figures show a spectacular increase of young renners in Flanders. Boonen-effect? Available statistics show us in advance that there in 2005, this way eventjes 64 per cent more cycled around rennertjes than in 2000., which are impressive figures '', says Laurent de Backer, President of the Belgian wheel association. "the good youth functioning is one matter but of course can more than ten per cent on account of Boonen be written....