Festival Elsy Jacobs (http://elsy-jacobs.lu)Course par étapes WE UCI 2.1 au LUXEMBOURG, so says the site. It is in French as the dominant language, as far as written form is concerned, here in Luxembourg is French. Luxembourgish is mainly for oral communication.
Anyway, It is a road bike race with UCI 2.1 category for women. Elsy Jacobs is (was) a road bike racer (and she was good at all disciplines like track racing, cyclocross and others) from Garnich, Luxembourg. She was really good at it and this small stage race has her name to honor her achievement.
I have been to the last stage twice, I think. I am not too sure but it is not too important how many times I went there to see the race.
This year I try to see as much as possible because I have a friend (French guy) who said would come to visit Luxembourg for this race.
(I started writing this on Thursday, April 26 but could not finish it until now, which is Sunday, April 29)
On Friday, April 27 I went to Cessange, very close to my humble residence, to watch the pre-race events because I had to leave by the time the prologue started. I went to see the team gradually gathering and they (riders) going for a course check.
It was very nice to talk to Ms Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Cervelo-Bigla Pro Cycling Team).
I had a brief talk with Ms Eri Yonamine during the reconnaissance ride on the climb of Côte de la Redoute (actually Côte means climb so this phrase is redundant) when she briefly stopped where I draw her name on the course. This was my second time to talk to her and kinda introduce myself.
On Saturday, April 28 early in the morning before going to work, I drove to a local DIY store to buy a bucket of indoor matte white water paint. I later drove to the day's first GPM to do some painting job for aforementioned Ms Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig as she thanked me for doing some painting on Côte de la Redoute.
Later that day I drove to Steinfort (start and the finish) to see the race. Ms Eri Yonamine attacked solo and went for a while. There was big screen at the finish and we could all see her brave attack. That was very very awesome! She got the most combative prize for that!
On Sunday, April 29 (today as this writing) I went to the exact same place (first GPM of the day and also of the previous day) to add a bit more painting.
After that I drove to Garnich (the start and finish) to see the end of the race. I went up on foot to the other GPM (about 1 km from the finish). I met the friend above-mentioned and he told me that our beloved Cecilie was out because of illness. I found her in the passenger's seat in the team car following the race.
Anyway, the race was decided by a fierce sprint and won by Ms Letizia Paternoster (Astana) and with the time qualification she got, she also took the leader's jersey from the local hopeful Ms Christine Majerus.
Soon after the finish, the MC announced that it was unofficial as the race judge had not yet made the official announcement that Ms Christine Majerus seemed to have lost the first place on the general classification because of all the time qualification gathered. This announcement was, of course, done in a low quite tone as undoubtedly the local people had hoped that Ms Majerus had kept the prized yellow jersey.
Ms Yonamine had a bad luck toward the end of the race. A mechanical trouble (brake) forced her to quit as if losing her own bike the previous day in a theft (her team's van was brutally forced open) was not enough. I was very sorry for her. She was riding a bike borrowed from other team and the bike size was not the correct one.
I also had a pleasant talk with Ms Tsubasa Makise, another Japanese rider. Her name Tsubasa means wing (of birds, planes or any other flying objects and traditionally not considered a given name and only recent years came to be used as a given name and it must be also noted that it can be boys' or girls' name by its neutral nature as Japanese nouns don't have any genders at all).
She told me that her teammates jocosely called her 'wing'. I asked her if her parents wanted her to be an athlete as, as long as know this name Tsubasa got widely known by a comic (later animation) character. This boy was a succor player. Personally I had not known anybody "real" with this name before I found her name on the starting list of the race and the only person I had known with this name was this fictional character.
She told me that her parents wanted a name related to the sky (and flying). A beautiful name indeed.
As all the bikes (of Maaslanderstar International Women's Cycling Team) were stolen on Satudary morning, she came up to the first stage (April 28) without a bike. She was the only one without a bike.
She was not sure if she could start that stage. Luckily a small (this does not refer by any means their athletic achievements) Spanish climber from Movistar team used the same size as Ms Makise, size 46, which is extremely rare if not non-existent (with wheels 700C) and she could borrow the bike.
The bike frame was small indeed and very light (I lifted it up). She said that the bike was excellent that it was not only light to lift up but very responsive when pedaling out of saddle. She was very pleased with the Canyon bike.
The only complaint she had with the bike was the fitting, which did not have anything to do with the bike frame maker. I think the stem length and/or handlebar (column) height was not just so she had a bit of stiff neck in the end. And the Campagnolo levers do not offer "reach adjustment" as Shimano STIs do, her small hands and shorter fingers had a problem squeezing the levers.
In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Festival Elsy Jacobs]の続きを読む
テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ
- 2018/04/29(日) 23:26:02|
- Bike Races in Luxembourg
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Rental carsLast year (Last July) I rented a car to take two people around who came to see the Tour de France. The car was an Opel Corsa 3-door. It was OK.
I rented a car during the Paris-Roubaix and Brabantse Pijl week to take two people around. It was an Opel Corsa 5-door. I specifically designated small class (over mini class) to accommodate the big suitcase that one of the passengers had.
I just rented a car for the Amstel Gold Race, la Frèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège week. This time I was expecting (up to) 3 passengers and big suitcases (but only temporarily). So to save money, I made on-line reservation for a small class vehicle (like Ford Fiesta, VW Polo or the likes). I was also (cunningly) expecting a free upgrade at the counter because I knew that rental companies did not have many of those mini or small class cars (as they don't make much money).
So I was a bit surprised to hear that the my car was the Opel Mokka. Opel Mokka, the smallish SUV? I did not say anything and when the man at the counter asked it was OK, I said that I was expecting up to 3 passengers so any car with more than 4 seating capacity would do.
At the specified parking lot, I found the car and it was indeed the Opel Mokka.
It is tall and roomy. I don't know the engine displacement but it runs OK.
The two latter cars (Corsa 5-door and Mokka) had (or has) Opel's entertainment system built-in. I have already fiddled with it while driving the Corsa but this week I will do more with the Mokka.
In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Opel Corsa 3/5-door and Opel Mokka]の続きを読む
テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ
- 2018/04/14(土) 18:29:10|
- Bike Races
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De Brabantse Pijl - La Fleche BrabanconneWednesday, 11 April Leuven - Overijse
It was a nice day to enjoy the race. Not too hot nor too cold,
The race started in Leuven and there following the sad incident that had taken place at the Paris-Roubaix, the tragic death of Michael Goolaerts of Willems-Crelan, we had a moment for him. Many riders (mostly Belgian riders?) had a black band on their arm.
The race finished in Overrijse and Tim Wellens won.
I was there at the start and the finish.
Amstel Gold RaceSunday, 15 April Maastricht - Limburg
The course has been slightly changed from that of last year's. Details can be spared but the change I found interesting is the last small circuit before the finish. The last circuit has become ever smaller.
The riders won't climb the climb of Cauberg before the finish. This is interesting. Why do they (the organizer) keep changing the course layout? The separation of the finish and the Cauberg climb was OK considering the fact that it made the crowd on the sides of Cauberg much lighter as many people opted for the finish area.
They keep making the finish less suitable for climbers and more suitable for sprinters or the like. Why? I have to concentrate the watch plan rather than the logics behind the organizer's decision to change the course layout.
2018
Men's start: 10:30
Women's start: 10:50
(ditto Bergseweg pass): 11:34
(ditto Bergseweg pass): 11:56
2017
Men's start: 10:25
Women's start 10:40
I now understand that the race time table has not drastically changed.
La Flèche WallonneWednesday, 18 April Seraing - Huy
This year the race starts in Seraing and finishes in Huy. I don't care much about the course changes when it comes to this race because I don't chase the race but stay at one place all the time.
Liège-Bastogne-LiègeSunday, 22 April Liège - Liège (Ans)
I don't see any changes or at least any changes that matter to me.
My usual plan is to see the peloton off at the start and then chase them to catch them at the Côte de Saint-Roch and Côte de la Redoute and finally see them at the finish.
In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ
[Brabantse Pijl and then next week's race watch schedule!]の続きを読む
テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ
- 2018/04/13(金) 23:35:11|
- Bike Races
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De Ronde van Vlaanderen 2018to be written later
Hozelock Porta shower on Amazon GBI ran some simulation. If I buy a Hozelock Porta shower from Amazon (GB), it will cost around €30 including the shipping. It is far less costly than buying it on Amazon (Germany).
On the other hand, there its similar product a Freshower (by an Italian company) costs more than it does on Amazon (Germany).
Conclusion: If I decide to buy a Porta shower device, I will buy it from Amazon (GB).
In Japanese:続きをどうぞ
[De Ronde (van Vlaanderen) and other things]の続きを読む
テーマ:自転車ロードレース - ジャンル:スポーツ
- 2018/04/02(月) 22:30:19|
- Bike Races in Belgium
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