欧州自転車レース追っかけ日記

New tires?

My MX-5 was purchased in 2017. I got two sets of tires (and wheels, of course) when I got it. Summer tires and Winter tires, of course.

Currently the mileage on it is around 58,000 kilometers after almost 5 years. I assume this mileage was attained mostly on the summer tires. Let's say 80 % on summer tires and less than 20 % on winter tires.

The tires are kept indoors when not in use. So the tires are relatively in good shape so far.

The tread is still deep enough after 5 years. I don't recognize any visible cracks on the surface. So for the moment I don't see the necessity of acquiring a new set of summer tires. I will be needing them in one or two years.

The current tires are the ones that came with the car, namely YOKOHAMA ADVAN SPORT. If I don't want to do anything special, this should be the natural choice.

Yokohama ADVAN SPORT (V105) RPB MAZDA 195 / 50 / R16 84V

This tire is found everywhere and it is marked specifically "MAZDA". So this is the choice of MAZDA.

For some reasons unknown, Bridgestone, a very popular and market leader, seems to be less popular in Europe. At least they are not widely available. The local shop, where I purchased tires several time, lists Yokohama and Bridgestone (along many others) on its available brands names.

Yokohama has other tires available in the same as mine. For example, Advan Neova and Fleva. I was more interested in these other tires. I looked for reviews on YouTube and found the Neova attractive. It should be more expensive than Advan sport.

I won't be buying them now, though. There are two reasons. One, my current tires are just fine and will be for another year at least. Two, the available model here in Europe is old and the new generation model has been introduced in Japan just recently. They have not been available yet. They will be gradually available in coming months.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ

[New tires for my Mazda MX-5 (ND)?]の続きを読む

テーマ:愛車と日常 - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2022/04/29(金) 00:36:46|
2. Mazda MX-5
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Liège - Bastogne - Liège 2022



CERATIZIT Fesitival Esy Jacobs 2022

It is April 28th and the official site (https://www.elsy-jacobs.lu/) has finally announced the roster or the starting list. The only problem is the start list is in the form of the prologue start list.

I scanned the start list and was pleased to find two particular names, namely Kathrin Hammes and Magdeleine Vaillieres Mill.

Why? Because on the climb of la Redoute (Côte de la Redoute) while they (and their teammates) were doing the training / reconnaissance ride on the Thursday preceding the LBL, they demanded their names on the road as a lot of others did (including Thomas Geraint, Blanka* Kata Vas along others).

* Why specifically her name? Because she spelled out her first name "B-L-A-N-K-A" while riding away from me, who was painting other names on the road. So later I had to search the Internet for her information to satisfy my curiosity. Some riders yelled their names but she was the only one who kindly spelled the name out for me.

And speaking of her, she appears to be also listed with the start number 2. This time she might be able to negotiate the deal with me, maybe.

Anyway, when they (Professional riders and some hobby riders) asked for it, I yelled back that I would gladly do so if they gave me something in exchange for my service.

Those two girls were the only riders who actually took time and negotiated. They were lagging behind (their teammates and the team car had been ahead of them by a few hundred meters) and got off the bike. We had a short chat. They offered me their empty (or almost empty) drink bottles. I took pictures of their name tags on their respective bike.

As a proof that I did my part, I sent the picture of their names and along with the team name to their team's Instagram account. So far I have not received any response but I hope that they have already seen it.

So I just want to tell them that I kept my word and would like to ask them if they have seen it.

Anyway, I am looking forward to it.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Liège - Bastogne - Liège 2022 and 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

1. 2022/04/27(水) 17:47:44|
2. Bike Races in Belgium
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La Flèche Wallonne 2022 done

It was a bit chilly day until the Sun finally showed up behind the thin clouds in the afternoon. Hannah and I stayed at the 300 meters from the finish line.

It was the first time I actually utilized the GOLABS R150 to power the portable DVB-T TV set. I found that it had enough juice for that small device.

When the TV set is powered by the 6 AA batteries, the screen is too dim to watch what on the screen in the daylight. When it is powered by the external power source, the screen brightness automatically goes up and it is easy to see what is shown.

Hannah was not too happy to have so many people around and stayed inside the sac all the time. Poor Hannah!

The races (men's and women's) were exciting to watch. I was happy to witness the events.

Now I am writing this in the room where I have been staying for three nights and also am staying until Tomorrow morning. Now what is on mind is how to watch the upcoming events, LBL.

So my tentative plan is this. I will drive to the first climb of LBL women, Côte de Mont-le-Soie. I have to be there early in the morning. The female peloton will pass around 10:10. I can leave for la Redoute and arrive there in about an hour or so. I will take a long way, though. I can not follow the peloton on my way to la Redoute. I will go in the opposite direction.

I can be at la Redoute in time for women's peloton. The problem is that the passage of men's peloton is expected around 16:40 and I have to wait for another 4 hours. It is a bit boring because the DVB-T reception is not possible around la Redoute.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [La Flèche Wallonne 2022 done]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

1. 2022/04/20(水) 23:13:49|
2. Bike Races in Belgium
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Mur de Huy and the gas canister

So this morning llike the previous day I left for Mur de Huy. On the way i went to the Bricolage store (Do-it-Yourself) to find out that that particular store opnes at noon on Mondays. It was around 08:50.

No problem I drove over to another store called "Hubo" across the street. It was open after 09:00. I looked for what I had been after for several days by then and got one. They only had ones with Propane and Butane mix canister but it did not matter. It cost me €5 although the price tag said €4.99. It happens often that the cashier had the liberty of not giving the customer the dear 1 cent in Belgium. No matter.

Then I drove to the same self car wash and gave the machine €2.5 to finish the job. Now my Mazda MX-5 is cleaner than the previous day.

Then I drove to Mur de Huy again. I was expecting a Belgian guy whom I often run into. He was there last year, too.

Anyway, we (the fans who were there) saw the following teams.

Men's teams:
Bora - Hansgrohe
Team Bike Exchange - Jayco
Movistar Team
Trek - Segafredo
AG2R - Citro&etrema;n Team
Total Energies
Team Arkea - Samsic
Israel - Premier Tech
Groupama - FDJ
Cofidis

Women's teams:
FDJ Nouvelle - Aquitaine Futuroscope
Le Col - Wahoo
Movistar Team Women
Canyon // SRAM Racing
Arkea Pro Cycling Team (maybe only one rider? )

One Human Powered Health rider came alone without any team car whom I believe I saw the previous day.

Some riders or teams came twice.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [April 19, 2022 Tuesday]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

1. 2022/04/19(火) 16:48:34|
2. Bike Races in Belgium
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Liège - Bastogne - Liège 2022

Here's a very very short extract from the time tables of both men's and women's editions of the race.

LBL-Women - 37 km / hour average estimated time of passage

Bastogne 08:40
Houffalize 09:08
Mont-le-Soie 10:10
Côte de Wanne 10:23
Col du Rosier 11:00
Côte de Desnié 11:21
La Redoute 11:43
Liege 12:30

LBL-Men - 39 km / hour average estimated time of passage (publicity caravan)
Liege (09:10) 10:15
Saint-Roch (12:31) 13:31
La Redoute (15:19) 16:10
Liege (16:07) 16:55

If and when I choose to watch them (women or men) at Houffalize (the town that hosts the famous Saint-Roch climb) and Remouchamps / Aywaille (La Redoute), I can do something like this.

1. From the camping site where I am staying, I can drive to Mont-le-Soie (women's first climb of the race) and wait until the race passes. It would be 20 minutes after the estimated time when I am allowed to leave.

2. From there I can drive to Saint-Roch and I could be there by noon. I could still find some parking place there.
3. I will stay there until the men's race passes.

4. From there I will drive to la Redoute.

This way I can see women's action once and mens's action twice. Or, ...

I could be lazy and stay at la Redoute all day and see them each once.

Or, ...

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Liège - Bastogne - Liège 2022]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

1. 2022/04/18(月) 21:06:59|
2. Bike Races in Belgium
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Easter Monday! What do I want to do?

I left for Huy around 09:00 in the morning thinking that I would finally get a butane gas canister for my Trangia cooker with a cheap compatible gas burner.

I did not arrive at Decathlon, instead I did arrive at the small commercial compound with parking lots. I did not find Decathlon. Obviously it had moved out. I also find a bit odd that there were almost no cars and the stores and shops there were seemingly not open.

After a while, it finally dawned on me that it was Easter Monday, a holy holiday.

In fact I had noticed a notice in front of the supermarket where I shopped on Thursday afternoon saying that the store would be adopting a unusual opening hours for the coming weekend. Easter Sunday: Open / Easter Mday: Closed.

I will try to get to some Bricolage store to get what I want.

Climbs of Cherave and Huy

So I headed for these places. I noticed that I had been to the climb of Cherave before. I had painted some names before. Was it 2018 or 2017?

I was at the middle section of Mur de Huy by around 10:30. Which teams or individuals came there?

Uno-X Pro Cycling Team women (as a team at least 4 or 5 riders)
Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad women (ditto)

Human Powered Health (only two team cars with possibly one or two riders inside gaping at outside)

Arkea - Samsic men (only one rider followed by a team car) TWICE!
B&B Hotels - KTM men (as a team at least 5 riders)
Liv Racing XSTRA women (as a team at least 4 o r 5 riders)
Team Bike Exchange - Jayco women (ditto)

These are all what I encountered during 10:30 to 15:00 time frame.

Self Car Wash, baby!

I went to this Self Car Wash establishment for the first time. I have seen it and parked right next to it for many times. I have visited Delhaize supermarket for years many times. This Self Car Wash is located right next to the parking lots of this supermarket.

It was Easter Monday afternoon and the it was sunny so what do you expect? I had to wait for several minutes before one of the three booths was available (actually fourth one was out of order).

The result was not satisfactory as I had some dirty spots left several places. I will return to it and clean my MX-5 again.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Am I kidding? Easter Monday!]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

1. 2022/04/18(月) 17:49:57|
2. Bike Races in Belgium
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Paris - Roubaix 2022

I left the hotel around 09:00 and drove to the cobble section 26 (Vertain à St-Martin-sur-Ecaillon meaing that the cobble stone path begins near Vertrain and ends near St-Martin-sur-Ecailon). I got there in around 40 minutes. It was a short sweet ride. The gate indicating the end of the section stands at the border between the cobble stone pavement and asphalt pavement road but I found by driving over them that the cobble stone road was actually longer past the gate. The poor asphalt paving showed cobble stones underneath.

Anyway, I was there until the peleton passed. I drove to the section 19 (Trouée d'Arenberg) but by the time I got there and found a narrow parking spot in the nearby village, the race had come. I could however catch a glimpse of the pasing riders at the exit point (exit from the cobble stone road).

Because of the good weather, the riders were very active and the riders were split into many small groups and going strong and were ahead of the expected time. I think the average speed of the race was very high.

I did not want to go all the way to Roubaix. I originally planned to pay a visit to the section 4 (Carrefour de l'Arbre) but thought that I would not be able to catch up. So I decided to head for Belgium. Conveniently the highway heading to my destination was just there. It was around a 160 km drive from there.

I stopped at a gas station along the highway to see if I could find a butane gas canister but I could not. There in the parking I watched the Belgian TV broadcasting of Paris - Roubaix till the end.

I am writing this in a room found using airbnb a bit distant but not too far from Huy, Belgium. I could not find a better deal than this one when I wanted to take my Hannah, the female cat.

As I had expected, the owner of the house had pets. She has two dogs (at least) and she also said she had one cat. That is why she allows pets in her property.

Anyway, I am going to spend 4 nights here.

La Fl&egave;che Wallonne 2022

Tomorrow morning I will leave for Decathlon, a outdoor equipment store and finally get a butane gas canister there. The room I am staying is roomy and located at the attic level. I can cook here.

After securing a gas canister, I will head for Côte de Cherave. It is the penultimate climb before the ultimate climb (Mur de Huy). After this I will visit Mur de Huy to see if any of the riders were riding the course.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [La Flèche Wallonne 2022 and airbnb]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

1. 2022/04/17(日) 22:53:44|
2. Bike Races in Belgium
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Considering the routes and watch points

It late Saturday night and I am up staring at the screen of my MacBook Pro 2010 (13-inch) with PDF version of roadbook Paris - Roubaix 2022 and Garmin BaseCamp open.

I am staying at a hotel in (or near) Valenciennnes, France. Tomorrow morning I am leaving here for somewhere out there.

Men's edition includes 30 cobble sections and two feed zones. Where should I go?

First of all, should I visit Roubaix in the end to see finish in Roubaix? Maybe I should visit one of the late cobble stone sections that I have never been to.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Paris - Roubaix 2022 plans]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

1. 2022/04/16(土) 22:52:19|
2. Bike Races in France
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I can not get a bottle of butane gas anywhere!

It is Saturday evening in the hotel room where I also stayed the previous nights. I tried to get a butane canister at the supermarket (medium size Intermarché) in the morning and failed. I tried a home & garden type store (in French "Brico") and then the big Carrefour hypermarché in the same shopping center near the hotel (6 km away) and failed.

At the "Brico" store called Brico-Depot, I did find two three types of gas canisters but all of them are useless to me as they don't fit the gas burner directly or indirectly via an adapter.

Normally I find the gas canisters that I want at Carrefour hypermarket but Today I failed.

In the end, I just bought a sack of bread to eat for the dinner.


Paris - Roubaix Femme 2022 done!

So this morning I drove to the Mairie of Denain or I tried. I did not see the building as the route was blocked just before the city hall building. I turned around and drove to Sector 17, the first cobble stone section of the race.

Before reaching the city hall of Denain, I encountered a bunch of cyclists riding in the same direction. I noticed arrows of signs along the route.

A moment later it dawned on me that those cyclists were riding the amateur version of Paris - Roubaix cycling event. A lot and lot of men and also women were there.

Those riders were riding on open roads meaning that cars were also allowed to drive. They sometimes had to wait for the traffic signals to turn green.

Later I reached the cobble stone section 17 and found a parking spot. I stayed there until the female riders came but there were thousands of amateur riders passing by.

I noticed:
1. 95 % of the bikes were road bikes and 5 % or fewer riders were on mountain bikes.

2. Many riders (40 %?) had a small saddle bag on them under the saddle most likely stuffed with spare tubes or repair tools of some kind in case of puncture.

3. Some riders had a small backpack on their back.

4. I did not watch them closely enough (I was resting in the car) so I don't know how many of them were riding bikes equipped with the disc brakes. I believe a lot of them did.

5. I think that female riders were less than 3 % of the entire participants. It was not easy to tell the sex by just looking in the distance. Not all of them wore pink jerseys.

I was thinking that it would be fun to ride the event. Someday!

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Paris - Roubaix Femme 2022 done! ]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

1. 2022/04/16(土) 20:03:42|
2. Bike Races in France
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After Amstel Gold Race, it is Paris - Roubaix time!

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Premiere Class Hotel in Valenciennes (59)]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

1. 2022/04/15(金) 22:25:19|
2. Bike Races in France
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The wiper blades have arrived

The ones (450 mm / 480 mm or 18 inches / 19 inches) that I ordered a short while ago have arrived and I opened the package to see what they looked like.

On the outside they looked very similar to the genuine Mazda MX-5 wiper blades. The internal structure was quite different, though. I don't have time now but I will inspect them closely to see if I can refill them with cheaper refill rubber scraper parts.

The phone (Blackview BV8800) is arriving soon

This morning (early in the morning, I guess) I had a SMS message on my ailing phone telling me that DHL is expecting a delivery of a package (contents unknown to me) from HK (Hong Kong, I guess).

It was expected to be delivered to me on April 14th (Thursday). First I was not sure it was the Blackview phone as I was also expecting a delivery of the wiper blades. I did not know where they were coming from although I was almost sure that the package contained the smartphone that I ordered ages ago. Finally!

I am working on that day, so it is very likely to miss the delivery man (or very slight chance that it is woman). This would be a catastrophe as I am leaving for France the very next day and early morning.

The SMS message had a link to DHL's site that enabled the notified person to change the delivery details. I changed it so that I can directly drive to their local facility (not far away) and get it at the reception on 14th.

I will be using the new Blackview BV8800 during my spring vacation.

The message did not tell me about the customs charges (import tax or something) but I am expecting to pay some charges before I get it. How much? I don't know.

This Blackview BV8800 is supposed to be a rugged phone. My current ailing phone's screen is coming off. 40 % of the screen is off the frame so that I can see the backlight directly from the edge.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ

[Wiper blades have arrived and the phone is also coming]の続きを読む

テーマ:愛車と日常 - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2022/04/12(火) 15:24:31|
2. Mazda MX-5
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GOLABS R150 purchased

I purchased it just a week ago. I have not used it yet. I just charged it fully by connecting to the AC 220 V outlet.

I purchased it because I wanted to watch the local TV program in Belgium on the day the bicycle race "la Flèche Wallonne" on the portable TV set. It is powered by rechargeable batteries (AA) but they are not enough to keep the TV set up all the time (to watch the TV broadcast in its entirety).

This model is the smallest of the family and does not have much power. The AC 220 V outlet can power only around 150 watt or so. It can not power anything like heating devices or such. It can power laptop computers or likes.

From Friday, 15th of April I will be on a car trip for 9 nights. The last three nights I will be sleeping in a tent with my beloved Hannah, the cat near Aywaille / Remouchamps in Belgium. I don't know if I need electric power then but it could be useful.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [GOLABS R150 purchased]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

1. 2022/04/10(日) 22:07:31|
2. Camping in Europe
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4. | コメント：0

Which blades fit my MX-5?

I purchased my Mazda MX-5 back in 2017 (I got it in June or July?, I guess). It had the same original front window wipers since until I recently changed them.

The wipers had been in a bad shape for about a year. I knew it but I was lazy and I had not changed them.

In 2021, I had the first vehicle technical control after 3 years and half of use. It is called familiarly "Controle Technique" in French. It translates into Technical Check conducted by some agency (under Luxembourg ministry of something). All vehicles have to pass the check every year after this first 3 years and half initial check.

Back then I was afraid that the deteriorated wiper blades might be pointed out to be failing by the technician so I hurriedly purchased two pieces (450 mm / 480 mm long) at a local shop. Luckily they were not and they passed. I had them in the trunk since.

I finally tried them recently and found out that they were different models (though of same maker) and they were not so aesthetically good looking. This was then I decided to get better ones for my vehicle.

Buying from the Mazda dealer was not on my mind as they tend to be very expensive.

I looked for them on Amazon (Germany) and I.L. Motorsport (a German MX-5 specialist shop). They had similar models but the prices were different. Not being so sure that they were identical and wondering the higher price (and possibly higher quality) would make a real difference, I decided to buy ones from Amazon. They were described as Japan design suggesting that they were at least designed in Japan and possibly made in elsewhere (most likely China?).

I am waiting for their arrival. They looked very similar to the Mazda genuine wipers but they are indeed different in some parts.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Changing the wiper blades (front) on my Mazda MX-5 (ND)]の続きを読む

テーマ:愛車と日常 - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2022/04/10(日) 20:35:13|
2. Mazda MX-5
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4. | コメント：0

Paris - Roubaix 2022 course study

Nothing here yet.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Paris - Roubaix 2022 course examination]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

1. 2022/04/08(金) 23:15:54|
2. Bike Races in France
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Changing tires (wheels) and some troubles

From November (the beginning of November) to the end of March, it is compulsory or at least recommended to equip winter tires on the vehicles in Luxembourg (or many other EU and European countries).

I changed them Today (Monday, April 4, 2022) by myself in front of the humble residence of mine. There is no flat (level) place around so the Mazda MX-5 was temporarily parked on a slight slope.

Anyway, there was a small accident and the jack fell as the car rolled slightly down the slope. At that time the the rear right wheel was off but not completely so the brake rotor fell on the inner side of the wheel. The did not completely fell on the ground.

I could save the situation by re-seting the jack. I could lift up the car and took the wheel off.

The real problem started after this. The jack (a cheap Amazon jack) was already not in a perfect condition as it had already experienced bad falls. This pantograph jack was slightly out of order already and this fall broke the back at last.

It go stuck. I could not lift up nor down. I could force it but I knew the thread would eventually break. I could not get a wheel on as the was positioned too low.

Oh my God! what should I do? Should I walk to the nearest local DIY store to get a new jack?

The it dawned on me. I had a temporary tire in the trunk. It is smaller than the normal tire/wheel. I might be able to get it on. I could not as the car was too low. Then I deflated the tire to get it even smaller in diameter.

Wow! I could get it on by deflating the tire. I pumped the tire and now I could drive to local auto parts store. Later I got a new pantograph jack and I could successfully change them all.

One side note:

It was the first time that I actually put the temporary tire (sold as a spare part for Toyota MR2 more than ten years ago) on my MX-5 and drove. I knew it would fit perfectly (hug ring size and hub bolt PCD are exact match) but was not too sure I could drive on it. Now I can say with confidence that I can.

In Japanese: 続きをどうぞ [Changing tires and some troubles]の続きを読む

テーマ:愛車と日常 - ジャンル:車・バイク

1. 2022/04/04(月) 23:03:55|
2. Mazda MX-5
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4. | コメント：0