#nijlen

Gekke kapsels op Muziekfestival Jour Tibour in Nijlen.

The sprinters teams controlled the race throughout the next six laps, meaning it felt more like interval training! There would be an attack by a rider, or group of riders, and the sprinters teams would chase. The race would then be full gas for a while; the peloton strung out into single file. When the break was caught again we would bunch back up and the pace would drop. Even though most riders, and all of our team at different points, tried to get away it was clear that it was going to end in a sprint as it was being controlled so well. This did make the race a bit less interesting but the need to concentrate meant I didn’t have much time to think about it. As well as constantly moving through the group and trying to hold your position, every other rider in the peloton is also moving so you’re always watching wheels. There are also the added complications of the Belgians’ love of road furniture, riders having to jump over the gap that runs down the middle of the road, and teams handing bottles up around the whole course and not just in the feed zone (and inevitably dropping most of the bottles into the group because it’s moving to fast). The narrow 90 degree turn after the finishing straight wouldn’t have been my first choice of where to feed!