Last week, I was quite shaken up as a result of the hypothermia at the end of my “Polder Loop” on Sunday.
I didn’t eat properly for a few days, felt sick, weak, and nauseous until Thursday, and I hadn’t trained at all.
Although people claim that rest is good preparation, doing absolutely nothing and losing roughly 2.5 kilos doesn’t exactly seem optimal to me either.
Consequently, expectations for the AGR were not exactly high.
Moreover, while the weather forecast was better than for the days leading up to the ride, it wasn’t exactly promising. So, I was secretly already thinking about a shorter route…
Because we no longer live near Valkenburg these days, I also had to get up very early.
Furthermore, I had arranged with my favorite bike specialist, Jos Feron, that my crankset would be replaced after the ride, so I also had to be back in Schimmert somewhat on time.
So, by 4:45 I was in the car, and because I also had to go via Tilburg (the A2 was closed between Vught and Eindhoven), I didn’t arrive in Schimmert until 7:00. I changed clothes and then cycled towards the start, about 6 to 7 kilometers.
I didn’t have my documents yet either, so they were picked up and the handlebar number plate with chip was mounted. It wasn’t much warmer than about 6 degrees, so I was happy when I could finally head towards the starting arch – around 8:10.
Due to the crowds, you have to shuffle forward slowly for about fifteen minutes first, but just before 8:30, I rode across the starting mat.
Up to the Geulhemmerberg, cycling involves careful maneuvering and often not moving forward much faster than at walking pace, but once on the first climb, you can at least pass a horde 🙂
The route is well known by now – occasionally there is a small change due to permits or roadworks, but normally there are no surprises. What was new to me, at least, was that the loop towards Teuven – with the Rue de Beusdael – had been cut out, which likely had something to do with permits.
You continue winding through virtually the entire hilly landscape, and most of the climbs of any repute are included in the course. All in all, you are at around 2,000 meters of elevation gain, which is quite nice.
You don’t need to look up the AGR for Strava PRs, by the way, because it is so incredibly crowded that you are often just glad you aren’t forced to dismount.
It is actually incredibly busy throughout the entire route. And people fanning out (4 or 5 wide) on the narrow climbs, suddenly swerving left or right without looking back, or standing side by side in the middle of the road, eventually gets quite annoying.
Yes, I am aware that it is a touring ride and certainly not a race. But even at the touring level, there are differences in speed (skill, insight), and not everyone sets aside 12 hours to cycle 150 kilometers – or less.
Don’t get me wrong: it is a beautiful ride, although not as beautiful as the V4CH I mapped out, the support is top-notch, and you can look forward to plenty of photos and videos afterwards, but it is simply too crowded.
Moreover, I would appreciate it if I weren’t forced to slog my way through a refreshment station when I don’t need supplies.
For instance, the first refreshment stop is after less than 50 kilometers in a soggy meadow. I still have plenty to eat and drink at that stage, but riding around it is absolutely forbidden, even a reason for disqualification…
And I bypassed the rather long “Efteling queue” at the finish. So I have no souvenir, except for my wristband that I didn’t trade for a jar of Isostar. I am a bit curious as to what I left behind, though, but if it was another one of those bottle openers on a ribbon, probably nothing.
Conclusion: the AGR is a well-organized, beautiful ride, but from now on I will only ride it outside of the AGR weekend. And of course I did ride the full 150 kilometers, which is just barely 142 in reality anyway 🙂
Because Paula still had to play mahjong on Sunday, we stayed overnight at a beautiful B&B farmhouse in Den Dungen, near Berlicum. I was going to do a recovery ride on Sunday, and after a look at the map, I decided to ride towards Tilburg.
I first cycled to Schijndel to have a short stop at my Alpe d’HuZes buddy Stefan who lives there.
Via Sint-Oedenrode, Son en Breugel, Best, Oirschot, Middelbeers, Hilvarenbeek, and Goirle, we headed towards Gilze en Rijen. At Gilze, I came to the conclusion that the planned continuation via Dongen, Kaatsheuvel, and Waalwijk back towards Den Bosch would be a bit too much.
So I turned back to the east, but in Tilburg (North), the road was hard to find. I could have also saved myself the loop via Loon op Zand and instead cycle straight to Udenhout.
At Vught, I chose to cycle via Sint-Michielsgestel and Den Dungen back to Berlicum. The fact that the average bike route direction signs do not look ahead more than 5 to 10 kilometers, meant I had to stop quite often to check the map again to see what the next stop should be.
In the end, the odometer read 117 kilometers when I returned to the venue, which was 25–30 kilometers more than I had planned. The significant temperature rise (approx. 15 degrees compared to Saturday) also took its toll, and by now, I’m absolutely fed up with that wind.
Still, a nice “recovery ride” and a total of 284 kilometers this weekend.
Compilation of the videos made during the AGR: