13 years after my first Chouffe Classic, I revisited the Ardennes for another participation.
Some things have changed since then and not all for the better…
Admittedly, my memories may be more fond than warranted by that first participation and some things just never match the first experience.
But there’s a reason I avoid busy granfondo’s and I was reminded of that in a way I didn’t see coming nonetheless.
As the Ardennes, or at least the part I needed to be, are further away than the hilly south of my country, we made it a longer trip.
So, we left Thursday morning and arrived at the departure site for the trip I had planned around 1PM.
After some shopping for groceries at the supermarket there, I got on my bike at 1:30.
My Giant Revolt that is, for the Trek Émonda was not ready yet when we left – I was not amused when I received a call around 2:30 that it was…
The Revolt has fat tyres on it, which isn’t necessarily a good thing when riding mostly tarmac.
However – one of the things that hasn’t changed – they are more suited for Belgian/Wallonia’s tarmac roads.
As I had plotted a route using Strava, I was hoping for – but not sure – I’d travel more quiet roads, and I was not disappointed.
I also plotted the route to travel previously untraveled roads, so more west of the Liège – Houffalize – Bastogne line.
Which means I also got in some new climbs 😎 Nothing too difficult, though.
When we stopped in Hotton for a coffee break, my Edge somehow managed to stop and save the ride – I guess I was lucky it wasn’t discarded…
Part 1: Garmin and Part 2: Garmin – 63 kilometers of which 58 new 🎉
For Friday I had plotted a few alternatives and I decided to go for a loop south of Houffalize, which was also new territory.
This also gave me the opportunity to get my bib-tag at the Start/Finish location for Saturday’s ride.
Best part of this ride was along the RAVeL (613 and 163) between Houffalize and Bastogne.
Impeccable tarmac and hardly any traffic – I guess it will be more busy on days with (really) good weather.
The only thing not good was that you do not have priority on crossings with ‘normal’ roads 😎
Garmin – 70 kilometers of which 66 new.
On Saturday, I arrived at the start around 7:45AM and I could depart immediately, as I already had my bib-tag.
I wasn’t sure I’d ride the whole distance, as the weather forecast was, like for the previous days, not that good.
Plus, the Giant is also not the best choice for a 170 kilometer ride with 3,000 altimeters, even less so on fat tyres.
But the first 80 to 90 kilometers, to the 2nd rest stop, went by relatively ‘easy’ – I changed clothes in our apartment in La Roche-en-Ardenne, which was close to the 1st rest stop.
However, around that time my back pain was causing an ever more severe pain in my left leg, to a point it was hard to push the pedal(s)…
I just made it up the Roche-à-Frêne, by the time I reached the Côte du Trou it had become slightly better, but I cracked on the Côte d’Odeigne further on…
Anyway, by now it was only some 45 kilometers more, so I kept on going.
At the sight of the final Rue Saint-Roche I almost fell apart, but I inched my way up that one too.
Both Garmin and Strava agree on the altimeters, so between 2,800 and 2,900 in the (official) 168 kilometer ride.
And I guess that more than 1,000 of those are not even categorized; my Edge showed 8 climbs more than those labeled on the official route, but it also ‘missed’ one that was.
Garmin – Wandrer gives me a spectacular 102 ‘new kilometers’, but I calculate there might have been between 50 and 60 at best…
Despite the route and the organization being as good as I remembered, I will not participate in the Chouffe Classic again.
As I experience daily, both cyclists and car drivers have ever shorter fuses. However, the cyclists have a big mouth, the car drivers have a lethal weapon…
Experiencing my day-to-day dose of road rage a hundredfold is no fun. And despite the organizers trying to get the cyclists to comply with some basic rules, there are a lot that don’t care.
As I guess the Chouffe Classic is a good training practice for the Vélomédiane later in the year, many ride like morons and have no patience for slower cyclists.
And on that note, my second ‘hill repeat preparation for the Tour‘ event, the Ardenne Offensive, has ended.
I should probably not worry too much about the back and leg pain (yet) as the Giant is not the preferred bike for these trips anyway.
However, despite the trip – 300 kms and 4,325 altimeters – not being easy on purpose, my confidence hasn’t grown…
Then again, I’m off the addictive meds and doing better without them, so there’s that 🤪
Next, aside from a trip or two to the south, the Hochsauerland awaits again.
