This year’s tour version of the Amstel Gold Race was added to the agenda more or less by chance.
The registration process crashed in the evening and was then delayed to the next day early in the afternoon.
That way, he still got a starting ticket relatively easily, while he initially thought “never mind”…
After all, it is “around the corner” and so it still feels a bit like an obligation 🙂
As always when he rides alone, the 150km was chosen – the 200km offers less challenges (read: altitude meters) and the 250km is too far for our hero anyway.
After the good preparation in the “Hel van het Mergelland” (125km hilly) and “Veenendaal-Veenendaal” (135km practically flat) he was curious how he would digest the AGR this time.
He was a little bit anxious as he had his bike adjusted on Friday. Early April, he had a bike fit and it turned out that some adjustments were necessary.
Well, “necessary” is relative as another measurement may yield a different result, but C. was indeed not comfortable on his brand new Galibier.
So a 10cm stem was mounted (instead of 14), the saddle was lowered a bit (0.4cm) and some more tinkering was done to the millimeter.
And it must be said: it “felt” good. Perhaps not so smart to immediately plan a 150km test ride, but C. likes a challenge, although a set of Allen keys was packed just to be sure.
They were not needed, nor were the spare tires because he also got through this ride “unscathed”.
He was glad that he had chosen a warm overshirt with long sleeves – that did spoil the look a bit, since he is extremely proud of his new Leopard Trek outfit and only the pants were visible now.. Whenever possible, the jacket was unzipped 🙂
The weather was really nice (for cycling) but it was a bit too chilly for a short outfit, especially in the morning hours. Although: he didn’t leave until 9:00 and that already made a difference of a few degrees with the tough guys who left (much) earlier.
The route is of course well-known and he can almost cycle it with his eyes closed, but not with so many fellow cyclists on the road.
Fortunately, the AGR has a 12,000 registration cap, but that is still a lot and parts of the course are the same for all distances. The 150 km is also the most popular distance, so you don’t have to feel lonely on such a day.
You can also notice that at the two feeding stations – join the queue and slowly shuffle along…
Of course it was busy at the finish line, but it was not as chaotic as it was a few years ago. The tents are also a few sizes bigger and it is also very busy there.
C. is not really into refreshments – let alone an obligatory Amstel beer – and having his picture taken with the podium girls was not an option either, as he did not want to stand in line for 20-30 minutes for that.
Many thanks again to the volunteers for watching over our safety! Fortunately for you too, the weather was good and that makes it a bit more pleasant. And a big thumbs up for the organization, who have now found the winning formula 🙂
What did the Polar register?
Distance 149.8km (officially 150.9)
Moving time 5:20 (net, without breaks)
DF+ 2,000m
