La Grinta! Challenge

Overall Distance 150k Time Taken 5:27 Height Climbed   Brevet   Distance Climbed   Position   Date May 2009 Country Belgium Entrants 2972 Region Flanders

Grinta! is the leading Flandrian cycling mag (of which there are a few!!) and this is their key event, held in May each year.

This event was the fourth round of the fantastic Lotto Cycling Tour.  You can see the other rounds (all though we've not done them all yet) in the column to the right.  They take in all of the classic cycling roads and climbs of Belgium. 

Choose a Flandrian cobbled classic and an Ardennes forested legend before you get too old to enjoy them.  They're the easiest events in the world to enter, take place on some of the most challenging roads you'll ever find and  you'll meet the nicest people in the world doing what they do best.  I intend to return every year until I'm too old to do so.

We stayed at a fantastic hotel overlooking the plain not 2 k from the start.  In fact it was on the last climb of the day.  We rolled down the hill in the car to the start to get our numbers.  Didn't fancy riding back up it at the finish!

Signing on in the spring sunshine was a doddle, as we collected our inscription packs, water bottle and t-shirt from the Tournai Stadium in Kain, which had ample parking for the 3000 participants.

I was heading for the 150k event (below) and Dianne had settled for the 63k as the 100k had lots of turns and 11 climbs.  She felt it was do able, but her ability to get lost in an alley secured the deal.  She'll probably end up doing 80k anyway.

So off we set for the first three k down a cycle track!  The stadium is at the crossroads of a major road, so the only way out of there is down a back lane or a cycle track.  They chose the cycle track to get us up and at the hills as quickly as poss.

After a 12k warm up (that's a 40kph down a cycle track Belgian warm up) we're at Vert Bios.  No easing in of the legs here.  It's only 280 metres long but at an average 10.3% it's a bit of a stinger.  Unluckily for Dianne, it was on her ride as well.  Still, strung them out a bit.

I managed to jump on to a fast moving group as they crested the rise and got a free ride to the next climb, the Trou Robin, 890 metres and 6% but with a 17% kick in it towards the top.  Again, unluckily for Dianne this was her second climb also!

Thirty k in and there's a big windmill and a feed.  It's probably not meant for us as this signifies the halfway mark for the shorter, but obviously no less hard, route.  As expected, none of our group opted for a light refreshment.

With the two early tarmacadam flurries out of the way, we now headed across the Flandrian Plains to find our first cobbled fix of the day.  Saule Pendu; 1100 metres of cobbled hell, with a 10% section thrown in just to make it a tadge more challenging.  Still we had to go up that to get to Mount Mainvault, which was the most "disappointing" of the day because at 2 kilometres and 2% it could hardly be called a mount!

Then we came to the three stingers of the day.  The Bousee, Escalette and Hameau climbs came in very quick succession.  Each one containing sections of over 15%.  As we headed for Flobecq and the feed my thoughts turned to food.

Everyone knows the Belgians have the best food stops of any sportives.  I thought I'd earned one of the frangipane delicacies by climbing these monster hills.  Especially the ones with cobbles.  But I was in a fantastic group.  We were riding a sort of through and off; they were going through and I was going off.  It seemed a shame to split up a winning team.  So I soldiered on.

Then we hit La Plachettes.  1100 metres and another 15%-er!  Now I was really upset about my cake.  It was also at this time that I began to realise the hills weren't getting any easier.  I remarked as such to one of my companions (they all speak perfect English).  The easy ones are behind us!  He cheerily remarked.  I taught him some new Anglo Saxon words as a reward.

Thick and fast they came as you can see below.  What you don't see, is the hundreds, literally, of small rises and humps that they don't even classify as a hill.  It was a very lumpy day.  16 categorised climbs and about a thousand dismissed as natural terrain.

As we got towards the end my gels and bars seemed to kick in and I got over the disappointment of missing my cake.  I screamed back home, working hard on the last five k to head our group over the line.  Although to be honest I think they let me take the lead as they couldn't believe I'd driven all this way to take part in "their" event.  How could I not when the roads and the company are this good?

As I rounded the last bend to lead them through to the finish I heard a Geordie scream.  It was Dianne, already dressed and at the finish.  She hadn't got lost, had finished her event and had "an absolutely fantastic day" riding with a load of new friends she'd found.

We retreated to the car, freshened up and went for our food.

As you can see, the stats were a little on the high side! 

Max heart rate 236 bpm and max speed 78.4 on a very long, twisty and "farmy" descent.

A total TSS of 457 and an outrageous IF of 0.916, with an accurate FTP setting from the week before.

I queued for the food while listening to the band and just soaking up the atmos.  These are fabulous occasions and they really have a carnival atmosphere all of their own.  Everyone is happy doing what they like doing best.  Riding their bike in Belgium.

As we returned to the car Dianne stopped to have a chat with one of her new found friends.  I carried on, as we had to get up and at 'em to get back for the six hour drive for the ferry.  So I organised the packing.

I got to the car and turned around to see her now surrounded by three or four men, all chatting to her like they were long lost friends.  When she got back, she was all gushing saying how lovely they all were.  I asked who they were.  "Oh those were the men I was riding with." 

As we drove past them I caught a proper look at her new friends as they all waved to her.  It was Johann Museeuw, Serge Baguet and the older of the three was the event director and head of the Grinta! Magazine.  I'd just been reading about him in the free mag they gave us.  There was also a lady with them, who (I later found out) was the Ladies Belgian National Champion!  Every single one of them had their "champion's colours" on their sleeves. 

I don't know how she does it!  And, she managed to get her photo taken eleven times on the course by SportPhoto.  I couldn't even find one of me.

Still, next one up is the Luis Ocana in  Mont Marsan in the South of France.  At least it should be warmer there...

The big route of the day... 

website	Grinta! Challenge
hotel	Floréal Le Panoramique