With the 105th edition of the Ronde vonSan Raflaanderran set to happen on Tuesday evening, tensions are at a fever pitch among riders, press and fans. Unlike recent years where his bombast and quotable mouth has been a near pre-race certainty, PHRO Chairman, President and CEO, Joos Litvalk has been unusually reserved this season. Perhaps he is letting the course do the talking this year as everyone who is anyone certainly cringed when they first saw the route for the 2011 fake-race.
On paper, it would seem that this year’s course is a step back from the 11 bergs and extended pave sections from the 2010 race, which saw a wily attack on an unmarked hill, spring Markus Clijisters to victory. However, those who know the area are certainly familiar with many of the fearsome bergs that dot the route, in particular, the new and little know Knollberg, a new and brutally steep extension to the familiar Springberg and the ever daunting Kingberg.
The Kingberg, though it has only been included once, affected the 2009 Ronde so dramatically that it has earned a place in cycing lore along side the other legendary climbs like l’Alp d’Huez, the Koppenberg, the Mortiriolo and the Côte de la Redoute. Most famous perhaps is the manner in which it systematically demolished Clijisters and totally decimated the chasing bunch who looked to be gaining on the lead trio of Baen Van derStandish, Jonas Lodewick, and the eventual victor, "the Gorilla" Van vonSimeon.
In an interesting change of strategy this year, PHRO has elected to place the final berg nearly 20km from the finish and while there are certainly several lumps in the road over that distance, the finish is essentially flat.
Conspiracy theorists are postulating that this is a direct result of Lodewick’s cozy relationship with PHRO Head Joos Litvalk and is designed to get the burly sprinter to the finish in the lead group. Despite much pre-fake-race boasting, Lodewick has not much to show for his bluster other than a string of podium finished in the Ronde since winning in 2006. Last year he was shown the door by a wily and cunning Clijisters after, in 2009, Van vonSimeon simply rode away from him over the top of the Fairberg barely halfway into the route.
Regardless, early reports from riders out to reconnoiter the parcours, are saying that this is the hardest edition of the Ronde vonSanRaflaanderrs yet. If this is indeed the case, we should have a deserving victor come Tuesday night.
Hope to see you there!
6 of the top 7 finishers in last week's event took shortcuts on Peacock cart path. Let's hope for better sportsmanship this week.
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