SONY A7R | Voigtlander Nokton 40mm | ISO 160 | f4 @ 1/30s | © James Gray

For a long time I'd wanted to ride in a one-day classic race — Milan–San Remo or Paris–Roubaix were the dream — but never imagined I actually would. Then in 2017 I was talked into riding the Tour of Flanders the following spring. So began some long days in the saddle in preparation for a race totalling 175km. On the morning of the event, looking at my fellow competitors, I figured I hadn't prepared nearly enough and that this was going to be a very long day.

Ahead of me were about 25 hills, including the world-famous Koppenberg — a climb with an average gradient of 11.6% and a maximum of 20%.

None of these hills are long, but they are short and sharp. Wet cobbles, cyclists passing close by, and people stalling in front make for a difficult and demanding climb. On some hills there was simply no way to keep moving — too many people ahead, or someone had stalled with no room to pass. But on a few, the road ahead was clear and I made it to the top without stopping, lungs nearly bursting, with a great sense of achievement each time.

Riders climbing the cobbled Koppenberg hill at the Tour of Flanders 2018

Peloton racing through the Flemish countryside at the Tour of Flanders 2018

Cyclists negotiating wet cobbled sections on the Tour of Flanders 2018 route

Amateur riders tackling the steep climbs of the Tour of Flanders sportive 2018

Tour of Flanders 2018 — riders on the cobbled bergs of Flanders, Belgium

Tour of Flanders 2018 professional race peloton in Flanders, Belgium

Professional cyclists sprinting at the Tour of Flanders 2018, won by Niki Terpstra

Tour of Flanders 2018 — riders climbing a steep cobbled section in Belgium

Team Quick-Step Floors riders at the Tour of Flanders 2018, Belgium

Niki Terpstra of Team Quick-Step Floors at the Tour of Flanders 2018

Tour of Flanders 2018 — professional race day through the bergs of Flanders

Cyclists racing through Flemish villages on the Tour of Flanders 2018 professional race

Tour of Flanders 2018 — riders on the cobbled climbs of the Ronde van Vlaanderen

My bike was old and, like me, absolutely knackered. One saving grace was that it had a steel frame. Heavy going on the short sharp climbs — I kept wishing I was on a lightweight carbon bike — but the steel soaked up the cobbled sections far better than carbon would have.

I got round in just over six hours, covering 175km. The rush of adrenaline crossing the finish line was something else. A real sense of achievement, and an enormous wave of relief that I'd made it through in one piece with neither injury nor mechanical failure.

The photographs above are all from the following morning, when the professionals raced. The day was won by Niki Terpstra of Team Quick-Step Floors.

#Motivation

Tour of Flanders - 2018

Instead of Giving Up, Try a Different Approach