Liège-Bastogne-Liège, known also as La Doyenne, is the oldest one-day race still in existence. First run in 1892 by L'Express newspaper, the 270km Monument takes place in the rolling, forested Ardennes region of south-east Wallonia. The voluptuous nature of the course makes it very punishing; add bad weather conditions and you have arguably the hardest of the spring classics.
The voting is over and we can now reveal our winners of the 2011 Festive 500. It was a remarkable event, with the cumulative kilometres of all riders reaching somewhere close to 1.5m. Not only did we see a lot of distance covered but the volume and quality of the films, photography, illustrations, and writing (and even music) astounded us.
The large number of entries meant that inevitably we’ve had to overlook many worthy riders. It’s also been brought to our attention that there were some discrepancies in voting. We would like to clarify that the decision of the Rapha judges is final and so, without further ado, here are our winners and notable mentions (in reverse order, naturally).
With due respect to my Australian colleagues, the cycling season doesn’t start, in my mind, until that race named after the newspaper that I cannot pronounce [Omloop Het Nieuwsblad]. In Northern Europe, the start of the pro calendar is marked by crap weather and a juddering internet stream on my laptop featuring Flemish commentary. Not the seemingly fantastical Australian summer and the laid back training jolly that is the Tour Down Under.
As per usual, espressos, handshakes and stamped passports were exchanged before we started the fourth ride of the week. For a second time we climbed the Gorge before travelling through the Barossa Valley, where some of us slowed down to sample a few of Australia’s finest wines.
Conditions were extremely hot as we stopped to see the Sprint at Kersbrook, then rode over to witness the KOM at Menglers Hill. Menglers is a short but gruesome climb, one that would take us to the finish at Tununda. Greeted by what seemed to be the Devil’s own road, some stopped to take photos while others received kisses. Most definitely the attraction of the day.
After a few days in the hills everyone was looking forward to an easier day along the coast. Following coffee at Red Berry Espresso – and stamping more than 60 Rapha passports – we headed out of the city toward the beach at Glenelg.
What a picture-postcard day it was, with a light coastal breeze keeping us fresh as we rolled from Glenelg to Hallet Cove, thirty-five degrees and bright sunshine. The sparkling blue seas and cloudless skies could have only have been improved even if we'd seen our storm trooper friend from yesterday pull up next to us on a race bike.
Photos: Wade Wallace
Plenty of familiar faces and some fresh ones for ride number two. One rider even joined us from Japan and plans to get his passport stamped on every stage this week. We began with a climb up Greenhill Road, one of Adelaide's most renowned ascents, and then on to Mt. Lofty. Heavy mist rolled in and within minutes the temperature had dropped from 30C to 15C. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the sun broke through and as we descended through Stirling en route to Mylor, conditions heated up again.
Yesterday saw a huge turn out for stage one of Rapha's Tour Down Under Passport Rides. More than 60 riders of all ages, from across Australia and New Zealand, rolled out for a day's riding in temperatures forecast to reach 40C.
We started the morning catching up at Red Berry Espresso, before heading up towards Norton Summit. It was a quick ride to the top, with riders keen to flex their muscles in the stifling heat before settling into a steady tempo.
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