Hi there. I’m writing this just before the Tour of Flanders, one of the toughest races on the calendar. I’ve actually ridden all of the Women’s Tours of Flanders, and that’s getting to be so many I can’t remember how many there have been. A lot, anyway! So I know what to expect. I’ve always been good at this race without being exceptional. My best Flanders was one year when I finished in the top 15.
My worst was when the peloton was misdirected at the deviation for the race vehicles in the final kilometre. A big bunch of us ended up reaching the finish, but on the back streets of the town, not down the race route. It was very frustrating because the lead two riders had been correctly directed, and at the time we’d been sent off the route we’d been racing for third. They always say experience counts for double in the Classics, and that’s very true - at least if I get misdirected another time, I’ll know when to ignore the race officials!
Experience is also useful for other reasons in Flanders. Positioning is vital, particularly at the start of each climb, and in general you have to be at the right place at the right time. I like to train on the route before the race itself so I remember it better, but this year we haven’t had time, regrettably.
Flanders is a special race for a lot of different reasons. One of them is there are different kinds of cobblestones on each climb and that makes racing over each ascent a very different, difficult experience. When it comes to racing I prefer small cobblestones like in Holland. The ones you get in Belgium tend to be bigger, and it makes riding more stressful. So when I am racing in Flanders I like climbs like the Molenberg which are very steep but at least the cobblestones are smaller.
My least favourite climb in Flanders is the Muur de Geraardsbergen, which is always very difficult. By that point in the race, late on and close to the finish, I’m almost always exhausted. Just getting over it is a challenge.
People often ask me what the secret is to doing well in Flanders. Apart from positioning, the most important thing for Flanders is not to be too nervous and being sure you haven’t over-raced or over-trained beforehand. For example, I like doing a couple of hours training at most on the previous day, not any more.
I’m not the kind of person though, who doesn’t like talking about the race the previous night. That’s very different. I love getting to the team hotel and discussing tactics, racing, seeing how everybody else is going. I get really excited talking about all the different possibilities. Your adrenalin gets going and you start getting mentalised for the race the next day. That’s almost as important as being fit for the race itself. So that’s what I’ll be doing on Saturday night, before Flanders.