Distant Roar

It's hard to believe that I only started heavily riding bicycles less than three years ago. What had always been a  fascination quickly morphed into obsession and borderline addiction. I can definitely say that I was predisposed to the type of disturbing behavior exhibited in the short time that has passed, but living where I live and falling in with a pretty amazing group of people definitely accelerated the process. Pile on the wealth of cycling-related news and analysis outlets, both "official" (see here and here) and "unofficial" (better and more prevalent. see here, here, here, and here to name just a few), and I quickly find myself happily consumed in the culture, nuance, history, intrigue and mythology of all things vélo.


Which brings me to the upcoming weekend. Across the ocean, in Belgium, a lion's roar is building. To the uninitiated, professional road cycling begins and ends with that spin around France that some Texan made mainstream here in the States ten years ago. However, scratch the surface a little bit, and you find a cornucopia of races and storylines that, dare I say, are at least as compelling (and sometimes more) than La Grande Boucle. One such race is the Tour of Flanders.