I took just this sort of pilgrimage. Watched Wout and MVDP race, rode some famous routes.

I’ve been back every year since. I adore Flanders, and not just the cycling; the history and culture, the countryside, even the moody weather. (Ok, the food is not great; no place is perfect…🫠).

It does look like Carrefour de l’Arbe. I went the spot where he flatted a couple of years ago for a moment of silence. We drove to it and then rode part of it. Both were brutal. The ruts are so deep that the car bottomed out on the hump in the middle. I have no idea how they stay upright.

Time to step the fuck up.

I’m watching on Flo, which is going split screen on commercials. Still shitty that I have to endure them on a service I pay for, but it’s better than the full break.

Too bad for me the flip side is not true, that every rider has good days, even the worst. 🤷‍♂️

2 major crashes and 4 Grand Tours - not to mention classics and cx - made for a brutal 16 months. I get that he wants (and deserves) to try lots of things, and if he hadn't crashed at La Vuelta the whole equation would look different. But even he needs time to recover. Hopefully 2026 is his year.

Which facts, though? It can’t be the simple fact of performance, because athletes in *all* sports are better than ever. Cycling has gone through multiple revolutions since 2019, the peloton is the most talented ever, and the best riders are tested constantly.

What does he think we are ignoring?

I’m sad just thinking about it. Obviously no substance to it yet, but the day is coming eventually. I’ll just hope he wins one of the biggies this year and decides it’s still worth it!

What they meant to say was, "we get all the TV money but don't have to pay the riders or run the teams, so yay for us!"

It makes perfect sense for him to go.

Very nice. Not sure if a shadow counts as a selfie, but in any case I took this on one of my rides. It was my Strava profile pic for a long time.

True, and they have those there. I guess we all have to decide for ourselves.

As your guide to all things Indiana, here are my insights:

-We pronounce it "Warsaw." We are a simple people. It is in Kosciusko county, a far more interesting word imo.
-It is most famous for being home to prosthetics manufacturing. Fine business and all, but not exactly touristy.

My strategy would have been to start from somewhere upstream and ride back *towards* the bunch. Might have gotten a glimpse of him that way. Short of that, you are no doubt right. He'd disappear like the roadrunner to my Wile E. Coyote.