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Inside the Cobbles with Tyler Farrar
Second-year pro Tyler Farrar is getting his long-awaited view of Europe’s bumpiest roads from inside the peloton during the northern classics. On Sunday, the 22-year-old Cofidis rider competed in the first Tour of Flanders of his promising career, helping push team captain Nick Nuyens to seventh in one of the most important races of the season. Farrar is an integral part of the Cofidis’ northern classics program and will be spending the next week racing across the cobblestones. Up next is Wednesday’s Ghent-Wevelgem —and next weekend, he’s scheduled to start in the Hell of the North, Paris-Roubaix. In an exclusive race diary for VeloNews, Farrar shares his experiences from a racer’s perspective. Here’s the first installment. —Editor
I’ve ridden big races before. The elite men’s world championships in Austria last year were crazy, but that was nothing compared to the sheer spectacle that is the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
As a young rider, I always dreamed of riding the spring classics. Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders have fascinated me since I started cycling back in Washington state. The cobbles, the hills, the fans and the ridiculously difficult routes make these races coveted prizes.I was nervous before the start, as probably was 90 percent of the peloton. For the Belgian riders and any other classics specialist, this is one of the biggest races of the year.
The near-freezing temperatures at the start in the Grote Markt in Brugge did nothing to diminish the energy coming off the warm and enthusiastic crowds. Riding on the same team as Nick Nuyens, a true national cycling hero here in Belgium, endears you to the local fans.
The noise was deafening as we rode from the team bus to the start line down a narrow street thronged with fans who called out, “Nick-ka!” “Tom-ka,” their little terms of endearment for their favorite riders.
My job today in my first Tour of Flanders was actually quite simple, at least in theory. I was supposed to cater to Nick’s every need, keeping him out of the wind and as well-positioned as long as I possibly could. My goal was to help at least until the Oude Kwaremont at about 180km into the race, which is where the race traditionally begins to blow apart.
In the first hour we averaged 48 km/h. Finally a break got away and the pace settled down enough that I was able to take everyone’s extra clothes back to the team car and get fresh water bottles.
We cruised along until hitting the first pavé sections at about 100 km into the race. I brought Nick up to the front for the cobbles to keep him out of danger. After that, the racing really started. Climbs came in quicker and quicker succession, and I continued to work to keep Nick in position. I blew a bit on the Knokteberg, just ahead of the Kwaremont, and ended up on the wrong end of a split in the field. I thought my day was pretty much finished, but our second team leader, Staf Scheirlinckx, had been caught out by an untimely puncture.
I put my head down and rode him across the gap, making the junction just as the Oude Kwaremont started. I was seeing stars at that point and was happy to make it over the climb and just a little further before I called it a day.
I am pretty satisfied with my performance today. I actually didn’t get fully dropped until a couple of climbs later at the Kortekeer, with about 70km to go. After that, it was lights out and I was more than happy to climb into the team car.
My first Flanders was a pretty amazing experience. Nick managed seventh despite the fact that half the team went down in one of the many crashes today. He and the team were happy with my performance and pleased that I lasted longer than had been expected.
I came away with an experience that I hope will help me become a better rider in the races I love. Now I have just two days to recover before I get to do it all over again, at Gent-Wevelgem on Wednesday.
Tyler Farrar
Cofidis
