Hoogstraten welcomes the many riders, managers, soigneurs and their fans for the start of the annual Tweedaagse van Antwerpen.
This tour, consisting of 4 stages filled with cobble paved roads, is only for the 'stoempers' of the peloton.
Cobbles, Flemish weather and flat tires, that is what the riders await. Hunderd twenty rider are ready for or, are they?
The race will lead the riders on cobble paved roads through the land of Ryen and will pass many pitoresque villages situated in the margrave of Antwerpen.
The start will be in Hoogstraten, an medieval town situated in the upper north of Belgium. Hoogstraten hosts the starting prologue that will give us the first leader of the race.
The jersey will be heavily contested in the next few stages. The prologue specialist will have to beat the cobble enthousiasts then.
Arendonk is the destination of the King's stage in this tour. 217 kilometres over flat roads where the wind is free to go and is usually blowing in your face.
When the riders are drafting to avoid the wind the wind is replaced by cobbles. Kilometres of cobbles.
The most notable cobblestreets to mention are the first one that we encounter at Wortel, 4 kilometres long. From Merksplas to Turnhout we encounter a few strokes with a total of 7.5 kilometres of cobbles.
And at the end in Arendonk we will encounter the last 10 kilometres of cobbles where we will pass the Jagerstraat even twice.
After | | this fierce battle against the wind, the cobbles and the other competitors the riders are given no rest at all. The third stage is 165 kilometres long.
It takes us from Arendonk to Geel and will pass again over 20 kilometres of cobbles.
This part of the mark Antwerp will give us a view of what Belgium looked like over 100 years ago. Many mentally ill people are sheltered here with the locals, and living amongst them.
Geel will welcome all that is left from the party of 120 that started in Hoogstraten and will nurture them to give them enough strength to go to Antwerp.
The last stage is not the easiest. From Geel to Antwerp is only 45 minutes. But not if you do it by bike. Ride over cobbled streets and take a detour that is three times the total kilometres.
150 kilometres, cobbles and wind, probably rain and many Belgium people cheering along the streets. These cheers are needed because the only thing that is in the riders' head is that they want to go home, to mommy.
Even the hardest and toughest rider is crying when he arrives in Antwerp and sees the statue of Bavo. Bavo is throwing a hand and that is what they will all do with their bikes, their shirts and their experience of the Tweedaagse.
They want to throw it away. Far away. And never return to Antwerp again. At least not this season anyway.
Because cobbles, that is what they live for.
Written by pundit Finz from NightmareChaos to OCM Magazine
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| | | | Meet the teams
 Team Trilla from Denmark has arrived in Belgium with Firmino Bothelo. He is ready for this tour and we all know what that means.
With the right team with him he will eat cobbles for breakfast, lunch and diner. Looks like he has the right team with him. Will he go for best foreign 'stoemper' of the year?
 Gradient Levellers crossed the Channel to entertain the mainlanders. This English team is relying heavily on their Eastern European star Nicodemus Balanchine. The national champion of Armenia is a sprinting giant and he has the experience in the Flemish weather, but to be seen as a 'stoemper', no he is not, but a result here and there, maybe.
 Equipo Easy On is what we call a man in women's clothing. A German team with hardly any German riders in it. They rely on Gregory Levis, a great rider, but terrible on the cobbles. He just needs a solid behind him to reach the end but when he does, he will be a great rider. Eli will still be seen as weird but with a great performance in Antwerp at least he will shine. We think a top nine result here and there, it will be polished copper you see.
 From France we welcome Drapeau Noir. He will not be welcomed in Flanders but he is allowed to enter. An Irishman will protect the French pride for this team. This has never be seen in my days and I hope soon there will be a reasonable French rider at the start here. But Limes will be good for Drapeau Noir no question about that. An Irish champion, no wonder with their riders, and a cobble fanatic. Will he be ready and in topform? If he is, hide your women and childeren.
 Questions arise amongst American team JJL24SS. Will they play Jeraldo Piedrahita as their captain or Jordy Dejaegere. The last one would be the obvious pick, being Belgium in a Belgium based race. And Argentina is a country with no real history in cycling anyway.
We go for Jordy Dejaegere. The homeboy. He will be fixed on a good result. Especially in the third stage because that will end in his hometown of Geel and he wants to impress his roommate.
 Hommerts Cycling team is a team known for its Japanese connection. In Antwerp however they come with Antwerp grown streetkid Fred Dobbelaere. And guess what, he is, what all his teachers could never imagine, in Topform.
Will this extra boost give this hard butted Flemish stoemper the edge to shine in something at all. We hope he can do his former teachers proud. Because they all got fired due to his weak results in their career.
 Luveaucek is from the Czech Republic and is in Belgium for only one thing. At least one sprint result if he is lucky. Is this team capable of the cobbled streets of Flanders, no ofcourse not. But when the pack stays together, who knows?
Topform or not, no chance at all. Maybe a point here or there but the general opinion is that he used his position to enter. Nothing more, nothing less.
 Severo Vivas wanted this race so bad he asked his manager to enter. Greenride finally agreed to send a team to Belgium. Vivas is thrilled and with the team he has with him we all know we can not take the words of Raimundas for truth.
Joining is not because Vivas wanted it. Greenride wants this race under his belt to show off. And he will show off if he gets it, because we all know it will be hard for him. A result, maybe. A win, no.
 Finally the first and, sadly the last, local team. omega pharma lotto is here in their own tour. And does this Belgium team has its own Belgium 'stoemper'? No, they rely on Bartoli Rivera. A Spanish rider that was lured in with the promise to ride a great tour.
A great tour he entered. His moment of glory is here. He must shine, he has the team, the trust, the everything. If he fails, divine powers forbid, he will cry himself to sleep for the remainder of the season. He is Topform ready so why not?
 Cobbles, wind and Flemish food. Strange combination but, there are more holy people in Flanders then there are in America and Julian Pope is one of them. He is unknown in America but divine in Flanders. And he is in Topform. That means he is riding with wings. Do we need to explain his team or his season's goals?
 Spain, sun, beach, party. But no. In Flanders it is just one thing, Mauricio Viola. Last years winner is here again and will he be ready? If he is ready he will eat cobbles all the time. From day one till the end we will only find one person in the top nine and that is Mauricio Viola. He will be ready to defend his title but will it cost to much?
 What is a 'stoemper' people ask me. A stoemper is Sebastien Persoens. He is Belgian and he likes awefull weather and crappy roads. Why? Because he is from Belgium. Only Belgium people can understand that.
But is that a bad thing you think. No, not if you are entering Tweedaagse van Antwerpen with Persoens. That is a good thing. Its not only good, its 'Plezant' as Persoens says. And we all knows what that means when he says that.
 Team RI. There is only one thing to say about this team. Last season's best cobbler used the last open space in his trophee room to put his latest trophee there. Where will he put his third trophee? Give me Topform and I will give you my house for your trophees.
Bermuda is the next destination for a cobblerace if we have to believe Curtis Defore. But we already tried that once and we lost a complete shipment of cobbles in the infamous triangle. Thats why he still is coming to Belgium for training and racing. He likes it but will this be his year. He is the former youth champion and it would be a shame if that was all he could manage in this tour.
Scilian is not so ambitious but we all know that he would talk a bit more if he did win, will Defore be ready this year or not?
Being number one in OCM does not mean you can rest. You must join every race possible. Use your high status to kick lower teams out of competition is your way of life.
But you are not the one to do it ofcourse. Eli Kahley and Algernon Dealy are the ones to do it for you. Eli in topform is the rumour or is he working for Algernon? It doesnt matter, we all want you not to score points.
Il Grillo the Italian team named after the cricket in Pinochio.... What??....Dutch?
Why the hell does he names himself Il Grillo, that is an Italian name, he has a Timetrial team. He only goes for one goal. A timetrial result. No cobble experience at all. If he wins the prologue his tour is succesfull.
Finally a Dutch team with a great cobbler. An Italian in the form of Alberto Mori in the team of canutes. This machoman knows his cobbles and he likes to be here. Not only because of his many girlfriends here.
His hard behind and perhaps topform will give him a way to shine in his homecountry. Because an Italian in Dutch duty, you kind of failed then dont you?
 alberta 1 crossed the ocean to join this cobble race and what did he bring us. He brought us a great team build around the infamous and extremly popular Heinrich Uttenberger of Liechtenstein.
The complete country of Liechtenstein is watching this tour on live television and expect nothing less then a win with a rider that is in topform.
In Canada they like cycling to.
 Belgium welcomes Russian based team NightmareChaos for the first time. The organisation was excited when they heared of them entering in this great tour. Untill they found out what riders they where getting. No Slavomil Dittrich for Tweedaagse, but a young, ambitious team headed by a sprinter called Yaroslav Moroshkin. Yes, we also have never heard about them
Is it true? Did they enter? They are not in Topdivision. But they are. They where. No they are not. Darkwave Recordings were. And they joined. Mainly because they could. Partly because they have Kristoph Villumsen.
A rider from Denmark who likes his roads uneven, crappy and full of dirt. He will do great in this perfect area for him, we accuse him of being Flemish.
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