Written by Milo of Cloud Atlas
Cobbles, for years it had been considered the black sheep discipline of the OCM world. Only rebels and outcasts would be consumed into building the toughest and dirtiest teams out there for the chance of one day competing in one lonely tour in Belgium with a very long name and way too many a’s and e’s or maybe a French tour that seemed to be over before it started. This has now changed and those same tours are prestigious affairs with participation from the toughest squads in OCM and with the creation of exciting new tours across the divisions, has fostered talent and created a healthy cobble ecosystem. In this publication we take a hard look at the world of cobbles this season, so if you are new to it let me pace you right into those old bricks and out of the comfort of the paved road.
France Roubaix Classic
1. England Lucas Loudon, Comfius
2. Cape Verde Kadir Gonçalves, Drapeau Noir
3. Colombia Jacinto Cresaco, Cloud Atlas
The cobble season started as it always has in one of the oldest and most prestigious classics out there. It was a duel fought by some of the greatest in their generation. The victor, Lucas Loudon, wins the trophy for a third time. Kadir Gonçalves nearly gets his a decade after seeing his early mentor Móra Grosics get his. The trophy also eluded Jacinto Cresaco, another giant of his generation that has come close at times like this but lacks the palmarés that give prestige to his contemporaries.
Hungary | | Budapest Meeting Point
1.New Zealand Ihipa McGee, NSW Sporting
2.Germany Jens-Peter Clemens, EHFOC
3.Scotland Martin McMillan, Team Gbr Development
The next classic took place in the Habsburg roads of Budapest Meeting Point. The Division 6 race was won by Ihipa McGee and gives his team NSW Sporting their first trophy. It was a heart breaking loss for Jens-Peter Clemens that also missed the win by mere centimeters a year ago.
BelgiumTweedaagse van Antwerpen (4 stages)
1.bermuda Gale Reason, Jonas Pro Cycling
2.england Lucas Loudon, Comfius
3.italy Andrea Camata, IndieRock
YC.colombia Venjamin Sala, Cloud Atlas
It was the most heavily contested Tweedaagse van Antwerpen in recent memory with many riders arriving in top form and powerful cobble teams arriving with multiple stars per team, all with the goal of winning the checkered jersey. The tour started with a time-trial that also included many of the best in that field. It was won by the Italian Alonzo Bonico, who seems to excel at Tour time-trial stages winning previously in Germany and Vuelta de los Castillos.
There was shock in the King stage as time trialist Otto Holm escaped early in the race and maintained his lead and survived an aggressive chase by an alliance of young and old of Venjamin Sala and Gale
| | Reason.
After that second stage, the two favorites to win it all became Gale Reason and young Venjamin Sala but it was the 37 year old reason that maintained shape and went on to win Stage 3 in Geel while the youth cracked far behind. Father time then had his old nemesis Lucas Loudon as the only threat within his reach but made sure to arrive before him in the last stage in Antwerpen.
In the end, Gale Reason won the TvA for a third time. An incredible feat to do at 37 years old. Rumours abound about the state of the art cryogenic therapies sponsored by Reason’s millionaire team Jonas Pro Team to maintain his shape.
Indonesia Brebes - Brebes
1.scotland Martin McMillan, Team Gbr Development
2.belgium Alfons Cretskens, TeamRunningCenter
3.norway Kolbjørn Grindheim, Team Kruse Smith
This Division 7 classic is the first big test for young teams that had chosen the school of Hard Knocks. It was Team Gbr Development’s Martin McMillan that received the gorilla. McMillan came close to win another classic this season in Hungary but did not dare lose this opportunity. It has been a joyous season for McMillan who finally has a chance to captain his own team after years as Norrie Roughhead’s right hand man in old town racing club.
We will rumble on next week as we present the outcomes of the Division 2 classic and tour as well as the upcoming Turnai-Turnai.
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