While Europe is struggling to deal with the effects of a coronavirus lockdown, two Belgian pros used the unexpected off-season to stack a staggering amount of kilometres in one ride.
Oliver Naesen, Classics specialist and Ag2r La Mondiale rider, and companion Maxim Pirard took on an immense 365km ride around East Flanders on Wednesday (March 18), spending more than 12 hours in the saddle.
Naesen’s season has been completely derailed, as he had been looking to capitalise on previous results in the spring Classics, before all the major one-day races in March and beyond were cancelled.
While many pros are spending their training time indoors on the turbo trainer, particularly in Spain where riding outside is banned, Naesen and 22-year-old Pirard decide to test the limits of their endurance.
Starting at 5.30am in Teralfene, just west of Brussels, the pair set off south on an enormous tour of the region.
The route took them around Ronse, Oudenaard, Zelzate and to the outskirts before they finished the day-long adventure back in Teralfene.
It wasn’t an easy ride either, as the pair averaged 30.4km/h on the mostly flat terrain, while Naesen averaged 182 watts and hit a maximum power of 861.
He also set a few fast times, taking third on the Strava leaderboard for the 30-minute Belgo-Dutch frontier (W-O) segment.
Naesen says he burned around 8,000 calories (while Strava seems to be suggesting he only burned 1,944), for the ride which took a total of 12 hours and three minutes of moving time, or 12 hours and 51 minutes of total time.
Pirard, who raced as a stagiare for Bahrain-Merida in 2018 but is currently not riding for a pro team, also set a few impressive times, taking second on the Belgo-Dutch segment and taking seventh on the 200m zandgangklim segment.
While it’s unclear when racing will return (the next race still scheduled to run is the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, we can expect some huge performances from Naesen if he keeps this training up.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
US cycling fatalities hit multi-decade high, but there may be hope in 'safety in numbers' effect
On average, 19 people get killed while riding their bikes in the US every single week.
-
Emma Langley nets Joe Martin Stage Race GC after storming TT performance
EF Education's Langley clinches her first UCI stage race victory in Fayetteville
-
Winner Dylan van Baarle shares impressive Strava data from fastest-ever Paris-Roubaix
The Dutchman covered the 257.2km route in 5-37-00, winning with a powerful solo attack 19km from the finish line
-
Strava's latest update adds 3D maps to its mobile apps
The update is free and offers users a 3D terrain view of their surroundings
-
Victor Campenaerts breaks Tadej Pogačar's Coll de Rates Strava record
The Belgian climbed the Spanish mountain 13 seconds quicker than Pogačar on Saturday February 12
-
Strava maps will now show points of interest for all users in the apps first 2022 update
Strava has identified the most popular spots and locations for its users and added them to maps feature
-
AG2R Citroën manager ambitious going into new season: 'We want to win a Monument'
Vincent Lavenu also expects a more competitive challenge in the general classification of a Grand Tour
-
Tadej Pogačar is 'pretty much untouchable' says Ben O'Connor
Fourth place finish at Tour de France still seems ridiculous, says Australian rider
-
Strava reveals cyclists completed 10 billion miles over last year
Strava's Year of Sport 2021 report highlights the distance cyclists uploaded to the platform
-
Six tips to nail the Rapha Festive 500 on Strava
The Rapha Festive 500 returns to Strava in 2021, so here are our top six tips to complete the distance challenge
