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 10 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
-
-
Bikes of the Atlas Mountain Race 2023: from comfort gravellers to speed weapons, here’s what caught our eye
Covering 1,300km / 800mi of Morocco’s gravel roads and mountain passes, the Atlas Mountain Race demands a tech-heavy approach for its 3+ days of bikepacking racing
-
British champion Cameron Mason hoping for rain at Cyclo-cross World Championships
British national champion says patience will be the key in what’s expected to be a fast race in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands
-
Strava insists new pricing structure is legal
The company is varying its subscription prices depending on the user's country of residence
-
Strava apologises for 'confusing' subscription price hike
Fitness tracking app has sought to clarify changes to pricing after initial "very confusing" messaging
-
'Strava inflation' takes on new meaning with price rise above 25%
'Strava inflation' could previously be applied to the growth in user numbers and subsequent increase in segment speeds, now it signifies a notable price rise
-
The Strava community has spoken… here are the changes they want to see made to the app in 2023
One request cropped up more than anything else
-
A lot more UK cyclists did 100-mile rides in 2022 than 2021, Strava data reveals
The company's Year in Sport report shows exercise trends have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels
-
'It was Purgatory': Cancer survivor rides 627km around Cyprus in a day
Alexandros Agrotis fought off fatigue to raise funds for thyroid cancer, which he had as a teenager
-
AG2R Citroën deny interest in signing Nairo Quintana
Options are running out for the Colombian, as is time
-
Annemiek van Vleuten's Tour de France Femmes winning ride smashes Strava records
Movistar's Dutchwoman gets most kudos ever for a women's ride
