A page featuring galleries and links for cycle tours undertaken during March 2023.
I ride regularly, and I do not necessarily post a web page for each tour I do.
I do post to Facebook, Garmin Connect, Strava and occasionally to Komoot and Instagram.
Gö Feldweg Omloop 60km – March 29 2023
Gent Wevelgem is one of my favourite cycling road races of the season, it features four sections of Ploegstraat (gravel), lots of Betonweg, sharp climbs, narrow country asphalt roads and twice up the fearsome Kemmelberg.
Thus inspired I rode a Gö Feldweg Omloop, these are routes I like to ride with races such as Gent Wevelgem in my head.
Although things do go bump in the night, I do not believe in ghosts, especially the notion that they are manifest in places of tragedy. If this was true, then the Kemmelberg would see nebulous spirits of the victims of World War One ´living´ cheek by jowl (as would be the case in the Leine Valley regarding the 30 Years War).
Nonetheless the Kemmelberg is haunted by memories and when I was there, I felt nervous turning my back on the forest atop this high ridge overlooking the Belgian city of Ypres.
I rode a variation of the 60km Omloop in reverse order and I added the steep leg breaker up the ´Tillyberg´ climb, thankfully there was no rain today, but there was a cold wind blowing at times into my face.
I can´t replicate the Kemmelberg on the Gö Feldweg Omloop but I do think that this ride got me in the zone of the races I love.
Mehr: https://veloklubhaus.com/2023/03/26/march-2023-rides/
Riding Ypres: https://veloklubhaus.com/2018/03/12/riding-the-kemmelberg/
On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8797438023
Gent Wevelgem Women´s Highlights 2023
Gent Wevelgem Men´s Highlights 2023
Slippy Gö Strade Bianche 56km – March 26 2023
My first summer in Göttingen in 2019 was hot (30+) and the thousands of gravel roads in the area were a brilliant white in places. This prompted me to begin to set out routes and this was my first – the Gö Strade Bianche 56km with details in both DE and ENG.
Today’s ride was hastily arranged via the Gö Gravel WhatsApp group, and we set out knowing rain was expected.
With the rain falling memories of past wet Strade Bianche´s and when the Giro featured the Tuscany white gravel roads in 2010 come to mind. The gravel was slippery and we splish-splashed through deep puddles on a variation of the route avoiding a couple of hills because of the conditions.
Thanks to Sandra, Josh, Alex, Craig, and Def for sharing the adventure and being heroic.
Rain
There are different ways of expressing rain, but it can be simply described as wet or WET!
I was a commissaire at a road race many years ago and at the finish many riders complained of feeling sick. We eventually considered that this might have been caused by the peloton riding tightly close together in a vortex of spray as if an electrical appliance had been thrown into a bubbling Jacuzzi. A best guess is that riders had their spatial awareness screwed with by only being able to see the wheel ahead causing a feeling akin to travel sickness.
On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8780477550
Frühling Gö Feldweg Omloop – March 24 2023
With spring in the air, I rode at a relaxed pace a variation of the route of the 40km Gö Feldweg Omloop and back to front.
It mimics the classic and semi classic Belgian/Netherland road races that feature in March and April.
On the bike I struggled into a fierce wind, but I was rewarded when with the wind at my back I rode like a cycling god.
It was fun to mix it up and I rode my old CX bike, which is tweaked for asphalt, pave and Betonweg as well as for the gravel sectors featured upon this ride.
On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8769377009
Gö Gravel Love of Mud Social Ride – Peace Ride – March 19 2023
The March Gö Gravel party ride theme was a war not fought and a peace dividend delivered in the early 1990´s.
On route we visited Kerstlingröde Feld once a Panzer Grenadier base and now the Göttingen Wald.
The track included the mega-descent to Mackenrode followed by the ´Mackenrode-Klein Lengden Gravel Freeway´.
Danke to Jen, Andrea, Andreas, Kai, Rollo, Def, Chris, Konstantin, Craig, Stefan, and Sandra for their company. Plus, a big hello to new faces Alex and Jakob.
We got home not muddy and with warm feet – brilliant!!!!
This ride signals the last of the Winter Love of Mud Series and now we look to the ´Frühling Flower Power Series´.
On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8742332872
Mehr (links): https://veloklubhaus.com/2023/03/11/march-2023-rides/
20th Century Gö Feldweg Omloop – March 16 2023
It was on my Specialized Crux cyclo-cross that I almost fell into the arms of Hades, but I drove it there and so there is no blame. This ride has a page of its own.
Not For the Love of Mud in Gö – March 11 2023
After hefty periods of rain and snow fall (the rivers are full) and having got mud splattered many times recently, we opted to cherry pick our roads to avoid being caked in the brown stuff yet again.
Yes, there are limits to our Love of Mud.
Other than the myriad of gravel roads in the area we also have asphalt Feldweg, and Betonweg to ride and these are normally less muddy although they are often ´dirty´.
The intention was to maximise the use of roads not normally open to cars etc., and stay ´clean´. We ticked both boxes.
And the sun shone!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to Josh and Andrea for the company.
On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8697427146
Gö Gravel Love of Mud Strade Bianche – 40km+ – March 5 2023
Plus two great shots from Josh Schenk
We celebrated the holding of the Strade Bianche in Italy on March 4 with a social ride upon the white gravel roads (brown in winter) of Göttingen on the following day. The race itself is a modern classic featuring amazing sections of the white gravel roads of Tuscany.
Despite the weather being cold we held the Gö Strade Bianche motto to our hearts – Schließ´ die Augen und stell Dir vor, Du seist in der Toskana, und mach´ sie erst am Ende der Radtour wieder auf.
Ride 45km with 31 gravel sectors.
Thanks to Josh, Andrea, Jen, Konstantin, Derek, and Jeremy for their company, and a huge welcome to new faces Chris and Christian.
I was feeling like I had no energy today and all were so patient with me.
On Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/8665470386
Velo Klubhaus 
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