I woke up Sunday at my usual 5am. Or so I thought. I turned on the computer to follow the live coverage of Flanders when the computer clock catches my eye. Six o'clock? What? Friggin' daylight savings time. No big deal as there was still a good 3 hrs of racing to go. The usual early breakaway was established (a large group of 26) with the occasional rider dropping off as the leaders began crossing the Belgian bergs. It wasn't until the early meters of the Muur that breakaways and the remaining peloton with all the favorites finally came together. Halfway up, Hincapie was storming at the head of the peloton. He bogged down slightly but kept a good tempo. By the top, Wesemann, Bruylandts and Hoste emerged with a smallish gap with Hincapie going over in about 5th or 6th. The aggression Hincapie showed is a welcome sight and bodes well for Roubaix this Sunday. However, when Wesemann crested the Muur he kept the pace high. Hoste sat on Bruylandts and Wesemann's wheel for the final km's with Wesemann looking very strong. In the final K Bruylandts went on the attack knowing he lacks the sprint. Wesemann waited and waited, forcing Hoste to finally do some work and close the gap. The tactical nerve of some guys is amazing. Hoste brought back the break with Wesemann in the catbird seat. The three slowed for a short bit and Wesemann went from the rear and won with relative ease.

Wesemann was my pick for Roubaix this week. He has the form but the Flanders/Roubaix double is uncommon and PVP just did it last year. All the favorites looked strong enough to contend for Roubaix but just missed out by a slight bit. No one looks dominant. My other favorites other than Wesemann: Museeuw - will be able to use his power more on the flatter Roubaix parcours, Hincapie - I liked his aggression in trying to stir up the chase, Van Petegem - solid and strong but didn't show himself much, VDB - was saving himself for the Muur but flatted on the berg before and had to chase, Boonen - the talent to win but likely lieutenant for Museeuw. I'll put Dierckxsens just a notch below. He is strong enough to ride away but will he work too hard and he lacks a strong team

I was really tired Sunday but was determined to spin for an hour or more. I did a version of the Linda loop that included Hagemann and Bauer. I probably should have found a flatter route but its a good rolling route with some flats and a couple places where you need to push the gears a bit. You need to work a little. The legs were droopy but they got a needed ride. Today they felt decent