Odd home bases for non-Euro pros

[Vagabond Ben]

Columbia's Aussie Adam Hansen is based in the Czech Republic ("Still here and will be here 'til I finish my cycling, that's for sure. Love this place!"). Are there any other non-Euro pros with such an odd (at least to me) home base?

 

[TRDean]

Columbia's Aussie Adam Hansen is based in the Czech Republic ("Still here and will be here 'til I finish my cycling, that's for sure. Love this place!"). Are there any other non-Euro pros with such an odd (at least to me) home base?

Is there some good tail in the Czech republic?

 

[thehog]

Is there some good tail in the Czech republic?

Very fine. Although most have wised up to foreign men and hollow promises.

 

[Bluebeard]

Very fine. Although most have wised up to foreign men and hollow promises.

Someone should have mentioned this before I booked my holidays...

 

[davidw]

Columbia's Aussie Adam Hansen is based in the Czech Republic ("Still here and will be here 'til I finish my cycling, that's for sure. Love this place!"). Are there any other non-Euro pros with such an odd (at least to me) home base?

It strikes me as being a bit odd that Robbie McEwen lives in Belgium. He's not really a classics racer, so I don't see what that point of dealing with all that crappy weather is. I think Italy, southern France, and Spain are much more pleasant places in terms of the weather and the variety of place to ride, but that's just me.

 

[Crunchy Frog]

Isn't Robbie's wife Belgian ? And he's ridden on mostly Belgian/Dutch teams, tho' perhaps a move to the steppes is now in order. Hot as Hades in the summer, 40 below in the winter and mud up to your knees the rest of the time: lovely.


Edit: Just to clarify, "Hot as Hades.." etc refers to Russia, not Belgium.

I love Belgium.

 

[Bala Verde]

It strikes me as being a bit odd that Robbie McEwen lives in Belgium. He's not really a classics racer, so I don't see what that point of dealing with all that crappy weather is. I think Italy, southern France, and Spain are much more pleasant places in terms of the weather and the variety of place to ride, but that's just me.

He is Mr Paris-Brussels though...

 

[scribe]

Very fine. Although most have wised up to foreign men and hollow promises.

Sounds like they read paperback romance novels there.

 

[CycleViking]

Isn't Robbie's wife Belgian ? And he's ridden on mostly Belgian/Dutch teams, tho' perhaps a move to the steppes is now in order. Hot as Hades in the summer, 40 below in the winter and mud up to your knees the rest of the time: lovely.


Edit: Just to clarify, "Hot as Hades.." etc refers to Russia, not Belgium.

I love Belgium.

That's right, Angélique Pattyn is her name. They live in Brakel.
I'm quite sympathetic to this; I also had to permanently move to where I currently live because my wife declared it as THE hometown

 

[SergeDeM]

It strikes me as being a bit odd that Robbie McEwen lives in Belgium. He's not really a classics racer, so I don't see what that point of dealing with all that crappy weather is. I think Italy, southern France, and Spain are much more pleasant places in terms of the weather and the variety of place to ride, but that's just me.

He must enjoy the Belgian weather more than you would. I live in Spain and I would trade it for Belgium any time. The summer here is way too strong for me to handle.

 

[davidw]

He must enjoy the Belgian weather more than you would. I live in Spain and I would trade it for Belgium any time. The summer here is way too strong for me to handle.

"De gustibus non est disputandum" as they say here (don't question people's tastes), but I think you're crazy In places like Spain (or Arizona, in the US), you get a few months of weather that really is too hot. And then many more months of nice weather when the rest of the world is freezing and wet. Belgium looks like it gets particularly miserable weather, as they seem to spend a lot of time around 0, but without really being a 'snowy' country. According to wikipedia:

"On average (based on measurements the last 100 years), there are approximately 200 days of rain per year in the Brussels-Capital Region."

That makes for great races to watch on TV, but ****ty riding conditions unless you're really a masochist

 

[BikeCentric]

That makes for great races to watch on TV, but ****ty riding conditions unless you're really a masochist

All pro cyclists are masochists by definition; the sport is about pain and only pain.

 

[Bluebeard]

All pro cyclists are masochists by definition; the sport is about pain and only pain.

And disappointment. Don't forget disappointment.

 

[thehog]

I'm sure Hansan goes back to Oz during the Czech winter. Bitterly cold. But yes the women are very fine, beer is good and the architecture is stunning.