• The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to @SHaines here on the forum, or use the Contact Us form to message the Community Team.

    In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.

    Thanks!

Odd home bases for non-Euro pros

Aug 13, 2009
2
0
0
Visit site
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?
 
Mar 18, 2009
1,844
1
0
Visit site
Vagabond Ben said:
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?
 
Apr 18, 2009
118
0
0
Visit site
Vagabond Ben said:
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.
 
Jul 25, 2009
59
0
0
Visit site
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. :)
 
Mar 10, 2009
7,268
1
0
Visit site
davidw said:
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...
 
Jun 28, 2009
7
0
0
Visit site
Crunchy Frog said:
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 ;)
 
Aug 9, 2009
505
0
0
Visit site
davidw said:
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.
 
Apr 18, 2009
118
0
0
Visit site
SergeDeM said:
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:)