It still hurts - you just go faster!

The above is a Greg LeMond quote, and sums up the pain portrayed in this shot of the great Sean Kelly at Tour of Flanders in '92. It also sums up my experience every Saturday morning. Endorphins are so addicting.



Tour of Flanders takes place this Sunday. It is the hilly cobblestone classic, around 155 miles, with climb after climb, some 13 relatively short, steep climbs in all. And all the climbs are cobblestone (or pave'), and with a little rain on them they are as slick as ice. You can check out more information here

Paris Roubaix, (or Hell of the North as it is also known) is a week later and is more well known to Americans. While it has cobblestones and is approximately the same distance as Flanders, those sets of cobblestones are all flat. More Paris-Roubaix background here

So, for my money Flanders is the tougher race. Everyone truly earns their "pain face" in both races.