Dalian update: 感冒 (Gǎnmào)..

I almost made it, but then again not quite. A whole winter without being ill once. Just like last year around the same time I am still forced out of action due to a bad cold. It had already started yesterday morning with throat ache and today all the other symptoms have emerged, too... Actually, I am not that surprised I still got it: most of my classmates have had colds over the past three weeks so I guess it was just a matter of time before the virus targeted me. In order to get healthy again swiftly, I found this Korean honey ginger paste (in picture left) at a local market around the corner. Ginger is always recommended as a cold remedy in these parts of the world. Three-four spoonfuls to be diluted with hot water. Hope it helps to soften my throat at least. The taste is not bad in any case. Rose, a.k.a. teacher Ma, a.k.a. Ma laoshi, a.k.a Hong Jun Ma, yesterday evening gave me some further advice: slice up some ginger root, put it into some Coca Cola and boil (!) them together. Then drink it hot. What a great example of sino-western cultural blend! I asked her whether Pepsi works too. She said yes.

Dalian update: exit Japan, enter Azerbaijan

Last Friday we say goodbye to the four Japanese students in our class. This came as a surprise for all of us, indeed. Turned out they were here on some exchange programme for just one month. Somewhat a pity, even though there had not been a lot of communication with them as they did not speak a word of English (nor any other foreign language). They came from Hiroshima, and it struck me that all four of them seemed quite different in terms of behaviour and attitude than what I have experienced in Tokyo, Nagoya or Kyoto. Maybe it was just a coincidence but - especially the two girls - were the shiest 20-year-olds I have ever come across. The two boys fit every traditional Japanese stereotype, especially portrayed by extreme politeness and all its bodily gestures. They were cool, though. On their final day, one of the two guys arrived with an authentic samurai haircut ;-).

There is a new addition to our class as well, however. A girl from...Azerbaijan. So, it is quite an interesting mix here!

The weekend went by quickly. On Friday night I went to the next ICD evening at the Swish-hotel (yes, Swish, not Swiss) and came across meanwhile familiar faces. But there's always new people, too. For instance, an old staff member of the Bank of England, who seemed quite happy to meet another "central banker" in Dalian. Not being an economist I do no consider myself a banker at all, of course, but it's always the first thing they see on the business card that one exchanges at these events. Afterwards, I joined four expats to a Japanese yakitori restaurant, but we settled for some tasty rahmen. I could even speak some Dutch that night, because at the table was a Taiwanese business consultant who grew up near Amsterdam and is now working in Dalian for the Dutch government's business support office. After the meal, we split up and I went to meet Henry and the Frenchies for a few more drinks at Dave's and at 2046.

On Friday I saw my first genuine traffic accident. A lorry driver suddenly turned left without indicating (nor looking I presume), and a taxi coming from the opposite direction just drove straight into him...

I spent Sunday the good old-fashioned way: get up early to be on the bike by 9 a.m. I did a 3 hour training with just over 1000Hm, and explored some more new roads. I even found the Dalian equivalent of the Cote de la Redoute, the famous climb of Liege-Bastogne-Liege! Clearly the toughest hill so far! When I got back to the appartment, I took a quick shower and prepared myself some gnocchi, sprinkled with black pepper, and some fresh tomatoes and pickled gherkins to go with it. Followed by a nice glass of Valpolicella and a bar of ...well... Russian chocolate (Cote d' Or is really too expensive here...), and then off to the Havana Bar at the Intercontinental Hotel to watch the Australian GP Formula 1 with some ICD people ;-) There was a 2-for-1 promotion going on, but it turned out it was only valid for beer. Sigh, paid 60 kuai (6 euro) for two Perriers...

Gent-Wevelgem goes to Bernhard Eisel

An Austrian winner in Gent-Wevelgem yesterday: HTC-Columbia rider Bernard Eisel outsprinted his five breakaway companions to take the first classics win of his career. Second place went to the remarkable neo-pro Seb Vanmarcke of the Topsport-Vlaanderen team, who despite a superb attack in the final 3 kilometres still had enough juice left to stay ahead of Philippe Gilbert.

The six riders who sprinted for victory were originally part of a ten-men group that got formed before the final ascent of the fearsome Kemmelberg with 30km to go. Danish champion Matti Breschel seemed to be the strongest force until a flat tyre spoilt his chances. Nevertheless, Breschel belongs to the circle of top favourites for the Tour of Flanders after what he displayed again yesterday, especially on the Kemmelberg. Just like his Saxo Bank teammate Cancellara, Breschel appears to have a sixth gear when others have five!

Also among the group of ten was my race pick Oscar Freire. The Spaniard looked superb in bridging a substantial gap to Gasparotto and Gilbert earlier on, but then allowed himself to be tricked in the final kilometres by the two Liquigas-riders in the front group. When Kuchinsky left a gap, seemingly on purpose, Freire - and also Maxim Iglinsky - were way too slow to react. With the fastest sprinter suddenly behind, the other six did not waste a second to cooperate even better and extend the gap to last week's Milano-Sanremo winner. A bit embarrassing for the experienced Freire, really.

Gilbert and Jurgen Roelandts from Omega Pharma -Lotto were the only duo left in front, but Roelandts was apparently so knackered they gambled on Gilbert's sprint velocity. However, the star of last autumn has not yet found his superform back and had no response to Eisel. Seb Vanmarcke proved his appearance in the final of last Wednesday's Dwars door Vlaanderen race was no fluke, with a truly inspiring ride. A new Belgian star in the making?

Result

1. Bernard Eisel (AUT, HTC Columbia)
2. Seb Vanmarcke (BEL, Topsport Vlaanderen)
3. Philippe Gilbert (BEL, Omega Pharma-Lotto)
4. George Hincapie (USA, BMC)
5. Daniel Oss (ITA, Liquigas)
6. Jurgen Roelands (BEL, Omega Pharma-Lotto)
7. Maxim Iglinsky (KAZ, Astana) at 51"
8. Matti Breschel (DEN, Saxo Bank) at 1'01"
9. Tyler Farrar (USA, Garmin)
10.Luca Paolini (ITA, Aqua & Sapone)



Links

Highlights Gent-Wevelgem (final kilometres)
Highlights Gent-Wevelgem (hills)
Bernard Eisel

E3: Cancellara faehrt alles kaputt!

What a shame it would be if the E3 Prijs Harelbeke became a second-class race only because some UCI suits decide that Gent-Wevelgem has to be organised the week before the Tour of Flanders! For many years the E3 has delivered a fantastic spectacle and offered the best possible promotion for a sport one can imagine. This year's edition was indeed no different. Just look at the podium: 1. Cancellara, 2. Boonen, 3. Flecha. And that does not even tell the whole story...

As soon as the live TV broadcast started there was non-stop action and changing fortunes. Eventually, it was Tom Boonen who made the decisive move on the steep Taaienberg (with Greg Van Avermaet dying in his wheel) and later again on the Paterberg. Only Swiss champion Fabian Cancellara and this season's Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Juan Antonio Flecha were able to catch up with the Belgian champion, who is really having one of his best seasons so far. The three of them caught up with the four remaining survivors of an early break-away group on the way to the next climb, the Oude Kwaremont. Boonen, Cancellara and Flecha dropped them on the Kwaremont with Wallonian Sebastian Rosseler offering most resistance. Italian champ Filippo Pozzato had somehow missed Boonen's attack on the previous climb and was forced into pursuit. In style, because Pozzato still came very close! But when Boonen noticed Pozzato edging closer on the Cote de Trieu, he upped the pace and destroyed Pozzato's hope of making it back to the front. The Italian, who won last year's edition of the E3 by beating Boonen in the sprint, was then picked up by three Rabobank riders- including former cyclo cross world champion Lars Boom - and two Vancansoleil guys. The fourth Rabo ace, Nick Nuyens, got involved in three (!) different crashes today and retired from the race.

Meanwhile up front, Flecha was desperately trying to hang onto Cancellara and Boonen. The two top favourites for next week's Tour of Flanders had a serious psychological battle going on! A headwind going into the finish town of Harelbeke made the trio stay together as long as possible with a 30" lead over the previously mentioned chasing six. With 1,2 kilometres to go, Cancellara attacked and Flecha was the first to react. The Spaniard failed to bridge the gap, however, and when Boonen took over - nearly missing a corner in the process - it was effectively too late! As I mentioned in my Dwars door Vlaanderen review, if you give Cancellara five metres you can forget about it! Boonen did his sprint at 900 metres before the line but only saw Cancellara riding away to take this first ever classics win in Flanders! The Swiss champion expressed his delight of winning in Flanders after several years of trying in the post-race interview, but carefully added that next week's Tour of Flanders is more than 60km longer in distance...

Indeed, two years ago Cancellara bonked big time in the Ronde 40 kilometres from the finish. Nevertheless, I do not believe that will happen to Fabian again next Sunday. Boonen seems to be the strongest on the climbs, but when Cancellara takes over after the Bosberg the Belgian champ better jumps to his rear wheel straightaway. Everything is set for a genuine clash of titans on 4 April! Boonen versus Cancellara, with Flecha, Pozzato and Philippe Gilbert as dark horses. Cannot wait!

Top 10

1. Fabian Cancellara (SUI, Saxo Bank)
2. Tom Boonen (BEL, Quick-Step) at 5"
3. Juan Antonio Flecha (ESP, Team Sky)
4. Filippo Pozzato (ITA, Team Katusha) at 30"
5. Lars Boom (NED, Rabobank)
6. Sebastien Langeveld (NED, Rabobank)
7. Bjorn Leukemans (BEL, Vacansoleil)
8. Paul Martens (GER, Rabobank)
9. Marco Marcato (ITA, Vacansoleil)
10. Fabio Felline (ITA, Footon Servetto) at 2'30"

Links

E3 Prijs Harelbeke highlights (Paterberg, Oude Kwaremont, Cote de Trieu, Tiegemberg climbs)
E3 Prijs Harelbeke highlights (final kilometres)
Fabian Cancellara
Tom Boonen

Flanders Cycling Classics - Dress rehearsal for the Ronde

This weekend all pretenders for the win in next week's Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) will be testing their legs in the E3 Prijs Harelbeke and/or Gent-Wevelgem. Both semi-classics are now held on the same weekend, with UCI ProTour event Gent-Wevelgem replacing la Fleche Brabanconne, which has been moved to the wednesday following Paris-Roubaix.

It is quite a controversial issue in Flanders. The E3 has long been the ultimate preparation for the top riders, as the race course can be described as a mini-Tour of Flanders. But because Gent-Wevelgem is part of the ProTour the race risks losing importance, as sponsors may prefer their star riders to start in the globally better-known race in Gent rather than in Harelbeke, or... in both. Belgian champion Tom Boonen, looking for his third victory in the Ronde next week, has been indirectly told by his Quick-Step team sponsors to do both races this weekend. Further evidence of the ever increasing impact of business in professional cycling. But this is short-sighted: these two races are tough, and if Boonen were smart he would choose to go all out in one and pull the brakes halfway through the other. He has been riding at peak level for several weeks already, whereas his biggest rival next week, Fabian Cancellara, has just reached his top form and should, logically, have more reserves in the tank.

There will be pressure on the Belgian riders in general this weekend. The past couple of races have not exactly been successful. Watch out for Greg van Avermaet (photo) on Saturday. It was in the E3 two years ago he made a name for himself, and he will be keen to repeat that feat after a lacklustre 2009 season. My pick for Gent-Wevelgem, which is supposed to have a tougher course than before, is last week's winner of Milano-Sanremo, Oscar Freire. If the Spaniard kept his focus during the week, he is going to be very hard to beat!

Links

E3 Harelbeke
Gent-Wevelgem

Dalian update: squattypotties & sittershitters

I am not just learning Mandarin here in Dalian. Every day I bump into the Clermont-Ferrand people and put my French into practice, but even my English vocabulary gets a boost now and again. Coming back from university today, somehow Henry and I started discussing the toilet scene here in China. Mainly about how happy we are that our appartments are furnished with "western-style toilets", as opposed to "Chinese style", which is basically the same type as the traditional squatting toilets in France. Joel - my flatmate from the middle of nowhere in Alberta, Canada - looked at us rather confused and asked: "oh, you guys are talking about squattypotties and sittershitters?"

...

Joel is a quiet type, he doesn't easily start a conversation and he only says as much as strictly necessary. Someone once stating curiosity about the time of day told me she asked Joel whether he was wearing a watch. Upon which he simply replied "yes" :-). He is approaching his 30th birthday, so like me he is one of the older students at the University of Technology. He used to be a plumber in Canada, in a town somewhere between Edmonton and Calgary. At some point he also worked as a butcher. But gradually I have gathered he has been around quite a bit in recent years: England, Australia, Korea... Yesterday night he even explained how he and a travelmate bribed a North Korean guard at the China-Korea border in Dandong to set foot on "forbidden soil", i.e. North Korea. The Yalu river dividing the two countries is apparently very shallow in parts and also freezes shut on occasion. A pack of sigarettes for the guard was all it took. Joel collected some "North Korean" stones and soil as a reminder of their little walk. There was nothing to see, of course, it was a riverbank in a forest.

Countdown to the 'Ronde': Danish champ wins in Flanders

Yesterday Dwars door Vlaanderen, the first of the Flemish semi-classics that lead up to the Tour of Flanders on 4 April, was held in Waregem and saw the confirmation of what many insiders already knew for some time: Matti Breschel is a new classics rider to be reckoned with. The current 25-year-old Danish champion took advantage of an incredible pacing effort by his swiss teammate Cancellara to ride away from a small group with 21 kilometers to go. It wasn't really an attack, it was just Cancellara pulling over to the right, and the riders behind following him while Breschel moved left and gently accelerated. He got 20 seconds out of the blue and when French cyclocross rider Steve Chainel launched the first countermove it was already too late. Chainel couldn't bridge the gap to Breschel, was joined by Dutchman Niki Terpstra and Belgian Bjorn Leukemans, but the three of them never came closer than 11 seconds.

It was the sort of victory that could easily turn out to be a career-defining one. Breschel will be regarded as a potential winner now and no longer a contender. Together with Cancellara Team Saxo Bank may even have the strongest duo of all. Incredibly absent yesterday was Team Quickstep, usually the dominating force in the one-day classics. Tom Boonen, very strong himself, was not for the first time this year isolated in the finale. The other Belgian squad, Omega Pharma-Lotto, had Roelandts up front for a while, and Van Avermaet showed himself towards the end, but none of them gave the impression they are potential race winners in the next days. Hoste, three times second in the Tour of Flanders but never a winner, did not feature at all. Philippe Gilbert did not ride yesterday.

I guess the biggest conclusion from yesterday's Dwars door Vlaanderen is the comeback at the highest level of Fabian Cancellara. The swiss time trial champion and former Paris-Roubaix and Milano-Sanremo winner has made the Tour of Flanders his biggest objective of the 2010 season. Yesterday he showed he is serious about it. The pace he set towards the end was absolutely blistering and left several top riders gasping for breath behind him. Others simply got dropped from the group and that on flat roads! Boonen better be warned: if he allows Cancellara to take five metres in the Tour of Flanders, he will be riding for second place.

Race result

1. Matti Breschel (DEN, Saxo Bank)
2. Bjorn Leukemans (BEL, Vacansoleil) at 7"
3. Niki Terpstra (GER, Milram)
4. Steve Chainel (FRA), Bouyges Telecom)
5. Matthew Hayman (AUS, Team Sky)
6. Luca Paolini (ITA, Acqua & Sapone)
7. Wouter Mol (NED, Vacansoleil)
8. Tom Veelers (NED, Rabobank)
9. Stijn Vandenbergh (BEL, Katusha)
10.William Bonnet (FRA, Bouyges Telecom)

Links

Dwars door Vlaanderen highlights on Youtube
Matti Breschel on wikipedia

Dalian update: Binhai Lu & 2046

Yesterday after lunch I went on my first interval training session of 2010 on Binhai Lu, the route along the coast. That road goes constantly up and down and hasn't got a metre of flat bits for some 30 kilometres. Very often the gradient exceeds 10%. The weather was fine yesterday with limited wind. In order to get on Binhai Lu, I need to follow the main road that leads to the city centre for a while, until Xinghai Square (photo), a huge oval square with a circumference of just over 2 kilometres and little car traffic. It is the early morning meeting point for Dalian cyclists on weekdays as of April. That oval is actually flat and will be very useful in the upcoming months for more specific cycling training sessions!

Yesterday's ride went fine, I have clearly regained some explosiveness already since I started training now nearly a month ago. I was tired at the end of the 2 hour 10 minutes stint, but rather satisified with how it went. Afterwards, I paid my registration fee for the Oetztaler Radmarathon in Austria in August (more on that in a few days), so we have an unmistakeable training target now!

Last night Henry - the English guy in my class - and myself were invited to join the French group to the birthday event of our classmate Krystel (known around here as Ke Li) at the 2046 nightclub. I was curious whether the name of the club had anything to do with the Wong Kar Wai movie '2046', starring Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, but it turned out it had not. A nice place, though, more enjoyable than the other big two in town: Suzy Wong and Free Club. My classmate and her friends apparently go there a few times per week... In fact, yesterday night there was a special event at 2046 organised by the Alliance Francaise, the French community in Dalian. Stage performances by two rappers who turned out to be Belgian. Coming from la Wallonie of course. Many French expats and students were present, as well as plenty of local Chinese and Jim Beam.

Today was not a very productive day. Wednesdays are in any case tough because it is the only day on which we still have an afternoon class, and as mentioned in previous blog posts, you cannot leave it there for the day. For western students like me it remains a necessity to spend a few hours working on the Chinese characters after classes. As of next month or so, it should be feasible to focus a bit less on the writing and reading, and more on regular conversation. One-to-one tutorials are recommended for this purpose. Usually you make an exchange arrangement with a Chinese student who wishes to improve his English. I have already found someone who claims to be keen on learning some Dutch. Let's see in a couple of weeks..

Dalian update: the traffic battle

It is in traffic that the Chinese people show their most social and patient side. Everyone seems to own the road and you better get out of the way quickly. The basic rule to remember: big fish eat small fish. No doubt: King Car has conquered the Land of the Bicycle.

There is no point in denying it is rather dangerous to go cycling here. Each traffic participant seems confident they will not get hit or run over by another, illustrated by the fact that many pedestrians just walk onto the road without ever looking left or right. Car drivers - especially taxi drivers - exhibit the same habit. At night, several drivers "forget" to switch on headlights. Still, I have not seen any accident happening yet. Only several near-misses. Yesterday I was almost a stellar witness to a taxi being squashed between the elevated sidewalk of the main road (Zhongshan Lu) and a public bus. You can imagine that it is quite "exciting" to ride your bike between all of this, especially if you recall the abovementioned basic traffic rule. As a cyclist you do feel rather weak, and you know at least 50% of car drivers will never brake or stop for you. One good thing at least: car drivers here in Dalian keep the speed low.

Of course, I am mainly talking about the Dalian city centre now. Once across the hills most roads are basically deserted for European standards. It is truly great cycling territory over there with big wide roads in good condition. I am fortunate my flat is just outside the city centre, so I am out on more quiet roads already after five minutes of pedalling.

But instead of cracking down on internet usage, the authorities could really spend some more time on enforcing basic traffic rules. Everyone will benefit.

Autechre: physical release of Oversteps now in record stores!

Since many of you are either fans or aware of electronica pioneers Autechre, a tiny reminder that the cd and vinyl release of their 10th studio album is out now! Customers of Warp records' online Bleep store already had the pleasure of receiving the Mp3 release last month, and I can assure you: "Oversteps" is a stunning piece of work by the Manchester duo of Sean Booth and Rob Brown, once again. More than 20 years after their 12" debut, Autechre remain very much the reference in underground electronic music. Undoubtedly, this new album is Ae's most original output in years. The 14 tracks on "Oversteps" are coherent, very melodic for their recent standards and the closest Autechre has ventured into the realm of their classic 1994 ambient album "Amber". A new direction after the more club- and percussion-oriented albums "Untilted" and "Quaristice". Of course, Autechre may sound very differently again when they strike down in your area during their European tour. In any case, do not miss their show: always an experience!

Links

Autechre on MySpace
Autechre on wikipedia
Warp records
Autechre's Fan Page on Facebook
BBC review of 'Oversteps'

Dalian update: studying under the blanket

Today's scheduled afternoon class got cancelled, which everybody was happy about. Afternoon classes are a drag, mainly because you really need time to digest what you learnt in the morning. And to study more written characters of course. I have made quite some progress in the past two weeks reading and recognising basic terminology in characters. Writing them down is a different matter. To me personally this aspect of my Mandarin study is not of utmost importance, but our grammar teacher is merciless and gives us a dictation every day. She is an excellent and experienced teacher, though. I guess it is also the right approach. We have the option not to learn to write characters, as several students in other classes apparently have done. But I can see the advantages of it at this stage. Apart from the daily grammar class, we currently have a listening & comprehension and a speaking & pronounciation class. Both teachers of these are younger than me. The teacher of the speaking class is a born seductress, but more to the point she speaks very quickly and seemingly with a slight accent. That class requires focus!

I am writing all this covered by a thick blanket. The central heating system in Dalian only works half days anymore. Normally, the system would have been switched off all together on 15 March, but the persistent low temperatures have not warranted that kind of action so far. Usually the flat warms up again around this time in the evening.

A good hot cup of Segafredo coffee, a luxury item here, has helped us this afternoon. My flatmate Joel, a bit of a dreamer, spoiled his cup by adding three spoonfuls of salt instead of sugar...

Expats have told me that Dalian also seems to be subject to changing climatic conditions. The past three years have been significantly colder than the year-on-year averages suggest. In March the average temperature is supposed to be 11 degrees, but there has not been a single day this month on which the temperature showed a two-digit figure! In April it should be 20 degrees on average. I'm curious! In any case, China is currently suffering from weather extremes. The South West, mainly Yunnan province, is struggling with a shortage of drinking water due to a severe drought that has not brought any precipitation since months. On the contrary, the North West, e.g. Gansu province, has had to deal with massive snowfall this winter.

Speaking of expats, last Saturday night I attended the 2nd anniversary of the International Club Dalian (ICD) at the Havana Bar of the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Dalian. Great event with an international buffet and free drinks until a certain time at night. Two weeks ago I went to one of the ICD's so-called networking nights at a coffeeshop nearby and signed up as a member. It was indeed worth it, because it gave me a superb opportunity to get in touch with people from all over the world who are either working or studying in Dalian. Obviously, the expat community is not as large as in bigger Chinese cities such as Beijing or Shanghai, but still it's a cozy group and judging by Saturday's anniversary event very well-organised, too! Lucky I brought my ECB business cards, though, as they have adopted the Japanese system.. ;-)

I got to know a French engineering manager, working for Liebherr Machinery, who comes from Alsace in Eastern France. Turned out his home village is Merckxheim, en route to le Markstein on the Route des Cretes in the Vosges, my favourite cycling region! I still rode past that tiny village last September. On top of that, he is a cyclosportive rider himself and, as we talked, discovered we had both been in the same race in 2006: la Vosgienne in Thann, a bigger town in the Vosges mountain range! (this race is also on my calendar for this season, in fact). Sometimes the world is really small.

I also got to talk to a professional Chinese photographer (with assistance by Bera von Hagens (daughter of the Heidelberg professor who launched the famous "Koerperwelten" exhibitions a few years ago - the von Hagens have set up their Plastinations Co here in Dalian now). The guy is a member of a cycling club here in town, but a different one from the Bianchi group. He offered me a little job... as a model for a photoshoot :-)! According to him I have the perfect built for Chinese women... well, eh..if you say so... :-)

Dalian update: 3h10 training ride with a hint of spring

I did not get much sleep last night after hitting a jazz club, but at 9.30 a.m. I was wide awake, got up, had coffee and by 10 I was out on the racebike for what turned out to be a solid and pleasant exercise for 3 hours and 10 minutes. No clue about distance or AVS, but the Polar did record 1000Hm. After a rainy saturday, the sky turned blue again this morning and even the wind was minimal. Yes, wind is something that I will have to battle against on each ride here in Dalian I have gotten the impression after three weeks. Bah, coming from Flanders that isn't too bad actually if in return you get much drier weather. Plus, putting a wheelsucker in the wind suddenly is always a pleasant aspect of cycling. Non-cyclists probably regard it as 'mean', but cycling is a 'mean' sport. Nothing goes on your nerves more than someone sitting in your wheel while you are struggling against a fierce headwind. Today it happened to me. Yes, indeed: on Sunday morning even here local cycling groups go out on rides. On my way out of town, on an endless piece of false flat going against a headwind, I overtook some ten Chinese riders. Two of which decided to attach themselves to my rear wheel. My first idea was to start a conversation. After all, I'm here to learn to communicate in Mandarin, right? Nah, this was cycling, no giving in to wheelsuckers. On the next strappo, the next steeper bit, I stood on the pedals and swung left so they got the wind in their faces. Gone they were. As I said, cycling is a mean sport :-)

This weekend I did not get word from the Bianchi store people, I guess due to the foul weather yesterday. I went out with these guys, about 20 of them, last weekend. Martin, a British CEO at Knorr-Bremse I had had contact with already before moving down here, and Giovanni, an Italian expat from Torino who has done many granfondos over the years, were the other non-Chinese in the group. Because it was still so bloody cold, the ride was kept to minimum length, but it was good to get know the people. The Chinese guy running the store, where they sell genuine Bianchi, Colnago and Campagnolo material, was a successful racer a few years ago, judging by the many trophies on display in the store. He told me to join him and a few others on "races all over China" this season. Well, sure ;-) Curious to see what will happen eventually.

For the first time since I'm here it was not cold on the bike today, and I even felt I was wearing too many clothes. Has spring finally arrived here as well? I hope so. It has been very nice weather here, blue skies on most days, but still very cold and subzero temperatures at nights. The latter was a problem. It caused 'black ice' as daytime temperatures would rise only slightly above zero.

Scoop: three weeks ago this black ice nearly ruined my whole plan! I was out on the coastal route, continuously up & down and extremely scenic with views to the sea on your right. My second full day in Dalian, my first ride. Already on the way back, a fast descent approaching a right-hand corner. Going into the corner I spotted the icy spots on the road. Too late. My rear wheel slipped and I smacked down hard on my right side, sliding further down for some 25-30 metres until I bumped onto the elevated sidewalk on the other side of the road. Phew, there was no traffic whatsoever at the time! Dazed, I got up and was happy to discover there was no bike damage. The right side of my body was pretty bruised up and of course the familiar bump on my right hip was back, too. I did bleed somewhat and my long bibshorts were torn here and there. Lucky the Chinese are world champions in knitting.

I did not tell anybody upon my return to my flat. The previous day a German student from Hamburg told me she had had a cold, mentioned it to a Chinese teacher, was forced to go to hospital where she was given two vitamin infusions. I wasn't in the mood for that. And I had even been bleeding..

So, yes, my stay in China started with a bang. Literally..

Exit Google ?

Rumour has it that Google will host a press conference tomorrow to announce their withdrawal from China by 20 April 2010. I guess this means that the world's premier search engine and its related products, such as Googlemail, will no longer be available here. I do not believe it will affect me very much, since I am using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to connect to servers outside China. Otherwise I would not even be able to launch this blog, as blogger is blocked here, too, just like facebook and a bunch of other popular sites. So, please continue to send me email via my googlemail address unless I inform you of any issues come 20 April.

Cheers.

Sanremo: Oscar Freire, always when it matters

People have a tendency to always consider 34-year-old Spaniard Oscar Freire a dark horse nowadays, and this year was no different. Freire had won Milano-Sanremo already twice in 2004 and 2007, and today he added number 3 by clearly outsprinting Tom Boonen, Alessandro Petacchi and Daniele Bennati and a dozen others of an elite first group.

Once again, Freire had not put his cards on the table in the preparatory races like the Tirreno-Adriatico. Yes, he was around but contrary to the other top sprinters he did not test himself. But when a late charge from first Nibali and then Pozzato was brought to a halt, it was Freire who had the best position behind Bennati to start the final sprint to the line. Boonen gave it all but never even came close to passing the Spaniard and had to settle for a career-best second rank in Sanremo. Petacchi still beat Bennati for third place.

My race pick Edvald Boasson Hagen ended in a disappointing 106th place, more than six minutes down. But the three other names I put forward (Boonen, Hushovd and Iglinsky) all finished in the top 8 :-)

On the Poggio it was Philippe Gilbert who dropped the bomb as expected, followed by Pippo Pozzato, but the headwind prevented them from opening up a substantial gap. Last year's winner Mark Cavendish already got dropped on the Cipressa.

Links

Oscar Freire on wikipedia
Gazzetta TV highlights Milano-Sanremo 2010

Milano-Sanremo: Can Boonen beat Boasson Hagen?

Every year the international cycling community eagerly awaits Milano-Sanremo, the first of the great spring classics. The race is nearly 300 kilometers in length, which makes it the longest one-day race in the professional circuit, and its finale over the Capi, Cipressa and Poggio hills is usually hair-raising! Predicting the winner is like playing the lottery, yet if one scrutinizes the race's palmares one sees that only the best riders have won in Sanremo.

This season the Italians of La Gazzetta dello Sport put the name of Belgian champion Tom Boonen highest on their list of race favourites. His chances are deemed even higher than those of Italian velocisti such as Ale "Jet" Petacchi and Davide Bennati. 2002 race winner Mario Cipollini even remarked: "Boonen is my only favourite".

Definitely, Boonen has come out of the winter extremely strong, and probably stronger and more motivated to perform than in recent years. Boonen's been winning stages in every stage race has entered this year, including stage 1 in the Tirreno-Adriatico - a propos his first ever victory on Italian soil (see picture above). But can Boonen deliver in Sanremo? He does not have the top speed of Mark Cavendish, Petacchi or... Edvald Boasson Hagen, for instance. A race over 300km with Cipressa and Poggio at the end is certainly different from a pre-studied bunch sprint in a stage race, but in recent editions of Milano-Sanremo this has no longer proved to be a major obstacle for the world's fastest men. Just remember Cavendish last season. Nobody - including Boonen - thought he could make it over those two hills. Instead Cavendish delivered one of the most astonishing sprint finishes ever seen, coming from way behind to beat Heinrich Haussler on the line.

Speaking of last year's protagonists: where are they? Cavendish is struggling to find his form back, and is not expected to play any serious role based on his results of the last couple of weeks. Haussler injured his knee in the Algarve tour in February, and has been suffering from that ever since. Haussler's entire spring campaign is now said to be endangered. Fortunately for Team Cervelo there is still a certain Thor Hushovd within their ranks. The tough Norwegian powerhouse is also not yet at his best, however. Still, expect Hushovd to be battling up front. In fact, with shooting star Boasson Hagen winning the final stage of the Tirreno ahead of Petacchi, Norway enters two serious contenders in today's Milano-Sanremo!

That is when the race ends in a bunch sprint, of course. Precisely this level of unpredictability makes Milano-Sanremo always an exciting affair. The Cipressa and Poggio hills offer the possibility for explosive attackers to escape from the bunch. Every year the climb up the Poggio di Sanremo must be one of the most anaerobic exercises these riders perform in the whole season. A la limite, full power, creating a gap big enough before diving down the hairpin bends to the finish with mind on zero. This is where Philippe Gilbert has been trying to get away for several years, in vain. But Gilbert has matured after a tremendous late season charge last year that saw him winning a.o. the Giro di Lombardia and Paris-Tours. Each time by attacking on the final hill. So, will not Boonen but Gilbert be the first Belgian rider to win in Sanremo, nearly 30 years after Fons de Wolf? (note: Andrei Tchmil was technically Belgian when he won in 1999, but the born Russian changed passport as often as he changed underpants back then). The last non-sprinter to win was Fabian Cancellara two years ago. The swiss time trial specialist is once again among the favourites, yet it is doubtful whether he has the right form already. What about in-form Kazakh Maxim Iglinsky? The Astana ace could join Gilbert on the Poggio, hopefully for them with support from another rider or two. Finally, will Lance Armstrong be content to just follow the peloton today?

My pick: Edvald Boasson Hagen
Podium: Tom Boonen, Thor Hushovd
Dark horse: Maxim Iglinsky

The 101st Milano-Sanremo can be viewed live online via Gazzetta TV.

Links

Milano-Sanremo

Manny Pacquaio: what an artist!

I have not seen many boxing bouts in the last few years, and cannot say I am really up-to-date on what is happening in that sport right now. Living in Germany I was pretty much restricted to watching German fighters, and - let's be honest - most Germans box you to sleep. Every now and then I picked up two fighters' names in the international press: Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Mayweather I saw at the Olympics at some point many years ago, but Pacquaio I only knew from talk & reports.

He was born on Mindanao in the Phillipines and has made it big time in the US. I remember reading how he crushed the two top Mexican featherweights Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, and how he overwhelmed the American superstar Oscar De la Hoya in 2008. Next was Ricky Hatton, the British champion, who got knocked cold inside two rounds by Pacquaio!

Two months ago I travelled through Luzon province in the Philippines and was quite amazed to find Pacquaio's picture everywhere in the streets and on billboards. The boxing champion is even advertising for shampoo! In the Filipino press there are daily articles about ' Pac Man ' and people talk about him wherever you go. In Baguio, a mountain town some six hours north of Manila, people actually told me about how they met him in person last autumn. Pacquaio apparently set up his training camp for the Miguel Angel Cotto fight in Baguio. Not a single bad word was said about the boxer. Despite all the wealth and fame he has acquired, he is said to have remained down-to-earth and very warm-hearted towards his own Filipino people, many of whom spend their lives in (very) difficult conditions. "When Pacquaio fights, the police reports no crime anywhere in the country because everybody is watching TV," said the singer of local band. A true modern hero in other words, this Pacquaio. He is already entering the Filipino political world now.

So, when I found out he was defending his world welterweight title last weekend in Dallas, Texas, I tried to find an internet livestream to finally see what he is all about in the ring. Geo restrictions made it hard to see the fight against Ghanaian Clottey live, but an hour or two later I could watch a videostream of the contest. First of all, 55 000 spectators at ringside in Dallas for a Filipino fighter...say again that boxing has no future! Pacquaio did not let them and the millions around the world down. Clottey had a tricky counterpunch in him, but was clearly no match for the champion. The latter nevertheless delivered a truly great show and demonstrated why he is hailed as best boxer in the world pound-for-pound. I was impressed, too. This guy is electric! He knows every punch in the book and combines them with such speed and ease like I've only seen a prime Roy Jones Jr and Erik Morales do in the last two decades. A real ring artist! It's boxers like Pacquaio that keep my interest in boxing alive.

Everybody hopes for the megafight against American Floyd Mayweather now. Me too. And let's hope they stage the fight in Manila - not too far from Dalian. I wouldn't mind being part of a new Thrilla in Manila!

Links

Manny Pacquaio on wikipedia
Manny Pacquaio on HBO Boxing
Pacquaio vs Clottey on Sportsliveblogger

Geo restricted

Two weeks ago I was delighted to discover that RTBF, and to a lesser extent Sporza, was broadcasting the Belgian cycling season's openers in Gent and Kuurne live on the web. I saw a superb Juan Antonio Flecha finally getting his long overdue victory in the north, and Bobbie Traksel crossing the line first 24 hours later after a tremendous race in stormy conditions. One week later, however, I could no longer tune in to these livefeeds for Paris-Nice. All I got was a black screen and white imprint that says that the livestream can only be viewed on Belgian territory. "Geo restrictions" they call these. Copyright measures, broadcasting rights and what have you.

Luckily there are websites out there that offer the livestreams anyhow the entrepreneurial way, so I was still able to see the French stage race to the sun.

Traditionally, a couple of days later Tirreno-Adriatico takes off in Italy. La corsa dei due mari is the ultimate preparatory race for the first big spring classic of the season, Milano-Sanremo, scheduled for 20 March. And guess what? The Italians simply broadcasted the entire Tirreno on the internet via Gazzetta TV for the whole world to watch and enjoy. They even promoted the service for the upcoming big Italian races, including la Classicissima on Saturday and the Giro d' Italia in May!! Grazie mille!

Photo: Veteran warrior Stefano Garzelli, 36, took the overall Tirreno victory with some great riding in the final stages over last year's winner Michele Scarponi.

Links

Gazzetta TV
Tirreno-Adriatico
Stefano Garzelli

There's the bell!

University classes officially started on Monday, 8 March following a week of placement tests and introduction sessions. I've been assigned to the level 3 class, which is still a beginner's level, but as the '3' indicates, I am not starting from scratch. In terms of grammar and vocabulary knowledge I'm probably already further ahead, but my knowledge of the Chinese characters has deteriorated significantly since I had my last VHS classes in Frankfurt two years ago. And here in Dalian you're lost without the characters. So, that's what I will be reviewing most during these initial weeks.

Classes are taught for 99% in Mandarin, also because English wouldn't help most of the 13 students in my class. There's one Englishman from near London, who quit his job working in pensions -cannot blame him;-)- to start a life in China. Then there's a Francaise from the University in Clermont-Ferrand who speaks some English, too. But for the others: four Japanese, a Korean, three Thailanders and three... Belarussians you might just as well speak Chinese indeed..

Whereas the Europeans all struggle with the characters, most Asians seem to have issues with pronounciation and comprehension.

In total there must be around 100 foreign students at the University of Technology, spread out over several classes at beginner and intermediate levels. A group of exchange students from a university in Clermont-Ferrand landed here, as well as a considerable delegation from Belarus, which is kind of, well, odd..

Thoughts, ideas and experiences

I have just created this blog to allow me some more free time... As much as I like to share my experiences in China with all of you, it is quite time-consuming to write the same story dozens of times in five different languages ;-) ! So, as of this week I will be regularly posting stuff here, which I hope you will find interesting enough so you'll surf to this blog many times!