Ridderronde Maastricht

Netherlands, August 6, 1997

Report and Perspective

This is another one of these farcical post-Tour criteriums that abound in Europe in August. This one particularly farcical. The organisers restricted the field and would have got many more riders including myself on the starting line. Instead, they got about 17 riders. Only 4 were of any calibre - Vogels, Jonker, Danny Nelissen and the showcased, Erik Zabel. The rest were largely from the local Foreldorado-Golff team, and a large team from Koln who I had never heard of. Some smaller BBS and VKS riders were there.

And Zabel had just driven from Aartselaar, near Antwerp in Belgium some 100 kms to the east of the Netherlands to Maastricht. What had he been doing that afternoon in Aartselaar? Being one of Ric Van Steenbergen's showcase's in the 205 kms GP Ric Van Steenbergen (see separate story under that race entry). So Erik picks up a neat check of Ric, gets in the car and drives across Belgium, gets chauffured around the streets of Maastricht in a BMW with Ms. Maastricht aboard, probably gets a lot of guilders for the ride, and then comes out and wins the Ridderronde.

The main attraction are the beer bars and the excessively loud tent on the Vrijthof (main free square in the centre of Maastricht). It was an essentially flat parcours which goes from the Vrijthof, down to the Maas (river running through the town), along the river, winding back around the Main Market Square and back to the Vrijthof. All around it are bars and loud (and by 22:00 drunk) fans. Hard to call them fans actually - more people wanting a good time on a unusually warm for them (mild for me) Wednesday evening. Also on several corners are the inevitable two-person canned music bands. These involve two people who press a single note on an electronic piano and a huge sound emits - full orchestras, fancy bass lines, wild guitar, and a host of other multi-sounding instruments. The vocals also inevitably deteriorate into renditions of "tie a yellow ribbon around a old oak tree" and "baby, baby, can't you hear my heartbeat" - yes, imported from the Heerlen profronde the Friday before for sure. People sing along. They dance. They spill beers and sometimes they notice the 17 bike riders going at a pretty pedestrian pace for 2 hours, merely filling in time to set the showcased rider up for the sprint. The announcer, whose stentorian voice booms all around the parcours, yes, clashing continually, with "baby, baby....", manages to think there is actually a race going on.... "fantasticsh erik zabel" and "uitstekend patrick jonker, de australier-nederlander", and "oh oh oh, wat een spectakel" and on it goes. The ears suffer is you stay for the whole race without alcohol.

Sorry to sound cynical folks, but 80 kms around a flat course in 1.57.00 is a farce, with Erik (who had ridden earlier that day in a hard race) taking the sprint from local boy Danny Nelissen. It offends really. Needless to say as a teetotaller and a person wishing to maintain a modicum of my hearing intact for my old age, I left with 40 kms to go - totally bored and knowing that Zabel was going to take it out.

The race was aptly named - the Ridderronde - given that the local beer is Ridder beer!

Anyway, here are the results for those who like to dream.

Race distance - 80 kms:

 1. Erik Zabel (Ger) 		1.57.30
 2. Danny Nelissen (Ned)
 3. Gerrit de Vries (Ned)
 4. Luc Roosen (Bel)
 5. Jan Hordijk (Ned)
 6. Sascha Henrix (Ger)
 7. Wim de Vos (Ned)
 8. Patrick Schmid (Ger)
 9. Erik Boezewinkel (Ned)
10. Robert van der Donk (Ned)

Local Dutch Report - The Serious One

From the Dagblad De Limburger by Peter van de Berg.

The less than positive results by the Dutch professionals at the Tour of France has not reduced the visitors to the Criteriums. Yesterday evening there were 30,000 spectators to see Erik Zabel win in the city centre.

That was the 8th Post-Tour Criterium and more than 260,000 cycling fans have attended. Heerlen last friday and a new record of 60,000. Boxmeer, Roosendaal and Wateringen also each had more than 40,000 spectators. Gerrie van Gerwen, who co-ordinates the Criteriums in the Netherlands, says that there are nearly 50 per cent more spectators at the races this year compared to last.

Yesterday Jan Ullrich didn't even come. The public clearly are not just interested in him. At the Vrijthof in Maastricht last evening there were no places free. The people stood by and waited for one glimpse of the riders as they past. Meanwhile the green jersey winner Erik Zable and local racer Danny Nelissen had a real tussle.

Even though the Dutch riders had had a poor Tour, cycling is just ready to pluck the fruit of the popularity of Jan Ullrich. The 23-year old German brings a new look to the peloton. That speaks the right language to the youngsters. "There were many more teenagers arouund the race course tonight" said Van Gerwen. "They are coming for the riders like Ullrich and Boogerd. Bike racing has a new image."

As to the race, Australian Henk Vogels (GAN) was disqualified. Vogels, who came second in a premie sprint for 100 guilders ($A80), was disqualified by the jury for not keeping to the right line. He rode another 7 laps while they decided on his penalty.

The Dutch road champion, Michael Boogerd was the largest scratching from the race. He has decided to concentrate on the World Cup race on Saturday in San Sebastian.