Cobbles: dream or nightmare

Cobble stones, or “flinten” as we call them in Drenthe, are the fear or dream of any riders. We asked three riders from faraway countries what they thought of the Omloop in Kostvlies: the only stage in the Jeugdtour Assen where all categories race over the notorious stones.

“These were not nearly as bad as those on Wednesday,” says Samantha Hargreaves from Calgary, Canada. “They were so tough that your whole body was shaking. Unfortunately I was also dropped on Wednesday. ” In Kostvlies she finished with the peloton in 21st place.

For Samantha it is only the beginning because she will have many races in August in the country of the cobbles: Belgium.

Oded Kogut from Haifa, Israel, will also race on cobblestones more often because he has been selected for the European Championship in Alkmaar on behalf of his country. He and his teammate Gil Eran rode very fast on the first passage on the cobbles in Kostvlies. “This was a really great course. It wasn’t too dangerous and the curves were nice and fast. ” “I would have loved a few more laps, ” Gil adds with a smile.

It was harder for Lily Sheary from Hong Kong today. “We don’t have cobblestones in Hong Kong, of course, so I found it really difficult to ride over them. I don’t have the technique that the other nieuwelingen-girls clearly have.” It was a tough week for 15-year-old Lily. “The difference between me and the others is huge. I did not expect them to ride so fast here. “