This is the nearest pro race to Hastings/Bexhill, nearer than the Tour of Yorkshire and better weather. If the Tour de France is Barcelona/Real Madrid than the 4 Days is strictly 2nd division.
First raced in 1955 and with a great roll call of winners over the years the 4 Days has suffered a bit over the last few years with other new races entering the calendar, maybe hillier with better weather and bigger prize money but it has it’s niche and is well supported by all the top French and Belgian teams. The stages all take place fairly close to each other and it always end on the last day in Dunkirk.
I travelled over from Dover to Dunkirk last Friday as a foot passenger with my bike and small rucksack, it’s now £20 each way so the ferries are following the planes/trains in starting to charge cyclists big time. The crossing takes 2 hours and the port is 9 miles from Dunkirk, so a little bike ride to the hotel.
I stayed at Malo-les-Bains, seaside resort and suburb of Dunkirk with a hotel balcony overlooking the beach. The beaches are wonderful along this coastline, superb sunsets, great bars and restaurants on the promenade…..just don’t look to your left unless you like steelworks or magnificent sunsets over steelworks.
Saturday was a 25 mile ride to the start of the 4th stage in Wattens and this is why I like these smaller races, the riders are accessible, no barriers, less pressure on them, they are willing to talk, answer questions, have photos taken.
After watching the start depart it was then a 28 miler to Cassel for the finish (for the race it was a lot more).
For those of you who know about “The Grand Old Duke of York” marching his 10,000 men up a hill, well the town of Cassel is where it is supposed to have happened. A truly atmospheric and historic town perched on top of a big hill with great (and strategic) views over the flat plains below.
The days stage arrived at Cassel and had 10 ascents of the cobbled climbs up into the main square, these climbs are about 1 and a half miles each so 10 times really split the field, I found a nice vantage point and shouted at them to work harder every time they came past, then into the square to watch the finish.
Leaving Cassel it was a pleasant 30 miler back to Dunkirk with a tailwind, to honour this fortune of the wind (and forget the earlier headwind) I celebrated with a bucket of mussels and frites, washed down with a couple of carafes of wine, slept well…….
Sunday and more glorious weather, still 26 degrees, today it was off to Hondschoote to watch another start (20,000 euros if you want a start). So for a small town like this maybe that is not too much if you get a few thousand people turn up to spend money in your shops and cafes, I bought a couple of cakes from a pattissierie just to help the local economy you understand.
Here I came across the One Cycling team getting ready for the start, I asked the manager if it had been a hard day in Cassel yesterday…..” they are all hard days mate” he replied and walked off, very friendly….he knew what I meant and when I looked at the size of him I could tell he had probably never rode in a race in his life.
Moving on to the Marseille/Provence French 2nd division team and they could not have been friendlier, chatting about how they want to get into the top division, the work involved and also the Paris-Nice race that I had watched earlier in the season, they understand it’s the amateur cyclist like myself that keeps this sport alive, we stop sponsoring them, stop buying the bikes and gear and they have no income, a good bunch of chaps.
As the race departed the town I waited for the One Cycling team car to pass and could not resist a cheap, obscene hand gesture.Back to Dunkirk for the finale of the fifth and final stage, the race goes south then turns back to Dunkirk and does a 10 lap circuit of the town before finishing in the centre, I chose to watch these laps on the Malo-les-Bains promenade with a couple of beers to help the local economy out.
The race and three stages was won by French rider Bryan Coquard, a sprinter who can climb, he is young and with a big future.
Steak/frites and some local Belgian beers that evening as my recovery food/drink.
Monday and home, my ferry was at 4pm so I managed a ride up into Belgium and back along the seafront before whacking the rucksack on my back and heading for the boat.
Got a total of 253 miles in during my own “ 4 Days”, saw some great racing and got sunburnt, probably put a bit of weight on as well, must have been the mussels.
Terry
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