Amstel Gold Race Hills

I'll have things to say about Obama, the rest of the West, and Russia later, but first a quick report on a pretty good day on the bike in Zuid-Limburg, the area where the Amstel Gold Race is being held every year. It's a two-hour + drive to get there, but it's worth it (at least on a Sunday, when Dutch traffic is manageable). We rode out of Gulpen on a warm and somewhat humid day. It's up-and-down almost non-stop. You get quality miles, in other words, and 52 today was a very fine total. Leaving Gulpen, we took a little road toward the Belgian town of Teuven. There, we followed the signs to the Gelato Farm--unfortunately not to get gelato (we had barely done five miles, although I do want to check out the home-made stuff they offer there), but to do the "bovenste bos" climb, and nice, gradual, not too difficult 1-2 miler through the woods. The next climb was after Epen (where someone was being serenaded by the local marching band for his or her birthday): the Camerig, a longer one of about two miles, sort of toward Vijlen. I attacked this one happily in the 19. However, as the climbs kept appearing in quick succession, I was happy to revert to the 21 and 23 and eventually looked over at what seemed to be 25s on my companions' bikes with some envy. From Vijlen to the three-country point (those would be the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany), by way of two more uphills. "Vlaai" (local pie) at a pretty nice restaurant there, then on to a couple of hills they ride in the finale of the Amstel Gold Race: Kruisberg (short but steep), Eyserbos (steep, but not so short), and Keutenberg (of legendary steepness). Instead of heading toward Valkenburg and the Cauberg (too much traffic, and we had gotten used to nice little roads without too many cars or even motorcycles), we went to Gulpen and it's "berg" (easier through the woods from the town side that the open back side from the town of Partij). Then to Eys and the Eyserweg, which runs up the same hill as the Eyserbosweg but at a lower grade (and therefore longer). Right at the top toward Simpelveld, from where we tackled the Hulsbergerweg. There, my tongue suddenly started to stick to to roof of my mouth even though I thought I had been drinking well. But I hadn't, because soon after that climb I began to have cramping symptoms which became cramps on the last climb we did: de Dode Man (appropriately named) just before Gulpen. Eleven climbs, and we did our best on all of them, and so back in Gulpen we agreed that we had earned our pancakes. We must have looked like we needed them, because they brought them out at this busy place by the mill within five minutes after we placed our order.