Riders in the storm: Dutch cyclists brave Storm Ciara

Call m riders in storm. While much of rrn Europe hunkered down Sunday and hoped that Storm Ciara would blow over quickly with its hurricane-force winds, an intrepid band of cyclists me most of conditions to take part in Dutch Hewind Cycling Championships.

ingredients were simple: A basic bicycle with gears, fearweight carbon race frame, drop handlebars, strong legs, steely resolve and wind. Lots of wind.

Yet completing course along coast of Zeeland province in sourn Nerlands and across a storm water barrier as heavy winds blasted riders with sand from nearby beaches was anything but simple, even for experienced riders. Organizers provided vomit buckets at end of 8.5-kilometer (5.3-mile) route.

“I survived, but it’s very tough,” said 56-year-old Hans Deting, his right hand dripping blood due to an injury he sustained when he was blown off his bike.

While idea of plowing hefirst into a major storm on a bicycle may sound like mness, it’s surprisingly popular in Nerlands, where many people commute to and from work by bicycle come wind or rain. Some 11,000 people expressed interest online, but organizers only h a maximum of 300 places available.

This was, organizers say, as close as you can get in largely pancake-flat Nerlands to tackling an Alpine st in a bike race.

“We call this Dutch mountain,” organizer Robrecht Stoekenbroek told Associated Press. “It’s like climbing a 10% slope on worst bike you can imagine.”

With red-and-white wind socks snapping in wind, riders hunched over ir handlebars in a desperate attempt to remain as aerodynamic as possible. Many competitors wore tight lycra cycling clos.

One man me a bold fashion statement by wearing a onesie emblazoned with Brussels sprouts over his cycling gear.

Crossing Oosterscheldekering storm barrier, riders weaved across cycle path as y struggled to maintain ir balance.

“re’s where to hide,” Stoekenbroek said.

Many participants, who rode one-by-one against clock, weren’t too interested in ir times. It was simply about completing event.

“This is a bucket list thing,” Edwin van Gaalen said, as he leaned, gasping for breath, on his handlebars after finishing.

He paused to furr explain.

“When you’ve done it once, you want to do it twice. And more and more and more, because this is an experience you have to experience,” he said. “So I can talk a lot about this, but you have to take part of this to feel wind, to feel experience, to get it all.”

Im Source: AP