my very own polka dot jersey (2 and 1/2 weeks to go)

with the early summer /late spring temperatures rising and that feel of summer air finally arriving, i awoke to find my self covered in red spots. Other team mates had been having issues with allergies causing stuffy sinuses and itchy eyes, but i decided to go all the way and break out with itchy red spots. After a quick call to the Radioshack doc and a trip to the chemist for some allergie meds the itching subsided and my spots have started disappearing.
Note being covered in red spots in no way improves your ability to climb, much to my dissapointment.

it is now only 2 and 1/2 weeks until i will be back on home soil, which although i have had the time of my life here, will be some much welcome relief, and only 1 and a 1/2 weeks until dad and big bro will visit for my mid season break.
Although i will be off the bike and not racing for my last week here it will still be as busy and exciting as ever, with Simon and i going to Rock Werchter, one of belgium and even europes biggest rockfestivals, to see Green Day Paramore, 30 Seconds to Mars, Rise Against and many other bands which should make for a good day out, but probly wont help simon with the jet lag.
The following day its a surprisingly short drive, up into Holland for the prologue of the TDF followed by evening in Amsterdam. then back to belgium to brussels to watch the finish of stage 1 the following day.
and then it almost time for me to head back, and dad and Simon to spend another 2 weeks travelling France and Spain.

With the realisation that the end is in sight, iv started thinking the highs and the lows and about what i have learnt here both on and off the bike, and it is surprising how many of the lessons this trip has taught me have had nothing to do with training/racing but still have a much bigger impact on performance than most realise.
Thoughts of home have also started creeping in, and it will be a huge relief to be sleeping in my own bed again (with rectangular pillows, no matter what people say square pillows are impossible to get comfy on) after almost 5 months away.

Although a part of me expects to get home and find all my stuff out on the front lawn with the locks changed LOL, but i guess we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

Cant wait to get home and talk the usual shit on the sunday morning bunch ride

See you all soon

When the shit hits the fan, go bush!

Yesterday it was back to racing UCI races starting with a UCI 1.2 starting In Wavre. it was to be a 185km race with some cobble sectors and some short sharp climbs in the first 50km followed by flat roads all the way to the finish.
The morning was very humid and about 26 degrees, but as the start time approached the temperature dropped and with 2 minutes to go until start time the heavens opened. i had made sure i was in pole position at the start and as soon as we were rolling was on the bumper of the lead car for the 3km neutral section, which is the best place to be because you don't have to fight as hard to stay there.
The flag was pulled in and with the race finally underway the usual furry of attacks were starting, and with the treacherous conditions, early climbs and flat run in to the finish i decided it was likely that a small group would be let go, with the bunch coming back together on the long flats leading into the finish. but it was not to be so i made sure i was at the front for the first of the climbs sitting at 3rd wheel at the base, but as soon as the road turned skyward i missed the 23 and put it strait in reverse :( i was maxing out but still going backwards at an alarming rate but managed to hold onto last wheel cresting the top of the climb.
Unbeknown to me immediately following the climb would be the first cobbled section of about 500m down the other site. With a downhill gradient of about 10% and slicked with the usual water and mud there was carnage. bottles fall out of cages, riders try to avoid them and with no grip and no brakes down they go. In total about 60 of the 190 starters were lying on the road, 15 of which were hospitalized. As for me being last wheel I got to witness the lot but thankfully i managed to point my steed to the side of the road hop the curb and ride down the mud/gravel shoulder past the twisted bikes and motionless riders, and my team mate Pavo who had found a way through the maze of bodies. i waited for him for a few seconds and then chased him back to a group of 5 riders about 30 second off the rear of the front group, until i poped and found myself slipping back to the 2nd chase group, then the third, and the.....the broom wagon, which was filled with bruised beaten and soaked riders.
Only one of our riders was in front of the crash and made the lead group, so it wasn't a particularly good race for the team.

Internet Brugge and Chocolate Body Parts

Saying that last week dragged on and on would be a major understatement, with many of the other riders having a week off travelling and resting as well as the team manager going for a holiday to turkey the apartments were very quiet, add to this the internet cutting out, and taking a week to be fixed there was a shortage of entertainment.

As a result i took the opportunity to travel into brugge to do some clothes shopping and sight seeing.
Here are some pics.
"Bike racks at the Brugge Train station"

"Canal"

"Minewater Park"

"Another canal"

"Bridge and Tower"

"Chocolate Bits"

Figured it was about time for an update.

Why the lack of posts? you ask
well 2 reasons,
1 i have been crook the last week and a bit with a nasty cold/flu which has kept me from training and racing properly, so i havent really had much news worth sharing.
and secondly, what can i say... iv been lazy :)
Now back to feeling 100% the weather has decided it would become nice again instead of the cold conditions of the last two weeks, and with the sun shining and the trees growing their leaves back there is no better place to ride than along the tree lined canal.
Here are some pics from one of our group ride to holland and back.

Hobken (belgium) and Beauchamps (France)

Over the w/e i had 2 big races, one in belgium and then another in northern France. The first being a UCI (1.2 B) Ereprijs Victor De Bruyne (Belgium) on the Saturday and the 2nd being UCI (1.12 FR) Prix de la ville Beauchamps (France) on the Monday.

Saturdays race being a 1.2 meant that there would be continental pro teams as well as amateur teams competing, and with the course being long (185km) and flat it was destined to be a fast race. And that it was with the first of the three 45km laps being completed in just under an hour. There were quite a few aussies in the field with Drapac Porsche ariving in Belgium 2 days before the race, and using it as their opening race in belgium.
"On the Front of the Grid"

With the high speed it was going to be difficult to take on biddons, and so our teams soineurs decided they would find a spot out on course where the field would be slower, and as ther were not in the main feed zone instead on their own i didnt know where they were and didnt see them on the first lap, meaning i was out of water, and despite still feeling alright, cramped with 40km to go and went backwards fast.
Here are some more pics from the race
"Our DS Dieter Lefevre and Soineur Noel"

"Dieter Later on in the Race"

"Stretching the Elastic Band"

"Before the Race"



Beauchamps, the town of Mondays race is a small french village in the provence of Picardy, in northern France and was much hillier than belgium and actually reminded me of some of the landscapes of northern tasmania. The weater was cold and wet and with Sevral of these (see below) scatterd around the course ther was no chance of a calm day.
"Windy Much?"

The course was not exactly easy either with a 2km wall followed by 12 km of narrow, pot holed exposed roads back around to the bottom. And by the 3rd lap the race had exploded into 5 groups with only about 15-20 riders including 2 team mates still in contention.
Then it was time for the 3 hour drive home, as i was not selected to stay on in France and Race the stage race much to my dissapointment.
"Scenery near the Race Start"


"View from the van after Crossing A Rater Large Bridge"

As many of my recent posts have stated the weather we have had her in belgium has been unusually perfect for the last 2 weeks, and yesterday was no exception. i headed out towards where we had raced on Sunday as we had stubled across this magnificent mansion on the way to the race.
"View From The Frount"

"Fancy Gates"

"Your Crib Aint The Shizz Without a Moat"

"And a Nice Little Bridge"


After stopping to take a pic of the mansion it was off to the canal running North from Dienze towards Gent.
"Trees Lining the Canal Road"

"Riding along"


I followed this canal North until it intersected the Brugge-Gent Canal, where i headed west back towards home.

"Belgium Weather Doesnt Get Much Better Than This"

And then past the local car dealer, which covers all the basics, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi, Maserati......
"Shiny"


and Home.

Finding My Belgian Legs

In my last post i said that i was racing on wednesday at the coastal town of De Haan, but with a few off the bike issues affecting my focus on the bike i chose not to race, and after along chat with the team manager, had found a solution, and focused my attention on the weekends U23 Kermese In Meigem.

With a clear head we headed out for the 32km ride to the kermese, before signing on and rolling a lap of the course (9.2km Flat Twisty And Exposed). There were pleanty of places where the field could be split as well as a cobbled "S-bend" about 3km from the start, so it was improtant to start at the front of the pack. And as it turned out it was VERY important to stay at the front, with a substancial break of about 15-20 riders getting clear in the first kilometer, with James Tennant (South African) returning for a second year at the team, Christoph one of the teams belgian riders, and myself in it.
"The three of us before the move went clear"

With 3 fuji riders in the break we were the best represented team and christoph took the 2nd intermediate sprint and the 25 euro + apricot pie prize, and i took the 3rd intermediate sprint getting some $ and a pie of my own
"Winning my Apricot Pie"

but afterwards I found myself in trouble after the break was put in the gutter the following lap. Dropping back to the similar sized chase group. Conveniently with 2 team mates in the lead group i took the oppertunity to sit on for a lap and when the chase caught back up with the lead group found myself with fresh legs meaning next time the group was put in the gutter i had the legs to hang onto the front group which had been reduced to about 12 riders. I was the only rider from our team in the front group and managend to hang in while 2 more riders found the crosswinds too tough, leaving 10 of us to fight out the finish. Determined not to finish last in my group I used what little i had left to hang in for 8th place, my first top 10 finish :)
"Some more pics of me in the break"



After collecting my winning and demolishing, with help from my team mates, my apricot pie it was time for the 32km ride back home.

All in all a solid 183km day

A Trundle to the Beach

Today I took advantage of the sunny weather to go for a trundle to the beach at De Haan
"Main Street of De Haan"

"View from the park bench"


P.S. this is where im racing tomorrow

Racing and Spectating

Being a tad cooked from the stage race last w/e it was decided that I would have an easy w/e and do a 120km u23 Kermese on the saturday, instead of the 170km Uci 1.12 Top comp race on the sunday. Which was nice for a change, as instead of working for others I would have a chance to race for myself. with 14 Laps of an 8.8km course with one fairly short but steep climb, several open sections and 3x 1 and 1/2 foot deep car sized holes in the road and perfect weather conditions 20+ degrees and minimal wind it was bound to be an agressive race.

Our team manager has the philosiphy that it is better to race agressively at the front and blow up than sit at the back of the bunch and survive but do nothing special, because all you can learn sitting in is how to survive survive, but if you are having a crack at the front you learn what it takes to win. so that is what i did. for the first of the three laps i was at the front but quickly realised that it could be done more efficiently and the rest was spent at the front but with my nose out of the wind conserving energy. when the pace lessened with 5 laps to go i took the chance to slip back in the pack and see how the other boys from my team were coping.

Addison the yank had been an early victom of the two massive holes being taken out by a falling rider on lap 2. But Jannes the Canadian was sitting comfotrably near the 2nd half of the field so we let each other know how we were travelling and then worked our way to the front togeather, where Jannes decided it was time to attack, so we were coming to the front with speed from moving up the bunch. I initialy hesitated with my instinct telling me it was too early but ignoring this i attacked off the front with my team mate on my wheel. we opened ap a gap quickly and picked up 2 groups of 2 riders which had been dangling off the front before hitting the climb atop which sat our team manager.

the group of 6 then settled into a nice rythm down the other side but it was short lived, as a lap later our lead was gone and so were my legs, meaning my race was over with 4 laps to go.

Id have to say i was happy with the race as I am improving both my skills at riding in the right position in the bunch as well as my form, id done everything i needed to but had fired my last bullet 2 laps too early, as the winning move went 2 laps later, but bear in mind this was only my 2nd kermese with all my other races being UCI races and a stage race.

Sunday was a chance to relax and it was decided that Jannes, Teemu (who is off the bike with a kee problem) and I would head out the the famous Muur to watch the team race the UCI race. Thankfully it was another perfect day and we got some great pics and even an ice cream at one of the feed zones.

"The Muur, Probably the most Famous Camera Angle/Photo spot in all of Cycling"


"A Beautiful Mansion atop the Muur"


"Team mates climbing the Muur"





"Some Trick Photography Of Jannes"



"My Vantage Point for The Finish"


"The Finnish" 2nd place was a Kiwi

UCI 2.12 Tweedaagse van de Gaverstreek Cont......

So with stage 1 done and dusted it was time for day 2, and with one of our two strong rider making the winning break finishing 7th and subsequently 7th on GC the plan was to make the race as ard as possible, so it would split to pieces and get rid of the sprinter who won the first stage. With the weather coming to the party and provinding some decent wind it was going to be a tough day. Which was music to my ears after pulling up sore, even after my awsome masage (jealous much ?)
"Sign on"


"Rollong The Soreness out of the Legs"



Then it was time to line up.

"Where's wally?"

"There he is"

Notice that i chose to line up next to the Belgian National Amateur Champ.

"waiting for the start"


"And we were Off"


Unfortunately Day 2 was short lived for me, still cooked from day one i was out the arse on the first climb but managed to chase for about 10 in the cars and then with a small group at 75km/h with a tailwin onto the back of the bunch, right before the cross wind that would blow the race to pieces.

At the end of the day the GC didnt change and our best placed rider was 7th, meaning that i pocket'd 7 euro's for my work. Or in more relevant terms about 5 400g blocks of Belgian chocolate :P Yum

UCI 2.12 Tweedaagse van de Gaverstreek

Well over the w/e I had my first stage race with the team comrising of 2 stages in 2 days, being the first stage race for the team i wanted to do well on day one and finish well, because at least if i finished day one i could help out day 2.
Anyway stage one comrised of 124 km of racing on a large loop incorperating the climbs Kanariberg, Old Kwaramont (cobbled), and Le Treu as well as some flat cobbled section and one cobbled decent plus 2 x 12km finishing circuits making it 158km for the day.
"One of the Cobbled Sections"

With 2 guys good enough to finish both highly on the stages as well as overall in the GC my job for day one was to shadow Paavo (Fin u23 Nat Champ) so that i would be there to help if he had a fall mechanical or needed to be taken to the front. Basically i was his Bitch for the day.
"Starting my job before the race even started"


Before the race we also had some interviews for a doccumentary being made about the team, so in between getting ready and a prerace team meeting we had a chat to the camera and tried not to make a fool of ourselves

"Our Trusty Steeds Ready for the Race"

"Getting our Shit Togeather"

"Ahh Nohing Like a Pre Race Massage"

"Pre Race Team Meeting"


"Pft who does this poser think he is"


The race started relatively cruisy and i followed paavo around the bunch, not an easy task because the little bugger can fit thorugh the most tiny of gaps, until it was time to take him to the front before climb number 1 the Kanariberg before settling into my own rythm up the climb which lead into the cobbled decent. Now you would think cobbled decents would be chaos, and generally they are, but apart from the odd stray biddon everyone kept it rubber side down until 15m after the cobbles ended and we were back on pavement and several riders forgot which way was up. fortunately my team mates and i all managed to avoid the spill, and the bunch all came back togeather leading into the kwaramont.

As the Kwaramont was a cobbled climb it was important to be at the front because if stuck behind a crash or stopped riders here is little to no chance of getting started again. So i searched the bunch for Paavo who as easy to spot out with a big target like cross on the back of his national championship jersey and proceeded to go full gass up the footpath separated from the road by a grass median to the front of the bunch right before the turn into the narrow road leading to th base of the climb. Once over the Kwaramont it was time to decend to the base of le Treu which is like a quarterpipe. It starts off gradual and then hits bout 13% near the top. Unfortunately i punctured on the decent and as there were several groups off the back the team cars were several minutes behind, meaning by the time i got a wheel and back on the road the race was long gone.
So i jumped in with one of the groups out the arse and made my way up the climb.
At the top was a feed zone so i though id show all you guys how to take on a biddon like a pro.

"Step 1, Dicard your Empty's"



"Step 2, Grab a Fresh Biddon"



"Step 3, Holster that Shit"


With my race over, i just cruzed the remaining 40 km into the finish one smashed crab.
"Nackerd Much?"



Ok so im getting a bit over typing now, having typed some, well ok all of my 2500 word essay today, so day 2 will have to wait for another time.