Brugge, Bingles, and Broken Bikes

Over the last few days, things have been settling down a bit. Everyone is getting to know eachother better and find their way around town and the countryside and get into a somewhat normal routine.
Yesterday was spent with a team meeting early in the morning to set out our plans for the week, particularly with our upcomming races this weekend, with a small Kermese on Saturday, with a few team members competing, and two larger UCI ranked races on sunday. The UCI 1.2 Ohmloop Van Het Waasland, a 190km flat race with riders from amateur team up to Pro Continental teams, and the UCI 1.12 Gent Ieper a 180km race featuring 2 laps up the Legendary/Infamous Kemmelberg. With a few riders out injured or sick it meant their was a need for more riders for the two UCI races on the Sunday with Trent, Jannes, and I getting the call up to race the bigger races with the team.
The Team meeting was followed by a bunch ride where Peter Horn, the teams Veteran/most experienced rider being in his 6th year with the team taking the first year riders for a bunch ride south of Oostkamp towards the hills. The ride got off to a bad start when the youngest rider crossed wheels and hit the deck about 20 mins in. After a short detour dropping him back in Oostkamt the rest of us continued, and after a puncture and a short stop for food the snow started falling.
Today we were given the day off to rest/freshen up for our Recon ride of the Ghent Ieper course on wednesday, and decided to head into Brugge on the bus to check out the sights.

"The Tower in the cenert square of Brugge"


"Tea Room on the edge of the town square"


"fountain at bus stop"


"Town Square"


"One of the many Churches"


In other news this is what happens when bikes hit the cobbles



Thankfully the rider only sufferd a bump to his knee resulting in a bit of soreness and a few stitches

DISASTER (dont panic its just the internet)

Hey i was planning on posting yesterday but as the heading suggests we had no wireless internet yesterday, and as i was nice and gave one of the yanks our rooms internet cable because the wireless signal was too weak in his room I found myself very bored.
Thankfully today the polish family living in the appartment next door were getting kicked out to make room for more riders coming in the next week, so once they were gone another cable found its way into my room. ;-)

So whats been happening?
not much sleping eating riding some more eating then shopping then eating then repeat. AHHH this is the life.
I belive there has been some discussion back home about where the Bikini chick is and why she has been absent from my photo galleries. for those of you thinking WTF here is the Bikini chick.

And she lives here... i think, I cant read Flemmish but i'v got a fair idea what this sais.

In other news our second adventure to Brugge was abandened when shitty traffic and frustrating bike paths killed the novelty of Brugge, but not before some pacing off the locals.
Check out this guy riding trent off his wheel



And today we headed out to the south of Oostkamp where the roads are narrow there are no anoying bike paths minimal traffic, small forrested sections and huge old mansions. we headed out in the general direction of the 3 Day Tour of West Flanders which circled Oostkamp before heading north to Brugge, and after only 17 minutes of riding we came across a coner with motorbike scouts and a small croud. It was perfect and no longer than 2 minutes after we pulled over the race rolled through

Day 2: Sunshine Wind and Canals

Today was a day for our first propper ride, after spinning the stiffnes out of our legs for an hour yesterday. Trent, Nate, Nat, Addison, and myself got kitted up and head out at 10am towards the Canals which we were intending to follow out to the english channel and back. Unfortunately we got to the outskirts of Brugge and were stopped by police who had closed the canal side road, so we U-Bolted and head along the canal towards Ghent meeting up with a 65yo local rider who looked no older than 50, (maybe a side effect of all the riding?). Luckily he spoke english and lived in Brugge which was only 5km from where we are based and was heading out on an 80km ride. Perfect!
He was an awsome tour gude and took us around a nice loop along the canals.

Here are some pics taken during the ride

"The Canal Leading to Ghent"

"The Boys, and our Local Tour Guide for the Day (front left)"

"The Buch"

"Some Nifty Camera Work (over the shoulder)"






After the ride 4 of us headed into town to do some shopping before watching some TV and trying to decipher the cryptic butons and dials on the front of the washing machine.

Since ariving we have found 2 channels which have some shows in english, one the belgian tv version of Star FM back home. That is 10 songs repeated all day everyday. The other has South Park and a news program called "What The Fuck News". there have been Pro bike races on the tv during each day as well which is a nice change from Aussie tv.

Day 1; Home for the next few months

After settling in last night, today was all about meeting the rest of the team gettng some gear (equiptment, not the other type of gear)and checking out Oostkamp and Brugge.

First up was a team meeting where we mingled and got to know each other a bit better before, Peter, a rider in his 6th year at the cycling center, and Bernard Moerman, our team director, imparted some wisdom and info about the local area. Before the riders doing the upcomming UCI 1.2 De Vlaamse Pijl (http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/de-vlaamse-pijl-start-list) gatherd to head out to recon the course. meanwhile Trent myself and the other newbies, Addison, Nate, Nat, from the US and Jannes, from canada, waited for our new kit made by Bioracer, and helmets made by Spuik.


I am quite fond of the helmets, which are a bit on the heavy side but fell as though no cobblestone could break them, note trent got Jib'd with a white helmet and not one in the team colours. sucker!

Then it was time to build our bikes and head out for a spin. First stop the bank to get some coin for groceries, then to the local bike shop for some spare tubes and some more gloves, before riding up to brugge to have a look around.

Bruge is one of the most beautiful old cities around with the main town center being cobbled and intertwined with canals.



we didnt hang arount for too long though because its important to take it easy for the first few days to get over the jet lag, and so headded back to Oostkam where we tagged onto the back of one of the local bunches for a few extras on the way home.

Here is a quick look around our apartment

The entry hallway and Desk (Note mum the study is still happening)

Then there is the main living area

and the Kitchen

Here's the view


And then the Bedroom (guess which side is mine

off to Belgium

After a long few months counting down to my trip to Belgium, yesterday it was finally time for me to pack all that I would need for the following 4 and a half months I’d be away from home. With a luggage limit of 20kg plus 7kg of carry on, and heading for European winter, it proved quite a task keeping my bike, riding gear and clothes in the ball park. I knew I was in trouble early on when my packaged bike and bike box weighed 15.4kg without any clothes or equipment, meaning I only had 4.6kg of checkable luggage and the 7 of carry on. After weighing my suitcase it became clear that the 20kg checkable luggage limit was unattainable as my empty suitcase alone weighed in at 3.6, so the suitcase stayed at home and I shoved as much stuff as possible in with my bike as well as in my carry on. In the end managed to fit everything into my bike box and back pack but they came in at 24.8 and 10.4 respectively,



Some drastic sweet talking was required at the airport to dodge the $40 per kg excess. I’d like to think it was my charm and dazzling smile that wooed the check in lady, but you and I both know that’s not true. Thankfully she was in a good mood and even asked me to take 4kg out of my carry on and into my bike box, taking it up to 28.4kg’s, only 8kg over, with no extra charge.
It was then time for the 14 hour and 20 minute non stop ( lol, I find it funny that they say it’s a non stop 14h 20min flight, because if it did have a stop, wouldn’t it be 2 shorter flights which total 14h 20m) to Abu Dhabi. This leg was to be the longest of our travels to and from Belgium, but after watching Twighlight just to see what all the kids rave about, and now realise how shit it realy is, I mean come on kids get some taste. Then it was time for one of the sleeping pills mum had got for me, which worked like a charm, thanks mum. I woke up with only about 2 hours to go, and watched another in flight movie “Ninja” which was rated R and for good reason, it was pretty gory with lots of death much better than woeful love stories with even worse acting. First impressions of Abu Dhabi were good, although we were landing during a thunderstorm and could see several flashes of lightning as we descended though the clouds, which was a little un nerving. It was just before sunrise and once below the clouds the lights lining the many streets of Abu Dhabi made for an awesome sight, but I was unable to take any decent photos . We could also make out the massive Ferrari theme park under construction and the Abu Dhabi Motor Racing track which despite being several hundred meters above the ground still looked HUGE.
Abu Dhabi Airport also made quite an impression, with flashy arrival area, and even a text message from the local Phone network, welcoming us as guests to their network.



Even the trees arent spared the special treatment.


the departures area wasnt quite to the same standard as the arival area and had one of the longest hallways iv ever come across


After waiting around in the airport for a bit it was then time for the 7 hour connection to Brussels, which thankfully had power sockets allowing me to use my laptop. Unfortunately Trent got the window seat, and along with it an awesome view of the western edge of the Himalayas.


Then after a long long time watching ordinary in flight movies it was time to land in Brussels. Bags were collected and then we passed through the non existant imigration/customs and on to the train from the airport to Tielt where we would be collected by the Fuji Test Team, painted van/minibus. Which would take us to the apartments where we would settle in go for a shop at aldi (which is nowhere near as good as Warragul Aldi) and have dinner.

Il try and get some pics of the team base/equiptment and bus in the next few days.

Another Happy Apollo Customer...... My Old Man

After 4 years of persistant nagging my old man to get a new bike last week he funally caved in to the pressure and bought himself a "Top of The Line" Apollo Arctec.
It has been at leat 7 years since he last bought himself a bike, his Gios a90, which had become a bit of a frankenstein with many DIY repars throughout its life, was in desperate need for replacement.

With his next bike probably needing a similar lifespan, he wanted something a bit special, with some "wow factor", and equiped with Sram red, and top shelf Easton components, as well as having an integrated seatpost neat cable routing and an impressive carbon weave on the tubing/forks the Arctec was just the bike.

Like a kid at his first christmas, Dad went straight to the shed to start the build when we got home from picking it up and proceeded to assemble it at an incredibly slow rate. Not due to difficulty but due to the time spent starring/admiring the craftmanship and attention to detail, and maybe a little due to our limited experience in assembling bikes from scratch.

"Arctec Frame Ready to be Built Up"


It was decided that the local sunday morning ride would be its maiden voyage, and to make the shock of him actually buying himself a new bike greater, 50mm carbon tubs would be used.

"The Finished Product"




With the special attention the new toy was getting, our dog Tess was feeling left out and insited that she would be in all the remaining photo's

"Tess Checking out the carbon seat rails"


"Tess checkinh out the Internal Brake Cable"


"Tess Checking out the Carbon Forks"


"Tess Tired From all the excitement"

Tour of Wellington Summary

2:30am... alarm, it was time to get up and get ready for the drive to the airport for our early flight to welliington via Sydney, picking up Chris, Grover, and Trent on the way. Sam and pete had made their own way to the airport and met up with us at check in where luckily none of us were stung with excess baggage fees. Un beknown to me that is where my luck would end.

As this was my first international trip, and subsequently first time thorugh airport customs, I found out that 80ml of chamois creame in a 150ml container is unable to be taken in carry on luggage, which could have been a real pain in the arse. However customs officers allowed me to buy a smaller container and then continue to scoop the creame out with my fingers into the new container.

Once in wellington my luck didnt improve. stage 1 which started with an uneventfull 15km neutral followed by an 8km Cat 1 KOM started with with a bang, Breaking a spoke 500m after the race was underway, couple this with a botched wheelchange courtesy of neutral spares as well as realising 200m down the road that neutral spares had driven off with my broken wheel still at the road side, and 124km of chasing followed.

Stage 2 was also a hilly stage with several categorized climbs and wasnt the sort of course where one could have an easy recovery day. As a result during stage 3 I ran out of gas with 30km to go and withdrew from the race.

The morning before stage 4 I went for a short ride just to spin the legs over and took some photo's of the scenery surrounding Masterton.

"River Floodplain outside Masterton"



I then spent stage 4 in the team car and at the feed zone handing the rest of the Apollo boys drinks as they did laps of the 30km circuit, with Chris in the break and the rest of the boys sitting comfortably in the main field. Afterwards Muz and Jo Decided that a drive around to some of the local wineries for some taste testing was in order, so trent and I taged along. On our way home from the wineries we took a detour out to a near by gourge where we took in the scenery before calling it a day.






Stage 5 saw the only real taste of NZ weather and resulted in the GC being neutralized leaving a the brave (or stupid)few ride the final crit on painted busslanes soaked with oil and water.

And then it was time for the trip home, and after 4 hour of flying we saw a familiar site out the window of the plane.

"Western Port Bay/French Island"


Then only minutes later, it was time to land in Melbourne Airport

"Planes Shadow on Approach to Airport"


"Getting Closer"


And that was The Tour of Wellington