I am back in Belgium, specifically Oostkamp, which is only a few kilometers from Brugge (Bruges). After arriving last Tuesday, I settled in quickly, received my team clothing, setup my race bike, and prepped for my first race in Europe which was held on Sunday in Aarschot.
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| Taylor helped me settle in with a little machiatto |
First things first, since being absent for three years I had to make an appearance at the waffle stand in Brugge. Only a couple hours after dialing in the position on the bike, I rattled along the narrow cobbled streets of the medieval city till I found the small open air corner shop. Quickly pulling out the Euros I ordered my Liege waffle and topped it with a scoop of Speculoos ice cream and powdered sugar. I savored the sugary concoction and brief stop in Brugge before heading out on my post travel spin.
Battling the hints of jet lag and puffed up legs I seemed to come around quite well before the weekend. Nothing a few spins on the bike and medical grade compression tights can’t aid. Riding around Oostkamp again is a great feeling. As I ride in each direction I remember glimpses of the routes and can seem to keep my bearings a bit better. Having arrived later in the year compared to 2008 the views have changed slightly. It is definitely growing season with corn stalks, veggies, and leafy greens littering the landscape. It makes it a bit more difficult glancing across the horizon for the next church tower. With a solid few days back on the bike it was soon time for the UCI 1.2.
After going through the typical race day morning routine and arriving at the staging area, I quickly found myself lining up and ready to roll out. Unable to understand the commentator I anxiously waited for the lead car to start up and kick off the 185 kilometers. Finally, we were clipped in and heading out of town and the attacks were soon to follow. Lining up toward the front allowed me to partake in some of the feverish attacks. I was able to make it in a couple groups but we were quickly gobbled up each time by the antsy peloton. I decided to just maintain my position toward the front forty or so riders to conserve energy and try to wait a bit longer before the rubber band snapped. The kilometers ticked away pretty fast during the first hour as we averaged a steady pace of 47 km/hr. After about 90 kilometers I looked up and realized I had a brief lapse of focus and found myself about eighty to a hundred guys back. Argh! Unfortunately, it was at that time that we approached the final seven closing circuits which were quite fast. Being strung out for the first two I was unable to gain very many positions and was still stuck. When I hit the 140 km mark I cramped pretty badly and just couldn’t ride through the hamstrings uncontrollably contracting. I was forced to drop out after the broom wagon had passed and made my way back to the team van. Never ever being satisfied with a DNF I was a bit bummed but still took away some positive aspects of the race with the fast guys.
Next up is another UCI 1.2 (Peveloise) in Pont a Marcq, France. It should be another great test and I will be lining up once again trying to achieve a top result.
