After dressing in the crammed back seat, I warmed up with Casey and did a pre-race lap around the 6.5 km loop. It was just a simple rectangular course with four corners and wide roads. We made our way to the start line where we watched the lead cars like hawks in order to position ourselves in the primo start spot. The race official lined us up just passed the start line where I slid into the front row of the group of 66. After standing for a brief period of time the official blew his whistle and we were off.
The race began at a leisurely pace which caught me by surprise. I found myself coasting behind the first four guys as they chatted in Dutch. Eventually, the pace picked up, to about 40-45 km/hr average, and it finally began to feel like a race. I made sure I was always the fifth to tenth man at the front in the morphing field. While doing that I found myself bumping hands and bars with other riders, jockeying for position, and feeling bar hoods tapping me on the hip. It was a fun beginning of the race as small attacks were shooting off the front one right after the other. I tried following several moves as groups of 15 or more would sling shot off the peloton. I positioned myself so that the draft of the small breaks would pull me right along as we broke away from the main group. I managed to stay at the front and pass riders by pedaling through curves and taking better lines through corners. Scott and Casey would also try and make some moves throughout the race. We always had a man in the break which was good. Unfortunately, nothing stuck and I found that I shot too many bullets too early on in the race. I made it about an hour in the kermesse but was somewhat pleased with how I stuck it out in the front. I was a little bummed due to the fact that after about 3 laps after I popped a breakaway of about 10 guys finally snuck away from the peloton and would keep it for the rest of the race. I just picked the wrong groups to go with and need to wait longer for the race to develop before I start attacking or trying to go with breaks. It’s all a learning experience. On that note, I have two kermesse races, Sint-Kruis and Anzegem, this week and one next week, Wevelgem. So I plan on changing my tactics slightly but will still stick to the front.
Monday was my rest day, in which I was able to visit with my Dad. We went out to dinner, at the Hotel/Restaurant 't Oud Wethuys in the center of Oostkamp, the previous night which was amazing. On my rest day we decided to take a trip into Brugge. We parked by the canal on the outskirts of the city and walked in the direction of one of the church towers.
We slowly made our way toward the main square on one of the cobbled side streets. The sidewalks were just wide enough to cater to one pedestrian. The whole walk into the city was breathtaking; noticing the amount of detail in all the architecture and how they cherish their history. When we approached the main square tourist traffic began to thicken. But that didn’t stop us from being tourists ourselves for the day. This was the first time I could actually just walk around and pause to see things unlike when I’m riding my bike. We snapped photos of the churches, houses, schools, canals, and bridges. There was just so much to take in.
We took a break at a small bakery/restaurant, Le Pain Quotidien, in the morning to have some espresso and a snack. We had to recharge from the over-stimulating morning. The small restaurant had a large communal table situated in the center of the room with two smaller tables accompanying the wall. Another long table was covered with stacked bread, bread bowls, and utensils. It was a relaxing place where I was able to chat with my Dad over a small cup of espresso. After taking our rest in the restaurant, we made our way down some more fingers that branched off the main square. Once again, we found more churches (that were smaller) and a charming little courtyard.
We then followed a few stone paths and would come across an aged grey haired woman sitting in a doorway making a lace pattern. Lace is quite popular in Belgium. We stood and watched her dexterous fingers throw bobbins and place pins on her circular pillow table. It was so amazing to see how intricate the pattern was and how she made it. She told us that if she were to make a tablecloth it would take 3-4 months to create.
After being fascinated for several minutes we continued on our little journey through Brugge. We made a full day out of exploring the city and I think there is still plenty that I haven’t seen. It was a great day with my Dad where we were able to explore a piece of Europe together.
