Hello from Belgium

First off, I don't think I will be able to post as much as I was hoping to be able to do. This is the first time I have been on the internet since arriving. Belgium is simply an amazing place to be at right now. The weather has been nice since arriving (highs in the low 70's). I am staying in a farm house near Westrobeke in the provincie of West-Vlaanderen (West Flanders). The guys I am traveling with are all great. I am mainly on my bike when I head out and have not spent much time in a car since being in Belgium.

For the racing, I have done two races so far. In the field for both of the races is the outgoing Belgian amateur national champion. The first race was a kermese in Oostrozebeke. I don't think I have ever hit the brakes so hard or heard so many squealing brakes heading into a turn as I did in Oostrozebeke. Also, I don't think I have ever sprinted so hard out of a corner as I did in the first race. Every time I came out of a corner if there was a small gap when I hit the gas to get up to speed the gap would remain constant even when I was going as hard as I could. My teammates over here mentioned the same experience as I did. Needless to say the first race was an experience and I was happy to have it done. I didn't do so well, managed to last about 35k (approx 21 miles) of a 117k (approx 70 miles) race. Considering my lack of training for the year as a result of school and some jet lag in the legs I was pretty happy. The second race was a American style criterium in Staden about 70k (42 miles) in length. I managed to hang on and actually be able to attack during the race. It was a great experience. It is a amazing to the locals come out and truly support a race and you can see how much they enjoy the sport.

For the tourist activities, I haven't done too much so far with getting over here and settling in for the month. On Monday, I road over to a cemetery from a battlefield, Tyne Cot, from WW1. Also, I road over to the Kemmelburg, and it is hard the descent off of it is just nutty. On Tuesday I spent the day site seeing in Brugge. While in Brugge, I saw a few churches, a brewery, and the Blood of Christ (brought back by a Flemish soldier after the Second Crusades). The churches are simply amazing.

This weekend, I might be racing three times and probably be visiting Brussels.

Weekend

On Thursday, I went back up to St. Marys for the next few days. That evening I rode over to Minster to ride with the group over that meets at the church. It was good to ride with them, again. The only problem for me was the fact I had a hard race the night before at Ault Park and the sleep deprivation I had gone through the last month and a half.

Since I didn't walk for graduation, my mom decided to throw a graduation party. It was nice to see everyone. My mom surprised me by inviting the guys I used to ride with in Minster. It was a nice surprise and it was nice to see everyone before I fly over to Belgium.

Saturday, instead of walking for graduation, I went to my cousin's wedding. Congrats to her and her new husband.

Sunday, I raced my third mountain bike race. I don't have the technical skills needed to ride well in the sport class. I had a good start but faded after a few crashes. Eventually I got feed up with the race and felt like giving my bike a toss. So, I figured it was good idea to quite.

Today, I am helping with the RAAM time station in Hamilton, OH. It has been an interesting experience. Its been great seeing the riders. More interesting is the people who randomly checking out the race from curiosity.

I am done

At about midnight last night, I finished taking my last exam (it was online). As long as I passed all my classes, I am done with my undergraduate degree. It feels good to have the weight off of my shoulders for now and I can relax for a little bit. I mean relax for a few weeks.

Since my last post, I have gotten very busy with classes. I have been operating on sleep deprivation since the last post. As a result my racing suffered. I had some bad shows in the races I was doing. I even got to start a UCI 1.2 event.

Tonight, I will be racing at Ault Park. Tomorrow, I head up to St. Marys for a few days and will ride with the Minister group. Sunday, I am contemplating between road racing and a mountain bike race.

Ciao