Pre-race:
167 km! First part is the same as previous year but then rather then inland we head south west. The first 15 km are hard! The two climbs are 15-20 % coble stone fun. The first decent is as rough of a coble stone decent we will get. So needless to say, we will all be awake very quickly. From there it would be fast (relative term day 6 in a race), rolling terrain.
Supposedly end at a very nice hotel - something to look forward to after a long day on the bike. Calling for hot weather and a little bit of wind.
Post race update:
167 km is long no matter how you look at it. It started off ok, with quickly getting legs warmed on a coble stone climb, them get shaken up making sure we are awake before second steep climb. At km 19 that was all done with and from there in there was a whole lot of road both paved and gravel. Rolling with not much gradient hence there was no coasting, just constant pedalling all day! In the middle somewhere I got to enjoy a little but if nice strong tailwind, but it didn't last for too long. So back to constant pedalling. The scenery didn't change too much so my view today was mostly focused on the garmin map and the km data that seemed to move so slow.
It was a hot day, over 30 very quick, so I was good at hydrating. Stopped at the first cafe around 70ish, and the lady didn't seem too happy with the 4.50 tip on a ..50 bottle water!! Guess I could have bought a whole bunch and left it outside for later riders. Think this will be the plan next time, having a bunch of coin rattle in my pocket would not be an option. While I was in the store I forgot to keep an eye on outside, I thought I heard someone yell but when I got outside I didn't see anyone. I was hoping Erik would be showing up soon. Learned later he was lost a couple times. Instead around the 100 km mark Peter (also from Belgium) road up behind me. He is a machine on the road, so I was very happy to have him to ride with. He pulled so hard I felt obligated to earn the spot behind him, hence when it was my turn I gave what I had, maybe not the smartest move, still over 60 km to go. We stopped at the last chance for water at 111km. Rushing through the dark (stores seem to save by keeping all lights and no refrigeration on) I grabbed a large bottle of water and apple juice. Or at least so I thought. The darn juice bottle was so securely locked I had to ask the lady for help to open, she looked at me funny, grabbed a knife and cut it open. This in it self should have in all normal circumstances been a clue, but not to me today. I was determined to down the juice before Peter was ready so I didn't hold him up. So I took the first and biggest gulp and wow, this was not juice at all! But when your trying to down something it takes that one split second to get the taste so half of it was already in the belly, half a bottle of Apple vinegar!!! I do not recommend trying this at home! I ran out of the store to release what I could, got the water and tried to wash it out, while still focusing on filling bottles and get on the bike. Quiet a mess, and not a good belly for a while after! Lesson two learned; read the labels!
From there I got a little bit more hammer pace before Jose rode up behind us, also wondering where Erik was. I was pretty spent by that time so had no plans on trying to hang on, I waved Peter to go, but he said he'd stick with me. Now I felt awful as I know he was strong enough to hold Jose wheel. So I figure I'll try, hang on for a second or two ha ha... At least this woke Peter up and he continued the effort, almost to the finish. The Belgians know how to pedal hard! I was left to battle the old train tracks on my own, I'd say at least 30 km of them....the kms move oh so slow. But I survived yet another adventure.
Ancle held up very well, loosend up the pedals to make it easy to dismount and had no issues what so ever, good news story as yesterday it did not feel so great. I even climbed another fence today, but did a very detailed risk assessment first :)
The hotel is in the middle of the fields. Little single units with a main hotel with the spa and pool facilities. A nice place to relax. Enjoyed a little time in the pool, and a massage in fancy settings.
Tomorrow is another new stage for the race, appetantly shorter, so we start late (11), this means it'll be hot right off the gate. But short before day 8 massive stage is much welcomed by me.
The scenery wasn't the greatest for the time keeper today, though access to the CP where easy and he even cruised by alone one of the road sections.
Happy Riding!
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