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| Checking out the local crops. Yep, they're good. |
We’re in Europe for the next 7 weeks. We have one task- it is to bring honor to America.
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| We are very patriotic. |
We (myself, Heather and Korina) will spend the next 7 weeks
racing the Kermesses. According to Wikipedia, "Kermesses are typically found in
Belgium, especially in the northern Flanders region, where they are the most popular
style of amateur bicycle race. They also exist in the Netherlands. The bicycle
race borrows the name from the kermesse (festival) where the bicycle race is often held on the same day as a
town festival, though not always."
From this Kermesse experience, we’ll gain the skillz
necessary to negotiate the European peloton, become better tacticians, and (hopefully)
learn how to win a bike race.
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| We found ourselves on the same flight last year, but this year we are much faster and better looking. |
We’ve had a full schedule on the national circuit with DNA Cycling p/b K4 Racing. All those hours in the saddle, chamois
time (in the most comfortable chamois on the market), and all
the beets we blended in our BlendTec Blenders, have prepared us for this
moment. As a wise man once said, “you only got one shot- this is your time to
go, this opportunity comes once in a lifetime.” That wise man was Marshall
Mathers, also known as Eminem.
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| oh yeah chamois time |
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| we did a group ride with the self-proclaimed "c-team." they blew a whistle when it was time for snacks. it was awesome |
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| we rode a ferry over the canal to belgium. it took approximately 30 seconds. |
So far we’ve done our first 2 races- Gravenwezel and
Schellebelle.
Gravenwezel
This s*%! was hard. 100kim, 24 laps, 300m of cobbles
each lap- longest crit of my entire life. It took a few laps to find
my groove, but I made my way to the front and started following moves. We were trying to follow everything- until we realized that we weren't superheros. The racing here is much more aggressive, and girls are constantly
attacking. It'll take some getting used to, learning which moves to follow, and how to conserve more.
Schellebelle
90 km, 15 laps, more cobbles. This race went way better. I
was able to stay in the top 10 riders the entire race. I covered a lot of
attacks with Heather, made it up the road a few times, but everything came back
together. The roads were super narrow, so only 2-3 girls could go through each
corner at a time. There was a section of cobbles, and then some really tight
corners near the end of the lap. On the last lap, I moved to the very front and
fought to stay there. I managed to get a 10th, Heather 15th
and Korina 31st. We’re starting to learn how the peloton moves over
here, and what it takes to be in the front group on the final lap, so that's good. We're learning lots of skillz! It's very exciting.
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| this is our life. we normatek and go on the internet- and train sometimes (most the time) |
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| our view from coffee mundo- our second home |
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| We found a castle |
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| #LeatherForever |
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| GGGGGGANGSTA |
These funny Dutch names might not mean much to you, but
here’s the schedule.
Schedule
6/29 Wielsbeke
7/6 Beveren-Waas
7/7 Waterliet
7/12Moerzeke
7/16 Arendonk
7/18 Vrasene-Beveren
7/22 Strijpen-Zottegem
7/25 Erpe-Mere
7/26 Sint-Maria-Lierde
7/27 Haaltert
7/29 Kapellen
7/31 Herentals
8/2 Lotto Cycling Cup
8/3 Ninove
8/4 Oostkamp
9/5 Brugge-Dudzele
8/9 Heusden
8/10 Massemen-Wetteren
Stay tuned for more on EURO TRIP 2014: LEATHER EDITION.
Special shout out to Alex and Cathy Kim, DNA Cycling, USA
Cycling, and Jack Seehafer for making it all happen. This wouldn’t be possible
without you. We’ll make you proud.
Also thanks again to everyone who donated to my RallyMe
campaign. Without your support, I wouldn’t have been able to pursue this
incredible opportunity. You should all be expecting postcards.
