Almost done!

So a week from today I will be home again, I hope!!! Have you read about the London threats? I am flying through London, CRAP!! I hope that all sorts out by the time I get there or that will be one crappy day! Anyway, with a week left it's race til ya puke time for me. I am racing today in Rumbeke on a 3.2kmx32 laps course. Like a crit but not, Belgian style. Then depending how that goes I might race Saturday. And if I don't race then I will for sure Sunday then Monday and Tuesday are options too. No races Wednesday or Thursday. Those will be my final days here. I need to do some shopping for my parental unit, who I love very much and need to do some shopping for since without her, I wouldn't be writing right now, and of course the girlfriend. So yea...
Right now the Belgian Sun is shining (it's raining out) and I am super stoked to get to race! Should be a fun day and I hope I can keep the good things I was doing on Wednesday still going and race well.

Ride your BIKE!!!

Yesterday was a kermis in Beernem, the next town over. I was pretty excited for this race. It suited me pretty well, not to many hard accelerations and fast. 7 of us left the CC a little over an hour before the race. It took all of 20 minutes between leaving the CC to us all being inscribed. Then we rode over the Blanca's car and changed and headed out on the course. Since the whole Landis thing a lot of Belgians have come up to me and have said "dutch dutch Landis dutch dutch?" No this is kind of hard to deal with. I can't just nod and agree cause they might be asking me if I think doping is cool, and to that I can not reply. But they also might just be saying "Landis is the man!" but how can I tell. So I have gotten pretty used to just shrugging and saying "Spect u ingles?" (not sure on the spelling there). So the race. It started fast, like usual. I was feeling good and actually doing a good job of moving up and staying away from the back. But with 130 guys there I always seemed to be moving up but never got to the very front. But much better. So about an hour into the race, we're bombing along one of the canals and BOOM!!! Bikes and people everywhere! I shot to the left and managed to miss falling over but had to take a foot out and wait to go around the bodies and bike. I finally made it through and started chasing. I caught on to the tail end of the group but guys were popping infront of me every few seconds. I closed the gaps about 5 times but couldn't do it the 6th. It's hard to go around people when you are already in your 12 going as hard as you can and can feel the lactic acid in your toes from peddling so hard. So, that ended my day. I was so mad, still am. Argh!!! (like a pirate). That was that! I have a few more races here before I leave on the 18th. I hope I can get one more good result, I can feel it coming.

Alvin

Tales from the Cycling Center

Last night was movie night for the "American Boys" of the Cycling Center. Whit was awesome enough to rent V for Vendetta and Munich. We made it through V, which inspired some interesting conversation among those who had just seen it and those who had seen it pior. After a short intermission go refuel and prepare for the next movie of the evening Munich began. I was otherwise occupied during the movie being a good boyfriend so I was not pay much attention to the film. About an hour into the viewing my nose began to run a little and a few sneezes found their way out. As a result I excused myself form my girlfriend and head to my bathroom go get a tissue and blow my nose. As I get closer to out bathroom I hear the unsettling noise of running water. I cautiously proceed into the bathroom to notice the toilet running like Niagara and coating of water on the bathroom floor. TERRIFIC!! I do my best to open the back of the toilet but to no avail and then flush to alleviate the growing water problem in the tank to buy myself enough time to get my roommate to help in this current predicament. I calmly leave the bathroom and reenter the Common Room where the movie is being played and calmly ask Jason to help me with a problem that I am having. He follows me toward our bathroom and along the way I quickly brief him of our current bathroom situation. We enter the bathroom, the expletives fly, then laughter ensues. After a few flushed and screw driver we were able to stop the water from pouring out onto the floor. Unfortunately, the Powers-that-Be are out of town leaving Jason and I a "manual flush" toilet for the next few days.

Alvin

Good morning...

Well, it's actually afternoon here but morning back in the States. But this is really here nor there. ( I really just wanted to use that expression) anyway, I am feeling a ton better. I have been really tired that past few days, all the riding catching up with me. But I rode today and the legs are feeling better. So this is all good. I am racing again Wednesday in Beernem, the next town over. I am still loving that races are so close. It is going to suck having to drive at least 2 hours to get to races when I get home. But you have to do what you have to do. Bike racing is worth it.
So, the people who run the bakery next door are getting married, so the bakery is closed for a week, ARGH!!! This is bad news for me, now I have to ride to go get bread, that is a lot of riding with my 3-4 loaf a week habit. While they are off getting married a few of their friends have put up a HUGE sign saying "Happy being Married!" or something like that since I can't read it since it's all in Dutch and that have stacked 30-40 used tired up infront of the bakery and have made it look like an abandoned building. It's pretty funny! Cracked me up when I rode by today.

Alvin

Rest...

Ok, so all of the racing and riding hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday. I have been riding and racing quiet a bit and I need a rest. So today off to Brugge. A few of us are going to see Pirates of the Caribbean. It will be in English but with Dutch and French subtitles... It'll be interesting. Then I am going to finally try to buckle down and get The Girl a gift. Andrea has sent me a ton of stuff and I really should at least look for something ;-) Kidding. She is pretty awesome and I am looking forward to actually getting to SEE her again. 2.5 months with out seeing and being with your girlfriend is a long time. ;-)
Anyway, of to the movies and gift hunting.

Alvin

Drafting????

Ok, so I have no idea how to draft! The race yesterday in Veurne was so windy. I can't really express how windy it really was. The race took off into a crosswind then a right into the worst headwind I have ever raced in. The first 7 guys were able to draft each other, the rest of us were in the gutter just trying to stay on the road, which I almost fell off of a few times. The race shattered by the 2nd lap and I got selected out, damn. I raced with a few guys to the line and got 34th on the day. Not so bad... Still learning.
Since none of us got past the first half of the race, we all decided to ride home. We meandered through the Belgian countryside and stumbled upon the Thrench Of Death. No lie. This was a WW1 trench that they now call, the Trench of Death. It was pretty cool to check out and I think on my next long day I'll ride out there and take some pictures.
Today my ride I think will be a ride to the GB for food and then resting for my race tomorrow. Mmmm food...

Alvin

More bike racin'

I got race on Sunday which was my birthday! I never seem to have normal birthdays... This year in Belgium, the year before in the airport, the year before that a wedding, and the year before that on Cape Cod. All good in their own way. Anyway, the race. This was a HUGE betting race in Inglemunster. The field was over 160 guys! Craziness. I had the worst start ever and struggle for the first few laps to move up. But, with a field that big, you move up 20 guys there are still over 100 to get through to get to the front. Because of the huge field guys kept popping infront of me and I kept closing gaps. I could only do it for so long and I ended up in a group of guys. It was kinda neat though. These guys kept racing their butts off. We even sprinted at the end, it was fun.
Yesterday I rode for a few hours. Then I talked to Bernard a bit and he said I could race today as well as Thursday. We agreed that I have the fitness to finish these races but I need the experience of actually racing to improve, know what I mean? So today is a usual Kermis, pretty excited. But Thursday should be awesome. He selected me for the race because it suits me more, less accelerations and high speed. The really cool part is I get 10 euro just to start, then they pay another 10 for finishing 31-60. There should be alot of guys there but I should come home with some lunch money!!! Yahoo!!!
Nothing too new in the land of Beer and Brats! Which they serve at every race. I'll let ya'll know how the week goes.
Have fun,
My Lady Fan is a cutie!

Alvin