A Day of Firsts (not placings sadly)

Ryan here. Well, I've managed to explore some new things in Belgium today, some of them sweet and some not quite so nice.

#1) My first Crash
I got up today thinking I'd do a Kermis, but when Gavin and I got the go-ahead to race a crit style race at 7pm I opted out of the first race. I did want to go spin my legs out early in the day so I headed out with the guys who were doing the first race. About 40 minutes into the ride, and just a bit lost, we were negotiating a right hander at about 5 mph when I decided to hop over a little 2 inch lip to stay out of the road. I don't play basketball for a reason. That reason: I don't have ups. Sadly that translated to the bike and I could not get my tire over that formidable 2 inch barricade. I caught my wheels while leaning over and just tipped onto my side. Luckily there were only two casualties: my rain bootie and my pride. I guess it's nice to get my Belgian crash out of the way.

#2) My first cobbled Crit
The race today was my favorite so far this trip. A flat straightaway, a hairpin into a cobbled riser to the top of the course, a short top section and then a long smooth downhill into the last right hander back onto the finishing straight. It was raining pretty badly so Mitch was nice enough to give Gav and I a ride to the race... sadly it was farther than we thought and we made it to reg with only 4 minutes to spare and then only 20 minutes to the start. After a whirlwind prep session we made it to the start with no time to spare and then in Belgian style we were off.

The cobbled section was AWESOME! I mean that not only in the surfer dude, radical way, but also in the traditional sense in that it inspired awe. They were not in the same order as the cobbled sections in the classics courses, but there were real cobbles for sure and they were laid as if to mimic the surface of the sea in a stiff wind, rolling and bumping so it was like riding a 60 year old roller coaster. It was exactly what I've been waiting for, and I'm still glowing.

So how did the race go?

New experience #3) My first top ten finish.
and I just barely made it. Thats right, 10th place. I was in a group of 6 and managed to beat 4 of those suckers to nab my first top ten by the skin of my teeth. Some director of a little team came up to me and gave me his card. He was a big fat guy in a sport coat smoking a cig. He said, "You raced strong. Strong, but not very smart." and he was absolutely right. I still don't have the brains to know which move is going to be the right one, so I just have to burn a lot of matches trying to stay at the front. Not the best way to race unless you're superman, which I am not. I either need to get a lot stronger or a lot smarter.

I feel a bit wretched. Mitch stuck around to check out a few laps and give me some advice from the sidelines. It was just his kind of race and I know he would have killed it had he been able to race. To add insult to injury he was yelling at me to watch the Quickstep wheel (I heard "crispy"), and that was exactly the guy who made the move that formed the second group.

Anyway, it was an incredible race and I'm really happy to have finally cracked the top ten. Hopefully I'm figuring it out finally and I'll be able to make something happen in the last two races.

I have to insert a note here that I would be a sad weeping wreck if it weren't for Scott Rodamaker. The guy is an ablsolute saint. He's over here busting his balls racing, traveling with his family and still finds the time to always be there to help me out in a pinch. He's there to drive a follow car, pin a number, or hand you a cold coke after a race. He is invaluable as a mechanic, having fixed more things on my bike than I care to mention. Beyond all that, he's always there to lend a kind word, slap you on the back after a good race or cheer you up when things aren't going your way. Long story short: Scott is the man.

Last new experience of the day #4) My first Belgian saddle sore.
Yep, it was bound to happen eventually, but hammering over cobbles for two hours in wet chamois is the perfect recipe for a little downstairs mixup. Hopefully I'll nip it in the bud.

That's it for me today. If you're reading, send some good joo-joo Mitch's way. We need that boy healthy so he can yell at me in the races where I can hear him, and where he can put his stamp on some of this Belgian racing.

All the best,
Ryan