Let's start with summer, it was great, had a blast, can't complain. I worked also, got set up with a job by my dad and his boss(thanks guys) they set it up so I could train in the mornings and work in the afternoons.
My team that I signed for last year, Jartazi Continental cycling team... well they decided to merge with another Belgian Continental team who are sponsored by the Belgian Government, therefore only allowing Belgian rider's in the team. Thanks for coming but we don't want you anymore.
But thanks to a few people over here they found me a team soon enough and this season I am racing for a French team called Dunkerque Close2, with the Nico Mattan as the Director.
Back to summer, I was inspired by a guy that I was working on a roof with, to start dabbling in a bit of 4x4ing! after my first attempt with co driver Tom VDH, I was hooked, all I had to do was explain to dad how I broke the brake housing...
A few party's, a bit of mucking/trucking around, dabbled in fishing/wishing, a trip up into to the mountain's with about 20 other youngster's and a trip with my family up to Loch Katrine
The new team
I've been here, where's here? Here's Belgium! for about a month now, since arriving it's been full on with getting set up, had a 10 day training camp down on the coast of Spain. That place is wow! we were about 50ks from Girona. It was such a good area to train with all sort's of different terrain, lot's of 4x4's there as well!
The set up is great, it's a French team but there is a mix of Belgian's, French, a couple of Kiwi's(Wade Mangham and I) and Martynas the Lithuanian. Everyone get's along well with lot's of laugh's.
Nico or Director is a really funny guy, he was a big time pro and won stages in Paris-Nice and Gent Wevelgem!
The team has a really good race program with it being 50/50 french/belgium racing.
The racing so far
Not much to yarn about, for me personally, first race here in Belgium was a Kermis... ended in a crash for me.
The second race was the Beverbeek Classic, which my bad positioning saw me at the wrong end of the race and out the other side.
The latest race was Vlaamse Pijl, the big race Clinton Avery won last year, well after 35ks about 4 rider's hit the deck in front of me... same old story, can't go around it, can't go under it, got to go through it... and I'm on the deck again.
I didn't know what the issue was with my bike, but i knew the wheel's were buckled, rear gear cable was frayed so only had about 3 strands of wire left to change the gears. save a sob story. Bike ended up having a crack right through the chainstay and I was a DNF.
But never fair, happy as larry and looking forward to this next week, start fresh and go from there.
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