Friday, January 26, 2007

The course is an oversized mudpie...

and i took a big bite! On the first lap of pre-riding the course, I hit the ground hard on one of the treacherous mud drop-offs. My knee and my shifter took the blow. The shifter is broken but the knee is not- just a little swollen and a bit of skin missing. Many of us actually bit it on one of the three worst drop-offs - even hanka took a dive.
At least i still have one good bike and one good knee. With these fully functioning parts, I will perform miracles (i tell myself over and over again!!!)
The course also had a long thick sand stretch, and a little pavement. Otherwise it was just deep mud trenches where you have to stick your tire in one of them, making sure not to change lines mid-section. Even the flat sections were challenging to ride - just keeping the bike upright was a project indeed.
After we pre-rode the course we all piled back into the van, washed up and had group dinner. I ate yummy veggies, grilled tomatoes, a huge salad and bowtie pasta with olive oil. They also served some sort of meat. One of the juniors asked me to identify it - poor guy - out of all the folks there he asked the one who could help him least. haha.
For dinner, there were pannekoeken (belgian pancakes -similar to crepes.)
After we ate, some of the racers talked while others watched some old cowboy movie - or at least that is what it looked like to me on the tiny laptop screen. (Upon further prodding this morning, it turns out it was a horror flick!)
I worked more on my bikes and got a massage. The guy who gave me the massage is named herrmon who lives in Izegem - 3km from where we are staying. He is an older guy who speaks little english. I expected a towel or a blanket to cover my exposed body but it was one of those - just lay your naked ass down on the table and let's get the job done - style.
Keri just turned out the lights so i will go to bed too.
Thanks for reading.
:christine
ps during dinner, one of the americans said that there were more spectators today to watch us pre-ride the course than have shown up to watch us race in USA. He's right!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

As one of the few professional riders coached by a former lexicographer, you might be expected to spell a little better. But even you can spell this: G-O F-A-S-T! Write it in the mud of Hooglede-Gits on Sunday!
-- E.C. Chamberlain

Nrjetik1 said...

give em hell, p-nut....