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Europe…. Where do I start? It seems like yesterday when I got off the plane and stepped into the unknown. The very home of cycling, and a hotspot of Kermesse racing – Belgium. I don’t recall what I was expecting at the time; going to Europe for 3 months to race against the feared “Belgians” with a reputation for being some of the hardest men on bikes. What could I expect? And what exactly did I hope to achieve? I guess that’s the fun part of stepping into the unknown…
My first month in Belgium was filled with enthusiasm and determination to merely ‘finish in the bunch” (which wasn’t always the case) and it took almost a full 30 days for me to gauge where I was, compared to the rest of the field, filled with some top Belgians, Brits, Scots, Americans, Australians, Kiwis, Asians… man every race was like a mini “United Nations” of cycling. Multiculturalism taken to the next level! The first 30 days went by in a blur of stress, excitement and hints of fear – was I going to make the cut? Come my 2nd month and things were moving along nicely. I knew where I stood and had definitely learnt to hold my own in the bunch. I started to learn my limits, and how to exceed them. Daily. It was in my 2nd month that I nudged my way into the top 30, which was the first of many more to come, but at the time I thought I was just lucky! Month three in Belgium was an absolute ripper! I got my first top 20 result and by this stage had won some cash for my efforts – I started to really pick up form quite quickly and learnt to push my away around a bit more in the bunch. This was the difference between 40th and 25th on many occasions. Not only had I achieved my goal of getting a top 20 but I had also surpassed others expectations of me, which didn’t go down too well. In fact month three went so damn well, that I decided to stay an extra month! The 4th month in Belgium was really pretty special – I had settled in nicely with my new housemates after I moved in next door with the Brits. And results wise, I nabbed my 2nd top 20 result in one of the bigger races I’d done. I also celebrated my 21st with all my mates and saw the uh... interesting side of Europe! Come my final two weeks in Europe, and I learnt that I’d be making my way back to Australia mid August to follow up on some opportunities there – something which is still in the making as we speak… But it all came to an end today, with my bags packed, and bike in it’s box – it was time to say goodbye to my new home and friends. I’m currently flying over Wadi Halt somewhere near the Nile River and have 6hr to go until I land in JHB for 2 weeks. Then I’ll make my way to Australia! Well I think I’ll try catch some shut eye. This would have to be one of the less enjoyable marathon flights I’ve had; we sat on the runway for an hour. We then had the worst dinner I’ve had since I last tried to make something fancy in the kitchen, and to top it all off, there’s no in flight entertainment… like last time! Oh the joys of travel. Til next time, |
