Well I've never raced at 6pm until yesterday! So instead of having dinner, I was pinning it in a race... Different to say the least, if not a bit disruptive to my usual routine.

The race was the Kortenhaken Stok 120km Kermesse, and the circuit was pretty exciting! There were loads of corners, and also a few long stretches to split the bunch - but with strong winds, it was almost impossible to try anything clever like a breakaway. The field of 180+ riders rolled out at 6pm, and within 3km the pace was up to 45km/h, topping out at 66km/h on the long open stretches! My legs felt amazing, and I just cruised through the field without a problem! But this only lasted to halfway, where suddenly the pace caught up to me a bit..

The field stayed together up to the last quarter of racing, where a breakaway got free and opened up a 1minute gap. But this gap was brought back within 4 laps, and once again it looked like a bunch finish.

The peleton hit the final climb into the last right hander - and into the finishing straight! I was sitting in about 45th position, so I bumped and nudged my way through the field to get closer to the front, for the final 400m. The kick started, and with riders blocking my way, I once again ended up pushing my way through and around loads of riders... Not ideal when the road is barely 5m wide!

I finished 25th, notching up my 2nd top 30, and knocking impatiently on the door of top 20. I would like to imagine I could have nabbed a 20th, had I not been blocked in, but imagining and doing are two different things... Finishing racing at 9pm has it's downsides! I could not fall asleep since my heart was still racing when I was in bed, and i woke up 3 times soaked in sweat since my body was still trying to recover, while I was trying to sleep. I've also got a sore throat this morning, so I'm taking it easy for the next few days - I've had a solid and extremely productive time in Belgium so far, and a few days recovery in the interest of my health is not a bad thing!

I see there's been a load of activity on my web page, so thanks to everyone for keeping tabs on what I'm up to! it's great knowing I have that support...