Couple Tours and Some Flowers

Getting along pretty nicely over here at the moment.  2 cheeky South African juniors have arrived for a 3 month stink at The Barn.  I have yet to take them to the canal or the local uphill pavé section to rip them a new one, still have a few months crush the morale, ha. Bloody good vibes with a pretty much full barn, good yarns and good weather. Times like this I wish I wouldn’t get deported if I hopped the fence and joined the 8 year olds next door in their pool.  Bloody PC madness.

Been a fair amount of racing in the past month so it could be a lengthy read but I think its procrastination time of year for the scarfies so I’d be glad to aid you in your B-.

Overijse Kermesse was the first decent piece of meat I had bagged this year, making the break and taking out the 50euro intermediate sprint prime, like the hulking sprinter I am.  We were then caught by a few more riders and later in the race, 3 going off the front and me hesitating too much otherwise I could have had a podium there.  Pumped in a solid 5^th at the end, coming away with a decent spend up at the Carrefour! 100euro in the pocket, good day out.

Next up was a tour I had targeted from the start of the year, Triptyque Ardennais, a three day tour with a pretty savage last day.  Was bloody good having a familiar face with old mate Hayden Mccormick singing the Snoop Dogg Wiggle song to me from across the other side of the pelo.  Etape 1 was a bit of a dog fight to be honest with no one in control of the race and no leader.  5 guys got a slight gap at the finish and that ended up being the deciding break of the tour.  Unfortunately I was caught behind a crash at 300m to go, so just rolled in with the same time.  After crushing some raw spuds and dodgy meatloaf for tea, it was time to tackled the next stage.  Etape 2 wasn’t hard enough to split the bunch so the leading team BMC had everything under control and ended up as a bunch kick where I was just outside a top 20 at 22^nd.  Tea – Green beans this time.  The last etape was a pretty savage day with two decent burgs on the local laps.  I threw a bit of spice down over the top of the last climb to step clear with the swiss express, Kung, and some other joker but it was to no avail.  After that I only had a short time to muster what I had left in the seasoning draw for a wee gallop for the finish line, where I was just shy of the top 10 at 12^th.  The final GC standings a the end of the tour were pretty tight and ended up 10^th U23 and 16^th overall, only 1 second off 5^th place.

Tour de Gironde was next on the hit list, a 4 day, 5 stage, UCI 2.2 Tour down around the Bordeaux area in France.  Real nice place to have a wee pedal.

After our shocking TTT, all GC aspirations went out the window.  From then on I was just trying to make it as hard as possible.  I spent a lot of time off the front with no triumph at the end but it was good to go toe to toe with the pro feeder teams for Katusha and Euskadi, who were no stronger than I was, which was a good sign for the future!  Also who would have thought I would have got a kick arse curry for tea in Bordeaux! Unreal, morale was sky high.  

After the tour had finished, I experienced one of the weirdest evenings of my life.  Our team, the only one there, went to this random almost -you can't escape- kind of places for an after tour function and tea.  Greeted with a future French 4 man Mumford & Sons jazz band, who had not aged well at all, proceeded to try to pick up old French ladies with solo trumpet, sax and banjo performances that we prayed didn't come our way, ha!  In the next room I was half expecting dinner but there were other plans, which consisted of a congo type line and grab a few duck legs and spuds on the way past.  There was far too much Frenchness in the one place, like a different planet. The French, what are you going to do.

Last weekend I was getting it done at the Linden Kermesse.  Snapped up a solid podium only beaten by two BMC devo riders who put me to work chasing one and then the other. One of the harder ways to get beaten ha.  Still, pretty chuffed with another decent payout, a trophy to stamp my name in The Barn’s history of riders and some flowers that my big mouth had been promising my host mum, Christel, since last year! 

Other than pushing pedals, Eurosport has been pulling its weight on the Cycling and Tennis front: Giro d’Italia, Rolland Garros, Wimbledon, Tour de France, US Open and Vuelta Espana all showing over the summer! Good stuff.

Currently sitting in 31 degrees, UV’s are giving me a hiding.  Finally Belg is cranking up the heat! Next up is a series of one day races, 3 within the week.  Should be some more stories to be told after that! Tune in.

Cheers

Vess

The lads lapping around wine country in Bordeaux

Trying to get my gallop on for the last stage

Team Preso in Bordeaux

Could get used to this

Overijse Kermesse - 5th

Number was as big a the front page of the sport section

Maastricht goes real good

So much more room for activities

French Mumford & Sons + 50 years

Early Season Trials + A Subtle Plug

Gidday Team

Back by popular demand! Ha that one will cost you a few stubbies Tui.

Been a long time since the last write up so could be a little rusty.

Since arriving in Europe, I have hit three major races with a couple going a little wayward.

1.1 Pro GP Cerami

Cerami was the first race back on Euro soil and plunged straight into the deep end with a 200k pro race.  If you don’t make the break in these races and the break is less than 5 guys, it makes for a pretty leisurely day on the bike until you hit the local laps.  With around 40k to go the pelo started smoking along to pull in the EB and line up for a bunch kick.  Unfortunately for me I flatted out of the race with 10k from the finish.  A decent hit out for the first race back into the swing of things.

U23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege

This was a race I wanted to do well in, I knew it would be difficult but was keen to give it a crack anyway.  It’s a hilly race with 4 or so of the most famous Ardennes climbs and the u23 version of the pro classic.  At the start of the race it was full tap with every man and his dog trying to make the break, I decided it was best for me not to get involved in that and conserve a bit of gas for later in the deciding moments.  During the narrow roads and dangerous parts I had my brilliant reindeer teammates towing Santa’s spicy sleigh in an armchair ride at the front, avoiding the kamikaze Belgies behind.  Over the major climbs I made all the front select groups, however on the last major climb, the La Redoute I could quite make the front few riders and had to settle to finish in the second group watching the front ride away.  Little bit guttered on this but can’t really beat myself up too much.  Didn’t have the legs on the day, got a few years in u23 so will be on the hit list next year!

1.2 Paris-Mantes

From what I remembered of last years version of this was the 3 rooms with one double bed between 6 riders, so I was stoked to see two beds per room this year! No one was going to roll over and be the involuntary little spoon, phew.  Although when I decided to room with Van de Maale I wasn’t aware that he is bike rider by day and foghorn by night.  The best way I could describe it would be my old second hand Honda XL100 moto with the burnt out spark plug trying to kick start the bastard.  Accurate description I reckon, it’s for sale too, nice rig.  Anyway, onto the race.

180k of hills that really suited me.  We had and 8am start which was less than ideal to smash some tucker down at 6am then make my way to the start.  The first part of the race I went too early for the wrong move and missed the EB, however the jommes were feeling peppy and at the 120k mark me and one other dude bridged the 45sec gap to the leading 8 or so, putting myself in a good spot to start looking at a decent result.  However on that thought, another group of 15 or so made the junction across the gap with 25k to go.  A few greasy Frenchies slipped off front and we were left to fight it out for the remaining few places.  In the bunch kick I was tracking for a top 10 overall but I dropped my balls a little bit when a rouge back wheel came out in front of me and settled for 21^st instead.  Not the result I thought the legs were capable of but not bad all the same.

In other non-racing news, could be getting a new barn mate in the next week or so.  Just waiting on the UCI License or something! Be a good change from running solo for a while.  The have a couple of junior SAFA’s coming at the end of May/start of June.  The barn will be buzzing.

Until then,

Stay classy you lot.

Vess.

 New Barn Resident, sans rent the cheeky thing

 First oops of the season

 Watched a bit of Fleche Wallone. HuyHuyHuy

 New Pony

Actual Pony

Last Weeks Antics and Racing

Gidday Fellas.

Been a pretty hectic couple weeks as of late. 

Love watching the Giro d’Italia on TV at the moment, the most beautiful Grand Tour according a token Italian at the brew shop the other day! I tend to agree at this stage with so many flamboyant I-ti’s ripping around their home country It makes for a very unpredictable race which is always exciting for a spectator!  Should be a Grand Tour, great pun.

Anyway back to number one ha.

UCI 1.2 - Hoboken

This was a race just out of Antwerp that was never really suited to me as it was basically dead flat with one small rise that barely classified as that.  The race consisted of 4 large laps and a further 6 smaller local laps.  It had a very technical course with traffic furnature popping out and almost collecting you everytime you try to have a look on the inside of the rider infront.  Its in my nature to start lighting fireworks and letting them fly early on in the race but with the course so flat and fast I knew it was best to wait and conserve the fire crackers for later in the race.  When the early break was caught, I could no longer contain myself and the curry build up in my legs had become too much (some riders have a lactate build-up, but not me) I threw down the spices and gapped the field up the small incline.  A further 7 riders saw this opportunity as the winning move and came up to me.  We spent close to 40km off the front driving to get away from a roaring pelo, to where unfortunately one team had missed the break and rode us down.  I think if one member from that team had made the split we would have stayed away!  That’s bike racing I suppose!

UCI Top-Comp 1.2 – Circuit de Wallonie

The following weekend was a Lotto Top-Comp in Fleurus that was almost ideal for me, 3 large laps of 50km each and 2 smaller laps of around 10km.  The parcour included a couple sections of pavé and a short berg that at times was touching 26% I am told! Had Vessey written all over it.  It was looking fairly promising the second time over that where the pelo split into maybe 40 which I made with ease. I punctured 10k away from the bottom of the hill which wasn’t an issue but the spare wheel didn’t line up at all well with my gearing and was crunching and chopping gears left right and centre when I would try to put any cumin down, so I was very worried when we were approaching the hill which I knew would be the defining split in the bunch.  Still, I put myself at the front as we rode into the hill to get over with the front, unlucky for me my gears played up and a had to ride the first half of the hill seated until the chain finally gave in and snapped halfway up the hill.  Team car was #17. Race over. Back to the car for a sulk haha.

Looking forward, Triptyque Ardennais this weekend, 3 days where I hope to show some form.

Until then, stay out of trouble.

Vess

Spices, spices everywhere.

Out for dinner with Big Tom's Mum

Want

Cracker day on the canals.

Probably doesn't need a caption

So kiwi

Bad Luck and Big Races

Gidday.

Been a bit slack as of late for an update, so put the kids to bed, grab a cuppa and settle in for a rom-com novel.

The first big race for me was a wee while ago, GP de Nogent just out of Paris – strictly business so didn’t get to go into the Love capital of the world and get my tourist on!  The race itself was UCI 1.2 along a confusing but nice course..  Still getting a feel for the Elite racing I was itching to get into this one, but a lack of concentration and bad positioning piped me out the chuff in the crosswind section.  On that moment the heavens let rip with an attack of hail, thunder, lightning and horizontal rain, an experience like no other I had experienced before! It was crazy.

Wanzle Pro Kermesse start

Next one on the list for me was G.P. Pino Cerami, a UCI 1.1 and my first crack at a professional race! Pretty cool feeling lining up with the Spanish Champ and Pro squads like Movistar, Lotto Belisol, Vacansoleil, Euskatel – Euskadi, and a few others!  The race for me was riddled with bad luck, had a puncture 90km in followed by a slog to get back onto the bunch. A broken spoke 30km to go stitched the 208km race up for me, but a great experience all the same!

More of the same in the amateur kermesse around my home town. Puncture coming up a longish climb zapped a fair bit of energy getting back up to the bunch due to the Belgie cars trying to motor-pace me at a million kph up the climb.

Wanzle Pro Kermesse

Anyway, hopefully I have put all the punctures and mechanicals behind me because the Spring dream is coming up this Saturday, U23 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, one of the biggest ones on the calendar, keen to give that one a fair bit of jandal!

Cycling aside, had a brilliant night out in Antwerp to let the hair down at a 6000 strong concert, had a swell time and thoroughly enjoyed it!  I have no idea why but Belgium attracts wicked acts to play at their concerts and festivals! Loads of quality acts.

Also went up the mountain near where I live for a bit of skiing when the snow bucketed down, good fun getting back on the snow. Makes me want to come home for the winter and ski!

Beauty day up on the slopes

Stunner

Getting some Biathlon Practice in

We had the Team preso the other week and it was a good chance to catchup with the team for a yarn and a feed. Unfortunately for me it was all in French so it was difficult for me to speak a bit about myself!

Kiwis

The whole team

Righto, that’s about it I think, let you know how LBL goes and anything else that pops up!

Catchup soon


Vess

Ride down to Lux

Getting around Europe

Training in Belg pretty much goes like this…

One particular day, out training with Gaeton and Julien it started snowing the heaviest I had ever experienced, it felt like a white-out had just rolled in on the ski field, unreal.  The weak Belgies then decided that it was unrideable and took cover outside this ladies house, who soon realised that there were three dodgy looking fellas lurking around her house and invited us in for coffee.  Naturally I had three.

After a few days of frostbitten hands and feet I was itching to go somewhere where training was bearable. 

Meeting the team for the first time was nice, they all seem like good buggers, most of which speak Englais and we get on well.  15 hours later, on a bus with more leg room than the cattle class on Etihad Airways, we rolled up in Barcelona.

Talking to little Hamo, he recommended going to Tossa de Mar for a reco day while in Spain.  After we rode through there, the road around the sea was the best riding I had ever done, mountains that go on for 25+km, ashphalt roads and no enraged kiwi drivers! Reeeeal nice.

Been knocking out big k’s making the most of the weather, spending 6.5hrs out of the bike, I could think of worse ways to spend my time in Espagne!

The hotel offers 3 meal buffet service with; all pastries possible, racks of lamb and rabbit, legs of quail, salmon and many more delicacies! May have been over indulging a bit, I’d hate the see what the scales say at the moment!

Spain was grouse. Enough said.

Back to reality, however the weather seems to be improving with the snow pretty much all gone and took the opportunity to visit Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which is the Belgian Formula One race track which was a nice cruisey day – Getting to know my way around the place now!

First race on Saturday, let you all know how that goes!

Beauty.

Ciao.

 Out training along the coast with the team

 Random truck on our way to spain, everyone knows the All Blacks!

 Beautiful golden beaches

 This is what a 25km summit looks like!

 Marvellous sunsets

 Tossa de Mar bay

Getting a bit low on gas