Day 7 (Ive made it through my first week!)

Well, it has been a week since I have arrived here. Today I went on a ride with another guest who is staying here name Jared. He is an ex pro cyclist and now he is a cycling journalist and photographer. He is in his early thirties and he is a kick butt cyclist. We decided to ride the last 90km of the Tour of Flanders course. This included one time up the Koppenburg and three times up the Pattersburg and Ode kwermont(not sure if I spelled that right), and a bunch of other cobbled sections. Today was super nice, but this ride was torturous. My hands hurt so badly after doing a 2 mile section of cobbles. I can't believe that the riders are able to do this race. I only rode the last part and I can't imagine doing it after already having done 100 or so miles. So I got a new perspective on the Spring Classics today and I got some sore legs and hands.

Day 6

The days here just keep getting better and better! Today I had breakfast and then went to the nearby canal to do some intervals. I worked myself pretty hard during those efforts which felt good. When I got done with the intervals I rode back to the house to get a bite to eat, and then got back on the bike to ride 4 miles to watch a pro race. It was called the Nokere Koerse. This was a big deal for me because I have never seen a professional road race, nevertheless, be able to ride to one. When I arrived near the finishing circuit the streets were lined with people.There was a betting board and lots of beer tents. It was like a carnival with a ton of food stands and music. It was so neat watching all of the pro's go by and all of the team cars follow. It took me awhile to realize that this was actually happening. I have always wanted to see a pro race and I finally was.

After getting back from the race I got ready for dinner. This was not any ordinary dinner though, this was a dinner with Jonathan Page and his family at the house where Im staying. For those of you who may not know who he is, he is a big cyclocross superstar. He is from New Hampshire, but resides in Belgium for most of the year. I have seen him at races before, but never had the chance to talk with him. He was super nice and I even got a photo with him (check my facebook).

Today was pretty much the greatest day ever. I have never been more happier in my life than I am right now. I can't thank my parents enough for all that they have done for me and Tim Redus for providing me with this opportunity. I feel as though I am in a dream right now and I am just so happy. Thank you everyone for your support.

Richard

Day 5

Today was an awesome day! It started out with a trip to the grocery store to get some waffles and bananas for me and Tim(my director) got some stuff for dinner later today. While at the grocery store I saw this special cereal that isn't sold in the U.S. that my friend has really wanted, so I picked up that too. I also got some chocolate to bring home for some friends and family. The real souvenir shopping doesn't begin until I take a day trip to Brugge where all the cool shops are.

After lunch I went on a ride with Tim and Gregg (the house owner) to ride the "holy trinity" of cobbled climbs. First I rode the Koppenburg, then the Pattersburg, and finally the Oude Kwaremont. These climbs are famous being part of the Spring Classics races such as Paris Roubaix and Tour of Flanders. These climbs are super steep and super bumpy. I couldn't believe that I was riding the same roads as Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen.

Today was really great and I just finished some really awesome spaghetti and meatballs. I am loving my time here and there is some really cool stuff planned for tomorrow. Thanks for reading.

Richard

Day 4

Not much happened today. I slept in, had some food, and got in a nice recovery ride. Other than that, I hung out for the rest of the day.

Day 3 (second race)

Today was a lot like yesterday in the fact that I sat around most of the morning to rest up before my race. My race was 54km today and had 56 other riders.Today's course was a lot more technical in the fact that there was cobbles, super narrow roads,  and very tight turns. Today my goal was to stay in the top twenty in terms of positioning, but that never happened. Every time I got to the front, I saw myself at the back two minutes later. Positioning is really an art that you have to learn here. So, being at the back, I got whipped around every corner. After 22 miles I couldn't take it anymore and I got dropped with 6 others who rode the rest of the race with me. I got 3 in our little sprint. Overall I ended up 31st and ended up making another 5 euros. I can honestly say that I have never suffered more in my life than I did today. What matters is that I did my best and I never gave up. I have a cool week of training ahead of me and then I get to race again. Thats pretty much my day.

Day 2 (My First Race)

A lot happenned today to say the least. I woke up, had a bunch of waffles, and chilled out before having to leave for my race in the afternoon. When I arrived at the race I found out that registration was in a bar. There was a tiny room in the back of the bar with a couple officials where I registered.

I got my bike ready and warmed up for a couple minutes and then lined up. I got a front row start which was really nice and there were about 50 other 15-16's in my race. The race started off neutral for the first 400 meters and then it was off. The race was 65km long consisting of ten technical laps. I quickly found out that the pack is very aggressive and that you have to fight for every spot. Unlike the U.S., there is no yellow line rule here, anything with pavement is fair game. Many kids would hop the curb and then attack on the sidewalk! The course was very flat which made the race very fast. Every single corner you had to sprint out of. After 7 laps,  I blew up and rode solo for the next two laps before getting pulled. I finished 27th and even got 5 euros in prize money. The race was the hardest I have ever done and now I know what to expect for tomorrow's race. By the way, the race took place in a rural area and the smell of cow crap filled the air.

After the race, I had a cookie and got back in the car with my instructor to drive back to the house. On the way back to Oudenaarde, we had to go through Izegem, so we went a little out of our way to go see the USA national team house which was really cool. Those were pretty much my adventures for today and I am going to rest up for tomorrow's race.

Day 1 in Belgium

After some long and dreadful flights, I have made it here to Belgium. After leaving the airport with the camp manager, we took a train to the town of Oudenaarde. When I arrived at the house I will be staying at for the next 2 weeks I unpacked my bike and ate some lunch. Lunch basically equalled some really great tasting waffles. After lunch, I went out for an easy spin to loosen up my legs and make sure that my bike was working well. After the bike ride, I went to the local grocery store to stock up on some food. Me and the cashier had some trouble understanding each other because of our different languages so she had to have the next person in line translate to me.The main languages here are French and Dutch, but most people are able to speak English pretty well. The town square is really neat with a giant church in the middle. Well, that pretty much sums up my first day here. I am pretty tired from being awake for over 24 hours so Im going to hit the hay. My first race is tomorrow and hopefully some rest will do me good.

P.S. You have to pay to use most public bathrooms over here. I learned that when this lady started yelling at me in French after I left her restroom without paying.