Day 27 - Hong Kong to Perth

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson

Finally after the 10+ hour flight we arrived in Hong Kong. Most of us were exhausted and slept more than half the flight, only opening our eyes for long enough to eat (food was surprisingly good). We arrived in Hong Kong airport just after 8am with 7 hours to burn before our flight. Glenn wanted to leave the airport and go shopping but we were all pretty keen just to explore the airport and keep out of the heat. After we went through the bag check we wandered around the airport before sitting down for some food. Hong Kong airport is enormous compared to Perth, with a subway system connecting one side of the airport to the next. Glenn decided to go shopping and find some gifts for friends/family whereas the rest of us were down to our last coins (be it euro, HKD or australian dollars!) so we were pretty limited to our meal options let alone gift allowance.

We fulfilled our caffeine requirements at Starbucks and relaxed there for awhile before going on the prowl for a power point to plug my laptop in. Brad fell asleep on a lounge while Matt and I played around on the free WiFi computers and caught up with the latest mindless facebook gossip from back home. As any uni/high school student would know it is incredibly easy to waste time bumming around on social networking sites. A queue began to form with people waiting to use the free WiFi computers so we logged off and went to find some lunch. The 3 of us were sitting around a table when Glenn appeared with a few bags of shopping and looking revitalized after getting an hour long massage! Our flight back to Perth was leaving from gate 48 so we gathered our things and began following the signs through the airport. Brad found a news agency on the way and was thrilled to find the latest cycling magazines in English (after being starved for 4 weeks with only Dutch and French versions available in Belgium).

After following the signs for awhile we realized the gate wasn't walking distance and had to jump on the subway which whizzed us across to the other side of the airport. A short walk later we arrived at the gate and took a seat to wait for boarding. We all flicked through the cycling magazines and placed our bets on who would take out the 2012 World Road Race Championships next week. Gilbert was obviously the clear favourite but fingers crossed for the Australian contingent lead by Milan San-Remo winner and recent GreenEdge recruit Matt Goss. There was a huge line for the plane so we took our time before joining in the line and reaching another road block when there was yet another bag check prior to boarding the plane. I fell asleep before take off and woke up a few hours later. The return trip to Perth was scheduled for just under 8 hours which would have us in Perth by ~10.30pm. To avoid jet lag we tried our best to stay awake so we'd have a good nights sleep and wake up well rested Wednesday morning. The flight arrived on time and we flew through baggage collection and customs emerging on the other side to our loved ones waiting in the terminal.

Although my trip had many ups and downs I know both Matt and Brad thoroughly enjoyed their time in Europe and it was a great experience for Glenn and I to spend time with each of them and be a part of their cycling journey. Matt and I will be back in April to battle the 2012 season in Belgium whereas Brad is planning on returning for a 2 month stint during the European summer. Glenn will also most likely return, possibly with a few other Arbitrage riders who put in some solid training throughout the year. As always thank you to our incredible team owner Tony Anderson and everyone involved with Arbitrage/Wormall trips like these aren't possible without their backing. To all our Belgian/Dutch friends; Martijn, Tim, Wim, Michael, Bart, Stijn & Brenda and everyone at La Bas. Everyone had a fantastic time and all you did for us will be cherished for a very long time. Finally a big thank you to all our loyal blog readers (over 200 views a day) its been a real pleasure to keep you updated with all our European shenanigans! 

(Check back shortly for all photos tied up in a tidy video package)

Day 26 - Belgium to Paris

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson

When the game of car Tetris finally concluded and all our bags, boxes and bodies were squished into the team van we said our goodbyes and thank you's to Martijn and set out for Paris. It was just after 3am and following the basic instructions we made our way through the abandoned streets to the main highway. We all fell asleep during the drive and after 3-4 hours we arrived at the airport, parked up and went back to sleep in the parking lot. Brad was first awake and managed to get Matt and I up to go find some food within the airport and left Glenn to catch up on the sleep he'd lost during the long drive. We searched aimlessly for a food court but we were disorientated and in a different part of the airport than 4 weeks ago so we eventually settled for some overpriced-average-tasting cafe. Our plane was leaving for Hong Kong at 2pm from 'A6' so we put our heads together and tried to decipher the map of the airport.

Back at the team van we collected some trolleys and unpacked all the bags and bike boxes. Glenn was still exhausted so we told him to have another hour and we'd meet him at the terminal once he checked the van in. It was a long walk to A6 but we made it in the end and began to recognize this side of the airport. By the time we made it through customs the plane was beginning to board so we met up with Glenn and joined the line. We must have done a good job cleaning the van as there wasn't any issues with the rental company. The 10+ hour flight to Hong Kong in theory was actually 16 hours (due to +6 hour time zone difference) and we would arrive at approximately 7am. To give us the best chance of limiting jet lag we planned to sleep the majority of the flight, then stay awake for as long as possible in Hong Kong (including the 8 hour trip to Perth) and then finally sleep in our own beds once we were home late Tuesday night. We stayed awake for the first meal and then it was lights out for all of us, I personally didn't move for an entire 8 hours and only woke because I could smell food! With just over 2 hours remaining in the flight we played a few games and watched half a movie until we began our descent into Hong Kong.

Day 25 - Masters World RR Championships

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson

Day 24 - Seedy Saturday

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson 

As the saying goes ‘Athletes can’t drink’ and after a big night partying in Mol the whole team would agree with it. We all slept in late and felt like hell when we finally woke. Martijn managed to get us up and out of the house to go visit his parent’s place and go for a swim. It was a particularly warm day here with the temperature reaching 27 degrees.  Martijn’s parents were heading off on a family vacation so we didn’t stay for too long, just splashed around the pool a bit and had a coke. We were all treated when Martijn returned from the house with some cycling memorabilia. Martijn is a good personal friend of Tom Boonen so he had a few jerseys ‘laying around’ including Tom’s silver jersey from the Tour of Qatar (for Glenn to auction back home for charity) and a long sleeved QuickStep jersey with the world bands on the cuff from the 2006 World Championships.

A nearby sandwich bar hosted lunch where we sat down and planned the rest of our day. We made a list of people we have to say goodbye to before we leave. First on the list was Stijn, Brenda and the crew at La Bas so we changed back at the house and were on the road shortly after. Although the very sight of alcohol turned mine and Brad’s stomach the rest of the guys including Stijn enjoyed a bottle of wine over a light meal. Stijn got us to sign an Australian flag he had at the shop so he would remember ‘the crazy Australians.’ Martijn had made plans for us to visit his good friend Gunter’s vintage car yard at 6pm so we eventually had to say our goodbyes. Both Matt and I assured the staff we’ll be back enjoying their coffee first thing April 2012. On our way out of Diest we stopped at Michael’s shop to say thanks for all his help but the shop was busy so we didn’t stay for long.

We relaxed at home for twenty minutes or so before following Martijn to Gunter’s caryard/showroom. Gunter owned the 60,000 euro watch we were playing with yesterday so we knew we were going to be treated by some luxury cars. With an estimated value of over 6 million euro even someone with little interest in cars could appreciate the spectacle. Included in the garage were Ferrari’s (Daytona, 512, 328), Lamborghini (Countach), Mercedes (SL280), Shelby (GT350, GT500) and the main attraction a 1960’s Racing Series AC Cobra (worth between 3-4 million euros). We played around in the cars for awhile and snapped a few photos. Most of us excepting it will probably be the closest we will ever get to 4 million euros!

After the car yard we went out for dinner with Martijn as we have a pretty busy schedule tomorrow and may not get to see each other much before we leave Monday morning. We enjoyed our last meal together joking and telling war stories as the sun set in Mol. Most of us crashed shortly after we got home but we made sure to set our alarms before we slept. 4 simultaneous alarms will be ringing 6am tomorrow for us to get up and pile in the van to go watch Tony Anderson (our team owner) compete in the Masters World Road Race Championships in the French-speaking region of Belgium in town called Stavelot. Following the race we plan to zip over to Rotselaar to visit Wim, clean the team van and pack our bikes. Our flight from Paris leaves at 2pm Monday so we will have to leave very early in the morning to ensure we don’t get caught in any traffic and risk missing our flight. Good luck to the rest of the WA riders we will be cheering on the side of the road with our Australia flag! 

Day 23 - No Brugge

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson

Day 22 - Planning for 2012

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson

With a lot planned for today we were up early and on the bike by 8am so we could be back in time to meet the former professional and Director Sportif of the Belgian team "APK-Quality"; Davy Daniels. We decided that Matt and I would ride to Diest to see Michael while Glenn and Brad would do a different loop and stop by Tim's in Dessel. While visiting Michael in the bike shop (and avoiding the rain) the plans changed and it was decided that we would instead meet Davy at the shop in a few hours time. This wasn't ideal but time has managed to get away from us as we still have so much left to do with only a few days remaining. We made the most of the new circumstances with Matt and I staying at the shop and Brad/Glenn arriving shortly after. 

Davy walked through the door at Fietsen Verhayen just after 12pm where we spoke in the back of the shop what he was able to offer for next year. At this stage both Matt and I are prepared to race the 2012 season in Belgium while Brad has opted to wait another year with the possibility of returning for a 1-2 month stint. After flicking through both Matt's and my palmares he came to the decision that Matt was perhaps not quite physically matured to endure the calender APK-Quality was presenting for 2012 with many of the classics regularly exceeding 170km. Although disheartening we assured Matt he will have a team to ride for next year and will definitely display his incredible potential. Currently the roster for APK next year includes 3 Germans, 3 Dutch an Australian with the remainder of the team Belgian. Their calender includes some very high profile races in Belgium as well as the possibility of travelling to Holland and Germany for certain events. Michael first recommended the APK-Quality team as they have good structure and are well organised. Besides a fulfilling calender the team also has a team bus, van and several cars as well as the secure financial backing that is often required to make a successful cycling team. The team provides a complete bike (with racing wheels), all clothing (both cycling kit & casual), covers all expenses for tours and stage races and offers some very tempting money bonus's for good performances. Glenn had a few queries that we discussed with Davy including the possibility of accommodation and that I arrive in April as opposed to February which most teams demand.

Although there are several good races that would suit me on the calender for February/March I believe the additional time in Australia will allow me to put in some serious training in GOOD weather (Belgium in February is awful) to properly prepare myself for a very demanding season. I also have track commitments with the National Track Championships set for early February and my father's pride and joy the 'Perth International Grand Prix' set for the 24th March. Track training is vastly different to training on the road so I will need time between the Track Championships and leaving for Europe to properly prepare myself. I chatted with Davy for another twenty minutes or so before I came to the conclusion that this would be the team I will ride for in 2012. After viewing the proposed calender and getting an insight into the teams vision and structure I believe this team will be a great platform for my cycling career. We were able to come to the agreement that while in Australia I will continue to ride for and represent the Arbitrage Wormall Racing Team whereas when I am in Europe I am contracted to APK-Quality Cycling Team. The Dutch contract was translated back to English and after signing my name at the bottom I shook Davy's hand and was welcomed into the team for 2012.

Following the meeting we were all quite hungry so we went to visit La Bas to explore the lunch menu. As always we were spoilt rotten by Stijn & Brenda and had a fantastic meal together in the warmth of the cafe. The Hamburgers have to be seen to be believed (picture above) they truly are incredible and we certainly weren't hungry for some time! We chatted with Stijn while Glenn popped outside to pick up a little something as a present for the guys at La Bas for treating us like royalty. By the time we left it was past 2pm and we still had to research how to get in contact with the insurance company of the driver involved in my accident and be at Tim's for a 7pm dinner date. Instead of rushing when we arrived back in Mol we all relaxed a bit and hung out at the house. Our plans to go to Kasterlee Police Station and organize to meet the driver weren't going to work out because we heard yesterday that the woman worked with the post office and obviously would still be working. We instead decided we'd get Tim to call up later that day and speak to her (she didn't speak english) and find out how we proceed in seeking compensation for the damages to my bike, as covered by third party insurance. With time to kill we were planning on going to sit at a cafe but the weather didn't look like improving so instead Glenn had a nap, Brad watched tv and I helped Matt spruce up his palmares and select the pictures that properly showcased one of the quickest boys in the bunch! Michael and Glenn are going to continue finding a team for Matt but it shouldn't be an issue with most teams eager to take on Australian's as our country has such a good reputation as bike riders. We also need to finalize our accommodation but Matt and I really felt that the apartment we visited during the week would do the job.

Finally 7pm rolled around and we headed off for Tim's. When Glenn and Brad visited earlier that morning Tim assured them he had something special to cook up and he surely didn't disappoint! Dinner was ready to go as soon as we arrived with an entree of home made Garlic Bread. Tinny helped Tim put the final touches on a beautifully made Lasange dish. Tim was well prepared and had actually made 2 using different ingredients. They were both equally as tasty and he had definitely came through with the goods. We let dinner settle while we shared a bottle of a delicious liquor (fairly sure it's Belgian although I forget the name). Somehow we made room and Tinny set in front of us a bowl of vanilla bean ice cream with melted chocolate. Thank you so much to both Tim and Tinny's incredible hospitality we have lived like kings here in Belgium! We were dreading the difficulties of locating the insurance company and trying to solve all the twists and turns of trying to get my bike fixed but it proved relatively easy when we were simply given an address for the insurance agent in nearby Geel and told to arrive at 9am tomorrow. Fingers crossed everything will run smoothly and we will be able to replace my bike as soon as possible, without leaving loose ends here in Europe. Tim is off to the Tour of Britain in the morning so we didn't stay too late and let him get some sleep. I'm sure all of Perth joins us in hoping he comes back to Australia to visit in the summer.

When we arrived back at Martijn's we planned out the next few days which are going to be extremely busy but we're confident we can get everything done before we leave for Paris early Monday morning. It is likely tomorrow's race in Assebroek will be our last race so we hope to make it one to remember. Thank you to everyone for following us up until now and we hope you've enjoyed reading about our incredible journey.

Day 21 - Chocolate Coffee

Written by Stephen Hall with Glenn Harris, Matt Irvine & Brad Robson

Tony text first thing in the morning and decided to postpone our training ride as they weren't sure what time and where they would be heading out! The weather looked like it would hold up so Glenn went back to sleep and let us do the same. Eventually we woke and after a few nervous moments of thinking we overslept, we went downstairs for breakfast and then set out on the road. Since we arrived, coffee at La Bas has become the highlight of our Wednesday so we rode the familiar roads down to Diest. The local markets delayed us a few minutes but we zig zagged our way through the school children and the elderly and arrived at the door of La Bas just after 11.30am. Stijn & Brenda found us the best seat in the house next to Miss Belgium. We sat down in the warm cafe to our standard order of 4 fantastic Chocolate Coffees and some of the best cake in Belgium. Stijn was quite excited to show us a newspaper clipping that we had featured in; declaring us "local celebrities" as are all Australian cyclists who make it to the start line...

When our coffees were well and truly licked clean we stayed for a long time chatting and keeping out of the cold. Eventually we looked at the clock and decided to get a wriggle on otherwise we'd still be there in time for the dinner menu! We took a longer route home, with the guys throwing in a few efforts to get their hearts up while I tonked along still recovering from my run in with a car last Friday. My leg is still swollen so I decided I would go for an xray later that afternoon to rule out a possible fracture or crack in my fibula. Turnhout hosted lunch for the boys with a small sandwich bar definitely hitting the spot. The weather looked threatening but we managed to be safe inside Martijn's house before the rain poured for 15 minutes then cleared. Glenn and I quickly showered and got changed before heading out the door to go to Turnhout Police Station to chase up some more details of the driver for insurance reasons as well as to visit the hospital to get an xray to ease my mind. 

The police officer was much more helpful than the one who 'helped' us on Friday and we were able to get a contact number for the woman driver. We already had all her insurance details but had found it hard to get the ball rolling without actually speaking to her. Tomorrow we will go to the Kasterlee Police Station and organize to have a meeting with her so we can resolve all the insurance issues (notably the large crack in my Eddy Merckx). After the police station we were back at the hospital and sitting in the waiting room. Twenty minutes later I was seen by a friendly nurse who checked me over than took me through for an xray. I was sent back to the waiting room and sat with Glenn flicking through 20 year old magazines until I was once again called through to see the nurse. 

A slight lack of communication lead to a different nurse asking me which arm was sore (neither) before he got his folders right and returned to wrap my leg. The male nurse wrapped my leg tight with bandages and didn't tell me the results of my xray or speak at all for that matter. I scratched my head and waited nervously wondering whether this was good or bad until the friendly nurse from earlier returned and told me I was in the clear. The car actually hit ME not my bike so the blunt trauma to my leg has obviously caused a lot of damage to the muscle fibres (not the bone) which is why it is still very swollen and tender. She assured me everything would be fine just to ice it as frequently as possible until the swelling subsided. There still isn't any bruising so I presume I have that to look forward to. While I was there I got her to change the Fixamol on my palm (which is healing, albeit slowly) and she swipped a few rolls for me to take home.

By this time Glenn and I were starving and we couldn't have dreamed for better timing when we arrived back at Martijn's and dinner was 2 minutes away. Matt had cooked up another healthy dinner of vegetables which we leapt into, moving chess pieces between mouthfuls. Tomorrow we are planning an early ride so we can be home in time to meet with the DS of a Belgian team that Matt and I are planning on racing for next season. After the meeting Glenn and I will most likely head into Kasterlee to keep working at the insurance business as it is pivotal we try and solve it before we return to Australia. On a positive note well done to all the juniors for their fantastic results at the Junior Road Nationals, we were thrilled with all the updates that came flooding in and made it all the way to Belgium. Also best wishes to all the young rider's and officials off to Hong Kong for the Pacific Youth Track Tournament. I raced this event twice as a junior (Bangkok and Perth) and had an absolute ball, fingers crossed for all the riders and good luck!