Day 22 - Tour of Flanders

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

We woke up just after 7 as planned and sat down for a decent breakfast. Brett had been looking forward to riding the tour of flanders circuit the entire trip so he was first out of bed and kitted up. Glenn and I had decided to ride to Diest to meet Simms while Brett and Tim drove the car down. There wouldn't be enough room for 4 bikes and 4 people and we were both more than willing to get the extra km so it wasn't an issue. We set off for Diest just after 8 o clock and before we knew it we were saying our goodbyes to Stijn and Brenda in La Bas while enjoying our last chocolate coffee. Something got lost in the translation with Michael but he thought we were riding to his place and not the coffee shop. Because of the delay we got caught in traffic through Brussels but we made our way through eventually. The start of the course was some distance away from Diest so we packed our bikes in the back and drove the 100km to the start.

We parked the car at Ninove, unpacked our bikes, kitted up and were on the rode immediately on the course of the famous tour of flanders. Tim has a good knowledge of the roads and had found a 120km circuit for us to enjoy with many of the cobble sections featured in the race. The first section we tackled was the infamous Koppenberg. This section is only 600m long but with an average gradient of 11.6% (with a maximum of 21%) on the horrendous cobbles it is extremely difficult. The hot tip we received from Glenn was to hit the cobbles as fast as possible and try to carry your speed throughout the section. If you lose momentum you can come to a complete stop and its impossible to get back on, in fact you'll find yourself walking your bike up the gutter. Road works at the bottom of the Koppenberg made it difficult to gather speed before the climb but we all grit our teeth and made our way over the top. On most of the cobble sections if you don't pick the right gear before you hit the section you can get caught out and be stuck in the gear you started in. Most riders choose to ride cobbles with their hands loosely holding the bars as opposed to in the drops or on the hoods so it is hard to change gear especially when your bouncing violently as you go. I was caught in the wrong gear and came to a complete stand still just before the summit. The climb brought back painful memories for Glenn having ridden the u/23 tour of flanders many years ago.

After the Koppenberg we had a fast descent through the streets and worked our way over to more sections including the steenbeekdries, taaienberg and berg ter stene. By now we'd gotten much better at riding the cobbles and started to fool around and race across them. Tim and Michael were used to the cobbles having lived in Belgium for so long, whereas Brett and I have never seen anything like them but our fitness got us through. We sat down outside for a coke on the way across to the Muur when it started to rain. Until then we'd been blessed with only overcast sky but the rain started to come down pretty quickly. We were all having such a great time that we didn't really notice our socks turning from white to black. Tim decided it would be better for us to skip a couple of the sections he had planned because the weather would have made them quite dangerous. Here in Europe you only have to wear a helmet when your racing but we decided it would definitely be a good idea to wear one today. We zig zagged through towns and eventually arrived at Geraadsbergen the home of the Muur.

The Muur is one of the most famous sections as is located only 16km from the finish and can often dictate who will throw their hands in the air 20 minutes later. There is a few different parts of the Muur but it is considered to be 500m long on very slippery cobbles covered in moss. Glenn had been stuck in his big chain ring most of the day and miraculously managed to power over the climb with Brett close behind. I followed Glenn up the hill and was going well until I hit a particularly rough section and washed off all momentum. Tim and Simms made their way up eventually but weren't very happy considering both of them hadn't been on the bike for awhile! The Muur wasn't very popular with Tom Boonen either after the lastest edition of the tour of flanders where Fabian Cancellara left him for dead on the climb and went on to take the victory. We took a few photos and had a laugh before we made our way back to the car. Glenn was really looking forward to tackling the Bosberg but we got lost and Simms was in a hurry to be on time for a meeting. The loop was almost spot on 120km and we all thoroughly enjoyed it, we are definitely going to watch the next tour of flanders closely next year to see just how incredible some of the riders conquer the cobbles.

We were hoping to make it back to the car earlier but the mess up with times in the morning made us late and we were stuck in the Brussels traffic for over an hour. Eventually we made our way out and Simms was madly rushing to get to his meeting. He dropped us off at his place where Annalise made Glenn and I some food which we inhaled. Brett and Tim took a different route home and dropped their bikes off before coming back to Diest to pick us up. We said our goodbyes to Annalise and the little rascal dog Milo and made our way home to Dessel. A big thank you to Simms for taking the day off work to come training with us we thoroughly enjoyed your company as well as Tim for being our tour guide. Everyone's stomach was rumbling so we had a quick shower, unpacked the car and drove to Geel for dinner at a restaurant. The servings were absolutely massive and no one got close to finishing but the food was beautiful and we were all famished. We drove around the corner to Mol after dinner and had a few drinks at a small bar in town. Brett and Tim headed home soon after while Glenn and I hung around for awhile having a drink and a chat with the locals. Eventually we made our way home and the lights were out as soon as our head hit the pillow. Tomorrow we catch a train to Amsterdam where we'll spend the night before our flight to Singapore on the Saturday. Our last full day here in Belgium was brilliant and will be remembered for a long time after we return.

Day 20 - Stuck in Traffic

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

We slept well and truly through our alarm this morning, not even Tim having breakfast less than 10m away could wake Glenn or myself. A few hours later we eventually rose and thought about the day ahead. I sat down with my computer and started to plan my next 3 months of training and goals for the end of 2010/early 2011 season. I'm excited to announce that as of today I am planning to race in the Tour of South China Sea in December. My father Murray Hall has been to the tour several times in a management role and assures me it will be a very rewarding experience. As soon as I return I am also competing in the Australian University Games held in Perth from the 27th to the 1st October. The 90km road race is held on the Tuesday in Pickering Brook while the Criterium is held on Friday at Perry Lakes. I have been looking forward to competing in the AUG ever since I got back on the bike in April this year. After studying my program I lost track of time and had to get a move on getting my things together for the race in Nieuwerkerken. Glen decided he wasn't going to race, so only my bike was packed in the car. I sat down for a pasta/tuna lunch made by Brett and then we were in the car and on the road. Nieuwerkerken is at least 120km away so we left reasonably early to ensure we'd get there an hour before race time. We hadn't even got 20km away when we got on the freeway to find it at a complete stand still. Despite our best efforts to detour we couldn't avoid the traffic and we decided to write the day off when we were still 80km away an hour before race time.

I was bitterly disappointed to miss today's race as it was set to be my last here in Europe before returning home. However we had a quick look through the list of races when we got back to the apartment and found a kermesse tomorrow in Maldegem. Maldegem is about 150km away only a short trip out of Brugge. We were running out of time but Brugge was on our list of things to do before we left so tomorrow we'll kill two birds with one stone by leaving in the morning with the car packed, spend most of the day in Brugge and then drive down to the race. My mood improved dramatically and after lunch we all went for a ride to Geel for a coffee and cecemel before cruising home down the canal. We fooled around and had a few sprints along the water. It was a beautiful day once again and the sun had just started to fall when as we rolled the last 5km home. Glenn and I played a few games of chess and I improved my record to 3-0 as Brett cooked up another feast for us all. Tomorrow will officially be the last race for us here in Belgium. Brett is going to sleep with fingers crossed that his cold will improve while Glenn and I will try and get a good nights sleep before a solid 120km in the gutter tomorrow.

Day 19 - Day in Antwerp

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

Tim arrived late last night and we'd promised him a coffee ride leaving at 8.30am. We were still fast asleep by then but he eventually got us out of bed and on the bike by 10. The Rabobank van was parked outside the apartment packed with bidons, t-shirts, hats and other cycling paraphernalia. We admired the equipment before we set off for a coffee in Geel. Tim has lived in Belgium for most of his life so he took us a more scenic route than the way we had been going. We zigzagged through beautiful streets and along the canal on a lovely autumn morning. As we were riding Tim called out to inform me that my brake pad was rubbing on my wheel. We pulled over and noticed the rear break caliper was holding on by a single thread. Racing over the cobbles yesterday had given my bike a good hammering and loosened practically everything. Glenn, convinced he'd found 'the perfect position' had stopped bringing allen keys with him since last Thursday so I had to ride to the bike shop with the added resistance. Tim tightened the caliper in two minutes at Van Eykes and we rode across the road to have a coffee and cecemel. Not having the break pads rubbing helped but I was still feeling sluggish and decided to pull the pin on this afternoon's Criterium. We talked bikes and Tim shared some 'on tour' stories while we sat at the coffee shop.

Instead of driving 120km away to Hoeilaart for the crit we decided to head into Antwerp for a look around and some lunch. When we arrived home we all showered and changed and on the road by 1pm. An hour or so later of driving (I was asleep) we were walking down the beautiful streets of Antwerp. Both sides of the cobble stone road were lined with expensive clothing outlets and restaurants. We were pretty hungry so we power-walked for 15 minutes to a nice outdoor restaurant. I'm not sure what we ordered (the menu was in Dutch) but it was magnificent and we were all silent while we enjoyed it. Next door to the restaurant was a modern lifestyle store much like Ikea which we wandered around in for awhile. We continued walking the streets stopping for pastry and coffee as we went. The sun started to go down so we made our way back to the car for the drive home.

Just before we got back to the apartment we stopped at the only supermarket still open and grabbed some extra veges for dinner. Brett whipped up a carbon copy of last night's dinner and we all thoroughly enjoyed it the second time around. Tomorrow is our last race here in Belgium which is set to be explosive with both Glenn and I trying to grasp the elusive win in Nieuwerkerken. The race kicks off at 3pm hopefully we can keep the crocodiles (cramping) at bay long enough for Arbitrage Wormall to cross the line with their hands in the air.

Day 18 - Aalst Kermesse

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

Once again the blinds were thrown open early so we could get out for a short ride before the afternoon's kermesse in Aalst. Brett had finally recovered from his crash in Montenaken but awoke yesterday morning with a horrible cough and blocked nose. He decided to stay in bed to rest while Glenn and I went out for an hour. Since we arrived here in Belgium we have been staying in an apartment owned by a friend of Glenn's Tim Dejonghe. Tim is the mechanic for the Rabobank ProTeam and has been away for the Tour of Spain. The tour concluded a few days ago so Tim was expected home within the next few days. We gave the apartment a good clean to ensure the place didn't look like a bomb hit it when he returned. Time got away from us and before we knew it, it was 12 o clock. We had planned to leave by 12.30 as Aalst is 70-80km drive. I ran over to the shops and collected a few things to have for lunch while Brett packed my bike into the car. Brett decided it was probably better for him not to race today while Glenn was still feeling the effects of his cramping yesterday and opted to save himself for a solid performance on Tuesday in Nieuwerkerken.

There was plenty of room in the car with only one bike so I lay across the back seat and went into my pre race ritual; napping. Glenn woke me by tickling my feet to inform me we'd arrived in Aalst. I made my way over to registration and was given the prestigious #1 number for being an international rider. Today's race was set for 16 laps of a 7.3km circuit. There was a decent field and I rolled up and down the finish for awhile before the start. Somehow during my warm up I missed the part of the course with the 1km cobble section!! The circuit was undulating and by the time I realized I was doing 45kmph down the middle of the cobbles. More than half the field took to the footpath on either side of the road. The cobbles were slightly downhill with a dodgy sharp left hand corner on the bottom which continued for another 20m after. Once off the cobbles there was a steep burg of only 500-1000m which got harder and harder as the race went on. After the cobble section all momentum was lost so it was hard to search through your gears and get a good position for the short climb. The rest of the course featured windy and long strung out sections before a left hand corner back into the uphill finishing straight.

The pace was on and off throughout the race as attacks went and were brought back each lap. I was proud of myself that my conversion rate for collecting bidons during the race is now 4/4 (excluding yesterday's rabobank bidon which exploded on me). With 6 laps remaining the bunch began to splinter and there were groups everywhere. I had positioned myself in the front end of the field for most of the race and with 3 other riders helped chase onto the back of the break away to form a group of at least 20. The rest of the peleton tried but were never able to claw their way back. As I mentioned earlier the burg after the cobbles had grown harder and harder and with 5 laps remaining I suddenly started to cramp violently in my achilles. I lost contact with my group at the top and chased for the next 4km trying to make contact. The group behind me picked me up but the cramping became too painful that I had to retire from the bike race with 4 laps remaining. I was quite disappointed that I had to pull out when I was in such a good position but there really was nothing I could do about it. Guess I'll just have to try and get more salt and/or potassium in before and during the race (the hardest 120km of my life yesterday may also have been a factor).

2 riders ended up breaking away from the lead bunch with 2 laps remaining and kept their advantage until the finish line. The rest of the bunches followed with a rider coming down heavily in the sprint for 40th or something stupid like that. After the race I returned my number and we were on the road soon after. I took Glenn and Brett over the course in the car to prove I wasn't lying about the cobble section! We all showered and changed before a beautiful healthy meal was served up by Brett including vegetables, mashed potato and saute mushrooms. Tomorrow we have a Criterium in Hoeilaart which is sure to be a great test with 15 x 20 euro primes spread throughout the race. At this stage I may be the only one to compete with Brett still battling his flu and Glenn preparing for a final show down in Nieuwerkerken on Tuesday. After dinner we put the finishing touches on the apartment and sat down on the couch to relax and have a chat before bed.

Day 17 - Meerhout Kermesse

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

We decided to get back into our morning routine in an effort to limit the amount of rushing around we seemed to be doing lately. Our race today started at 3PM in Meerhout so we woke up, had breakfast and were on our bikes by 8am. It was a short roll down to Turnhout and back mainly just to spin the legs and for me to check that my new chain had taken to my slightly older cluster. Everything was running smoothly and we were back home an hour later. We cleaned our bikes and messed around the apartment a bit before we all went to lay down and rest before the race. Somehow we'd managed to run out of tuna, bread and pasta by the end of lunch. Meerhout is only 15km away so we decided to ride there and get a few extra kilometres in. We left just after 1.30 to make sure there wouldn't be any repeats of Booischot (pinning our numbers on the start line) or Retie (missing the race by 2 hours). On the way we stopped at a hardware store and picked up some cable tires and pins for the race numbers (the officials had grown tired of lending us them).

We arrived in Meerhout with plenty of time as it was easy to find with most of the roads being blocked off with children's rides and barricades. The officials spent a good 10 minutes trying to spell Brett's last name but they eventually sorted it out and we paid our 3 euro nominations before rolling across the road to a cafe to put our numbers on. Today's kermesse consisted of 19 laps of 6.3km circuit in perfect 22 degree conditions. The scenery was beautiful if you were somehow able to look beyond your head stem. There were more corners than I care to remember but nothing too tricky mainly just a windy flowing circuit. The pace was on immediately with the first left hand corner containing a block curb to 500m clinker section (pave' to those of you playing at home). Nice weather attracted such a large field that when the race was strung out (like it was the entire race) you couldn't see the front or the back of the peleton. Brett was still feeling the effects of his crash last Sunday in Montenaken but made it through 75km in his first race back before retiring. I hung on for dear life while Glenn having his best day yet spent the next 30km trying to escape with several attacks. Unfortunately his hamstrings had other ideas when the crocodiles began snapping (cramping) with 5 laps to go.

The commentator was nice enough to call the laps out in English 'for the Australian competitors' which was pleasant but we didn't really notice as we were sidetracked by hammering 56kmph down the gutter. To say the race was the hardest thing I've ever been involved in wouldn't quite do it justice. I swear I quit cycling 3 times during the race. I'll never know how I managed to finish but I grovelled my way through and just missed out of a top 20 placing with a 21st. More than half the field pulled out of the bike race with a group of 15 escaping off the front with 5 laps remaining. The typical Belgium sprint started earlier than usual with a few riders breaking away from the main field with only 2 laps remaining. My group (the remains of the peleton) finished 2.30'' after the front bunch giving a race time of 2.33mins for 120km with an average of 47kmph.

After the race we hung around to return our numbers and collect my 20 euro prize money. The ride home down the canal would have been slow and enjoyable if not for Glenn's friend Tim taking us the long way. We eventually got home clicking the speedo over at 185km for the day. It wasn't long before we were showered and in the car searching for an entire restaurant to eat. I wasn't very popular when the Pasta house I found on google closed 10mins before we arrived. Luckily we were only a short drive from La Cinema (the restaurant from last Saturday) so we barged through the doors and ordered the first 10 things on the menu.. Each. The staff were thoroughly amused while also impressed that we conquered our mountains of food. After sitting down earlier in the week we've planned to race the next 3 days in a row with a kermesse tomorrow in Aalst, a criterium on Monday and our final kermesse on Tuesday in Nieuwerkerken. We will ease up on the accelerator on Wednesday to visit Diest and say our farewells to Stijn, Brenda and the Chocolate Coffee from La Bas Cafe while Thursday we hope to have peaked in fitness when we tackle the entire Tour of Flanders course with Michael Simms.

Day 16 - Back to Basics

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling and Glenn Harris

After a few days of feeling down following the 'Retie Incident' we went back to basics setting our alarms for 7.30 and out the door on the bike by 8am. We enjoyed a beautiful fresh Belgium morning and rode a solid 70km before stopping in Geel for a Cecemel. Brett found the love of his life at the cafe in the form of a French Bulldog. Our good luck ran out when the weather suddenly turned on us halfway through our second lap. As seen in the photo we could see the thick black clouds but we had no where to go but straight through it. We fought our way through the cloud and were almost through to the other side when the rain started to come down hard. Brett clicked into his 11 cog and started to wind it up preparing to time trial through to the other side. I followed suit and clicked down through my gears until a loud crunch and a snap stopped me dead in my tracks. My brand new durace chain dragged behind me on the Belgian footpath like a snake.

Glenn had decided to sleep in so our personal Garmin was 30km away leaving Brett and I with no idea how to find a bike shop. We had pretty much settled on the idea that Brett would push me the entire way home when a man riding a townie stopped to help us. In broken english he told us of a bike shop only 10km away. We were very grateful for his help and Brett was a little relived. He still had to push me up the road for 20mins around pedestrians, up hills, through round abouts and over cobbles but he managed and we arrived at the bike shop sometime later. The mechanic was very helpful replacing my chain and tuning my gears in about 5 minutes. 40 euro later we were back on the bike and heading home. Here in Belgium the majority of moped riders actually commit to the footpath instead of the road. We managed to sit in the slip stream of one for about 20 minutes before he took a wild right hand turn and almost sent us sprawling into the canal. By now the rain was bucketing so we put our head down and bum up and time trialled the remainder of the way home.

Our kits and bikes were filthy as usual so we threw them in the wash, showered and changed then head over to the super market for another shop. We actually remembered our shopping list this time so we bought some of the things we kept forgetting. After a beautiful chicken salad roll for lunch we sat down and watched a pro kermesse as it was happening on the other side of Belgium. An Australian got up for a fantastic sprint victory so we were all pretty excited about the result. Glenn took off for his training ride while Brett and I put a movie on and had some sleep intervals. By the time dinner rolled around they replayed the kermesse so we watched it again as we stocked up on tuna pasta in preparation for tomorrows race. The 120km race in Meerhout is run over a 6.3km circuit only 15mins drive from our apartment. We have checked the race time 5 times and are raring for a good performance in our 6th race since we have arrived. After some tight finishes we are really looking forward to the race with a beautiful weather forecast and fresh legs Meerhout could be the day we pull it off.

Day 15 - Old Friends

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling and Glenn Harris

After yesterday's events we were hoping to find a replacement kermesse for today but all the races were located on the other side of Belgium near Brussels. We decided to wake up early and get back to training regardless and shift our focus to the weekend ahead. Suddenly the rain started to come down outside and we found ourselves sitting in front of the TV for a few hours instead. Cycling on the TV has been hard to avoid since we arrived and today it was more than welcome when the heavens opened up outside. Eventually it cleared and we got on our bikes to ride the usual loop. We stopped in Geel for our beloved Cecemel Hot Chocolate before continuing, trying to dodge the rain.

A few hours later we walked in the door and got started on dinner. We managed to get a hold of our good friend Adam Semple (fresh off his stage win at the Giro Del Friuli) on Skype. Adam has been away for several months racing with an Italian team and enjoying some recent success (www.adamsemple.com.au). We had a brief chat about bike riding and the coming home party we are all looking forward to in October. After dinner we had a quick visit from a friend of Glenn's while we got ready for our trip to Diest to visit Michael Simms. Its about 40km away and we were already running late so we were out the door and in the car pretty quickly. Michael lives in a beautiful house in Diest with his wife Annalise and they dogs, rabbits and chinese chickens. We drove to a couple local bars and had a few drinks while exchanging old cycling war stories. An early night turned into a late one but we eventually got home and were asleep soon after. Tomorrow we plan to head out for a solid 3-4 hours in the saddle before launching into a heavy weekend of racing.

Day 14 - Disaster in Retie

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling and Glenn Harris

Day 14 certainly wasn't our best day in Belgium. In fact not much went right today at all. We woke up reasonably early in preparation for the 150km Retie Classic which was less than 10km from our apartment. After breakfast we made sure our bikes were running properly and packed our lunch. Glenn had to cut his new seat post so he rode out of the saddle all the way into town where he found a cycling team car. We borrowed a saw and cut the seat post on the side walk. It didn't seem unusual to us that cyclists were already arriving 3 hours before the race was supposed to start. I made my way back to the apartment while Glenn spent his time fiddling with his bike position. Brett & I walked across the road to the supermarket and picked up a few things to make lunch. We sat down to eat and realized we were running late so we scoffed our food and threw our kits on. Brett was still too sore to compete so he planned to ride up later on and take some photos. We loaded food into our back pockets and took off down the street headed for Retie.

The race was run over a 70km loop before 12 x 5.8km laps of a circuit in town. When we arrived people had already gathered around the circuit. We were confused at first but realized very quickly that we'd missed our start.. By 2 hours. Glenn and I were beyond furious and rode back to the apartment in silence. We're still unsure how we messed up the start time, it possibly as something to do with the flyer being in Dutch. Perhaps 3pm was the time that the peleton was expected to enter the circuit. Glenn decided to go training anyway whereas I sat on the couch and sulked for a while. I was really looking forward to my first big road race not only in Belgium but for my career having always been a track cyclist. Eventually I started to feel better, the process helped along by Glenn returning with 3kg of chocolate. For the rest of the day we watched a few movies and had some Skype dates with friends and family on the other side of the world. Definitely not our finest day but we'll bounce back on Saturday when go to battle in Meerhout.

To make up for our lack of photos we've included some of our racing pics.

Day 13 - Shopping at Van Eykes

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

We didn't get to sleep til late last night so we were all more than happy to have a sleep in. Glenn woke up and saw both Brett & I dead to the world so he went back to sleep himself. Eventually we all got up and had some breakfast before driving to the local bike shop Van Eykes. We'd ran out of time the last week but we needed a few things desperately after Brett's crash in Montenaken. The fall had destroyed Brett's rear wheel and his break levers needed some attention. Since we arrived I'd been riding a rear wheel with a buckle from a missing spoke so we thought today might be the day to fix that also. Prices are incredibly cheap here so we took the opportunity as a bit of a shopping spree. Brett bought some new tyres at a ridiculous 10 euro, as well as a new pair of vermarc leg warmers. Glenn stocked up on undershirts for the rest of his life and managed to find a new seat post stashed out the back. My shoes had done their dash so I bought a new pair of Laser Vernice Sidi's (for you bike nerds out there) at an amazing price as well as some arm warmers and new training tyres for back home. Glenn knew the staff so we managed to get an even greater discount.

By this time it was well past lunch time and we were all pretty famished. As soon as we got home the chopping board came out and we whipped up some of our now famous salad rolls. That kept us happy for awhile and we jumped on our bikes for a roll before dark. Brett thought he might be okay having a few days off after his crash but his stomach was still causing him a bit of strife and had to turn back after only 5km. Within the next couple of days we will try and get him in to see a local doctor. Glenn and I kept going for a few hours and had a long stop at a coffee shop in Geel. It started to rain lightly so we got comfortable and had several hot chocolate cecemels between us. We rode along the canal back to the apartment with a beautiful tail wind the whole way.

Dinner consisted of a big bowl of tuna pasta to give us the energy to get through tomorrow's 150km race in Retie. The weather forecast predicts the rain to hold off for another day or two but the wind is expected to be a nuisance for most of the day. Racing with such a big field tomorrow will keep us on our toes as their can be a wide range of expertise throughout the bunch. The race will begin in Retie where we will complete a 70km loop before returning back to town for 12 laps of a 5.8km circuit. We'll do our best to stay out of trouble for the first 70km all the while trying to keep a top 40 position within the peleton. The Retie Classic kicks off at 3pm here in Belgium, hopefully we will have some positive results to post by Thursday morning Perth time!

Day 12 - Schriek Kermesse

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

The rain was washed away over night and the sun returned bright and early on day 12. Besides Glenn we all had trouble getting to sleep the night before and ended up waking up relatively late. Glenn woke up and went back to bed whereas I sat around the apartment and ended up cleaning my bike for an hour. Brett pulled himself out of bed feeling a bit worse for wear the pain in his stomach getting the best of him. We went for a short walk hoping to get milk but the deli / supermarkets here don't open on Monday until 1pm. Glenn watched a DVD while we waited for the supermarket to open as the fridge was almost completely empty by now. The shops were only a short walk away so we stocked up on the usuals and came back 15mins later for lunch.

Brett's bike needed some serious TLC but he was also still too sore to ride so Glenn and I went out for an hour or so around town just to roll our legs over. We had a coffee in Mol not far from home and watched the tour of spain on the TV from a far. When we got back to the apartment we packed up our things and left within the hour headed for our next kermesse. The race started at 6.45 in the same town as Fridays (where Glenn & I finished 4th - 5th) but on a different circuit. We arrived half an hour before the race and had enough time to get changed, nominate and pin our numbers on. Ten minutes of instructions from the commentator and we were off. The race was run over a flowing 4.5km circuit with nothing tricky about it besides the off camber roads. They weren't too bad in the beginning but as the race went on it became fairly uncomfortable in the saddle. For the most part of the race it was very uneventful with the usual breaks trying but not succeeding in splitting the bunch. I floated around the back of the bunch while Glenn went with everything and launched a few attacks of his own. Brett watched from the sidelines and snapped a few photos as we went past each lap.

My kermesse good luck nearly ran out when some numpty bunny-hopped a chicane around a corner and bumped me off the road. I used my new found cyclo-cross skills to conquer a patch of long grass, fly straight through someone's front yard water feature, over a hill and then back onto the course via a cobblestone drive way. Besides the 10-15 positions I lost and the few grey hairs I was relatively unharmed and re-entered the bike race shaken but not stirred. A break containing Glenn and 5-6 other riders had lasted for 4-5 laps but was eventually reeled in. The race was reduced by 3 laps as the sun went down quicker than expected and the conditions became almost dangerous. Most of the field removed their sunglasses as the sun disappeared from the sky. With 5 laps remaining Glenn and 9 other riders launched another attack that finally worked and caught the peleton napping. The pace dropped from 50kmph to that of an u/15 girls scratch race and it was all it took for the break to stay away.

Uncharacteristically Glenn worked hard with the break to ensure they stayed away while hoping he could get up for the win and score Arbitrage Wormall's first international victory. With 3km to go in the bike race the race was theirs and the attacks began. Glenn chased down a few dangerous moves but had to allow another to go 1.5km from home. The solo attack was timed perfect while Glenn had no choice but to wait for the last possible moment to open the sprint and take off after him. But it wasn't to be his day, coming up 5m short at the finish. While he was extremely disappointed we were all proud of his solid effort all day and our first top 3 placing for the trip. Back in the bunch it went up shit creek in a real hurry. Riders were bombing it up the gutter and cyclepath trying to gain position before the sprint. There was a sweeping right hand corner 200m before the finish which everyone was battling to be top 3 for. I made an executive decision to not risk my life for 11th and instead backed out of the carnage. A rider even went to the lengths of jumping a curb as he went around the corner, cutting 15m off everyone else. I caught a few riders when the road straightened out probably finishing 15th or 16th in the end.

After the race we got changed, returned our numbers and collected prize money. We had planned to have dinner with a friend of Glenns so we left Schriek and were seated at a nice restaurant 20 minutes later. We enjoyed a beautifully cooked steak with mash and vegetables while we talked bike racing. Desert was pretty incredible and we probably had more than we should have. The Garmin decided to lead us on a wild goose chase on the way home but we eventually found our way and we were tucked in bed as soon as we walked through the door.

Day 11 - Montenaken Kermesse

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

The early morning ride we had planned the night before was immediately shit canned when we opened the blinds at 7am. It was a miserable day outside with grey clouds and drizzling rain. We turned the alarms off and went back to sleep for awhile before waking up again around 10am. Our breakfast had a little more life this morning as we were trying to stock up before the race at 3pm. Montenaken is some 80-90km away so the plan was to leave around 12.30pm which we weren't too far off from. The drive wasn't very interesting but the Garmin certainly made life easier as once again we arrived at least an hour before race time. We were in no rush to start unpacking the car in the rain so we camped out for awhile and had some more to eat.

Eventually we shuffled out to nominate and collect our numbers. As usual the officials were very interested in our Australian licenses. Its funny to mention that here in Belgium you have to bring your own pins to races! So far we've managed to talk our way into borrowing some and pocket one or two each time. We had finally collected enough so we used our own pins and found some wire to secure the plastic numbers to the bike. Slowly we got changed and filled up our water bottles with the rain barely there but enough to irritate you. The rain must have kept a few of the Belgians in bed because while the bunch was still very solid there seemed to be a few missing for the normally quite popular race.

The 5.9km circuit would have been perfect in normal conditions as the road was undulating and featured 7-8 standard corners. However the rain made every corner difficult and every stretch of road dangerous to maneuver quickly on. The rain was on and off for most of the race but regardless the road remained saturated with water especially down the middle of the road where the 2 slabs of concrete meet (known as death valley). After a brief chat from the commisaire (in dutch) the race began. The pace was heavy from the get go, with everyone scrapping for wheels and trying to hide from the rain. Our glasses fogged and our white Vermarc kits were filthy by the time we completed the first lap. The first 35km of the race featured several solid attacks but the elastic band only stretched without snapping. Finally a lap later a break of 15-18 riders escaped the peleton and took off down the road. I recognized one of the team kits in the break to be that of Kurt van Goidsenhoven (Prorace Cycling Team) who has previously won the last 7 editions of the race. I went with the move and joined them as we immediately put time into the bunch.

A short time later back in the peleton Brett had a nasty crash with several other riders, sending him over the handlebars and into a ditch. On the way down he took a vicious blow to the stomach from the uncut steer tube and landed heavily on his shoulder. Riders were scattered across the road with one of them having to leave in an ambulance. Brett managed to ride back to the start with a very sore chest and a bruised (but not broken) shoulder. Back in the break I heard the sound of the ambulance as it took off without knowing what had happened. Glenn was apart of the main bunch as the accident happened but luckily he was at the front of the bunch and avoided the carnage. Throughout the race at least another 6-7 crashes splintered the peleton.

2 more riders from the Prorace Cycling Team managed to bridge the gap before the real damage was done. From then on the break worked well together and after several laps of consistently rolling through the race was over for the main bunch. Each corner became nearly impossible to take at speed its a miracle there were no crashes in the break. After 9-10 solid attacks within the break 3 riders managed to attack at the right time and escape up the road. Another 2 slipped away the next lap when everyones legs just couldn't respond. By now the break was down to 8 riders chasing 2 and then the 3 leading the bike race. With only a few kilometres to go the 2 groups came together and held off my group despite our best efforts. Van Goidsenhoven had to settle for 4th while his team mate took the win. 38 seconds later my group crossed the finish line. The last 500m of each lap was a short but nasty hill leading up to the line. I narrowly avoided being put in the gutter and fought my way past a few riders to claim 7th. An extra metre or two and I may have gotten up for 6th but I guess thats bike racing. A group of 2 riders finished 6 minutes and 22 seconds later while the peleton finished their tough day 7.14'' behind the first bunch. Glenn scrapped into the top 20 while Brett watched from the sidelines.

He didn't look too crash hot as I rolled up to him but luckily he didn't hit his head and he assured me nothing was broken. The medical team gave him a few ice packs as soon as he crashed but the language barrier was hard to overcome with none of the staff speaking english. After the race we sat around the car and had a chat while the officials shifted through the placings. We rolled up to registration a short time later returning our numbers and collecting prize money. The car was packed quickly and we were on the road heading home soon after.

We visited a friend of Glenn's at a video store before we drove up to 'the best frituur' fast food restaurant in Belgium. For a long time the dutch have had this thing with mixing french fries with mayonaise so we thought we'd better give it a try before we left. The wait was agonizing but we suffered through it and enjoyed our food back at home 15 minutes later. After dinner Glenn disappeared to go lay down while Brett & I stayed up watching tv and playing on the internet. Tomorrow we plan to roll out in the morning (weather permitting) for a short ride and then head back to Schriek for another kermesse in the afternoon. We might go through purgatory tomorrow but the bigger picture is the 150km Retie Classic we are competing in on Wednesday which should draw a massive field as we battle for the Province Championship.

Day 10 - 26 and Sunny

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

Since we arrived in Belgium 10 days ago we've only had to endure one day of bad weather. We were treated once again this morning with beautiful blue skies and a forecast of 26 degrees. As usual we sat down at the breakfast table for our standard meal of oats & honey to get us through the day's training. We still had the fantastic 'chocolate coffee' on our minds from Thursday's visit to "La Bas" so we decided to head to Diest and do it all over again. Stijn & Brenda looked after us for the half an hour we were there before we finally worked up the courage to get back on our bikes and head home. The two hour ride back was entertaining as Glenn twice tried to kill me. Once by pushing me into traffic to avoid taking out a senior citizen on the cycle path & secondly by deliberately kicking my front wheel out from under me at 40kmph. Luckily I have the reflexes of a cat and managed to keep myself upright (I also didn't make fun of Glenn for the rest of the ride).

The fridge was looking pretty miserable after it's 10th day in action so we popped into the super market for some more bits and pieces. Belgium is cycling mad so the fact that 3 blue lycra wearing Aussies marched into the store wasn't that unusual. Although the 500m roll back to the apartment with loaves of bread, litres of milk & cans of tuna hanging off the hoods wasn't our best idea. We topped up on all of our vegetables & meats so the salad roll today was far more interesting then yesterdays lousy sandwich. After lunch we had planned to go to the bike shop in Geel and collect a few things to get our bikes running properly. Brett had a skype date with his girlfriend so Glenn and I went alone however, we must have sat on the couch for 10 minutes too long as we arrived at Van Eykes just as the doors were closing. Instead we drove around the corner and sat outside a cafe for a coke and a hot chocolate.

Dinner time eventually rolled around but we all seemed to have caught the 'i couldn't be bothered' disease so we drove to Turnhout to have dinner at a restaurant called La Cinema. We were careful not to go too wild with our food selection as we have a very big day of racing tomorrow. The food was beautiful and we played it safe with either pasta or steak and salad. After dinner we hung around for awhile and had a chat before we realized the time and began the journey home. Tomorrow's race in Montenaken is set to be our hardest yet with Glenn (having ridden the course before) informing us that the race will be very difficult and attract a large field of talented bike riders. By the third lap we should know whether it'll be the day for Arbitrage Wormall to take the win or the day we hang on for dear life.

Day 9 - Schriek Kermesse

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

Day 9 was up and down for the Arbitrage boys. It marked the very first day since arriving that we've had to roll out with "soggy sidi's." Luckily it was only a short morning roll to Turnhout and back to get the blood moving before our 6.45pm kermesse in Schriek. The ride was cruisey and we all felt pretty fresh. We did a quick food shop to stock up on supplies before sitting down to a bland salad roll for lunch. Our bikes needed a tune up, Brett needed a haircut & I needed to visit an ATM but we all got comfortable on the couch and one by one fell asleep. 4 o clock came around so we packed the car, had some food then set off to borrow a Garmin from Michael Simms in Diest. It wasn't a long drive but traffic was a nightmare so it took us over an hour.

We had a brief stop to grab the Garmin, caught our bearings then took off again headed for Schriek. The Garmin finally came to the rescue as we arrived one hour ahead of race time which was far less stressful than rolling up to the start with numbers in hand. Thick black clouds overhead looked threatening but luckily the rain held off for the majority of the race. The kermesse was run over a very fast and flowing circuit which made it difficult for any attacks to last longer than half a lap. A 4.8km lap with 7 corners would usually be pretty tricky but with the exception of one they were all maneuverable and smooth sailing. The first corner of the race had a lengthy chicane through the apex which left riders either choosing the inner or outer path. Glenn was on the receiving end of a nasty hook through the bend but easily held it up before flashing the universal 'middle finger' salute.

I felt fantastic from the very first lap so I rode the majority of the race comfortably in the top end of the field alongside Glenn. Brett had an unfortunate mechanical halfway through the race and had to abandon as his cluster crumbled in the middle of the bunch. I managed to earn myself some pocket money when I easily claimed one of the primes held towards the end of the race. Throughout the race the attacks were furious but the bunch wouldn't allow anything to escape until 3 laps to go when a small group of 3 snuck away. A moments hesitation from the bunch was all it took as they fought off the fast finishing peleton.

It was a messy bunch sprint with both Glenn & myself experiencing some 'gutter action' 2km out from the finish. Riders were everywhere coming into the sharp right corner 500m from the finish, I had no choice but to lead the bunch into the home straight while Glenn was tucked in neatly several spots behind. I stalled the sprint for as long as possible before I glanced over my shoulder to see Glenn making his move. I followed him as he came past and we easily took first and second in the bunch kick by a clear margin. We thought for a moment we had won the bike race until we saw the 3 riders off in the distance. After the race we were disappointed we couldn't take the win, but still optimistic with 7 races remaining on our program. Funnily enough we were informed later that the eventual winner was an old pro with a resume boasting a top 20 finish in the Giro d'Italia many years ago.

Our next race is set for Sunday in Montenaken which promises to be a very challenging day for everyone and a good indication of our current form. We stayed behind after the race to collect our prize money and have a chat with some friends of Glenn's before we made our way back to the car and headed for home. The late finishes often make it difficult to unwind so we stayed up for awhile eating dinner & relaxing until we called it a night.

Day 8 - Friends in Diest

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

We all agreed to have a sleep in after our long journey home from Paris the night before so no one bothered to set an alarm. I slept fairly comfortably until I woke up to Glenn tickling my feet and projecting ultraviolet light into my retinas. The scales weren't kind to some after our holiday in Paris so breakfast was very low key especially when you confuse the sugar with the salt container. The discovery channel tried its best to keep us on the couch but we conquered procrastination and eventually rolled out. We headed for Diest to catch up with a few of Glenn's friends who'd been kind to him on previous visits. Our first stop was at the elegant La Bas cafe owned by Stijn & Brenda with the beautiful barista Laura helping to make the finest coffee in all of Belgium. We were also treated to a Belgian delicacy popular with professional bike riders called "cookie tart" (cake to us Aussies). The coffee more than made up for the horrible attempt in Turnhout days earlier. We stayed for a chat but then it was time to continue our ride so we said our goodbyes with the intention of returning very soon.

Our next stop was to visit a good friend from West Australia in Michael Simms. Michael moved to Belgium many years ago to pursue his cycling career and only last year retired from competition to marry his sweetheart Annalise. He now resides in Belgium and is in the process of creating a wholesale business including the sales of his own brand of bicycle (Velos Deluxe). We stayed for a chat and a perve at some of Michael's bikes on display while Glenn & Mike reminisced days of old. Our good luck finally ran out with the weather and we enjoyed a wet ride back to Dessel through Turnhout. A couple of solid efforts on the way home got our hearts beating in preparation for tomorrow's kermesse in Schriek. A few hundred laps around the washing machine turned our vermarc kits back to their original colour while the rabbit diet made its comeback in the kitchen. The rest of the night was spent on the couch chatting and looking forward to tomorrow's action.

Day 7 - Paris to Mol

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

The only thing that got Brett & Glenn out of bed today was the croissants and coco pops waiting down stairs. I went down earlier and sat with a jumble of different nationalities eating breaky. Both the guys were feeling a bit sorry for themselves but we shared some stories and had a chat about the night before. We went back up to our room and slowly packed our things to check out by 11am. The plan for the day was to catch the subway to go and see the famous Louvre Museum (home to Leonardo Davinci's Mona Lisa). We had a pretty good hang of the train system by now and didn't head the wrong way several times like the day before. Just as we were about to enter the museum we realized how hungry we were and decided to stop for food first. Baguettes were beautiful and reasonably cheap, we did look for frogs legs but it turns out they are actually quite difficult to find.

Stocked up on food, drinks & lollies we returned to the museum and took some photos with the glass pyramids outside. We sat down for awhile admiring the sights which were extremely busy and somehow didn't notice the waiting line stretching through the entire courtyard. The waiting time to enter was expected to be up to 2 hours and it had started to rain so we decided to bail on the museum. We walked through Paris for awhile before taking a seat at a restaurant for salad & a drink. The weather was pretty miserable by now so we mainly hid out underneath the shelter and waited for the rain to pass. As usual we got horribly lost on our way back to the Hostel and had at least an hour long detour in the rain. The other things we had planned for the day had fallen through because of the bad weather so we decided to head home earlier than expected.

We boarded the train back to Belgium at 5.30 and finally arrived back at our doorstep 3 hours later. As usual we ate as soon as we got home and sat down to relax as our feet were killing. It was a great experience and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Paris but for the next two weeks we have a big racing / training schedule ahead which should really test our legs. All the boys are looking forward to it and we hope we can get up for a good result in our next kermesse on Friday in Shriek Fons.

Day 6 - A Night in Paris

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

It was an early start for us having the roosters set for 5am. We didn't get to sleep till well after 12 so we weren't very impressed when the alarms went off but the prospect of Paris kept us going. The first train from Mol to Antwerp Centraal left just before six which we stumbled onto. There was a short period in transit but we passed the time with Starbucks and lollies. We boarded the train to Paris at 7.40 which passed through Brussels and arrived at 10am. The Thalys train service was comfortable enough and we were careful not to sit in the first class section.

As soon as we arrived we began hunting for a Hostel and a croissant. The three of us had crammed a days worth of clothes into one bag and Brett was well and truly over carrying it by the time we found the 'Vintage Hostel.' It was reasonably cheap, included breakfast and was central to the city centre. We dropped our bags at the lobby and found our way up to the subway. The train line has many different routes and stations only 3km within each other. Our first stop was the Champ Elysees where we took some photos and followed the hoards of people to the Arc d'Triumph. Most of the city is gray with many bland buildings but this street is beautiful and littered with top of the range fashion boutiques from D&G to Louis Vuitton. Traffic was chaotic but we managed to snap some photos with the Arc d'Triumph and continue our trek to see the Eiffel Tower.

We took too many photos and laughed the whole way there that it probably took longer than it should but it was well worth it when we were standing beneath the beautiful structure. The line was ridiculous so we just took pictures, fooled around and followed the tourists. Glenn & I had a race some pedal cars and got a few strange looks for having so much fun on a children's ride. Brett & Glenn were like little kids in a toy store when they saw the array of beautiful vehicles flying through the streets. Cars don't interest me in the slightest but I pretended to be impressed.

We were fairly exhausted after all the walking so the sight of a jam packed subway didn't excite us. People crammed into the tight carriages (which look a lot like the ones in the movies) and we found ourselves hugging strangers just to keep upright. Everyone burst out of the train at our stop to catch their breath and march off to do whatever it is they do. We slowly made our way back to the Hostel where we rested for a while and had a few drinks. A few drinks turned into a few more and we found ourselves talking to some interesting backpackers in the lobby. The Canadian & Chilean guys were far more friendly then the old uptight Australian woman. A few people had told us to checkout a beautiful spot called the 'Basillique du Sacre' Coeur' which overlooks the city close to the Hostel. We made our way there at 6pm and conquered the 6-7 flights of stairs (reminiscent of a straight Jacob's Ladder in Perth). The view from the top was absolutely breathtaking. Over 150 people sat at the top of the hill in front of the church enjoying the view and listening to an African man play guitar. Every few minutes someone would walk by selling 2 euro Heineken which we all accepted heartedly. The sun slowly went down over the 'City of Love' and we all had an incredible time making friends and having a laugh. Glenn and I were so caught up in it we neglected to notice Brett went AWOL for an hour. I managed to grab the guitar for a few songs but my fingers became blurry in front of my face and retired to continue my conversation with a new friend.

Glenn & Brett took off to go see the famous Moulin Rouge show while I stayed behind and watched the lights of the city and Eiffel tower from above. Eventually I made my way back to the Hostel but got lost and caught a taxi the last 3km home. I went to bed while Glenn & Brett stumbled in sometime later. It was an incredible night and we spoke about it excitedly before the lights went out.

Day 5 - Booischot Kermesse

Written by Stephen Hall with Brett Schnitzerling & Glenn Harris

I finally slept through the morning until Glenn threw open the curtains and had the oats on the oven by 8am. We did a bit of research into our trip to Paris tomorrow before jumping on our bikes. Once again we had a short ride just to roll our legs over before the race at 6pm. Turnhout hosted us for coffee once again which is quite a nice town with great buildings, shops and coffee strip. A short cobble section paves the way into the town but it was much friendlier then the cobbles Glenn introduced us to on Saturday. We sat down for another Hot Chocolate Cecemel and watched people go about their lives. Its great to see what a cyclist friendly country Belgium is. Everyone commutes by town bike from old folks, to children. Even the beautiful women in town can be seen riding around to university or work.

Our new diet finally took its toll, with both Glenn and myself hitting the wall after only 30km in the saddle. Brett towed us home while we chewed stem and sat closer than a team pursuit behind him. We were devastated to find most of the grocery stores didn't open till 1.00pm. There were still a few bread rolls & some veges left over which got us over the line and cured our shakes for the time being. It was only 1 o clock by then and had a few hours to fill so we all had a siesta to pass the time. We actually ended up oversleeping and had to do a bit of running around including food shopping, packing the car, fixing a broken spoke and finally driving to the race. Once again we were horribly lost and if not for the friendly people we asked we may not have got there in time. We rolled up to the start line with numbers in hand with 2mins to spare.

The race was precarious to say the least, it was a tight 4.5km circuit with 7 corners. Six of them featured some form of cobble, drain, bump or pothole in the apex of the corner. We were blessed with nice weather for the 4th day in a row however the wind was howling today. The speed along the back straight was furious, consistently we were reaching up to 58kmph each lap. There was a big field and the race unfolded quickly with a break away forming. Glenn rode aggressively all day jumping with everything that moved and setting up a lot of breaks himself. Unfortunately he missed one of the earlier breaks which ended up staying away. Brett & myself were content to sit in the bunch but had a difficult day in the saddle. The finish was all over the place with the 8 riders in the front group, a group of 4 behind them, Glenn and two others, then another 4 and finally the main bunch. Glenn destroyed his two opponents in the sprint and got up for 13th, I came in with the bunch kick to claim 20th while Brett was only a few placings behind me. We were all pretty relived when the race was over and had some time to catch our breath.

The race paid down to 40 so we all managed to win our nominations back (plus an additional cash bonus from the number ladies for being Australian). We didn't get home till after 9.30 so we all famished, Brett whipped up another feast to the likes of a Sweet & Sour Chicken Stir Fry while Glenn and I unpacked the car. Tomorrow is set to be the first day of 'Belgium weather' lucky for us though we are having the day off to head to Paris. Our train leaves bright and early so we will be in the beautiful city by 930am. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of our sponsors including Arbitrage & Wormall and especially Tony Anderson for this great experience which will be remembered long after we return.