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!

Day 20 - Booischot-Pijpelheide Kermesse

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

A storm rolled through overnight and black clouds still hung in the air by morning. We took the safe option and decided against battling the weather outside. Glenn was still at Michael's late into the night so also opted to keep out of the storm and stay the night on the couch. We all rendezvoused downstairs at about midday after bumming around the house most of the morning. The race this afternoon was in Booischot-Pijpelheide which is only a 5min drive from our first race some 14 days ago. With a start time of 4.00pm we were able to leave just after 2pm, detour past the Colruyt and still arrive with plenty of time. I was unsure about whether I'd make it to the line today with my leg still very swollen and the bruising yet to come to the surface despite lots of TLC.

It was obvious as soon as we arrived that a lot of bike riders had decided to give today a miss with the weather not improving in the slightest and the course looking quite sketchy. The finishing straight was the same as the race Glenn and I did last year but the course was slightly different. 25 laps of a 4.5km circuit is normally a pretty good combination but in the wet weather and several off camber corners made the course quite dangerous. The guys started to get their bikes out and went to collect their numbers while I made the decision not to race and instead try and be better for our next race (either Thursday or Friday) or at the worst Montenaken on Sunday. At the inschrijven only 60 riders had decided to pin a number on compared to the usual 90+ we'd been accustomed to in the nicer weather. We let one of the kiwi's borrow our car and got the 2 boys ready to race. They stayed under the cover for as long as possible but eventually rolled off to the start line. Wim arrived just before they left and wished them luck then joined us as we hid in the car out of the rain.

As expected the race was very aggressive as many rider's wanted to escape the peleton and avoid the hazards of riding in a big group on a slippery course. It is much easier to negotiate corners in a small bunch and bad weather generally favors the break away. To make the course just that much harder the wind was howling the entire race. The block tail wind made good viewing for the spectators lining the finishing straight (bit of rain couldn't scare off the die hard cycling fans) but I'm told as soon as they took a left hand corner at the end of the straight they went through purgatory battling head/cross winds all the way around the circuit. Brad rode well featuring in several early moves off the front, but the peleton wouldn't give up so easily and reeled each attempt back within a few laps. An optimistic attack by two riders put a decent time advantage into the peleton as they eased off the pressure for a few laps. Finally 6-7 riders broke away from the main field and began to chase down the 2 leaders. Brad unfortunately missed the move and joined Matt in the back half of the field trying to shelter away from the harsh weather.

The 30 second lead the 2 riders held over the chase group crumbed in less than a lap and suddenly they formed a single group and flew down the finishing straight. Every few laps or so an attack would launch out of the peleton but the break was already established and there wasn't enough fire power left to peg it back. Both Matt and Brad joined us shortly after at the car looking like 2 exhausted bike rider's having come off a very demanding week on the bike. Eventually the race officials decided that the peleton would not be able to close in on the break away and gave them the bell the next time they came through to the finish. A young Omega Pharma-Lotto-Davo rider seemed to be the only one with good legs as he attacked the lead group riding solo, settling into a tempo and managing to hold off the group scrambling to bring him back. Somehow he rode into the finishing straight on the final lap with his hands in the air at least half a minute ahead of the next group to the applause of those brave enough to line the barriers. The usual 'Belgian Sprint' followed for the minor placings which was an ugly slog for the line with each rider looking more exhausted than the next.

We packed the car up and Wim took me over to the race ambulance to get some more dressings for the wound on my hand. Slowly it had started to heal but the awkward position made it difficult to avoid bumping it especially when holding the handlebars. After chatting with Wim for awhile we made our way back to Mol and Chef Matty Irvine cooked up some veges for everyone. Following dinner we had a meeting where Glenn informed us that on Thursday we would be meeting with the Director Sportif of a Belgian team (a DS is like the director/manager of a cycling team) to discuss the 2012 season. The team has a very promising looking calender and with the progress we made yesterday in securing accommodation things are looking to shape up for next year.

 Tomorrow we are most likely going to meet our own team owner Tony Anderson who has arrived in Belgium with a whole fleet of WA Masters (30+ year old riders) who are scheduled to race in the Masters World Championships on Sunday in Liege. The 'older' boys are planning to ride a few laps of the course in the morning however the drive down to the Ardennes is a few hours depending on traffic so we will have to wait for a call in the morning to see if the weather will hold up. At this stage we came to the conclusion that we will swap the race in Saint-Gillis-Waas on Thursday for Assebroek in Friday. Assebroek is in the beautiful town of Brugge so we thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and check out the amazing sights before racing in the afternoon. Hopefully the boys will have recharged their batteries and my wounds begin to mend so we can put on a good show on Friday afternoon.

Day 19 - Restaurant @ Home

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

Our plan for today was to head out in the morning for a few hours, visit Michael in Diest, start organizing accommodation for next year and be back in time for the chef at Martijn's restaurant to come over and cook us dinner! We got out of bed at a reasonable hour and had bit of breakfast before we jumped on our bikes and headed for Diest. The weather looked ominous for later but held off as we made our way across town. When we arrived at 'Fietsen Verhayen' we wandered around the shop like usual and filled Michael in on what we'd been up to since we last saw him on Wednesday, including Brad's great form and my latest run in with a car. Michael has a few good contacts with some teams over here so we threw some ideas around and talked bikes. We ended up lurking around the shop for awhile because the back up coffee stop we'd planned to visit in Diest (La Bas isn't open Monday) was also closed, there is something about Monday here; nothing is open! Eventually we said bye to Michael and planned to catch up with him during the week.

Our next stop was a bike shop near Westerlo where Glenn and Tim's friend Bart works. The bike shop has an apartment located above it which we've heard may be possible for us to live in next year when we come over to race the 2012 season. We did a bit of reconnaissance and found the apartment was more than we could have dreamed of with a big kitchen, bathroom, several large rooms and a loft! The owners said they'd be happy to have us stay there and we'd keep in contact over the next month or so to organize rent and what finalize dates. After we thanked the guys at the shop the weather took a turn for the worse on our way back to Mol. Matt and Glenn kept riding to get some extra kilometres and throw a few efforts in while Brad and I made our way home (Brad recovering from 2 great days of racing and my body recovering from the crash trauma). We'd discovered a very good Pastry / Lunch bar chain called Panos, so Brad and I parked up there and had a beautiful fresh salad roll while the rain really started to pour down. With nowhere to be for another few hours we were happy to sit and wait for the rain to stop before riding the last kilometre home.

Martijn and is friend 'The Chef' arrived not long after we got home and took off again to pick up groceries for tonight's dinner. I had to send a few emails in regards to my bike insurance so that kept me occupied for awhile until Glenn and Matt returned from their ride (soaking wet). We cleaned up a bit, put some wash on and hung around until Martijn and the chef returned. Suddenly we were evacuated from the kitchen to let him do his thing! On the menu for tonight was seafood linguine (layman terms) with fresh bread rolls and a beautifully cooked fillet of fish. Just before dinner was ready we all made our way downstairs to set the table and wait eagerly on the couch. The Chef called us into the kitchen and we took a few scoops of the linguine out of the massive pot and took a piece of fish each. Amongst several other secret ingredients the linguine contained fresh prawns, scallops, tomato, fennel and capsicum. We all enjoyed a glass of red wine over dinner and sat down to a beautiful meal. Every one of us practically licked our plates clean and made several trips back to the kitchen to grab some more. The pot was huge so we actually have some left over for tomorrow (first in best dressed). 

It took forever to wash all the dishes but with a 4 man Arbitrage congo line we eventually made our way through it. Glenn took off after dinner to go meet with Michael and begin organizing Matt and my contracts for next year. We thanked the chef and Martijn as they headed out also to go have some drinks at a local bar. The 3 of us left at the house made our way upstairs and put a movie on to unwind before bed. Tomorrow's race is in Booischot-Pijpelheide which is just around the corner from where we had our first race and very likely the same course as Brett, Glenn and I raced on last year. As always we hope you have your fingers crossed for us and we look forward to keep you updated as soon as possible! 

Day 18 - Westerlo Kermesse

Sunday 4th September

Coming Soon...

1. Thoman SPRENGER (Omega Pharma-Lotto-DAVO)
2. Daniel McLAYS 
3. Kevin VERWAEST (Young-Flanders Bauknecht)
4. Bradley ROBSON (Arbitrage Wormall)
5. Tom RIBBONS (The Future Friends Bale)
6. Ronald WINTERS (VZW Beverbeek Classic)
7. James WILLIAMSON (Central Otago)
8. Kevin VAN DYCK (Young-Flanders Bauknecht)
9. Jelle SCHEPERS (VZW Royal Antwerp Bicycle Club)
10. Patrick Gouwkens (VZW Cycling The True Lovers)

Day 17 - Zutendaal Kermesse

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

I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been hit by a car. My leg was aching and knots had found their way into both my arms but I was still determined to race today so I left at 9am with Matt and Brad on their recovery ride. I felt very stiff and it was quite difficult to find a comfortable position to hold the handlebars with such a large piece of my palm missing. We tapped along the canals very slowly and were back home by 10.30. Originally we had planned to race in Tisselt but on checking the race guide (looks like a tv guide and lists every race in Belgium for that particular month) found that there was another race on Zutendaal which was actually closer. Matt called up and confirmed we would be able to nominate at the race. I had to make a few calls regarding insurance which was both extremely frustrating and time consuming. After icing my leg for awhile I made an executive decision to skip today's race and instead focus on trying to get my body right for Sunday's race in Westerlo. 

A few wrong turns and faulty directions left us running several minutes late to the race so Glenn was forced to use his best smile to get Brad and Matt a start. Everything was smoothed over and with a solid team effort both boys were on the line kitted up, numbers pinned on and bikes running smoothly. The race was held on a beautiful course in the French speaking region of Belgium. Laps were approximately 7km long and quite undulating, weaving through the narrow roads surrounded by cornfields and open paddocks. There was a massive field in today's race with 112 riders on the start line. Once again we were blessed with beautiful weather, almost the entire field had their jerseys unzipped from kilometre 1. Right from the gun the pace was poured on with many rider's being caught out by the sudden acceleration. By the second lap rider's were already pulling out and there was still over 100km remaining. I was pretty shattered not to be out there getting a flogging also so Glenn and I began to walk the circuit, snapping photos and encouraging the guys as we made our way around the course. Matt had a tough day out and met us on the side of the road where we chatted and played with some friendly farm animals. Back in the race Brad was riding superbly and had managed to reach the break away which was putting minutes into the peleton. The group of 17 quickly built an advantage and the peleton never got close to bringing them back.

The race was over for the other 80+ riders in the peleton but they still tried to escape the bunch and bridge across so there were literally 4 or 5 groups out on the road. As Glenn and I walked the circuit we  refilled some biddons and spent a couple laps trying to give them to Brad. After a few unsuccessful attempts he finally had 2 full biddons to see him through the remainder of the race. The break away continued working together until about 2 laps to go when the attacks began. Glenn knew a few of the rider's in the break, notably Kurt Geysen (a training partner of Tom Boonen). We tried our best to rely what we knew of the rider's in the break to Brad to help him in distinguishing who were the real 'hitters' in the group. Despite Kurt's best efforts the break didn't give him an inch and was constantly reeled in and counter attacked. Glenn and I managed to make our way to the finish line just to time to see the bunch kick (the main peleton often will get withdrawn a lap early). We found a good position and started to get excited about what was happening out on the course, and were eagerly anticipating the finish. It seemed the grueling but gradual ascent to the finish was the perfect place for the front bunch to be blown apart with the eventual winner Roy Jans crossing the line solo. Of the original 17 riders, about 6 groups came into the finish with about 10-15 seconds between them. Brad had fought desperately to stay in contact but the frequent attacks had sapped everything that was left in his legs, he went to battle against those around him and claimed 11th in a very quality field.

We were all ecstatic in Brad's ride and congratulated him as we made our way back to the car. The race directors are very professional at these races and give every rider a placing (which is very time consuming) so once the car was packed we wasted a bit of time by driving to a nearby supermarket and picking up some lunch. When we made our way back to the race the boys returned their numbers and Brad collected some prize money. Unfortunately there isn't huge amounts of money in kermesses which is strange considering how incredibly hard they are! The drive home took at least an hour because we had to make several detours with the many steets blocked off in preparation for the annual light show tonight in Mol (the floats Martijn showed us on Monday were for the parade). When we finally arrived home Matt cooked up some dinner while Glenn and I had another epic chess battle and Brad played around on the computer. By the time we'd finished dinner the sun had gone down so we jumped on our bikes and rolled 200m down the street to see the light parade. There were many different floats as well as marching bands and children dancing. People lined the streets and Glenn informed us the parade had been running for over 100 years. All the floats do a big lap of Mol and eventually return back to the beginning about 2 hours later. We sat on the side of the road and watched all the different displays come past and eventually saw one of Martijn's projects. All the floats in the parade are manually pushed by a group of people so he popped his head and said hello for a minute while there was a pause.

We waited until the last float in the parade came past before we rode across the road to the Nacht Winkel (night shop) and grabbed an ice cream. Back at the house we played some chess and mucked around on the internet before we made our way to bed. While I have the chance Happy Father's Day to all our Dad's back home for tomorrow, we hope we can put on a good race and continue to improve on our results. Best wishes also to Matty Irvine who turns 19 tomorrow, everyone has a good ride on their birthday so we hope its his day out on the road! The kermesse tomorrow is in the town of Westerlo which is only 20min or so away. At this stage I plan on racing and hope I can get through it because being on the sidelines is definitely no fun!

Day 16 - Steve vs. Car II

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

For the 4th day in a row we opened the blinds to a SUNNY Belgian day. We threw some breaky together and were rolling down the main street of Mol fifteen minutes later. With plans to explore Antwerp later in the day we were only planning on riding up the canal through Kasterlee and then home via Turnhout so we would be home early. Antwerp is about a 45min drive away (not including traffic) so we were hoping to be on our way by 12pm. We were enjoying the sunshine and riding through the streets of Kasterlee when rotten luck struck me once again for the 2nd time in less than 6 weeks. Traffic was unusually busy but we were unaffected as we were casually riding up the footpath and heading towards a T intersection. As we were travelling straight ahead we had right of way and were crossing the road when a car pulled into the street and collected me on the way in, sending me sprawling across the road. There were cars everywhere and the driver's vision was obscured so instead of waiting the woman driving has rolled the dice and turned anyway. To give you a better idea of the situation we were riding on the footpath on the left side of the road (there was no footpath on the right in this part of town), so the cars next to us were heading in the opposite direction. The car that collected me has come from behind us, had its vision blocked by the traffic jam in the left hand lane, the next car in queue has left a gap for the car to turn in which it has done even though it hasn't been able to see clearly if anyone was there or not and has completely T boned me as it entered the street.

Luckily Brad and Matt weren't following too closely and were able to avoid me and the car. They both quickly jumped off their bikes and came to my aid as I laid in a ball on the road. Immediately I had a lot of pain in my leg and could feel the sting of gravel rash that most cyclists know all too well. I was quick on my feet and was relived at first that I had landed in a pretty good position and managed to protect my broken collarbone and not hit my head. Even though I was wearing arm and leg warmers (which hadn't ripped) I could see that I was missing some bark underneath. My hip had been grazed but I gave myself a good check all over after sitting down for a few minutes and saw that most of them were just grazes. I had a nasty chuck taken out of my right palm and my left wrist had started to swell. Both the lady who hit me and the nearest car to the accident had stopped and were standing nearby. I took my booties off and one of my Sidi buckles crumbled and fell to pieces. Matty checked my bike over and found there was a crack on the drive-side seat stay. By this stage my wrist had become quite sore and I was getting paranoid that I may have broken one of the small bones in my wrist (Scaphoid breaks are very common) so we decided to call an ambulance. 

The two lady's started to argue about whose fault it was (the car that took me out vs. the car that waved her through) but only one of them spoke english so it was difficult to follow. I learnt from my last crash to take photos for insurance reasons so Matt went around snapping photos of license plates, my bike and some of the visible wounds. The witness called the police and we collected everyone's details as the ambulance arrived. I left my bike with Matt and Brad who stayed behind to wait for the police while I left in the ambulance. When I arrived at the hospital in Turnhout I only waited 15min or so before a nurse was rubbing betadine into all my grazes and told me to stand by for an xray. Compared to Royal Perth (i've spent some time there over the last 6 months) this hospital looked like a ghost town. While I was waiting the police came in and got my statement. They both spoke English well but I had to write my own statement as my comments could be altered if they translated it to Dutch. Somehow they'd managed to bring my bike with them and told me Brad and Matt were on their way. After the police I waited another 10min or so before I was taken to get an xray. I didn't bother scanning anywhere other than my wrist which I was beginning to stress over as it had started to seize up...

After my xray Glenn arrived in the car and had the 2 boys with him. We chatted for a while but we suddenly silent when the nurse came in to examine my wrist. He pressed, prodded and twisted my wrist/palm and straight away ruled out a scaphoid fracture as my pain was coming from slightly higher. I was given the thumbs up but he quickly went to go check the xray results anyway. No breaks or fractures could be seen. I was very relived about this and couldn't wait to get out of the hospital. My wrist was wrapped up with some bandages and I was sent on my way shortly after. We were still planning on going to Antwerp so we drove home and got changed (detouring past McDonald's for a McFlurry).

I was quite ginger when I got out of the car but managed to get changed and collect all my insurance papers from Cycling Australia. By this time it was too late to call the office as it was 1pm in Belgium which is at least 9pm in the eastern states. As we were pulling out of the drive way Tim drove past on his Vespa so we filled him in on everything that happened and told him we'd stop by later to hang out and get him to check over my bike. On the way to Antwerp we detoured past Turnhout Police Station and gave them some more of our details including a phone number we could be contacted on and also collected the lady driver's name and insurance details. At this stage I will call Cycling Australia tomorrow and see what has to be organised in regards to the insurance, doctors bills and damages to my bike.

The drive to Antwerp on a Friday afternoon seemed to be a bad idea immediately as we were caught up in a horrible traffic jam. When we finally arrived in the city centre we were already over it and barely stayed an hour before we battled the same traffic on the way out. I fell asleep for a little while in the car and cut out some of the grid lock, waking just as we entered Mol. Food was running low as usual so we did a quick shop at the Colruyt. We were devastated when the free coffee was empty but they made up for it with the other aisles having free sample chocolate waffles, breakfast cereal and wine (I know its absolutely crazy). Naturally we stocked up and spent on extra 10min wandering around eating free food. When we got back to Martijn's we unpacked the car and Brad v. Glenn battle #5795 in chess broke out while Matt and I had something to eat. By about 7pm we drove over to Tim's place to chat and he helped us with some bike mechanics. Our internet has been down at Martijn's so we all checked and returned a few emails as well. Tim was planning on driving to Bart's house to put the final touches on a new Vespa they were working on but we declined the invitation as my leg had really started to stiffen up. The guys ordered a few pizzas from a fast food place next door to Tim's and drove home to eat them at home.

Somehow we got the internet rolling again at Martijn's so we could finally update the blog (sorry faithful fans). We have a big weekend of racing planned with kermesse's in Tisselt tomorrow and Westerlo Sunday. At this stage I am most definitely pinning a number on but it will all depend how I pull up tomorrow morning on the recovery ride. I'm not sure whether to call myself unlucky that I've had two horrible accidents in 6 weeks or I am very lucky that I have managed to walk away from both of them in relatively good condition. Either way I cannot wait to enjoy an accident free couple of months so I can get back to doing what I love. My resolve has well and truly been tested but I can guarantee you it will take a lot more than a few bumps and bruises to keep this bike rider grounded. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes, I will continue to battle on as I always do.

Day 15 - Rummen Classic

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

Beautiful blue skies once again here in Mol, Belgium! The usual 30km recovery ride was uneventful but we were all very excited to race our very first Belgian Classic. At 140km it was also one of the longest races we would have ever ridden, not to mention the likelihood of over 100 starters! After some breakfast we rested for awhile and slowly began to gather our things. We hit a massive road block when our internet cut out and were left stranded without directions to the race! All we knew was that the race was in a town called Rummen and it began at 4pm. Once all our bags were packed we jumped in the car and drove into Mol to pick up a map. By some miracle the Europe sized map we bought was able to be deciphered by Glenn and we arrived in the nick of time. 

All 4 of us jumped out of the car with Matt, Brad and I going to collect our numbers while Glenn set up our bikes and laid out our clothing so we could get kitted up as soon as we returned. Everything ran smoothly and we actually had more time up our sleeves than we thought. We were on the start line and after a minute silence to mourn the passing of a local cycling veteran the flag dropped and we were off. Normally classics consist of one large lap (~80km) before finishing the remaining 60km on a smaller circuit through the main streets of the town. However for the Rummen Classic the course was a figure 8 so we actually travelled past the finish line in both directions. The first section of the course was about 10km while the second half was approximately 5km. I think this type of course makes good viewing for the spectators but it was slightly confusing at first for the riders. The 110+ strong field took off at a moderate pace but their were several traffic hazards early and some very average paved roads so some of the speed was washed off from the peleton. There weren't too many corners on the first part of the course with only a quick downhill left-left, very fast dead straight tail wind section before a sharp left hand corner which opened up onto a double carriageway road and then a flowing right which lead onto the finishing straight. Once we passed the line we did another loop in the other direction which was particularly dangerous with a deep gutter in the centre of the road and a sharp left hand corner which lead into a very narrow 'path' weaving through the cornfields. The road was barely wide enough for one car and the whole bunch bottle necked trying to squeeze through.

There were some very quality bike riders in the field and I think they realised the sections of narrow road were dangerous for the peleton to maneouvre and the weaving nature of the course favoured a break away. Very early on in the race a front bunch slipped off the front catching everyone by surprise. The bunch tried gallantly to reel them in but there were too many pauses in the chase which played into the hands of the break away. It was quite difficult to move up in the peleton and by the time we were able to the break was out of sight. Brad hit the mother of all pot holes and double punctured, ending his afternoon wheeling his bike back to the start. Matt and I tried gallantly to escape with a bunch of rider's constantly attacking the bunch but nothing stuck. In the final few laps of the course the peleton got organised with a few teams sitting on the front and trying to cut into the breaks advantage. By this time there was at least one other chasing group somewhere ahead of the bunch. In the final lap the peleton was very sketchy with riders trying to position themselves for the bunch sprint. The bottle necked roads were extremely frustrating as the few riders who got through first took off and were able to weave through the narrow paths much faster than the bunch. 

The run to the finish was an uphill slog straightening out with about 300m to go before the big yellow banner marked the finish line. With 70-80 riders left in the bunch the fight for position was vicious with none of the teams having a well organised lead out. I managed to avoid the carnage at the front and timed my sprint well coming from about 15-20 wheels back down the gutter. With a solid kick I was able to reel in all but one rider who finished just in front as we crossed the line. I claimed 2nd in the bunch sprint but with all the groups off the front it only equated to a top 30 finish. Matt crossed the line in the middle of the bunch and managed to keep upright. After the finish we washed up and packed the car before walking over to the nomination desk to collect prize money/return numbers. I waited in line chatting to a New Zealander rider James Williamson who finished 4th and is preparing for the World Road Championships in Copenhagen next month. The festivities of the race had well and truly continued afterwards with a big tent set up for the locals to drink and talk loudly amongst themselves. The race was very well organised (as always here in Belgium) with several lead and support cars, marshals absolutely everywhere to mark corners and hazards, barriers lining the last 500m of the finish and cycling fans covering most of the course cheering us every lap as we passed.

The drive home was much quicker when we actually knew where we were going. We watched an incredible sunset as we made our way back to Mol and snapped a few pictures. The race was good experience for us (except poor Brad who punctured early) but the race didn't quite unfold how we anticipated which was unfortunate as we all had relatively good legs. Almost every race here in Belgium finishes in a break away and to pick the correct one is often quite difficult. We are now officially at the half way mark (race wise) having completed 5 races (Booischot, Aarschot Criterium, Hove, Tremelo and Rummen) and 5 remaining (Tisselt, Westerlo, Booischot, Sint-Gillis-Waas and Montenaken). Tomorrow we have a cruisey 2 hour ride planned before venturing into Antwerp to explore and enjoy the extremely good weather we're having!