Season over.

The season has finally come to an end with me making the trip home for the Sun Tour as my final race for the season. Although my visit home was short, it was worth the trip for the team. For me, it was good to finish off on the race where it all started for me a year ago.

Along with myself, Eric, David and Dan made the trip to Oz. We arrived in Melboune at a reasonable time Wednesday night, but by the time we were out of the airport it was getting late. Im not one for sleeping on a plane but i did manage about 4 hours, still, by the time we were at the hotel, i was wrecked. Thursday was a busy day as i had alot of running around to do, firstly i had to get a car, so i was off to see a mate of mine [thanks Lukey]. After picking up the car i set out to see another mate, it was great being home and having all these contacts to aquire equitment to work with. My mate Jae, down at O'Mara cycles, lent me everything from power leads to fold up chairs to tubular glue, everything but a workstand. But Burkey [another mate] came to the rescue with that one and lent me his. So at this stage my day was almost over and i had most things i needed for the tour, but as it was way past lunch i stopped into a bakery for a much needed meat pie, something ive missed while been away from Oz.


Our tour started off well with Bernie in the winning break but was unlucky to have been taken down in a crash in the final kilometers. He took revenge by going on the attack in the opening road stage and taking points for the KOM's. Although we missed the vital break to have a chance at GC, we now had a new objective with Bernie going for the KOM title.

I noticed some things from doing the tour last year to this year. We just about had the same team, and the guys rode much stronger this year after a season at pro conti level, i think we were one of the stronger teams there by having the guys on the front a number of times. Its something that when watching from my seat can give you goose bumps when they do so well in their home tour.

The other was the way the race was run compared to races in Europe, but it was much better than last year. Eric would point out something the officials would do and ask "is that normal they do that here?". Eric was also gobbed smacked at the amount of fines they handed out, especially when they fined him for pissing on the side of the road.

The boys best day was stage 5, one they will remember for sure. Bernie was out of the KOM jersey, but we were'nt giving up. They rode on the front all the way to the last climb for the tour. Kane had sacrificed himself the first 40k, when the climb started the lights went out, but his job was done. All the way up the climb Eric and i were on the edge of our seats as we listened to the chief com giving the reports on the situation. We tuned in as the reports came through of our guys controlling the pace up the climb, peeling off one by one as their job was done. Rhys was first, then Cam then Jeremey til 200 to go, then Dan did the lead out and got Bernie across the line for maxium points. Eric and i waited patiently with our ears to the radio for the result, we both punched the air once the result was in, job well done boys.

Later on in the stage the attacks had started, and with 15k to go and the GC riders busy watching each other was the perfect time for Cam and Jeremey to slip off the front with NSW rider Peter Herzig. Eric and i were again on the edge of our seats as the gap opened and the line drew closer, saying "holy shit, we're going to win the stage". Eric gave them the time gaps on their race radios and told them to keep pushing. Jeremey was in time trial mode in the last kilometers, but Peter knew he had to go. Cam immeaditly followed and marked him hoping Jeremey would come back. The last corner came and Cam went for it, Eric and i waited, then the unofficial result came through with Cam the victor. The down side was waiting for Cam at the doping control, because he didnt feel like pissing straight away meant it was a long wait until he did. I had to stay as i was the one who new the way back to Melbourne.


Over the next two days the champange flowed and beer was plenty drank by the boys. The tour was coming to a end, the season was coming to an end, and this tour went as well as any with no major mechanicals or even a single puncture.After the final stage it was time to sell up. Everthing was for sale, thou most people didnt have the cash and wanted it mega cheap. One guy offered me a insane price of 500AUD for a pair of carbon wheels, 900 was cheap, 500 was stealing them. that guy would be up for another 2500 to buy them new, do they not realise this. The day went ok thou, in the end i only had to take back some Dura-Ace bits and one pair of wheels. So despite my tools been the bulk of the weight, the bike bags were looking reasonably light for the trip back to Belge. After the race it was time to get things packing. I was quite busy with the boys in and out of my room as they pack their own bikes, i had people coming to my room to buy wheels, friends wanting to catch up, too much and too little time. My Mum had made the trip to Melbourne, and i didnt even get to spend 15mins with her [sorry Mum]. My brother Pete then came in but i didnt get too much time with him either has i had to go to our team dinner which was a must do. So the tour was'nt as much of a holiday as i'd hoped but was as routine as any other race, and it would'nt have been possible without the help of Chris and Rick who volunteered for the week to help out, awesome job guys.

So our flight home was at 11pm but was delayed 2 hours, so i was straight off to sleep after take off and slept all the way to Hong Kong, having 3 seats to myself helped thou.
Since being back in Belgium, i've spent the past two weeks getting the remaining bikes ready to sell, cleaning them up and checking them over fitting what ever parts they may be missing. I even had to build one up for myself again as Gil had sold the one i set aside. So now its 3 months of solid training, if the winter is ok. I get a mountian bike soon, so i will be doing some of the popular tours they have through the many forrests here that can go from 40 to 120km. So with the season over and only a little work to do, i can relax for 3 months and do nothing but ride, while proberly freezing my ass off.

Enjoy
Funky

Bad weather = lots of work.

The past week has being filled with not so nice weather and some not so nice races. I had a few kermesses the last week or so, as you might gather from my last post. I did one but gave two a miss, during that week the team had another three races to do.

When it didn't stop raining for 3 days straight, I had no choice but to set up the awning and work in it.


The Tuesday was a pro kermesse, which didnt go too bad, i think only the one flat that day. The next morning i was up at 6 to wash the bikes before loading the truck and heading off to the next race, Lictervelde was the venue. The weather this day was crap, or a typical Belgian day, grey skies that just drizzled rain all day. Our race lasted only about 10k, we had 5 riders come down in a huge pile up. With the road blocked by team cars i ran down the road with a pair of wheels in hand to find Robby and Stijn[a new rider for next season] on the deck. I helped Robby on his feet, but his knee was in a lot of pain, so it was off to hospital for him. Stijn was ok but his knee was also sore, so day over for him. Nico and Gert also came down but were ok, but decided to also call it a day along with our other new rider Steven, who hurt his leg in the crash. So it only left Cam, Sven and Micheal, but they had missed the split that left 26 guys up the road, so they too called it a day. The upside was that i got on tv, the local tv crew were there filming the carnage, at least its better than no coverage at all.

Thursdays race i didnt do, only a couple of the boys went to it, but i still worked to load the van for them. There was no racing over the weekend as the worlds were on, so i managed to catch some of the live coverage on tv, a chance to relax. Jeremy got the call up for the NZ team in the road race, while Matti placed a great 16th in the Elite TT.

Tuesday there was a race but i didnt go as i was getting ready for the Franco-Belge race. I do know that the bikes came back filthy, like they had being riding through a paddock. There has been that many races on that it is not possible to do them all as the work i do at home has to be done, otherwise the bikes go to the next race dirty. But i had my work cut out anyway, fixing Robby's bike from Lictervelde, and now fixing Matti's and Hamish's, as they both come off while in the lead group. The race organisers changed the course leading into the finish line, as it was very wet and a fast finish the sprint for us was over. Its not normal for the course to change at all let alone on the last lap, Belgians are the best at running races, but this prooved to be a mistake and a raced lost for us.


You'd think they raced cyclocross!

So it was off to the Franco-Belge race, a 4 day tour that makes its way along the French and Belgian border, surprisinly the weather was quite good for the 4 days. We stayed in a place called Poperinge four the whole time. I was glad we were'nt staying in France, we got some good food in Belgium. The owner of the hotel owned a resturant across the street, so we ate dinner there and had breakfast at the hotel. I had the truck parked out the back of the resturant for washing the bikes as the truck would'nt fit through an archway at the hotel. The last night though we had to change hotels, that was up the road in another village. Here there was only a single bed and a bed that was a single and a quater, so i slept on the two seater sofa. By the time JM and Michel had finished arguing about it, i was half asleep already.

Some of the beautiful scenery on the France-Belgium border. Some days (when the weather is good) it's nice to be in the convoy.




We crossed paths with some of the Paris Roubaix Pave. Each section is marked start and end, and has details of length etc.


So that was my final race for the european season. I have been to so many races its not funny, then there is some i have'nt been to but still had to prepare for. You quickly lose track of what day it is.

Im now preparing for my final race of the year, the Sun Tour, in which i have to be up very early to beat the Brussels traffic to make a 10 o'clock flight. This tour will be a good way to end the season, it should be a holiday compared to some of the races i've been to this year.

And in typical Sun Tour fashion, we will have stuff to sell on the last day, from race jersey's to carbon wheels. So drop by and have a look, ask Eric for a autograph [he loves it],or just say G'day.
And remember, everything must go, otherwise Eric and i have to lug it all back to Belgium, and we cant have that.

Cheers

Funky