The off season so far.

As my off season got started soon as i returned from the Sun Tour, i was in relax mode from the word go, but it was not to last long. There was work to be done as always, and the first job was to empty out my truck so it could go back to England. What i thought would be a 2 hour job, was a good half the day by the time the washer and dryer were out. My next task was to look at the bikes we had left over and see what they needed to be able to sell. It was'nt too much, some needed wheels, some just needed handlebars or a seatpost. My first week of the off season was spent doing this, gathering what ever parts we had left to make complete bikes. During that week, Gil had arranged for buyers to come to the house that wanted a bike, I was there just to tell Gil what bikes were what size, what the crank length on each bike was etc. Dan Fleeman had put in a order for bikes and wheels that he had buyers lined up for and was sending over a guy to pick it all up, so that cleared out a bit of stock, i have hardly any wheels left and only about 4 bikes that are at the teamhouse on display ready to sell
I also took on the job to tidy the teamhouse a little. The boys left it quite tidy, but there was the left over food to clean out. So i cleaned out all the fridges, gave the kitchen a clean along with the bathroom and toilets, i guess its not all about oiling chains and pumping tyres. This was another good part of a day gone, but it was ok as i was'nt really planning to ride yet, not while its drizzling rain all day anyway. The boys once told me that it always fines up in the arvo, but this day it didnt, and i hate the ergo..

So the first couple of weeks have been some good down time despite the small amount of work to be done. Im out on the bike when the weather is good, and latley its been good with little rain. So i would go out when i can and hopefully dodge the rain. I've also headed off to do some mountain bike tours with Sven and Chris on the weekends. These tours are great,its a social ride where you pay 3 or 4 euros which covers your insurance for the day and gives you drinks and food at the feedzones throughout the ride. the distance you ride can range from an easy 20km loop to a demanding 60km loop. They are well organised and a lot of fun, like the last one we did in which we were covered in mud from head to toe but got a free hambuger at the end of it, nice. Alot of people take part as well, with up to 2000 or so avid bike fans out for some fun or some good quality winter training like us, which is still fun. You can check out some photos of these rides on a website, www.goorbikers.be to get an idea of what its like.
Now a normal week day for me at the moment thou, would be to wake up around 8 o'clock, Lindsay's up at 5 to get on the ergo then leaves for work at 7, sometimes i will get up at 7 if ive slept well. Then i will sit at this lap top for a bit while i have breakfast, maybe watch some tv before going for a ride at around 10:30. You apparently dont go earlier as the sun is too low in the sky, so its colder and there is the risk of your dribbling nose freezing. At this stage a warm day is about 5 degrees during the middle of the day, even with all my thermal gear on i can still feel the cold, even with the sun shining like it would on a summers day. In another couple of weeks it may be even colder, when it might be 1 degree during the day, but ive got lots of thermal gear to wear out riding, i hope. The past few days out riding you would see that the grass still has frost on it where the sun has'nt hit yet, which would be normal in the morning, but when its 2 in the afternoon you know its cold.
Once home from my freezing ride i would seek for warmth in a nice hot shower, after a quick stretch. For the rest of the day after i've had lunch would be to relax, do some house work, tinker in my workshop if i have something that needs tinkering with. Later on in the evening i would start on dinner for when Lindsay returns from work, where she would ask me "what did ya do today?", i reply "nothing, went for ride", which is what the off season is all about. Its my holiday time, im allowed to do nothing but ride my bike. Then we would sit and watch tv and go to bed around 9:30 and do it all again the next day, ahh, the off season


Now lately the weather has been good, its cold but the sun is out. The last two weeks i have managed to get out on the bike everyday for 2 or 3 hours. Just on Saturday Lindsay and I headed out for a early morning ride with Sven and Chris. We left at 8 o'clock, the sun was up but it was still freezing cold. Now it was Lindsay's first time out in these conditions, so she wasnt quite fully dressed for the occasion. Her Melbourne winter gloves were'nt up to scratch and with no booties over her shoes, it was only a matter of time before she had to turn back. The reason for the early ride was that we were heading into Brussels for the national bike show, i was keen to have a closer look at some mountain bikes. The Sunday i headed off to another mountain bike tour with Sven and Chris, we left at 8 and i was home by 11:30, just in time for lunch. If you wear the correct clothing you can withstand the cold, and we were lucky as it was forecast to snow that morning but didnt quite get cold enough, even so, its a great way to spend the morning..

At this stage, i still have a job for the 2008 season. The team is now finalising all its sponsors, riders, calendar and of course bikes, which is really the only thing that intrest me, is what bikes i will be working on. Other than that the only concern i have is if i still have work if there is a team, or is it time to search for another team. Like all buisness, things can go pear shape, but with everything looking really good i cant see that happening. I guess it would be no great loss as i would proberly just ride fulltime, maybe land a small team to ride for. So its a exciting time of the season with everything going on, but me, im just enjoying the time riding my bike and being home with Linds.

Keep it real
Funky.