How to kill time in Belgium

Occasionally and just occasionally everybody becomes a little bored over here. Face it we do not have a lot to do: train, eat, rest, recover, sleep, race, then repeat. Steps to avoid losing one's mind in Belgium:

1. When stuck at the team house: watch as much American TV shows as possible: The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, CSI, even Friends. Makes me feel like I am at home. Avoid Jim (the MTV of Europe with the same 20 pop songs playing over and over again) at all costs as it will suck you into a vortex of bad music.

2. Internet: read the NY Times, CNN, Comcast news update, w/e, blogs, youtube. Anything that keeps your mind up to date on the world and the US of A.

3. Update your blog...

4. Watch bike racing...on Eurosport = English = British commentary = Paul and Phil = Versus = America

5. Eat. Already explained what to eat in the Belgian Guide I wrote a few back. There is a scientific study that shows that people eat when they are depressed. So far I have gained 3 pounds :(

6. This one I found takes a boredom pretty quick and my parents will find it shocking: reading!! OMG! Yes mom and dad I have read while I am over here! I recommend a good spy/double agent/triple agent/fast pace/in your face/page turner novel. Finished a couple of books already and luckily at the house everybody leaves their books for each other to get by.

7. Count euros! very fun to do when you have a lot of them

8. make up stuff on your blog! (like #7) it keeps people on their toes and you from losing your mind, everybody wins!

9. make fun of euros (the people), who doesnt make fun of a man who wears girl jeans and capris?


10. Take pictures...i havent done that but i will eventually.

11. Facebook

12. play video games

13. wash clothes (hey, its something to do)

14. i am proud to add this last one: blackberry

15. the last step: escape the house, go to the square, eat frites, go watch a movie in Roesalare.

Gotta go count some euros!

David

Tales from the Flemish Hills

I thought today would be a good day to ride out toward the Flemish hills that are caked with rider's names on the legendary hills that decide the fate between the strongmen and weak. My route would start off from Izgem, head over to Inglemunster, jump on the N357 to Waregem and head to the center or "centre" as it is known over here, magically stumble across a bike sign with the # 4, then precede to almost crash looking at the schoolgirls i mean architect wonders of the town's cathedral, follow the #4 bike rout until I head in the direction of Nokerse, ride some curvy golf cart roads around Nokerse that wind its way through the countryside on some hills, jump on Tour of Flanders roads for awhile, ride back to Waregem, Deerlijk (yes that is a town), Harelebeke, Kuurne, Kortrijk, and back to Izegem. Very fun ride to say the least. I had a very nice crosswind or headwind (sometimes both) on the way out but had a very nice tailwind back which made up for it. Whoever says that there are only 16 hills in Tour of Flanders, you are dead wrong, some of the hills I rode were just as hard as the bergs had no name. The only thing that would indicate as part of the course was a sign "De Ronde". Here are some pictures of the climbs I rode (I didnt take these, courtesy to cyclingnews.com)




Nokereburg



Kermesses Friday and Monday!


David

Stop! Hold the press! (EDITED)

Well not really but I do have an announcement to make....

I am not doing Paris-Roubaix u23 or racing Haut Savoire. There is a mistake in the rosters as the number of riders that can start and there is one person left out and that is me :( I will be doing 2 or 3a couple of local kermesses should be fun no matter where I race.

David

Westouter Kermess

Found the results for the kermess. Not sure how many started around 90-100 or so.

24/05/2008- WESTOUTER (W)
1.12B - ind.reg.wedstr.(100-120 km) Elite z.c./U23
(115 km - 14 x 8,215 km)

1. KUYPERS Nico CYCLING TEAM LISPANNE DE HAAN VZW 02:45:00
2. VERMOTE Julien WIELERGROEP BEVEREN 2000 VZW :09
3. DEPOORTER Dries NEW HEEBRA-LOMBARDEN 1:45
4. MOERMAN Detlef WILLEMS VERANDA CONTINENTAL TEAM
5. GHYSELINCK Jan WIELERGROEP BEVEREN 2000 VZW
6. DEMEULEMEESTER Wouter WIELERCLUB MARKE VERANDA´S CLOCHET VZW
7. BORRY Kim WC SOENENS-GERMOND INGELMUNSTER
8. JOSEPH Stijn WIELERGROEP BEVEREN 2000 VZW
9. RAEDT Nielsen C.T. KEUKENS BUYSSE KNESSELARE
10. KUYPERS Bart KENTUCKY CT MIDDELKERKE
11. VAN SPEYBROEK Bart SPORTING CLUB MEERSE - KLUISBERGEN 3:45
12. BUYSE Bram WIELERCLUB MARKE VERANDA´S CLOCHET VZW
13. MASSON Christophe CCI DIFFERDANGE
14. CALLEWAERT Cédric NICCA CT - VSV LANGEMARK
15. DAUW Jasper CYCLING TEAM LISPANNE DE HAAN VZW 4:20
16. HEUGHEBAERT Dries CYCLING TEAM LISPANNE DE HAAN VZW
17. SERRY Pieter FORONEX CT / WIELERPROMOTIE Z-W
18. STEYAERT Kris KSV DEERLIJK GAVERZICHT VZW
19. RYCKAERT Johan KSV DEERLIJK GAVERZICHT VZW 4:50
20. CARTLAND RICHARD
21. VANCRAEYNEST Kevin WIELERCLUB DE SPRINTERS MALDEREN
22. VERCOUILLIE Kristof KSV DEERLIJK GAVERZICHT VZW
23. SCHIETGAT Pedro KENTUCKY CT MIDDELKERKE
24. LAPIERE Ward TEAM BOUWKANTOOR LIPPENS-DESCHUYTTER
25. VAN NUFFEL Tim CK PODBORANY(EASYPAY)
26. LIEFOOGHE Bert FORONEX CT / WIELERPROMOTIE Z-W
27. VANDENBROUCKE JEAN-DENIS VERANDAS WILLEMS BOYS
28. BRUYNEEL Giel KSV DEERLIJK GAVERZICHT VZW
29. VANDENBULCKE Hannes KSV DEERLIJK GAVERZICHT VZW
30. VANHILLE Xavier WC SOENENS-GERMOND INGELMUNSTER
31. VLAMYNCK Nick BCV WORKS CT INGELMUNSTER
32. LAPERE Kris MEZ TEAM BELGIUM SNELLEGEM
33. BLANCKAERT Bart MBK - DELSOL TEAM
34. COMMEYNE Steffen C.T.- DJ.MATIC-KORTRIJK
35. DEBACKER Bart NICCA CT - VSV LANGEMARK
36. FEYS Wim PROV. AFD. WEST-VLAANDEREN WBV
37. G TALBOTT DAVID USA CYCLING TEAM
38. HEUZEL Jelle NICCA CT - VSV LANGEMARK
39. BREYE Stijn C.T.- DJ.MATIC-KORTRIJK
40. DE MEYDTS Sven WIELERTEAM DECOCK-CAPINO MOORSELE
41. DEBONNEZ Detlev VERANDAS WILLEMS BOYS
42. POLLIE Dimitri MBK - DELSOL TEAM
43. VANBELLE Mathias KSV DEERLIJK GAVERZICHT VZW

Kermess

Yesterday I got a taste of one of real kermess racing. For those of you who dont know kermesses are typically 100-170km of a 5-15km loops that rides around and finishes in a local city street. This kermess was 115km on a 8km circuit. The race started on cobbles then kicked up a 1km hill that got steeper as the climb went on the max grade was like 12% then it is a hard left and, i think i forgot to mention that yesterday was really windy... talking about a steady 30kmph wind with gusts up to 60kmph!!. so after that left turn we were hit dead on from right by the crosswind, the course weaves a bit then there is a two tricky turns in another small town then a left out of town and a straight shot back into the start/finish town (dont remember the name, it was close to Kemmel and Iper though). The race was characterized by the hill and the crosswinds which as our DS said only 10 or so guys will finish this race which is scary considering there were over a 100 starters. Now I will give you the play by play of the race yesterday by lap:
3:03 - Race has started
3:14 - one lap down, 13 to go
3:28 - wohoo it slowed down!
3: 30 - 3 guys from the same team (the best team in belgium: Beveren 2000) attacks, i bridge to them on the hill
3:31 - my legs hurt really bad, now for the hard left
3:31 - immediately regret my decision to bridge to the leaders as they put me in the gutter
3: -- - losing track of time, vision narrowing, holding on for dear life
3: 43 - where am I?
3: 44 - vision repaired, can think now, i am in the 2nd group, 11 laps to go
3: 46 - thoughts run through my head *stop attacking please*
3: 47 - haha it is the hills and you cant attack here
3: 49 - but the Belgians can attack in the crosswind :(
4: 00 - 4 laps done, 10 to go,
4: 01 - running low on fuel, need water, systems crashing, mayday mayday!
4: 02 - see our DS holding water, target locked on
4: 02 - this is David Talbott to base, requesting flyby,
4: 02 - water recieved :),
4: 05 - water is nearly finished
4: 17 - 5 laps done, 9 to go
4: 18 - lead group is just in front, dont have enough energy to bridge :(
4: 18 - my group explodes in the crosswind, i make the front split
4: 34 - done with crosswind section, survived, 6 laps done, 8 to go
4: 49 - 7 laps done, 7 to go,
4: 50 - a British guy talks to me then attacks! i chase him down and tell him to work with the group steady, everybody ignores me, so i attack on the hill.
4: 49 - back in the group in the crosswind
4: 52 - i hate kermesses
5: 05 - 8 laps done, 6 to go
5: 08 - hello mr. crosswind! dont mind me... i am the tiniest guy in the race... i just want to finish please dont hurt me!
5: 21 - 9 laps done, 5 to go
5: -- - too busy eating to look at time. David is hungry
5: 36 - see guy waving yellow flag, what does this mean? the people in my group are sprinting. que? realize that it is the end for our group. we were pulled with 4 to go
5:38 - take # off and rode 2 more laps

The race finished and 12 guys actually completed all 14 laps. I finished somewhere around 50th and the only "finisher" for our team. Carter Jones had stomach cramps, Chris Montelone flatted. Fun race freaking one of the hardest races I have done (granted I havent done that much). Rode 45km back to the house including two bergs in the Tour of Flanders, one paved that hit 15% and the other the Kemmelberg both the descent and the ascent on cobbles. Scary! Cant imagine racing up let alone down the hill.

Roubaix countdown begins today: 7 days

David

Paris-Roubaix

In a sick twist of irony I am doing Paris-Roubaix u23. For those who are unfamiliar with Paris-Roubaix, picture 180km (110miles) of hell, well except that it is actually cold. Its nickname is not just called Hell of the North for nothing. It is a typical northern French race with rain, wind, and these little things called cobblestones. These cobblestones are a tad different then the cobbles that line small side roads that jut away from the town square in major cities across Europe which are neatly arranged to show off the antique and delicate side of Europe. These Roubaix cobblestones are different. I swear they were arranged by the devil himself or a bunch of drunk French workers. As these cobblestones resemble chaos instead of a neat pattern that would make them ridable. Now for the irony part: being a 125pound climber, one would figure that I would go to France to a different race called Tour de Pays Hauts Savoire. The region is the most mountainous in France and for that matter Europe. After all, Mount Blanc the tallest mountain in Europe is located there as well. Paris-Roubaix is known as a hard man's race meaning that the rider who wins can glide over the cobbles, power across the crosswind sections in piss poor conditions. So yeah but it looks like I am doing Paris-Roubaix and that is fine with me, after all this is the single hardest one day race in the world and I am doing it. I leave you now with picture of the most famous cobbled section of all, the Forest of Arenberg:





David

David's Country Guide: Belgium (Chocolates, waffles, and rain)

INTRO
Belgium is notorious for a couple of things. Namely chocolates, waffles, and rain...oh and bike racing.

WEATHER
There is a joke among the Belgian weather forecasters that they always leave a chance of rain, because well that chance usually comes true. If the weather is good like sunny and you can dress in shorts it is a sign of the apocalypse. Pack for all types of weather. It could rain for 4 days straight then be windy for another 3 days, 1/2 day of sun, then 1/2 day of rain and wind. For us cyclists, always bring a rain cap. Once I was caught in a storm, out of the middle of nowhere on a beautiful sunny day so bring a rain jacket on every single training ride and if you decided to race your bike in Belgium just drop out and eat some frites.

FOOD
--What to eat:
-Chocolates (any kind ranging from grocery stores to little chocolate shops)
-Pastries (can be found on nearly any street corner and they are very cheap, therefore you should try them all)
-Coffee/Espresso/etc (not a big coffee drinker but nevertheless it is easily the best)
-Waffles (find a waffle stand as they are fresh = better)
-Ice Cream (even better then back home, chocolate-bannana is my favorite)
-Frites (yes with the mayonnaise sauce or w/e you see the Belgian folk ordering for the dressing for their frites, when in doubt copy the Belgians or just ask for curry ketchup on the frites)
-Strictly for adults: Beer (anything is better over here then in America *not that i would know of course)
-Any cereal with chocolate in it!!! Just add milk and enjoy
-Speculoos- OMG!!!!!!!!! try the crackers and the spread. The taste resembles eating the best food you have ever tried and multiple it by 10000000 and that is speculoos.
-Nutella- enough said
-The Wall- it is a huge vending machine that stretches for miles or kilometers and you can buy anything, ANYTHING there!
-Panos- Take Subway, Panera, Quiznos and combine them all and that is Panos! There are an infinite number of combinations to put on your sandwhich. The meal includes a drink and a fresh pastry!
--What not to eat:
Nothing really, my country would have awesome snacks and stuff if the weather was as bad Belgium's.

CULTURE
-Brugge is cool, good place to shop and see the cathedrals.
-Gent is pretty much the same
-Brussels is just a bigger version of Brugge and Gent with French people there

FASHION
To dress like the current fashion trend of Belgian teenagers:
Guys:: go to the women's store in target and buy all the jeans and tight-fighting t-shirts. Shoes: pumas
Girls:: buy the same clothes you would normally buy but die your hair some crazy color

PEOPLE
Belgians are generally reserve and take some warming up to get to know them. Most Belgians can be found in pubs or coffee shops (heck, who wouldnt?) They are very nice and majority speak English very well.

CYCLING
Great training roads if you love rain, wind, cold, and smelly farm fields on golf-cart sized path roads. But nothing in cycling compares to the bergs and cobbles! Even a climber likes those! Racing is geared to cyclists over 6'0" who like to ride in the gutter for 4.5hrs. When racing against the Belgians, approach with caution. They are not afraid of laying it down (both ways for that matter). Dont be scared when they yell at you. Ride near the front unless you like being guttered in crosswind sections.


So that is Belgium in a nutshell! I am sure there is lots more to add but I am hungry right now so I am going to go get some food.....

David

(I really hope nobody takes me serious about this and this is the only way I can pass time when it is raining outside)

Coming up next France!

Haut Anjou Wrap-Up and story time

Here is a quick recap of the stages:

Stage 1: 180km the longest I have ever raced before
Rabobank put the hammer down early and my tired jet-lagged legs just hung on. I got shelled on one of the many rollers, just simply didnt have the legs. But throughout the day I felt like my bike was coming unglued which it actually was as my headset was completly loose for most of the race and I didnt really have enough oxygen in the brain to realize what happened until I got spit out the back I just rode into the finishing circuits and stopped at the finish line and told them I could not ride as my headset was messed up so they just gave me a big time penalty like 30mins. Oh and I was with a group coming in and they started sprinting me (after dragging their asses for a good 20km) b/c they did not want to finish last to start 1st in the TT. I managed to pass one before the finish.

Stage 2: 14km TT
Unlike most standard American TTs with an out and back on rolling/flat/straight road. Europeans believe in cornering is a must in TTs. It had 5 turns in less than 2km. The first 5km where turny and slightly downhill until you go through a town and turn into a cobbled median then make your way back to the start/finish town on cross-wind, bumpy, cowshit covered roads. I wanted to really try to put in a good time and not get slaughtered and show that I still have some fight despite only being in Europe for less than 3 days. I flew through the first half and went through every turn balls out those Specialized tubelers really do grip! I caught my minute man (and the only rider starting in front of me for that matter) in 5km. I was freaking flying and was still holding back some for the finish which the last 5km are slightly uphill with a cross-head. But as I rounded a turn that forces your line to go through a cobbled median unless you want to brake and lose all speed, so that knocked my saddle completly loose and i had to either stand or put my bottom on the very back of my saddle which worked the hips out a bit. After that I was kinda demotivated and just got it over with. Not like I was gonna win but wish I could have done a bit better. The French guy in the follow vehicle came up to me after the TT and told me I was going faster then the Rabobank guys through the turns which is pretty cool so once I get my power and some weight I should be good to go!

Stage 3: 100km same day as TT
Freaking was fast. We were done before I knew that it was over with. I was feeling better and entered the finishing circuits 3x9km. The finish was off a flying descent followed by a hard left hander over a bridge then a right with 500m to go and slowly kicked uphill then take a sweeping right and get hit in the face with a 200m wall. I found myself sitting 15th right behind the rabobank and beveren 2000 - quickstep teams. But coming into the 3km where it gets dicey they got swarmed and I got pushed back and just couldnt get back up there so I finished in the pack.

Stage 4: 145km
Hardest hour of my life. I have never done 50-60kph up a slight incline into a head crosswind for a solid 5mins. Rabobank was trying to control it but the teams just kept attacking. Found myself in a couple of early moves but nothing sticked as the big teams either had too many riders or not enough to keep the break rolling. I got shelled close to the circuits and just pulled out with half the field.


Overall: It was a good experience. Wish I could have finished and had a better results personally, but honestly did not have the legs. Now I will get my bike fit straightened out and actually have a couple days of rest before Tryptique Ardennes. Espoir racing is totally different then junior racing in Europe. Everybody is a better bike handler but one thing remains the same they cant corner. Pack positioning in U23 races is ridiculous, you work your way up the front and the next thing you know your at the back. I think a good tool to gauge how much you move up through the field is by:
Once you feel satisfied where you are in the pack, move up more!
This happened to me loads of times the last couple of days. I would move up into a good position and would be like great but I was at the back before I knew it. So constantly move up!


Now with every bike race I have a story:
The TT finish was only 10km from the school where we stayed at so Montelone and I decided to ride there. We asked our staff how to get there they said straight through all the roundabouts and you will run into it. Okay so we set out only thinking this will be like a 20min ride. 40 mins later we are riding around Chateau Gontier (the town that is next to where we stayed) looking for the roundabout that headed toward Aze which is the road that our school was on. I gave up and Montelone was getting mad so we see two Frenchmen working at the side of the road. They are typical French: fat and big mustaches (sry) and we are typical Americans minus the fat part. We are decked out in USA stuff and I suggest to Montelone that we should ask them where the McDonald's was for one reason only (not to eat!!) and that was the McDonald's was on the roundabout next to the school. So here we are in the middle of some French road asking two stereotypical Frenchmen where the McDonald's was by two stereotypical Americans. One of them chuckled then just started speaking. "A droite, a guache" was all I got. We just nodded our heads and decided to take a left at the next roundabout we could see as it would put us in the direction toward Aze. As we left we could hear the Frenchmen laughing one of them said, "McDonald's" and both of them howled even more. Finally we made it back after a total ride time of one hour.

Now the last day finished in Chateau Gontier and I just grabbed my backpack and headed back to the school. Still couldnt find it (all of France looks the same to me after being in oxygen debt for the last 3.5hrs) so I decided to head back into town and regather my bearings when I looked up and saw a Golden Arch on the billboard. It said the McDonalds was in the direction to Laval. So I followed the arrows to Laval until I came to the roundabout where the school was.

Twice I was saved by McDonald's and who says McDonald's is bad for you?

Sorry for all the spelling errors!
David

More info

Okay found the web page for the stage race, looks fun!

http://www.tourduhautanjou.com/

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Startlist for the teams:

France
Albi Velosport Rserve Ag2r
Blois CAC 41
Comite des Pays-de-la-Loire
EC Montmarault Montlucon
Entente Sud Gascogne
Maitre Jacques Cotes d'Armor
Team U Nantes Atlantique
Vendee U - Reserve Bouygues Telecom

Germany
Team Spirit GMBH

Beligum
Beveren 2000 Quick Step
Cycling Team Lombarden
Groupegobert.com CT

Nederlands
Rabobank CT
Van Vliet - EBH Advocaten

Columbia
Colombia Es Passion

United States
USA National Team


Stages:

Stage 1: 180km flat to rolling
Stage 2a: 14.7km ITT flat to rolling
Stage 2b: 100km rolling
Stage 3: 157km rolling

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Also I got a skype account and since I am bored I like to be on it a lot

Here is my skype contact stuff:
david.g.talbott


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Thanks
David

Tour Haut Anjou

Tomorrow at 830-930 we depart for a 580 kilometer drive to the Tour Haut Anjou in France. The race is gonna be heard with Rabobank Cont. showing up as well as all the french amateur teams with one guy who finished both the Giro and the Tour the same year last year. Nothing like a 180km road race to open the legs up, with the next day a 15km TT and that is when I stopped looking at the sheet...

May Schedule

9 - 11 Tour Haut Anjou - France - 2.2 u23
13 - 17 Vuelta Tarragona - Spain - 2.12
16 - 18 Triptique Ardennais - Belgium - 2.12
22 -25 Tour Isard - France - 2.2 u23
24 Ruisbroek Puurs - Belgium - 1.12
29 - June 1 Tour des pays haut Savoie - France - 2.13

The races that are in bold are the ones i know I will for sure do.

Wish me luck!

David

That's not a pond but a f'ing ocean

There is a quote in bike racing when riders head over to the motherland of bike racing: Europe. It goes along the lines of, "When are you going across the pond?" or "Be careful on the other side of the pond". I was at Roswell and I was riding when a guy rolls up to me and says, "hey your david talbott right?" i was like dude yeah. then he was like dude that is cool. then he says when you are going to europe? i said tuesday. then he said a 4 letter word followed by an exclamation point with the phrase "well, good luck". for those who are visual learners: @*#%! Well, good luck! he seemed like an interesting fellow so i kept the convo rolling, "so have you raced across the pond?" hoping he would identify with the casual cycling lingo. he looked at me, completly serious, "that is not a pond but a f*ing ocean!!" (notice the two exclamation points). my response was complete and utter shock the only thing i could say was, "your absolutely right" and he just nodded his head in response. but i never got a chance to finish the conversation as there was a crash the next lap.

oh we won the race btw

well i am about to travel across the pond...i mean ocean so wish me the best of luck. this website will be visited a lot more frequently as boredom is a disease found in most american cyclists that usual are commonly found in 17-23 year olds. so expect updates. also i got a skype account. you need a headphone and something to talk into for us to communicate. my user name is david.g.talbott

later,
david