Europe...

So I imagine a lot has changed since my last post. I guess I could write about swine flu or whatever its called now. Think I will go with bike racing in Europe instead...

Short recap what has happened since Valley of the Sun: training, racing local races, winning a crit (stop laughing), almost dying of hypothermia in the road race, crashing 4 days before Redlands and spending some time in the hospital and a weekend trip on lortabs, then racing in Bisbee, AZ (weird town) with crazy Mexicans (they wear armwarmers and legwarmers in 100 degree heat, and team attack in feed zones). Now I am sitting in Kautenbach, Luxembroug getting ready for the first series of my races.

Now I have been over here for 8 days so I will recap the first week for you:

Flight started off well, I flew from Chattanooga on a pack of gum with propellers. The flight attendant would speak into the intercom like the plane was a 747 when she could have just turned around and told all 12 people the pre-flight safety instructions. The dude sitting next to me, looks like Hulk Hogan with hair starts laughing as he looks at his phone, he leans over to me *I cower in the corner as I thought he was going to beat the crap out of me* and says, "I get my horoscope everyday (points at his phone) and says, "Be very careful today. Stay away from all sorts of transportation" He laughs after this and says, "gotta love this." I proceed to laugh and cry at the same time. Crying because I might die on this pack of gum. Laugh because Hulk Hogan with hair is wearing a pink shirt and comments about his horoscope. 

First day in Europe I get picked up, drove to Izegem, then hope in a van and go to Luxembroug as the Izegem house is too full. First not in LUX, I got food poisoning. enough said. I lived near the toilet the first night. 2nd Night, still sick. Third night, first day downstairs. Stomach still messed up. Fourth day, I am told I am racing Tryptique Ardennes. Great. Tryptique Ardennes is an awesome race but I just wasnt healthy and unfortunately I got the short end of the stick and had to start TA. Start of TA, first time on my new road bike (I had been riding a 58 size frame the day before, dont ask why), its raining = a bad day for me. Seat post dropped with 50km to go and we couldnt fix it. I got dropped big time and got pulled in the local lap. They told me I wasnt starting again the next day.

Fast-forward a couple of days and I am just now starting to get over this stomach bug. I finally feel normal and I can train reguarly now. My next races are some local races in Belgium the 21st, 23rd, 24th. After that, its open in the air. 

Thats all for now. Not an ideal start, but I still have some days left. 

David