First impressions

Ok, so we haven't been the best bloggers, but with no internet at the house and a very full schedule of racing, it's hard to get word to the outside world.

Thoughts about bike racing in Flanders:

1) There is an incredible reverence for bike racers here that you really can't explain. When I needed a twist tie for my frame number, I asked a little old grandmother who was waiting for the race to start on her front steps. She literally ran inside to get one, and her whole family was thrilled to have helped me out. When you walk into a bar to register for a race, all the heads in the room turn towards you and watch you come in. After the race is over, little kids run down the street after the winner just trying to be near him. During the race, someone from every single house on the street is watching, and at every bar dozens of old men sit around drinking beer and watching the race. People just love bike racing and bike racers.

2) Riding here is like no place I've ever been. Every single road either has a full-size dedicated bike lane, or is so small that it is basically a bike path. There are miles and miles and miles of tiny rural lanes between the fields, and you can reliably get anywhere in the country on a road no wider than a dinner table. On top of that, there are signposts everywhere marking a network of bike routes that you can follow by writing down a series of numbers (23, 45, 56, 6, etc) and navigating from node to node on the network.

3) Beer is good, plentiful, and cheaper than water. Literally cheaper than water. In Bruges, we paid 1.75 for a glass of water, whereas a Jupiler will only set you back 1.20. Westmalle triple will run you $9 at the Rose & Crown in Palo Alto, but for that price at the supermarket here you can get a case. At 9.5% alcohol, that's a pretty good deal. Scarily, the guys (OK, mostly Gavin) polished off said case in less than 12 hours.

4) Racing is really, really hard. This won't be the first or the last blog to say this, but, shit, the hammer goes down about 2 minutes into the race and does not let up for the next 70 miles. These guys can make a pan-flat race break into groups of no more than 5 every single time. Attack, attack, attack, attack.

5) Racing is really, really well organized and really, really, cheap. There are about 6 officials at registration with bar code scanners for your license and embroidered polo shirts. The roads are always full closure, police and ambulance and officials always follow ahead and behind the race. There is a marshal at every corner (OK, he's usually a 70 year old guy with a little round yield sign on a stick, and he's usually drinking Jupiler in between laps, but he's there). We pay 3 euro to enter each race. No more of that $30 velo promo nonsense. Tuesday's race paid 50 deep despite only 48 starters, and every one of the 50 laps was a 20 euro prime. Mitch won one!

6) We might not be contending for the win yet, but we are pretty competitive. On Sunday Gavin survived for 55th out of 132 starters. Tuesday night, Ryan and me were in a 6 man group with the Belgian elite national champion. Mitch made the winning break of 9, and we have photo evidence of him trading pulls in between a QuickStep rider and said Belgian national champion. Thursday afternoon, in another 70 mile kermesse, Ryan and Mitch made the winning group of 14, ending up 11th and 13th. Typical announcer quote: "dutch dutch dutch dutch dutch Parn-esse Rye-ann de Amerikan dutch dutch dutch dutch USA Meetch-uh Truk-suh dutch dutch dutch dutch dutch"