Work upheavals,the week's training and holiday preparations

Work upheavals:
This week has been one of those unsettling times where not only did we have Tuesday off to celebrate Australia day, resulting in a certain amount of confusion in my small brain as to exactly what day it was for the rest of the week, but there was also alot of angst amongst the managerial levels at work due to a certain "re-structuring".  This of course didn't effect me except WRT the funding for my Workplace Wellness and Communications Group...will it keep going past this financial year?

This week also seems to have been when many have come back from holidays since I've been approached by rather alot of staff expressing surprise that I'm retiring....the word is out so I'd better start preparing a speech for the farewell party!

This week's training:
has been a mix of roundy roundy roundy plus 2.5 hr road rides.  The weather has been calm enough for me to do laps on the outdoor track, which not only saves money but also time since the track is 400m, just over the road, from where I work. This weekend's efforts will be on the road..2 x long steady rides with today's been more effortful than tomorrow's. For the rest of the week I'll be on the track Tues and Thurs and the road for very, very easy efforts MWF.

Holiday preparations:
I'd have to confess to looking forward to changing my training over to preparing for my Italian epic, although once I start slogging uphill again the groans will be in the mega decibel range.  I've started off the proceedings for getting a medical clearance..so far its blood tests and an ECG, but if the GP  wants to  I might end up having to have a stress test.  HA!

I've got myself a new set of  contact lens..they were s'posed to allow me to read maps as well as everything else, but the optician gave me the ability to read at "medium" range which leads me to wonder how many maps he gets to read and how long he thinks my arms are.  However they do correct astigmatism and so that's a definite plus.

Found on a friend's facebook ...what`skill..I wonder how it ended!

Talking about highly skilled cyclists...Ben and his mate Rhino are over in Tasmania for "Wildside"..check out the website and his blog  and for those who don't know him, he's the one on the right.

Well that's coffee drunk and brekky eaten, so i'm ready for whatever the day's got in store for me.. better get out and do the 2.5 hours tempo while the weather is friendly.

Last day in Flanders

.. and now I'm just tired. Alex thinks he's got my cold and is also tired....or maybe it was just the l-o-o-o-n-g and stressful day yesterday trying to find various places and putting in a full day as a tourist? Anyhow I'm delighted I can't ride what with the flat/punctured back tyre and Alex is delighted too!!!

Today it was re-visit the Muur and the Koppenberg for photo opps.

Alex rode it twice mit helmet cam in place..the first time it was pointed down too much, second time it was fine although he wasn't and his planned ride of the Muur got scrubbed.This sign is at the top of the tough section of the Muur..I think its saying that its strongly forbidden to ride or run downhill.

This is a side on view of close to the steepest part...always difficult to show steepness in a photo...

And finally apparently there is a Mannequin Pis in Geraardsbergen too, although we've not bothered to visit it. However we did notice these roadside posts in the town we're staying in.....

So now we're cleaning up, packing and vege-ing out..too fatigued to do much else really. Still haven't paid for this week and can't find the owners.......!

Party's almost over

Today's task, with very poor maps, was to find La trenche..the road in the Arenberg forest where the pros ride through on their way from Paris (Compeigne actually) to Roubaix. Despite deviations 'cos of road works, we were almost there before I hopped out and said..."xusi..nous cherchons la trenche dans l'arenberg foret ou les cyclistes professionel......'' upon which she replied....yadayadayada..direkt...la chemin ligne....blahblahblah....and with this plus much gesticulation...we were there!

Alex burled up and down and I tried, but the incipient puncture in my rear wheel is now a real one and so I could only manage about 100m before I hopped onto the side path..these are truly vicious cobbles...feral..worst we've come across......it rained too so we got the real feel..... we're not sure who these signs on the road are for......
and here is..the velodrome at Roubaix!..finding this took a huge amount of luck plus a bit of "nous sommes perdue..ou est le velodrome s'il vous plait?"
sadly the place was deserted...desolated even!

Then it was off to Leper/Ypres to see the WW1 museum. Seeing the number of the names of the dead enscribed on the Menin gate from that battle alone, is enough to make a pacifist of anyone. Brought a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye.

Back again at our abode and tucking into food and drink, Alex and I have both decided we dont like Belgian beer..so I'm testing out wine instead..only prob is ...no cork screw. So I've had to go for screw tops..but....the only wine with screw tops that I could find was.....Aussie !!!!!!!....so its Rosemount Merlot ........... sad really

I think I've had enough of cobbles!

..especially downhill!

Just a short 1+ hour ride yesterday..two climbs and a very long cobbled flattish section.

I'm totally impressed by my Vittoria Corsa tyres..still intact after that lot!!!

Then we were off the bikes and into Bruges....

we (I) managed to get lost on the way in....I'm followed the world over by road signing that assumes you know the way.....

Alex made straight for a chocolatier and I hoped to find something in the Tintin shop..he found just what he wanted, I didn't.

Bikes everywhere, with many many bike parks just like this one.

And also some very weird cargoes:

Is this make of beer a self fulfilling prophesy?Today's adventure is to Roubaix and the Forest of Arenberg, then off to Ypres (Leper) to the WW1 sites

We have the right weather for riding the cobbles

Dull, cool and raining. Yup typical weather for riding the cobbled bergs of the Spring Classics.

Yesterday we went to the Ronde van Vlanderen museum in Oudenarde and also rode the Kappelmuur and the Bos berg..today much much more. I stalled over the steepest bit of the Muur and had to get my domestique..who rode the whole thing on his MTB in big chain ring...grrrh...to give me a push start as it was too steep for me to re-start by myself.

Apart from cycling we also wrestled with a laundromat..we think we managed to disengage the spin cycle...and bought food...always a challenge whenyou don't know the language. Below are a few pix for your enjoyment:

Brussels:

And we think we have cafe dining..this alleyway and about 6 others in the same area were crammed with table for Sunday lunch....
Not sure which street name to pick here..hard enough having them in Flemish and French... today the Mannequin Pis was dressed up for a special folk loric festival..I couldn't quite grasp the concept, but there were loads of men dressed up in top hats black jackets and tartan trousers who were singing and giving away sweets (don't take sweets from strangers!)
what can I say?

more silly signs

where we are staying..or rather the stables of this place..more later

Oudenarde main square
not sure about this one..sheep, pig, peep, shig ..proof that Belgian animals are on HGH? whatever it gave me "the look"

this little engine could..only 10% avg but cobbles add to the degree of difficulty