There was a point on Wednesday when I was ready to give up on this trip. But now I’m super happy we are here. Had a very quiet and uneventful flight. By the time we left, many people had decided not to make the trip on flight 838 to Frankfurt. So this meant a quite plane and Marc and I both got rows to ourselves. So we arrived rested and ready to go.

Our bikes did not make the flight from Frankfurt to Brussels. In the end, this was probably for the best. Forced us to rest and get our bearings. Marc arranged for a van rental through Frankie (J Page’s mechanic) so we met him in Brussels and picked up our super race van. This thing is set for ‘cross racing – seats eight, has roof racks, and is all set up for ‘cross racing. In fact even Frankie said it was best not to ride today. So no bikes – meant no riding.

Did lots of stuff this afternoon. Unpacking. Grocery shopping. Bakery visits. General catching up. I’d say settled is the word.

Marc and Ed C. were pretty busy this afternoon though. Unfortunately, Ed was hit by a car today. He is physically fine – sore shoulder and banged up leg. His bike is totaled. Ruined. Luckily there was a witness (Bjorn Leukemans) and the driver is very forthcoming with replacing Ed’s bike. Marc and Ed went to a shop nearby today to get a price on a replacement frame, wheels, and groupo. Bad news, this bike isn’t available in Belgium until the middle of January. So once again, Vince from The Cyclery is helping out and using his contacts to get Ed a new bike. The Stevens Carbon is the hottest ‘cross bike in Belgium. So keep your fingers crossed that everything works out for Ed and his bike.

Here are some pictures of Ed’s bike (thanks to Jos for the pics).

The front wheel

Ed's bike

Ed's broken bike

So this has added some excitement to the start of the Belgium trip. Never a dull day. We are chilled out now. Had an easy group supper and some excellent conversation. Marc is out building bikes (they arrived last this afternoon) and I’ve got some more unpacking to do.

Riding tomorrow. Racing on the weekend. Fast times here in Belgium. The trip started off rather slowly but no we’re here and are pretty darn happy about it. We’ll be racing hard this weekend – your support and encouragement will get us through the thick mud and knee deep sand. Good luck this weekend in Kansas City.

One last picture – how happy does Marc look:

Nutella Man