Racing Axel

I haven't been able to use a computer for a few days because of the race we are doing right now. The race is Driedaagse van Axel. It is a three day, four stage race which is in Holland and Belgium. The first day was an eye opener. The racing is very aggressive and fast. If you are not trying to move up in the field you are definitely going backwards. It makes any race I have done in the states look like a Sunday ride. There are a number of cobble stone sections which really take it out of you and hurt to crash on. On Friday I got dropped with about a lap and a half of the finishing circuits left. I found my self in a large group and we kept going hard until the finish. Things could have been better but it was my first road race in Europe.

Yesterday I had a short 7.9k time trial and another 100k plus road race. I had a decent time Trial finishing 61st out of 165. The course was very flat and had a number of tricky corners. Later on in the day we started the road race and encountered the first set of rain drops. Throughout the race the rain got harder until it was equal to Washington weather status. All four of us were able to stay close to the front most of the race except for a times. As we were coming out of a corner two people crashed in front of me, but I was able to jump over my bars and land on my feet and with a very smooth cyclocross mount I was back on my way. However within the last 3k I was not so lucky. On the wet cobble stones I was caught behind a big crash that probably involved almost twenty people. I hit the deck hard, but luckily I only cracked my helmet and messed up my bar tape. All I have to say is thank god for the Giro Helmet I had on.