Friday night (June 24th) .. I finished my first race near Ghent….on the Flahute BIke. Despite only 4 hours sleep and having to completely repack (with the correct grease) the BB30 50 minutes before the start in a (really good) village bike shop called Alexis Sport in Lovendegem , I made it to right village, found the designated bar for race registration and made it to the start line. It was a 1.18 Race which is designated as Elite without Contract but also includes Amateurs and Masters and has a smaller prize list. With my 2 hour warmup, my legs were ready to go and I succcessfully surfed the middle of the peloton most of the race without major problems. It was 20 times around a 5 km loop on roads narrower than my driveway. There was a cobbled “hill” (i.e. 2-3% grade for 100 meters) going around a church which was useful in my case. I made the mistake of trying to chase the 6 man break on the last lap and was then hung out to dry in the field sprint. …one place out of the money 31st out of 70 starters. But a good sign.
On the Rivet
Amateur cycling diary
