Afscheidswedstrijd

Although it's two weeks until I go, Guido is going on hols next week so we had to have our depature drinks today (and tomorrow if anyone can still feel their heads). Good ol' Westmalle Trappist plus a couple of Jenevers for the road and...ooooohhh dear.

We did the usual Saturday loop in the fog that's been hanging around for three solid days, and even though riding through humid air is meant to be quicker, I felt like I was riding through Victoria Park swimming puel. We did the Trap Op in 5'45 (about a minute slower than best) and I was even off the back at the top! Felt a bit better coming back and Marc and another guy gave me a perfect leadout for the sprint, but Jo hadn't read the script properly and came around me easily. Sorry guys! Not to worry, I'll get my speed back.

Then we had some drinks, and it was good to see Philippe B again, on the bike for the first time after his accident nearly 6 weeks ago. As mentioned above, we started with Westmalle, and I stuck to the dark stuff, which is only 7 percent, while the others went to the tripel (9.5 percent) and then Guido got stuck into the Jenever (something like 40 percent).

One beer is enough to annihiliate me after a hard ride, and I was only a bit of the way through the second beer when somehow I knocked it all over the table, the floor, the guy next to me, and me. Oops. I felt better when Jo did exactly the same thing with his fourth or fifth. Then it was clearly time to drink Jenever.

I think we all made it home, although the guy I was riding with kept disappearing off the side of the road. He already did that when he was sober so it wasn't a big drama Sleep was necessary, then I watched Kindergarten Cop by accident and my headache came back.

Earlier in the week on Tuesday, I did Henk's Tweede Fietstocht, which was a nice loop down south towards the southern parts of Belgium. I need to look at it on a map. He'd already taken the Others on the ride a few weeks ago, so it was just us two. No punctures this time, but I was fairly hammered after doing that plus another 70 km in the morning. But afterwards we had a great pasta meal at Henk and Ilse's, so that made it definitely worthwhile!

Then the fog set in. On both Thursday and Friday, the fog was thick all day and all night. It didn't lift once, not until Saturday. I even got lost riding around Zwalm on the backroads. I thought I was going in one direction but it was the opposite. I think I need more sleep.

Things are progressing slowly as far as moving out goes, but next week I'll have to get my A into G. I'm leaving in just over two weeks but in a week I'm paying a final visit to Rabbit's friends and relations in Londoninium on Monday->Wednesday. Woo hoo!