The race anxiously came by for me as it was my first race here in Europe in the Junior 17/18 year old category. It was a 4 day stage race as the 1st day being a 5 kilometer prologue and 3 road races. I absolutely loved the prologue because it was so new for me to do such a short time trial. After the first day the race standing were so close with everyone standing just a couple minutes apart at the most. Next day was the 1st road stage and boy was it a crazy one (at least for me it was). The race started very sketchy and hectic with lots of dividers and round abouts in the road or as most say road furniture. Crashes started right away and unforunately I was a part of a crash 30 kilometers in to the 110 kilometer race. I had to get a spair bike which did not fit me very well but it sure did the job. I finished with the group but I was exhausted. For some reason I can't remember all that much about the 3rd stage but I do know that I crashed that day as well. The 4th and last stage came quick, I was really feeling good on this day. The first 30 kilometers of the race was BRUTAL cross winds, which really hurt. There were a lot of crashes and splits happening but I managed to stay clear to make in all the front splits. I made it to the short steep climbs 40 kilometers into the race and I was feel good. At about 60 kilometers in we were cresting one of the last climbs to make a sharp left turn into really fast downhill. Unfortunately this time I slid out due to sand. I fell on my knee which ruined the day but I kept going, to finish the race and that was that.
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| Embarking on a great ride here in Belgium |
Thankfully my trip wasn't over yet because I was joining the Junior US National Team for another month. I have two more stage races to look forward to which is taking place in Germany and the Netherlands. I am very excited for these next two stage races and I will do my absolute best to keep everyone up to date!
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| Just another beautiful day here in Belgium |
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for the second part of my blog coming up at the end of my trip!
