Rotterdam

In my hotel room in Rotterdam. I am watching the Mets play the Marlins from two days ago. They have some wierd TBS deal, no commercials so it is like watching the game in express mode. I need to get a workout in, and them I am going to walk around for a while. Rotterdam is a pretty strange place. For all of the old buildings of Amsterdam, everything here is post world war two, with the exception of an insurance building. The Germans literally flattened this city. It has been rebuilt in the "modern" architecture style, of which I am just not a fan. I am not sure why I find it so unappealing, but it just does not do it for me. Also, after two brilliant, sunny days, the weather has "gone dutch" in that it is a gray, pretty dreary day out there.
The hotel is a real nice one, they are still jacking me for high speed internet, and like a jackass I forgot to get a receipt for the cab from Amsterdam to here, so I am going to have to eat that money, really aggrevates the crap out of me. At least the health club is for free, I need to get a workout it, I feel like a complete slug. I have not done anything in four days. The chances of my doing the Bart Brentjens Challenge in less than two weeks is looking pretty slim. I have Visa stuff to do tomorrow, and then on to Antwerp on Wednesday.
Okay, off to workout, and then to walk around and czech this city out..

Double duty

Well, I finally got to Amsterdam. Finally in the sense that it has been coming for what seems like forever. Had the nicest weather I have ever witnessed here, crystal clear skies and temperature in the mid-sixties. I got checked into the hotel, grabbed a 10 am beer, which really is not as bad as it seems because it was 4 am on the east coast, actually I am not sure if that is good or not when it comes down to it. Then it was a power nap and went out to dinner. More drinks followed then a serious night of sleep. It is now 9:30 local, I think I could use a few more hours of sleep for some reason but I am meeting people for breakfast. I just checked on the scores from back home. The Phillies took the title in the East, which won me more Texas BBQ this year, thanks Greg!! There were also some upsets on the college football front as well.
I got wrapped up in this whole facebook thing. I just started on it yesterday as a way to keep up with people, I'll see how it goes because between this and facebook, I am not sure what will be let go first.
One thing that I don't understand is the Euro obsession with half shower doors. For some reason I cannot upload the picture I have of it here but if you imagine a bathtub shower. The shower door goes just half way, so the half of the tub away from the showerhead does not have any coverage and that part of the floor gets soaked. I don't know if there is an acrylic or glass shortage or what but it is rampant everywhere for some reason. Maybe that is the way I can make my millions.
Anyway, time to meet some people for breakfast.
Okay, back from breakfast. The most expensive 32$ US crappy hotel breakfast ever. I also washed a pair of jeans in the bathtub and hung them up on this wierd dryer grating deal they have in the tub. I really hope that they dry by the time I get out of here tomorrow, but I seriously have no idea. I wanted to get a workout in today, but the gym is 12.50 Euro a pop. Needless to say I did not want to work out all that much. I did another tour around Amsterdam, the hotel I am staying in is really on the outer end of the city, which is fine. I am trying to decide how I am going to get to Rotterdam tomorrow. Getting to the train will be a bit of a pain in the ass with three bags to lug around. A cab may be a bit more expensive but a lot more feasible.
I am watching the world road racing championships on Eurosport right now. I don't understand a word these commentators are saying, and with the minute or two gaps in them saying anything at all leads me to believe they are no Phil and Paul team. The Slingbox is working well thankfully because late last night after watching Animal Planet and Survivorman with bad voiceover, well it was about all I can stand. I think this is going to be a long three months of time with, well me, which can be a dangerous thing.

Part two..

I forget where I was. I have been sick all week long, so my preparation for my, what is looking like the final race of the season anyway, has been non-existant. Anyway, I think I was about the time where my bike finally showed up. After a quick build up, in which I was in such a hurry that I installed the fork backwards the first time and then when I put the rear derrailleur on, the cable was inside of the stay, on the cog. After getting myself straightened out, I did a bit of a warmup with a group of guys, where the picture above was taken. Pretty cool background if you ask me. After a decent dinner it was an early night to bed because of a 6am wake-up. I fell asleep pretty much immediately, and then woke up an hour later and was laying around, looking at the ceiling for about three hours before getting back to sleep. Breakfast was the usual Eurofare of lunch meats and cheeses, and pasta. The bus ride was not a big deal, but I could not fall asleep on the bus, which kind of sucked. We got to the start village, and I do mean village beause besides race day, the place is home to less than a thousand people. Race day brings an additional 16 thousand to their humble place.
The race, in brief, went as well as could be expected. I have, all year, been dealing with back issues. Part of the deal with the race is you had to ride with a pack weighing 3.5 kilograms, or 7.7 pounds. They supplied us with new camelbacks. My plan was to ride with as little in the pack as possible, and use a large waterbottle to hydrate. Then at the last aid station fill the waterbottle, and pop it into my camelback, adding weight. Well, on one of the first descents, about an hour into the race, I was rolling through a series of pretty vicious stutter-bumps when my bottle was ejected from its cage. That, was a problem to say the least. So, my hydration plan was out the window in a big way. I just sipped out of the camelback which at hour two was reeking havoc on my back. It got to the point where I could not generate any power without a hardcore stabbing pain in my back. What my only choice was to use one hand to lift the pack off my back whenever the road would allow and then on the inclines, get out of the saddle and stand on it. The problem with the second part of that is due to the fact that I was not hydrating, because I was worried about the pack weight, I started getting leg cramps. I will say that by the last 10-15K or so, I was certainly prepared to get off the bike.

I have to say that it was a great experience. I met some great people and saw a beautiful country that I cannot believe I would have had a chance to without being a cyclist.

If you see the ogre, tell him I said howdy.

I'm Number 1683!!

Had the opportunity to do the biggest mountain bike race in the world over the weekend. Very cool, it just happened to take place in Norway. Humph.. On Wednesday, I flew into Frankfurt and then onto Oslo. Not really a bad flight when it comes down to it. There is something to be said for sleeping pills and gin and tonic. In addition, when I did wake up during dinner service, red wine was free, nice. Then I went from Frankfurt to Oslo. I was waiting at the airport, got my bag, and then waited longer, and longer. Then I went to the window to ask were my vital piece of luggage is, the one containing my bike. I was told that it would be over in the far corner, for oversized luggage. I went there and waited, and waited, and nothing. So I went back and began filling out the paperwork to have a trace put on the case and see how to get it delivered, by Friday because the race was Saturday.. Should not be a problem, was all I was told. I then walked out to see blonde haired, blue-eyed Heidi (seriously, not kidding, Heidi) waiting for me. We were waiting on the Dutch participants before boarding a bus to head to where we were being put up. It turned out to be a three hour drive from the airport, and the furthere away we got, the less of a chance my bike was going to show up, bummer. We finally got to the top of this mountain outside of Lillehammer. Beautiful place, old wood buildings with grass roofs, nice.
Dinner was some really good BBQ, with Carlsberg beer, which has "Probably the best beer in the world" written across the bottom of the can. I also made two calls on the bike, the first one was not good, they had no idea where it was. The second one was better, it was located and going to be put on the midnight flight from Frankfurt to Oslo.
Friday morning started with a typical Euro breakfast. Sandwhich style stuff, pasta with meat, or cereal with milk that is more the consistency of half and half. I had a little turkey sammy and coffee. The next thing, Rune Hoydahl's mountain bike team showed up. Rune is a multi-time number one in the world mountain biker, multi-time olympian, and silver medalist in the world championship. He and his team did a presentation to the 120 or so of us that were there in the Pon contingent.. They did a decent time of scaring the shit out of people concerning nutrition, crashing, mechanicals, etc. etc.

I gotta go, to be continued....