it took me like 2 weeks before i could spell leffrinckoucke!
i miss france and i want to go back!
it was really the time of my life!!!!!!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
in tatters
have you seen dinah's fb status? we are in tatters.. the past week has not treated us too kindly! there has been many ups and downs since the last time!
This is the day by day breakdown!
After the Gosnay battering on monday, Tuesday was a designated day of rest with us going grocery shopping, then off to Decathlon, the local bike shop moto passion, cycle dessy to look for a bicycle bag for the return trip to singapore, then gone to bergues to look for souvenirs to buy back to singapore, before returning home to cook dinner!
Wednesday was the race at Isbergues and Cedric took us there and he and Laurent raced with us, he was still tired from the race at Gosnay and therefore didnt finish the race, marcus won the sprint and i got 3rd but there was a breakaway of more than 30 riders in front. The biggest problem of the race was that Dinah crashed very heavily in the corner. I also had a new miss where i leaned onto a rider until he hit into the hay bails as he tried to cut my line, i had to unclip one leg even.. other than that, it was a uneventful 26 laps race! 84 k in total.
Thursday was a rather lousy day for us too as in the morning we went out for a ride to couderkerque and then just near home, marcus met with a traffic accident, as i was behind him i saw it all happen as he tried to filter left to turn as a car overtook him from behind and hit him, he went down quite heavily as i shouted his name. The driver wanted to claim insurance for his broken mirrors and this let to a very lousy friday which was spent mostly moaping around at the police station, going to the bike shop and so forth.
We had a very nice dinner at Brugel in Bergues on thursday night with Laurent and Cedric. It is a very old traitional Belgian Restaurant!
Saturday was Dinahs race in insanely cold weather and she finished a good place 28th! today was the race at Ardres and marcus finished 20th whilst i pulled out as my legs were frozen..11 degress plus rain..
there are some professional pictures of us racing
This is the day by day breakdown!
After the Gosnay battering on monday, Tuesday was a designated day of rest with us going grocery shopping, then off to Decathlon, the local bike shop moto passion, cycle dessy to look for a bicycle bag for the return trip to singapore, then gone to bergues to look for souvenirs to buy back to singapore, before returning home to cook dinner!
Wednesday was the race at Isbergues and Cedric took us there and he and Laurent raced with us, he was still tired from the race at Gosnay and therefore didnt finish the race, marcus won the sprint and i got 3rd but there was a breakaway of more than 30 riders in front. The biggest problem of the race was that Dinah crashed very heavily in the corner. I also had a new miss where i leaned onto a rider until he hit into the hay bails as he tried to cut my line, i had to unclip one leg even.. other than that, it was a uneventful 26 laps race! 84 k in total.
Thursday was a rather lousy day for us too as in the morning we went out for a ride to couderkerque and then just near home, marcus met with a traffic accident, as i was behind him i saw it all happen as he tried to filter left to turn as a car overtook him from behind and hit him, he went down quite heavily as i shouted his name. The driver wanted to claim insurance for his broken mirrors and this let to a very lousy friday which was spent mostly moaping around at the police station, going to the bike shop and so forth.
We had a very nice dinner at Brugel in Bergues on thursday night with Laurent and Cedric. It is a very old traitional Belgian Restaurant!
Saturday was Dinahs race in insanely cold weather and she finished a good place 28th! today was the race at Ardres and marcus finished 20th whilst i pulled out as my legs were frozen..11 degress plus rain..
there are some professional pictures of us racing
Monday, June 14, 2010
GOSNAY! YAY!
Gosnay ( Cat 2) race
2 small climbs, very rough rough roads, 20 laps of slightly less than 5km each lap
THERE WAS ONLY 400 -500 m of smooth roads per lap!
I felt like giving up after just 2 laps because the roads were so rough i was hanging right off the back! Marcus was trying to contest for the KOM at the early laps..Then he said he was just hoping to puncture so he could pull out.. my back and neck is now gone because of the rough roads. Its like worst than anything i have ever seen!
maybe we should have suspension for road bikes!
Marcus Me Cedric, sat in the pack till the end where cedric told me to go on the last climb but i couldnt so i just sat in the first few postions and marked a decathlon rider who looked strong.. he attacked a few times so i just kept following him. There was a breakaway over 2 mins in front of about 20 riders..
there was a solo guy 20 m in front, decathlon rider and i and then gap to the peloton! 3rd in the peloton and then 24th overall, marcus 31st and cedric was 47th.
i am glad because i finally gave it all in the finale of a race today! for once all on the line!couldnt get round the decathlon guy and also even if i could i shouldnt because he was the one who pulled most of the way in the last one km to mantain the gap to the peloton!
if i had known the roads were like that i would probably have just 100psi in the tyres instead of the 110 or so! its like the worst stretch of road in kulai X2 for 2hrs plus! glad to make it through unscathed!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Bousbecque
After Chocques, we had a good 3 day break where we went to Brugues in belgium where we bought authentic hand made chocolates, belgian waffles! and of course flemish stew/ moules(mussels) and frites! We also went prawning which was a pretty miserable because we were too wet and cold! we caught many small shrimp which we turned into a shrimp pasta we had with salad at Cedric's house! there was also a radio interview..
Yujun and noelle came on friday night and on saturday they celebrated my birthday!! YAY i felt so loved! with a good singaporean dinner and a really lovely cake:) pink!
Yesterday we had a elite national category race at picardy (Gamanches) which marcus recorded a top speed of 69kph but still dnf because he was caught up behind a crash whereas i dropped off i was too sick and powerless...
Today's race at Bousbecque, Dinah crashed out on lap one after she bumped into another rider! Cedric got 11th in the sprint! marcus tried to go break at least 4 or 5 times but there was no break in the end.. i was a numbnuts because i thought that there was a breakaway and so i didnt sprint.. probably ended up just outside the top 20..
Now its time for bed! good night!
Yujun and noelle came on friday night and on saturday they celebrated my birthday!! YAY i felt so loved! with a good singaporean dinner and a really lovely cake:) pink!
Yesterday we had a elite national category race at picardy (Gamanches) which marcus recorded a top speed of 69kph but still dnf because he was caught up behind a crash whereas i dropped off i was too sick and powerless...
Today's race at Bousbecque, Dinah crashed out on lap one after she bumped into another rider! Cedric got 11th in the sprint! marcus tried to go break at least 4 or 5 times but there was no break in the end.. i was a numbnuts because i thought that there was a breakaway and so i didnt sprint.. probably ended up just outside the top 20..
Now its time for bed! good night!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Chocques (pornounced-shioks)
Chocques- shioks
it was a one hour drive to the start yesterday during which the weather changed like 10 times from going to rain to bright and sunny!
Finally at the race start after collecting our numbers and going to start chaging, it poured! but only for 5 or so minutes but we were pretty moody as we also couldnt really warm up! we all had a lousy stomach from the lunch too! consolation was that the race started off at a more reasonable pace due to the rains! Dinah and the only other girl started at the front! Today i finally managed to get in the very front of the pack and stay there! there were a few attacks but the big move was made at 40 km into the race and the 2nd move about 60km! none of the moves we were in stuck! especially so for marcus who was in a chase pack of 4 riders trying to catch the 2nd break for a good 4-5km without succeeding! i really though they would get there!
For the bunch sprint, we helped to be sure dinah beat the other girl for the trophy and we all got 5 euros each traveling money(which we would want to add to our quiche/frites fund!)
marcus got 26th, dinah 28th and luke 31st.
Another glorious sunset today! and the bikes are flithy!!
it was a one hour drive to the start yesterday during which the weather changed like 10 times from going to rain to bright and sunny!
Finally at the race start after collecting our numbers and going to start chaging, it poured! but only for 5 or so minutes but we were pretty moody as we also couldnt really warm up! we all had a lousy stomach from the lunch too! consolation was that the race started off at a more reasonable pace due to the rains! Dinah and the only other girl started at the front! Today i finally managed to get in the very front of the pack and stay there! there were a few attacks but the big move was made at 40 km into the race and the 2nd move about 60km! none of the moves we were in stuck! especially so for marcus who was in a chase pack of 4 riders trying to catch the 2nd break for a good 4-5km without succeeding! i really though they would get there!
For the bunch sprint, we helped to be sure dinah beat the other girl for the trophy and we all got 5 euros each traveling money(which we would want to add to our quiche/frites fund!)
marcus got 26th, dinah 28th and luke 31st.
Another glorious sunset today! and the bikes are flithy!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
La Maison de Cedric
welcome to cedric house
some non-racing photos!
also check out this video of the singapour trio in dunkerque on french national tv3
http://info.francetelevisions.fr/video-info/index-fr.php?id-video=cafe_HD_1900_lille_jtregional_060610_06062010195409_F3&timecode=725&endtimecode=1312
we are at 17.35 on the video..
some non-racing photos!
also check out this video of the singapour trio in dunkerque on french national tv3
http://info.francetelevisions.fr/video-info/index-fr.php?id-video=cafe_HD_1900_lille_jtregional_060610_06062010195409_F3&timecode=725&endtimecode=1312
we are at 17.35 on the video..
now the races start!
so we have now started racing..
Belgium one for the guys in lovendegum and then once for Dinah! Dinah finished with the pack despite bonking!!
at houpline marcus got 15th and dinah and i got dropped! though they earned 14 euros!!
today at blaringham marcus got in the top 30 and i finished the race..
tomorrow is the next race..
Belgium one for the guys in lovendegum and then once for Dinah! Dinah finished with the pack despite bonking!!
at houpline marcus got 15th and dinah and i got dropped! though they earned 14 euros!!
today at blaringham marcus got in the top 30 and i finished the race..
tomorrow is the next race..
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