Jauche, Ruiselede

Jauche

With Andrew's chain snapping on the first lap in Wambeek the previous day, we decided to change plans and took to the start line in Jauche on Tuesday.

Again strong winds battered the wide expose course, and feeling fatigued I knew all I could do was follow wheels and see how the legs felt later on. With constant attacks the pace was furious and slipping too far back, I found myself having to close gaps to hold my place in the peloton. Of course, in the battering winds, the field split to pieces, and I found myself with Andrew, in the second group on the road, with the early break group gaining a good gap. With a few riders not content to sit and work with the 15 or so man group, the pace very changeable, and as their futile 2 minutes attacks went and came back, the leaders gradually extended the lead. With Andrew puncturing 3 laps out, and riders loosing contact, we came into the final lap with 9 riders together, and despite a favourable uphill sprint, the efforts from the previous day proved too much and I had to settle for 4th from the group, 13th overall with 9 riders still up the road.

Ruiselede

Despite knowing how fatigued I was, and for an unknown reason even now, I again joined my brother at his final kermis of the week before heading home that evening. The pain flat circuit, combined with a fine drizzle, meant we were destined for a 'brake/sprint' situation at every corner. Not the type of circuit for, by this time, dying legs...

Inevitably the entirely fruitless task of taking on the race was evident, both of us dropping out at the hour mark...

Lesson: 4 races in 5 days: may have bitten off more (bar tape) than I can chew with this one.