Black and White

After weeks of outdoor riding and solid training the winds have shifted yet again and a lingering winter is blasting the region. With only days to go until I depart for the summer conditions of central Europe it is exciting to know I will be escaping this inhumane habitat shortly. Tomorrow is looking better with 8 degrees in the forecast. As long as I get some full fenders on the cross machine a couple of quality days on the road should be in store. For today I will retreat to the relative comfort of the indoor trainer and some LT bursts to add to my current program of beginning to fine tune the engine for my first race of the season, which is only 9 days away. The Grote Prijs Affligem is a grunt of a road race with plenty of true Flemish delights thrown into the mix to officially welcome me back to racing for 2007. I know I am stronger than I was at this time last year so this year I will see the epic to the end and start the season in style. Training is boring, I want to race.

I have been trying to add some Flemish to my vocabulary and the goal for this year's extended stay is to become proficient in their everyday language. I am looking forward to yet another incredible cultural immersion and to seeing my good Belgian friends very soon. It is amazing how welcoming they have been and how integrated I feel when I am staying in Liedekerke. It is a completely different world from what I know both here in Canada and in Norway, but a world I feel very welcome in and a genuine part of.
My brother and family departed for the motherland yesterday and although it is always a challenge to see them go, I know the future should see the distances decreased drastically between us. I am hoping to take a quick trip up north while in Belgium to visit Bergen and my sister so the possibility exists for a crossing of paths shortly.
Exciting times in the next few days and the beginning of yet another epic adventure on my doorstep. It seems small and large adventures are becoming a very regular part of my life and I don't intend it to stop.
Live the dream...