Verviers

"So what ever happened to that trip to Verviers for the mtb marathon worlds?"
We deserted the flanderian urban sprawl early Saturday afternoon and set our sights on Verviers which is a city of fair size close to the more famous center of Liege. The area is famous as the gateway to the Ardennes region which means endless lush green rolling and semi mountainous terrain, plenty of lakes and rivers making for a outdoor enthusiast paradise only 1.5 hours on the highway from Brussels.
Upon arriving we pitched our tents close to the start and hit the trails to test the trails and get back in the mtb groove. The bike I had borrowed for the weekend was a hurting and half broken bright orange beauty of a hardtail with Spanish roots. The ride felt great and from the trails we rode the following day looked sure to be filled with fast rolling singletrack and breathtaking scenery.
We had entered in the Open category meaning that we would be riding the same course as the official World Championships only minutes behind the pros. With a wide variety of skill levels among the 500 riders on the start it was simply an organized group ride for some and a race for others. For the majority of guys from Sportzone it was the group ride feel that dominated the day with the exception of Gregory who lined up at the front and hammered his way to a 4th place finish!
You are only as fast as the slowest rider on a group ride so waiting was the name of the game. Some of us would ride off ahead only to wait for 15 minutes at the feed stations for the rest of the group. It was difficult to adjust to the non competitive atmosphere at first while having a number plate on the bike; but after a few hours i fell into the groove and began to truely enjoy the day. With constantly changing terrain, long climbs and both fast and technical descents it was easy to stay engaged . And with it being the worlds the level of organization was exceptional.
After 8 hours and 45 minutes of offroad bliss we finally road under the finishing banner into around the 250th place.
I have to say it was possibly the best 35 Euros and nearly 9 hours I have ever spent, even with the blown out fork and booted tire.
I know what I am doing when the opportunities on the road run dry...