Race #13: Wolvertem Elite Kermesse

This was the third race in the last week and after yesterdays crit I was feeling really good. This was a 120 km standard Elite race on rough roads with lots of wind and some ripping fast corners. Another all to typical day in Flanders. Riding around the start I recognized a lot of riders including Russell Downing (British national road champion), Team DFL Cyclingnews, PictoFlex, and the other usual fast cats from various Elite teams.
The start was pretty uneventful with the early break failing. By the half way mark I could feel the strain of the riders around me as we battles the rough roads and tried to conserve in the gutter in the crosswind sections. With 40 km to go I was in a group of about 10 up the road that was looking to be doomed if we didn't work together better. Russell Downing was with us, but ion the one climb on the course he attacked and cruised away without protest. We got caught be the peleton and then with about 30 km to go a group of 6 or so got away. I never left the top 20 the entire race and found myself on the attack several times trying to bridge the gap. At one point me and a Palmans-Collstrop rider were very close, but the wind was too strong and we had to surrender. Finally with about 15 km to the line my efforts at the front paid off and I made it away in a 13 man selection. We ended up over a minute up on the peleton and only 20 seconds down on the break, but by that point Downing had bagged another win and I had messed up the sprint and landed 18th. My sprint is horrible compared to my competition here and this is the 5th or 6th race that I have placed in the top 20, but had the chance to place inside the top 10. Its a bit frustrating, but at the same time this year is such a huge improvement over last year that I cant complain.
After the race I rode 30 km home for extra training, 150 km is always a good thing.
In other news I am trying to get to nationals, but the people I want to travel with are slow in getting details so I still don't have a plane ticket. I really just want to stay here and race, but recognize the importance of racing in Canada to try to get a spot on a national team project. I also found out today that if I was not going back I could sign with Pictoflex-Hyundai for the rest of the season. This is the team I rode for last year and after my performances so far and the fact that they need two riders to fill spots due to injured riders Tino told me the news today. Riding for a team like Pictoflex is a great opportunity as they are in the European Continental Tour. Perhaps this means good things for next season. Stay Tuned!
Tomorrow I have a big training day planned with a small 65 km kermesse to do in the evening, 5 hours with some racing. Then its easy for the next two days and the big interclub on Sunday. Top 20 is the goal and if I can do it that would be a huge result for me. Looking forward to it!