Moving out and in

So the aspiration, perhaps dream of moving to Belgium is now very much in process, well it’s happened, I’m here, I’m living, and the racing starts this Sunday.

I’m under no doubt that this first month racing/training wise will mostly be a learning experience, I’ve being here before, but not like this, there’s plenty of racing but not to the point where you can perhaps race, recover, race at the minute, learning the roads, the group rides etc to train well is fundamental, and it’s exciting to learn and to start making a routine you can live off.

However it didn’t feel like this Thursday, we set off from Home, Yorkshire at around 3 AM, this meant that we missed traffic and had a good run down to the Channel Tunnel, at first I was excited to see everything, but as the day went on the tiredness set in and when we arrived building the new bike and settling in soon became a testing experience, not an exciting one. The day after it rained, just like back home, I finished unpacking, I wrapped my bar tape and then I declared myself moved in, if I’m to be honest I don’t really remember those first 2 days.

From the first day to now my mindset and body is totally different, I’m not as tired as I was, and this house in Belgium feels very much like it’s starting to become a home, there’s a few minor things to do, but I can almost compare it to living in an old type farmhouse back home, everything’s rather simple, but like I said it’s becoming a home, and it’s better that than thinking how am I going to survive here for 8 months of the year.

It’s great to have all my bikes and equipment lined up in the bike room also, sometimes it’s nice to just sit back and look, very much feeling grateful and humbled to receive the support I’m getting this year, it now symbolises that the season is getting closer.

With this Sunday’s race come nerves, to see how everything’s gone over the winter, to see if I’m on target to hopefully reach some of my early season goals, but with nerves comes more excitement, the cups half full, and not half empty.

On to Sunday where I will be racing Gent-Staden.

Here’s me in my new kit.