I did the first world cup of the season in Houffalize, Belgium yesterday and am now heading to the south of France for some training and racing before the next world cup in germany. The race was not great but I definitely have hope. Sea Otter was my first race and it went really well considering that but it was also more suited to the training I have been doing. The world cup started really well. For the first 2 1/2 laps I was within range of top 10. In lap 3 I fell back to 20th place and then maintained that for the final lap. The great thing is I was climbing really well and I have good fitness. The tragic thing is I was not top 10 in that race because my technical is terrible. I was okay for the first half because I was fresh enough then it all kind of fell apart. No serious crashes and I know what I need to work on so I am quite optimistic for the next race. It felt great to be racing again for the first hour then it just hurt.
It is super nice here too. I have shorts and a t-shirt on and am cooking! All I can think about is going to the beach.
I also had my tarte au riz. It is pretty much rice pudding cooked in a thin pastry like a pie. I have only seen them in Belgium so if you ever go you must try them. I always say I will only get one if I am top 10 but I have had one every time I am there and had only one top 10 finish so...
The crowds there were crazy too. They said there was at least 25000 spectators. Belgians are crazy for cycling. Houffalize is really small too. It probably has a population of less than 2000 so that gives you some idea of the effort people there will go to to watch a bike race. It is also a great venue for having a lot of competitors. In the women's race there were 125 racers and the men had 230. It is always more exciting with larger fields and super fans.
Definitely going to work on my technical skills and be ready to be in the top 10 in offenburg!
My bike worked perfectly and everything with the team and support is super smooth.
Kiara
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