Mud, manoeuvres & mates

So here we are, blog post number 5, on Easter Monday and currently based in Berchem just outside Oudenaarde in Belgium which has been our traditional base for the Tour of Flanders pro race and the sportive ride that Jase and his mates Jules and Ed have done for the last 6 years or so.

The last blog post saw us sitting out a rainy morning in Ypres, before giving in to cabin fever and donning our rain jackets for a walk. We decided it was fitting weather to take in a view of Hill 60 and the Caterpillar Crater, both important sites for the WW1 battles. Being soaking wet, muddy and cold always feels fitting for these sorts of experiences. I don't know whether it is just the emotion of knowing what awful things happened in these areas, or just my mind playing tricks. but I always feel very humbled to think of the sacrifices made, especially while we enjoy such an adventure ourselves. The picture below shows the distance between the German (Jase) and British frontline which was fought over for many months. The crater was created following months of tunnelling by the Australian forces literally beneath the Germans, and claiming the line with a massive explosion.

After drying out, we accompanied our friends Rusty and Kay to the nightly last post at the Menin Gate - this is something they do each and every day in Ypres and it was a truly moving experience to see.

Wednesday dawns and it's pretty much a similar story weather wise. We had a short drive from Ypres to Berchem which was to be our base for the Flanders weekend. It is here that the story turns a bit stressful for a while! Camping Panorama is well known to us, and so we know it can get very muddy (do you see where I am heading with this yet?!). Anyway, the helpful site owner, Anne and her builder try in vain to get us safely loaded onto a pitch, instead ending up almost axle deep in Belgium's finest mud! As you all know, I am lucky enough to be married to an engineering genius, so in the pissing down rain, Jase manages to locate a trolley jack, finds as much wood/blocks as he can find and manages to get both front wheels safely back onto the tarmac. After that "experience" we decided our best bet was a bit of uneven access road for the night at least!

Once the drama had settled, and my nerves were calmed with a cuppa and a sarnie, we donned the raincoats again to support the Dwarf Doors Vlaanderen race which was running right past the end of the campsite. On the 2nd pass it was brilliant to see a British rider leading the pack!

Being Wednesday, it was time for our weekly spend tot up! Pretty much honours even for this week, so far, so good there.

After so much rain and damp conditions, it was a real joy to wake up Thursday to a shiny round thing in the sky again! We'd already decided it was time to have a much needed housekeeping day today so spent a happy number of hours pottering around the van, getting 2 weeks of washing done and generally enjoying the weather. It's at this point my sister asked me, 2 weeks in, what had I learnt and what were the best and worst bits so far. It was a good set of questions, and has kept me pondering pretty much since then. I think the worst has to be the weather - I know some readers will think, it was March, what did you expect?! But to be fair, no one thought snow and -6 was fair for that time of year! I think the lessons so far are vast. From realising that it is ok to step off the treadmill of life for a while, and slow down and enjoy things, right through to seeing a dirty shower and simply grabbing the cleaning squeegee and doing it yourself rather than being grossed out by it! Above all, to quote a song, the sunshine really does follow the rain - it is just a question of how long that is the tricky bit!

Another thing we have discovered is the number of ways we can use our van. Being a VW T4, we don't have a full time bed or dining area, so things have to be set out as you need them. One thing we've just discovered though, is by swivelling both seats and pulling the bed part way out, we have a chaise lounge type set up which we call "cinema style!" works perfectly for rocking into a bit of Morse of an evening!

Friday saw the traditional ride into Oudenaarde and a lunch out (our first this trip) meeting up with Rusty & Kay. We did experience a bit of bother trying to get somewhere to eat - bearing in mind there are some 20,000+ people due in town for the Sportive ride plus fans watching the pro race, the town was distinctly not wanting bikes parked anywhere! In the end we found a lovely friendly place which suited us perfectly. Sometimes you just have to vote with your feet. By the time we got back to Panorama, Jules and Ed had arrived too so we enjoyed a lovely evening, chatting & laughing. Lovely to see some other familiar faces.

Saturday was Sportive day, with Jase and the boys set to ride 139km plus 40km to the start and back again, making a 120miles round trip for the day. The ride is open to anyone who wants to have a go, and the field is a good 18,000 strong covering all shapes, sizes and riding styles. All 3 got round safely and I am lead to believe enjoyed at least some part of it (not just the beer and chilli at the end!)

Sunday was Pro race day, and Jase and Jules managed a short 50km ride to start the day - the last the weekly riding buddies would do together for a while. Jase and I then said our farewells and thanks for the tea, hot X buns, cheese & wine etc and headed off to a watching spot.

We would normally watch mid climb, but in recent years the organisers have made things increasingly difficult to spectate so we headed for a flatter, quieter section which proved great for watching and pictures. This shot is of the main contenders on the last lap when they were chasing down 3 leaders (in vain as it turned out).

So, writing this on Easter Monday, which for the time being at least is dry. Thoughts are now turning to the next event which is Paris-Roubaix this coming weekend. This race will mean us being off grid and roadside from Wednesday to Monday, so we are all about preparation now. More washing, then shopping and making sure all devices are charged and water filled etc. In good news, if the weather forecast is to be believed, we could be on for some fab weather towards the end of the week which will be fantastic. The plan after that point is a bit unclear but will probably see is heading towards the Ardennes and into Germany & Luxemburg and then making our way south. Oh, and we've decided to dip into our "rainy day fund" tomorrow and treat ourselves to a meal in our fav restaurant in Gent - all you can eat ribs - well, we will need to stock pile calories too......!

Over and out for now, stay safe all

J&J x