Belgium Day 3, 4 and Home.

DAY 3 - After the long day tuesday the relaxed start to Wednesday morning was well welcomed.  Having decided that we really didnt want to eat out after a bad dining experience on tuesday we used the morning off to head to the supermarket and pick up a few things.  I know going to the supermarket isnt that exciting but this one was different after i discovered the Belgium beer gold mine.  some might be aware but i have a taste for Belgium beer, and hidden in the back of the supermarket they had loads of all different belgian beers - Blonde, Tripel, Brune, everything all at less than 1.50 euro per bottle, i was like a kid in a candy store struggling to pick out the select ones to try.  This turned our shopping trip into an expedition as i slowly selected a rather large variety of beers to taste leaving with about 8 or 9 different bottles.  i needed to make the most of this opportunity to find the ones that i relly like.  For comparison a bottle of Chimay Blau in Australia would set you back around $12, here 1.15 Euro......bargain.   

 

Eventually getting back to Sart i got myself out on the road for a bit of a run.  In the back of my mind i still had doubts about my leg and was a little worried about spending a bit of time on it, but i also knew that i needed to get out there to get some strength back and get the wagon back in motion.  As it turned out it wasnt too bad managing to punch out 1 3/4 hrs all feeling relatively ok apart from the  expected fatigue from just getting back into it after missed long runs for the last few weeks.  Anyway slowly but shurely the injury is working its way better. Aty least the pain has gone and it feels now that it just needs a little strength.   

Having spent soo long in the Beer Bonanza the turn around was quick heading out for a short recovery ride with Alicia.  Taking it easy and just turning the legs over it was  pretty chilled taking the time to enjoy the scenery and the sun making our way through some Pine forests and small Belgian towns. After 1.5hrs and another 35km to the weekly total we ended the day of tucking into our BBQ chicken, dinner and of course 1 or 2 of the hard earned bevys from my new beer stash.

DAY 4 - The last day of solid training by now the legs were definitely feeling pretty heavy as i headed out for the second of my 2nd 6 hour bike sessions for the week.  With Alicia joining me we head out to discover more of the Ardennes heading toward Stavelot where we have been told numerous times that the terrain turns upwards.  Luckily for us we went down the 13 degree gradient section but on the same token we still found the cobble stone sections which were pretty hard to navigate slowing us down to nearly a stand still.  Racking up just over 3 hours we swang past home to drop Alicia off before i headed off to finish the last few hours which looked a little daunting with the heavens opening up.  Never the less i headed back into Spa - down the same hill that had inihallated me on the tuesday, to ride my way up the last direction of the climb of the col du rossier.  A silly thing but i just wanted to say that i had climbed it from every possible direction.  The Rossier done and the last climb back up to Francochamps done at 5.5 hrs it was time to call it a day.  Just in time to miss the huge downpour. 

A solid 130km to finish off the week.  Climbing a little over 8500m, clocking up 15hrs in the saddle, just over 380km plus a few run and swim kms, it was a well needed boost after an inturrupted couple of weeks, concentrating on the hockey finals as well as takng some time to try and recover from my leg injury.  To finish off  a reaaly good week we headed over to the conviently placed Vietnamese Restaurant across the road from our B&B, for a very nice (and large) feed.  We had been saving this dinner to end an enjoyable, fun and relaxing week.  (Yes i know this doesent really sound like your average week of relaxation).  But it is as good as it gets when your an Endorphin addict. .

Tomorrow heading back to the Hague to get ready for my final game of hockey in the Benefit match against the Old Cartouche team on Saturday.  It is going to be tough and i think we might be in trouble given the quality of the opposition.  Win or lose it is all for a good cause, and a good way to finish off the season and my current career.  However not before taking a quick trip through the Dutch SE, stopping into Mastricht to make sure we see as much of the European landscape as possible.......Until then......