{"id":3160,"date":"2014-01-24T19:05:33","date_gmt":"2014-01-24T18:05:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bakkerbugle.com\/blog\/?p=3160"},"modified":"2014-01-24T19:05:33","modified_gmt":"2014-01-24T18:05:33","slug":"our-ronde-van-vlaanderen-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bakkerbugle.com\/blog\/2014\/01\/24\/our-ronde-van-vlaanderen-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Ronde van Vlaanderen: Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"

When your bike starts making an unfamiliar noise, you start to worry. Was I hearing things? Was I just being nervous? Or did I have a flat tire? <\/p>\n

In fact, I did have a flat tire. I called out to Jan, \u201cI\u2019ve got a flat,\u201d and pulled off to the side of the road. Jan asked me if I had what I needed to change it. I replied that I did\u2026 although I might need a bit of support, as I have only changed a couple tires. Nerves jangling and adrenaline racing, I flipped over the bike, took off the tire and got out my levers. It was at this point Jan asked, \u201cDo you have a pump?\u201d<\/p>\n

Eh… no. Will has the pump on his bike and he hadn\u2019t realized I\u2019d flatted. Jan thought we might stop another rider, so I kept changing the tire. Sure enough, a nice man name Nico rolled up and had a whole bag of tricks. He offered to wait and let me use his pump. Nico was not in a hurry, because he explained that the pace of the groups was too fast for him, so he was taking his time and enjoying the ride. He was a local, so he knew the route well and wasn\u2019t worried about the lack of a guide or signs (more on this later). <\/p>\n

With a little help from Jan and Nico, the tire was re-inflated and we were ready to go. At this point, the broom wagon arrived. For those unfamiliar with racing, the broom wagon is the vehicle there to \u201csweep\u201d up the lagging riders at the back of a race. They stopped to see about us. Jan talked with them for a while and then announced to be that there was no way we could catch up with the group. However, if I was willing to skip the Koppenberg<\/a> (yet another famous climb), we could take a shortcut and meet up with group at the feed zone. I was all for a short-cut at that point!<\/p>\n

Jan lead me down some excellent roads to the feed zone. He was a gracious guide and quite friendly. We had a good ride until I reached the hill before the feed zone that was a 10% grade. I couldn\u2019t do it. I could not make it up that hill. My legs were just gone. As I was half way up, doing my best to just walk, the 10:30 group passed me. By the time I got to the top, they were enjoying coffee and snacks.<\/p>\n

At this point, I was exhausted. I\u2019m quite sure my brain was not fully functioning. I will attempt to document my insane thinking for posterity. The next bit will be a little tough to comprehend – my apologies to all. <\/p>\n

When I rolled into the feed zone, I immediately started looking for Will and his distinctive orange jacket. But he isn\u2019t there! Where is he! Why hadn\u2019t he waited on me?!<\/em><\/p>\n

I nervously wandered around, had some water and ate a banana and a waffle (we were in Belgium, after all). The 10:30 group called to gather up and ride\u2026 but I just got here. Should I head out with them? That seems wrong. Why didn\u2019t Will wait on me? I\u2019m so surprised he didn\u2019t wait on me. What do I do? I have to do something. I can\u2019t just stay here the rest of the day.<\/em><\/p>\n

More and more stragglers were coming into the feed zone, in small groups of two and three. A group of two women and two men were talking and seemed nice. At this point, I decided I needed to make some friends to get through the rest of the ride, because I had no map, no cue sheet and no idea where I was or how to get back to town (and to our hotel). I approached one of the woman and asked, \u201cMay I ride with you?\u201d and her response, \u201cSure, but we\u2019re slow,\u201d warmed my heart. It was a couple from Italy and a couple from the Netherlands. I knew I\u2019d be in good hands.<\/p>\n

I waited with them to get started, still nervous about Will. What had happened?! Why hadn\u2019t he waited on me?<\/em> As we were getting ready to depart for the last 1\/3rd of the ride, one of my new friends exclaimed \u201cWait a minute – it\u2019s only 15 km back to town. And it is all downhill! Let\u2019s just go home.\u201d This thought was exciting. All downhill. Only 15 km instead of 30. All downhill.<\/em><\/p>\n

But\u2026 what about Will? This whole day had been my bright idea. Could I just abandon the ride without him?<\/em> I knew that Will wouldn\u2019t have any issue with abandoning\u2026.. but I genuinely believed that if he managed to complete all 68 km while I had bailed, he would kill me. And no judge would convict him, particularly with clouds gathering and the temperature dropping fast. <\/p>\n

At this point, some of the sugar from the food began to feed my brain. Will had been at the back of the 10:30 group with me before the flat. He was already feeling tired\u2026 he probably wasn\u2019t able to keep up with them. That means he probably hasn\u2019t arrived yet!<\/em> I considered waiting, but what if I was wrong? What if he had been there and already gone? <\/p>\n

I decided to leave word with an American who was working the feed zone. I requested that, if she saw a giant guy in an orange jacket, she ask if he was an American and if he was, she tell him his wife abandoned. The woman was wonderful – she took our names and my phone number*<\/a> and promised to keep an eye out for an orange jacket. <\/p>\n

Bases covered as best I could, I headed off with my new friends. The Italians took off a bit faster and quickly left me and the Dutch behind. I was explaining to them about my husband, and how I didn\u2019t know where he was, and how I was worried he was going to kill me, when the miracle happened. Around the corner came two riders\u2026 one who was giant and in an orange jacket. <\/p>\n

\u201cWill!\u201d I spontaneously yelled. \u201cThat\u2019s him! That\u2019s my husband! Will!\u201d I was giddy with relief. Will had been riding with Jack, doing his best to get through. He too was worried about where I was and was stunned that I was ahead of them. He and Jack were grinding along, trying to get to the feed zone without getting lost.<\/p>\n

Now that they could see the feed zone, even smell the coffee, it took some convincing to get them to turn around and go with us back to town. But our guides to town were departing and we needed to be with them.<\/p>\n

The rest of the event was rather anti-climatic. We easily and quickly rode back to the museum where we started and visited with our new friends while having the complimentary soup. Will made a new friend in Jack and they exchanged contact information after the ride, with a vague plan of meeting again during the Classics season in Belgium. <\/p>\n

The day did not go how I expected. A lot of that was due to my incorrect notions. In my limited experience, there are several ways that the Trek Fan Club could have made the event better. Or rather, could have made the event better for the hobby cyclist like me. In no particular order:<\/p>\n