The first week in europe
After setting off from the Bingham in the UK with buddy all loaded, I caught the DFDS Ferry from Dover to Calais on Sunday 12th April.
Arriving in Calais I started the drive towards Hausham, Germany. After a few hours of driving, I was hungry and had had enough traveling for the day. I found a free camp in Redu, Belgium, nothing there apart from a gravel carpark and around 10 other motorhomes. Parked up and decided to go for a quick run to stretch the legs…… I haven’t run in a while and legs definitely felt it the next day.
Cooked up some Gnocchi for dinner and a quick phone call with Mum and Dad back in NZ before hitting my head on the pillow.
I woke up “late” but that was due to Europe being an hour ahead of the UK, I did a couple of hours work on the computer for Tradextra back in NZ ( I try get in 10 hours a week for them, this helps me out and them). Then I started driving through Belgium into Luxembourg before hitting Germany, I arrived at Hausham where the Yeti Cycles HQ for Europe is and meet up with the team there.
A few parcels had arrived here for me including my two rainbow jerseys for the season and some ride wrap for my new frames.
I was supposed to be collecting my new Yeti LTe race machine ahead of racing in Slovenia this weekend but unfortunately when I arrived it wasn’t there yet. However super lucky for me my World Champs race bike was still here. It should have been sent to Shimano in Japan to go in their museum, I was so excited to see it again it was like Christmas!
Tuesday Morning we decided that with the LTe not arriving and unable to track where it currently was the only option was to race the SB160 E ( World Champs Bike), so I spent the day getting it ready and then took it for a lap on the local trails.
Wednesday I did some more laps here in Hausham in the cold wet weather of Germany, still with the hope the LTe may arrive. The Germany crew at the Yeti Cycles HQ were super accommodating and allowed me to park up Buddy in the carpark for the time I’m here, plugged into power and with the possibility of using the kitchen and shower in the building its a dream, especially with the crappy weather I was having. Thursday morning it still wasn’t here so I loaded the SB160E into Buddy and made my way to Slovenia for the first race of the European E-mtb Series.
A nice 5 hour drive down through Germany, Austria, a little bit of Italy and then a back country road through Slovenia (where I may have cooked Buddy’s brakes a little), and I had arrived at Nova Gorica.
Race weekend Blog next ……………
