Tommy Nankervis

Howdy!

// May 14th, 2009 // A Day Down Under

Howdy readers!

Things have been cruising along here, and Keally, my beautiful fiancee has now arrived in Belgium. She came just in time to be my nurse really, so I am very lucky! I wasn’t much fun for the first few days she arrived, hobbling around like an old man, but I am just about fully healed up, and still not much fun!

Keally was able to experience some of the Belgian roads here the other day when she took me and my team mates, Mitch and Tom, for a session behind the scooter. Mitch brought the scooter over in the morning, after bringing his bike over the night before. He looked a sight, so I can only imagine what the other drivers on the road thought of him:

The scooter is a lot bigger than the one we have back in the US, but Keally did a great job.

We did a pro kermesse yesterday, and I am told these things happen on weekdays, and we will be doing more and more of them as we head into Summer. I am also told kermesse means “carnival”, and therefore, each town that throws a kermesse, really knows how to do a great job of it. It is amazing how many people turn up to watch the races, and it makes me wonder how they get all the time off work, especially when you see the same familiar faces at all of the races! There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of spectators at every race, rain or shine, and there is music going, everyone drinking and partying, it is just brilliant how much the Belgians get into the cycling!

Keally took this really cool photo of the finish, the race was a 1-2 win for the AN Post-Sean Kelly team. I would love to be able to win one of these races this year.

In other news, Wade is home from hospital. The other day he just caught the train home, unannounced, and waltzed on into the team house. It was a bit of a surprise, but great to see that he has made such a rapid recovery, and is well enough to return home. He is going to take a trip back to the US and fully recover, before coming back to Belgium. Check out Mitch’s blog here, and you can see a photo of Wade.

I must also give a plug to the best cycling power meter company going around, SRM. SRM don’t only make the best, most reliable power measuring system, but they have the best customer support too. I smashed the head unit of my SRM less than two weeks ago, and they did everything they could to help me out and make sure I was sorted out as soon as possible. Thanks again SRM in the USA!

The Chinese invented the wheelbarrow.

It is Keally’s birthday next week, so if anyone has any good birthday ideas, please let me know!