Belgium at last

I’m leaving tomorrow morning at 4:30 AM.  Everything is packed and ready.  My lungs are clearing up nicely, and I feel like I can finally start training hard again.  The next two months will be the hardest racing and training I have done, and I can’t wait.  After being up in Portland for the past week, spending time at home, my taste buds have grown to appreciate foods other than eggs, pasta, and oatmeal–my three key food groups over the past couple years of being a starving cyclist/college student.  The fridge and pantry are always packed to the brim here, with such treats as deli meat, bagels, cereal, and cheese.  It’s back to the norm for the next two months in Belgium.  The Israelis that Tony and I are racing with live on the eggs, pasta, oatmeal diet too.  But for my last dinner, my parents, brother, and I went out for one last family meal at Ixtapa, the local Mexican restaurant that we’ve been to about 289 times.  I’m going to miss Mexican food.  I’ve noticed that every time I travel, I end up craving Mexican food after two or three weeks of being deprived of it’s magical zest.  But enough of food talk for now (if you can’t tell, I’m hungry right now).  It’s time to sleep.

I’m off to Europe!!!!

As a famous Belgian once said: “Hasta la vista, baby.”