Day 1 - A perfect cycling dayCycling Event 2010 - Alpe d’Huez |
Details
From: Diegem, Berkenlaan 8, Belgium
To: Villers-sur-Lesse, Rue deMontainpré 29
Distance: 140 km
Weather: Cloudy but dry, temperature between 12° and 16° C. Slight wind from different directions
We left Diegem fifteen minutes after the official departure. The sky was cloudy, but lucky enough; the only water that poured down on us came out of our own eyes, because of our loved ones we had to leave behind.
All day the weather was ideal: not too hot, not too cold and just enough wind to keep our heads cool.
We all kept our breath when we crossed the path of a horse and rider. With our Deloitte Blue and Green outfit we expected the horse to panic. Surprisingly the colors did not make any impression on the horse. However when the poor animal saw the face of our chairman it panicked and staggered, pushing Frank almost from his own “iron horse”. A few miles further, probably the same, horse had dropped some excreta on the road. Since we know how dangerous cycling is we always look very carefully where we drive. That’s probably also the reason why one of us drove straight true the left behinds. When he noticed what had happened he shouted “sh..!”. To be clear this was not intended to be a curse but a kind warning for those coming behind him. Thanks Piet.
We arrived punctually at 12.30 at the Citadelle in Namur. Because we were informed upfront that the kitchen was closed due to renovation works, we had all brought our lunch with us. If you can judge on the quantity and quality of the lunch how much our spouses love us, some of us are real lucky guys. Viviane our co-pilot surprised us with a home backed slice of cake. Thanks Viviane !
Less than an hour later we were back on our bicycles on our way to Villers-sur-Lesse or like some tend to call it Villers-sur-Leffe.
With only one flat tire and no other human or mechanical problems it was a perfect cycling day.
We arrived at our beautiful hotel Chateau De Vignéé at Villers-sur-Leffe at 16.00 PM, just in time for the cocktails. Guess what was on the menu?
