A hop, skip, and jump...

Bonjour from Belgium! We made it safely to Belgium after a long journey – a hop from Vancouver to Toronto, a skip to Frankfurt, and finally a short flight to Brussels. We arrived quite early on Friday and so we tried our best to stay upright and awake, but after 30 waking hours we succumbed to the fatigue and slept. The first night I had the most incredible 13 hour sleep :-) Last night wasn’t so enjoyable...only 3 hours.
We are staying in the small town of Sambreville, approximately 80 km south of Brussels. We have a team house that is walking distance to the town and most importantly a short trip to the bakery and grocer. We have been on two great rides – narrow winding roads through picturesque country and many small villages. The country side is lush and green – after riding in a down pour today we understand why.
Today was the Liège-Bastogne-Liège – one of the famous European classics. Although the race was fairly near, we are all still feeling the impact of the long travel and so we opted to watch the race live on TV. It is amazing to be in a place where cycling is such an important part of the culture. The cars wave and cheer at the sight of riders - a refreshing change from the angry honks and yells that we often receive at home.
Well I just wanted to let you know that we had arrived – safe and sound, bikes intact. The riding is incredible and I’m having tons fun!
Our house does not have internet, so we are at Michelle’s house (team soignier) to use the internet. We leave for our first race in Luxembourg on Thursday and then we will move on to Switzerland. Dan is close by and will come to visit in Luxembourg. I will try to update and add pictures again soon. Hope you are all well!