T minus 70 days and counting

Good God man...you need to get your arse in shape.

There are only 70 days and counting before part of the Frites squad heads over to Belgium for a fun filled, beer driven, mud stompin, cobble riding week at the Classics training camp.

I know, I know that we should be going over for Cross Worlds this year but a week at the Classics is better than 3 days in Tabor freezing my Czech ass off. Plus, we will get to ride the Koppenberg, Molenberg, Carlsberg and any other iceberg that stands in our way. The miles are already being racked up and riding in the cold is a great form of motivation. What happens when we get to Bruxelles and it is pissing down rain and 40 degrees? We grab a pint of Belgium necture and wait it out....just all the rest of the fat cycling Belgium fans.

But we were hit with a cold dose of reality this weekend. InBev, the people that bring you Stella, Hoegaarden, Leffe, Jupiler, Becks and that shit called Bud have gone on strike at home. Seems that they want to get rid of some jobs and those damn fat cycling, beer drinkers wont put up with that. The Wall Street Journal has the latest here. If we get over there and they are out of beer, I know that we will join the riots in the streets and stand arm and arm with our beer brothers.

So about the trip. Big Brian was able to call in a couple of favors and get Ron, Brian and myself a cool setup. Arrive on Friday morning and head up to Brugge. Hit up the cyclo-tourist version of the Ronde on Saturday and then let the beer flow for the greatest race this side of the BK's. We are going to see the race from a couple different places and see what happens. Then a couple of days to ride and have fun, drink some more beer and then the GP Scheldprijs on Wednesday. Then a couple more days of doing the same and then off to France for the queen of all beat downs. Paris Roubaix. Call it what you want: The Hell of the North, Queen of the Classics, The Easter Race, A Sunday in Hell....all I know is that we will be eating jabon, fromage avec baguette and throwing down Kronenberg and yelling like nobodys business. Then a long ass flight back home the day after the race.

I really have to thank the wife for this one. She "agreed" to the hall pass for my birthday so there will be plenty of chocolates from The Chocolate Line, Eau da Vie and other presents coming back in my bike box.