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Canada

Eneco Tour stage 4

Today’s crowd put yesterday’s to shame in terms of size but definitely not with enthusiasm. It seemed like all of Essen showed up since it was a holiday and yesterday’s stage winner, Zdenek Stybar, lives in town with his girlfriend. Despite the numbers, the crowd only showed signs of life for Stybar, chanting, “Go, Styby, … Continue reading »

Categories: Canada, Netherlands | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Eneco Tour stage 3

Today's stage start in Oosterhout saw the biggest crowds yet. The town had organized local cyclists from a few different clubs to ride the first part of the stage so the entire town turned up to support their neighbors.   We had a fantastic time collecting autographs today. By now, all 5 Canadians keep their … Continue reading »

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Eneco Tour stage 2

After yesterday's excitement, I woke up an hour before my alarm in anticipation of today's stage. The logistics of reality insisted that we only catch the sign on and not the race itself but I'm happy to take what I can get.   We returned to Ardooie, the town where stage 1 finished, and we … Continue reading »

Categories: Belgium, Canada | Tags: , | Comments Off on Eneco Tour stage 2

Eneco Tour stage 1

So what do I do when I get to the sign on well before the cyclists (and the rest of the fans)? Today I used the time to finish a new sign for Garmin I started late last night while watching Tom Danielson win the Tour of Utah.   Eventually, more fans showed up and … Continue reading »

Categories: Belgium, Canada | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Eneco Tour team presentation

Before the week long Eneco Tour travels through Belgium and the Netherlands, it got started tonight with the team presentation in Koksijde.   To get the crowd excited, the emcees had children throw hats into the crowd. One of them nailed me right in the eyeball, but it was just a temporary injury and shouldn’t … Continue reading »

Categories: Belgium, Canada | Tags: , | 1 Comment

Tour de France & Canada

I meant to post this video from Bicycling magazine on the rest day but didn't get a chance. Even if you're not usually a cycling enthusiast, you'll at least recognize the names of the 3 Canadians in the Tour if you've paid even minimal attention to this blog. And you might even recognize someone at … Continue reading »

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Tour de France: stage 8

Stage 8 marked the first day in the mountains for the centennial Tour. Rather than hike up the 6 kilometer climb with an average gradient of 8%, my friends and I hopped a ride up the mountain with the gondola. Normally I prefer to be at the finish line of a stage but today was … Continue reading »

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Tour de France: stage 6

I had already been waiting for several hours at my prime spot 5 meters beyond the finish line for today’s 176 kilometer stage when the police decided to tell me and the other 30+ people in my area that we weren’t allowed to be there! So frustrating! But the upside was that I relocated to … Continue reading »

Categories: Canada, France | Tags: , | 4 Comments

Tour de France: stage 5

With today’s stage from Cagnes-sur-Mer to Marseilles being the longest in this year’s Tour, the riders had a relatively early start. For me this meant my shortest day of waiting yet at just 3 hours! I had company again, my dad and my new Belgian friends, so while Fien and I called out to our … Continue reading »

Categories: Canada, France | Tags: , | 2 Comments

Tour de France: stage 4

In Tour de France parlance, yesterday was a rest day for me (no cycling) and I had a long transfer (a 5.5 hour ferry from Bastia to Nice). I still had time for some arts and crafts, so I celebrated Canada Day by making a sign for Garmin.   I’m so sorry to say I … Continue reading »

Categories: Australia, Canada, France | Tags: , | Comments Off on Tour de France: stage 4