Centrumcross Surhuisterveen: Surhuisterveen, NED, January 9, 2007

This race was about as far north as you can get in the Netherlands, so it was our first overnight trip for a race. We were advised to go the day prior due to traffic, so we booked a hotel in a neighboring city (there were none in Surhuisterveen) and spent a night on the town in Drachten. OK, not really, but we did end up eating Mexican food, which was quite random, in downtown Drachten. Our race was at 11:30 on Wednesday. Smack in the middle of the week. Also a bit random, but it was good to finally have another race after over a week break. Another slightly random encounter was during breakfast at the hotel the morning of the race. Who do we see, but Jonathan Page and his family. He introduced himself (as if we didn't know who he was), and we chatted a bit, letting him know we had been cheering him on while we have been over here. Apparently he can hear us, b/c no one yells here, especially in English. But it was good to cross paths and introduce ourselves to him. His kids are really cute.

The course was flat and pretty unexciting in comparison to the other courses, but for the topography, they did a great job and also dumped a truckload of sand on a city street to make some rollers. We had a small section through the woods and we also had our first set of barriers. I actually had a front row line up, (as should have Wendy, but somehow she missed her name & was in the very back) but that really didn't matter, as the pack kept edging up prior to the start and not just inches. Feet. By the time the gun went off, half of the front row had already started. And then everyone just merged together. I, being the scaredy cat I am, backed off and decided it was not worth going down for. Bad decision, because that start made it more difficult to chase back on. I passed all but 3 women, ending up in 4th, riding most of the race alone in the really strong head wind. The juniors started 2 minutes before us, so we also had to work our way through them, and even the young ones don't like girls passing them. Wendy was close behind in 5th and at one point I really wanted to just wait and then have someone to work with, but it was good practice to keep leap frogging off the juniors and work my way forward.

And this is before the serious edging forward took place. I am already behind!Not too many spectators mid-week.

After the race, since we were so close to the coast, we did a little Sunday drive on a Wednesday, finding our way to a national park in the north and then to a little village right on the water. The coast has a huge bank and this area, called Friesland, is quite beautiful. There are the Friesan Islands off the coast and then the North Sea north of the islands. The mudflats between the actual coast and the islands is called the Wadden Sea. It was beautiful, but a different kind of coast, with an actual barrier protecting the land. Enjoy the pictures...