Navigation | Category » Tommy Nankervis
May 17, 2010
Just as soon as we thought Summer was here, the three days of 25 degrees Celsius were followed by more than ten days of not even passing 12 degrees Celsius! So there went the nice weather, and it was back to leg warmers and long gloves and thermals!
So I am still having some trouble with the photos here, but I have included all the ones I wanted you to see again, so if you click each title you should be able to see them all! Below all of them, I will do my best to write about them…
Pave sector in France
Pave in France with me in the middle in white kit
moto leads the bunch over pave
So the weekend just gone, we raced what would probably be the amateur’s Paris-Roubaix. It was up in the Northern region of France, and used a few of the pave sectors from Parix-Roubaix. It was a pretty nice race, and was great to do some mor racing across the cobblestones of France! I love racing across the cobbles! Unfortunately, in at one point in the race I got a bit carried away on them, and thought I would be able to solo across to the breakaway from my group. I guess I learnt a pretty good lesson there, and that is to slow down around the corners on cobbles… It is really quite painful to crash on them! It is quite strange, because usually when you crash, you get a moment to realise it is happening, but before I even knew it, I was on the ground!
It ended up ok though, I later made it back to the lead group, and I wasn’t too badly hurt. It is too bad you just get bruises and bangs on the cobbles, because I don’t have too many wounds to show off to people. However, that is not to say I am looking forward to losing skin, I am quite happy with it all where it is!!!!
me and my new training partner!
motor pacing!
Training partner
Kortrijk-Gent canal
In other cool news, I have acquired a new training partner; my beautiful fiancee Keally! We have got ourselves a nice little scooter, or “brommer” as they say here in Belgie! It will be great, as now Keally has something more to do while I am out training, and she can see all the cool things that I see each day, as well as see Belgium for what it really is, rather than just all the cities and places accessable by train.
Our first training session was great, but it was a little bit cold for Keally, who was basically blue after training was finished, from the cold weather! It isn’t so bad when you are pedalling along behind the scooter, with a wind block, and keeping the heart rate up, as opposed to sitting there blocking the wind, doing nothing, in 10 degree weather!
It is a perfect place to pace along the canal, and we can go unobstructed for a couple of hours, no worries!
It is best if you don't skid on Veloflex tubular tires!
So here is what happens when you skid on Veloflex tubular tyres… Not the best thing for them… Two weeks ago, we raced in France, and this is where the problems start with the new “no radios” rule. Team directors need to speak with their riders at times, and because of having no two-way communication without face-to-face contact, the directors will drive their cars into the bunch to talk to their riders. In this case, the road narrowed quickly, and the driver hit a post, flatted his tyres, and took out two of his own riders, as well as about ten others. Somehow I managed to stay upright, but this was the cost; my tubular. I guess that is better than crashing though!
Belgian and Northern French countryside all looks a lot like this
So there is a bit of an update on things. I will start taking more photos, and hopefully this sun that is (supposedly) on the way is going to bring more blogging motivation (hopefully)! I really need to get the photos situation worked out, but am still not sure if it is my computer or the website…
It is nice to see that my Missing Saddle site has become a way of communication for Dad (TinBilly) and Leigh (LSDsnr) too, so that is nice! If anyone else wants to use it for the same purposes, feel free, because the more comments the merrier!
Henry Waterman, of New York, invented the elevator in 1850. He intended it to transport barrels of flour.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at May 17th, 2010 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
April 29, 2010
Summer is here, and today marked the first day where I was able/willing to ride without my leg/knee warmers! Talk about crazy Belgians, I think it got to 23 Celsius today, and everyone was walking around in singlets and shorts, there were people sunbaking on balconies, and all over the place. I think the whole place went into “shut-down” mode! We have been hinting at some warmer weather for a few weeks now, but it wasn’t till last week that I could smell the “summer” in the air, which unfortunately was followed by a bunch of pollen and bugs in the face!
I love it here, especially when we had our first sunny day, and there were just people out everywhere in next to nothing. I would see people riding along in knicks and jerseys, and then realise I was in leg warmers, shoe covers, long-sleeves and a thermal vest, with a beanie, and thoughts like, “am I really that soft that I need all this clothing?” Or, “geez, if I stay in Belgium long enough, is 10 degrees with sun going to feel warm for me too?”
So I hope these photo links are going to work, because here is a funny one of three of my Belgian team mates, who on the weekend decided it was definitely summer, and rocked up to the race in matching shorts. I thought they had just been to the pool!
Gotta love Belgian's clothing when the sun comes out!
I love it how they also have matching shoes, socks, and usually sunnies and shirts! Haha, pretty funny young lads, and we are never short of a laugh! The guys think that after the readers from Australia see their shorts, they are all going to want some the same. I told them those shorts are a bit like the “mullet” haircut; it lost its style in the 80’s, but is now coming back again, so maybe they are right. That made for some interesting reading for me, as to explain the mullet, I just sent them to this link!: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullet_(haircut)
Here are some photos from a ride to the Flemish Ardennes a week or so back. There are a few photos from the run-in to the Oude Kwaremont, and a couple of the Koppenberg. It is so cool riding around anywhere in the Flanders region of Belgium because there is just SO much support for cycling, it is amazing! Everywhere you go there are these paintings done with everyone’s favourite cyclists. You can see some of them if you click on the Kwaremont photos:
Oude Kwaremont
Oude Kwaremont
Oude Kwaremont
Koppenberg
Koppenberg
Lollies/candy/bonbon anyone?
So there are a few photos to look at. Wouldn’t you just love to get your hands on that big truck full of Trolli lollies? I really wonder if that would be a truck full of lollies and nothing else, or if it is full of all sorts of different things, but happens to have Trolli advertising on the outside?
Also, I should take this chance to plug a handy little product, Aussie Butt Cream! The roads in Belgium are terrible, and having some good lubrication definitely make life a lot easier, so Aussie Butt Cream has been keeping my Aussie Butt in good condition in all elements here in Belgium! I know you can find this at most bike shops throughout Australia, and it will be in a grey tub, and is as good as any chamois cream that I have ever used. It has tea tree oil in it too, so it has healing properties as well, which can be useful if you have any troublesome spots and want to put the cream on after training/racing too… Also, feel free to take use of the helpful page on their website about trouble prevention “here”.
Hopefully everyone can see the photos, and if you are still reading, shoot some comments this way!
Go the Dees, hopefully four in a row this weekend!
Australia’s 85.7 million sheep (mostly merinos) produce most of the world’s wool. With 25.4 million head of cattle, Australia is also the world’s largest exporter of beef.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at April 29th, 2010 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
April 21, 2010
So in a kermesse race on the weekend, I was told by a rival rider that I had it easy. I just thought, “whatever”…
As I was making my way along to the race today, riding 50 kilometres into a strong, block head wind, with my heavy back-pack, I felt the urge to make a blog post; or a whinge post if you like!
Of course, cycling is my choice, and I do love every minute of it. I consider myself SO fortunate that I am over in the home of cycling, racing my bike, chasing my dream. Even if I don’t make the “big time”, I am going to have great stories and adventures that I will remember forever. BUT, here is today’s “easy”, that wound me up a little bit:
I had to look on a Belgian map to find where the race was today. 50 kilometres due North. No worries; I write down all the towns I should go through on my way to the race. It was very windy, so I gave myself two hours to get to the sign-on. I know I might be complaining a bit, but for a cyclist who isn’t used to riding to work with a back-pack, two hours one direction with a back-pack is not too comfortable!
I pay my entry and sign on, getting the usual interrogation from the Belgian officials for no reason whatsoever, except that I am not Belgian. Here is where I feel the “easy” ends… After the long ride to the start, I need to find a team mate to team mate, or a friend, who I can depend on to look after my bag. Today it just so happened that I found a stranger who knew me, so I put all my trust in him, and left all my stuff there. Then the “easy” part starts; basically I need to finish in the top 20, or top ten rather, to ensure I make some money for the day. Top ten is best, because there is more money, and also a team bonus that I am dependent on, in order to make enough to pay the rent, and bills, and internet! So yeah, to that guy who says I have it “easy”, well, yeah, that is my situation.
Not for one minute would I have it any other way, aside from being on a big shot professional team! This is exactly what I choose to do, and I couldn’t think of anything better right now. I am very lucky to be racing my bike, with these great experiences and opportunities, and to be chasing my dream. I can not do it without the support of some very important people, but that is a whole other story in itself!
Oh yeah, so I came 5th today, after getting out-numbered in the finish, and finding myself in a situation that was too hard to win from. It was a nice race, and I wound up with about 220 kilometres by the time I got home… That was off the back of a 6th on Monday, and a 13th on Sunday (after puncturing out of the winning breakaway). A nice easy four days for me…!
Now for a try at some photos. No particular order or relevance, just some photos. Please click on the following things:
VDB, Nico Mattan, and me, at Nico's supporter's club #25 or something!
VDB forever
Mechano extraordinaire Jean Marie
VDB's final resting place
My bike
Racing across the cobblestones!
There are at least six universal facial expressions. They are: happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, anger and surprise.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at April 21st, 2010 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
April 13, 2010
Ok, I have been trying to figure this out all day, but with no luck! I want to put a bunch of photos up here, but I can’t figure it out. The crazy thing is, there is one that works, and it is so cheesy!
If there is anyone who knows a bit about computers, I am trying to make a public online web album. I have tried Picasa but it isn’t seeming to be “public”, and I can’t figure out how to get the photos onto the website properly. Feel free to email me huckfactor@hotmail.com if you think you can help me with a solution!
For those who don’t know, last weekend I picked up another win, in La Pitgamoise, France. So now I have won a race in France! The other cool thing is that the race was close to Dunkerque, which was great for the team! The photographer wanted me to do this really cool pose for him:
So yeah, that is ‘interesting’, as Mum would say! Take note of the blue band on my wrist “VDB il bimbo d’oro”. It is the VDB Forever wrist band, and I will write more about that in the next post. It means VDB, the Golden Boy, as he was dubbed in the Italian media in his glory days…
I will get back to the post with some more photos very soon, but in the mean time, have a look at this link HERE, and read a little bit about me racing in France! The one thing is that you will have to translate it, unless you speak French!
Thanks for reading, thanks for the comments, and thanks for your patience!
The wicks of trick candles have small amounts of magnesium in them. When you light the candle, you are also lighting the magnesium. When someone tries to blow out the flame, the magnesium inside the wick continues to burn and, in just a second (or two or three), relights the wick.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at April 13th, 2010 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
April 2, 2010
Maybe a slow bang at that, but nevertheless, a BANG!
Yes, the update took a while, but again, with good reason! Keally and I have just moved into a new apartment over here, and of course, it doesn’t come with free, or readily available internet! So we now have internet, and I now have a new post with the latest news… which is no longer the latest news! Anyway, not to worry, here are some photos, unfortunately in the same format as last time, but still, if you just click on the pictures, they should open up pretty quickly.
So, I won a race! A kermesse race in Esplechin, in the Walloon Region of Belgium. I finally made it across to the breakaway after 80 kilometres of chasing in a group. It was a race to the last corner in the end, and I won, thanks to the help of my team mate Thomas Chamon. For anyone interested, I won the sprint with a 1,460 watt sprint, with enough of a gap to throw the arms up about 50 metres before the line! Must be the Bont shoes or something…? Maybe it was the coaching…?
Winner!!!!
riding in the breakaway
check out the knee!
I crashed in the first five kilometres of the race, and banged up my knee and hip and hands a bit, and I thought I was never going to make it back to the bunch, it took me so long! I have always wanted to win a race with blood running down my leg or something, and if the photo was just a little bit higher resolution, I am sure the blood will stand out more!
winner
Showing off the new uniform up close here, and also, getting the first win for the team!
Winner in Esplechin
So the big thing for me is my new secret, eating something other than just a few peices of bread, with some jam or peanut butter on it. Nico Mattan, my faithful mentor, publicity advisor, translator, and chauffeur… is now my personal chef extroardinaire!
Nico Mattan the chef!
Seen for the first time here in a track suit, Nico decided it was time for me to step up and start having a cooked meal before a race. The ingredients and timing before the start will remain a secret, but lets just say, the results speak for themselves!
winner in esplechin
Viola! I can’t get too sick of posting the photos from winning! I mean, in the past, I have had very few photos of when I rarely DO win, so I am just going to milk this one a little bit… at least until I win again!
So in other news, Keally is here! Now I am the proud cyclist with two chefs! We have been very busy getting a nice little studio set up here in Roeselare. It is nice to have some great company here, and we are slowly getting settled in; but not without the help of some very kind friends and team mates here in Belgium!
I have been getting in a few training rides with Matt Green, my team mate from Cinelli last year who is this year again in Belgium, and living nearby. Matt has a Garmin on his bike, so we have been getting lost and finding our way home quite easily – but I don’t know if we can even call it lost anymore? Maybe if he loses power we will be well and truly lost, but so far, we have been ok! It is fun trying to navigate our way around, and not use the GPS for the first two or three hours, trying to find particular landmarks, then switch the GPS on to “find home”, and find that we are only about 20 kilometres away!
We have stumbled across a few cool things out training, such as:
Lance's RadioShack Bus
Bikes in Brakel
The cool thing about Brakel, aside from being in the centre of all the Classics, is that it is the adopted home of Australia’s Robbie McEwen!
Wekom in Flanders!
Here is the signage on the way into Flanders, which is a pretty famous logo for anyone who has an interest in cycling. With the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) this Sunday, anyone lucky enough to see it on TV, will no doubt see thousands of these flags!
The road into Ieper
Ieper is another famous town of Belgium, with a rich history, and an amazing entrance into the town. Most of the famous old cities in Belgium have stunning roads like this leading right up into the centre!
Here are just a few more photos I wanted to add from the race last week, where again, we raced in pouring rain all day! This is turning out to be the trend for the year, and I think we have raced in the rain, and/or negative temperatures more times than not!
Two dirty Thomas's!
dirty faced after the race in Trognee!
Look how dirty those legs are!
I pulled my knicks up and socks down just so you can see the dirt better in the last one!
Again, sorry for the way the photos are on the post, it is just a little complicated right now, but I hope that it is sorted out soon. I will hopefully get the new team photo up the top of the screen soon too, and update all the new sponsors and things like that too!
Thanks for reading, my loyal readers, and be sure to tell all of your friends!
In the world, the Netherlands has the highest concentration of museums in the world. Just in Amsterdam alone there are 42 museums.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at April 2nd, 2010 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
March 15, 2010
Well, I don’t even know where to start…!
It has just been way too long, and it is going to take a big effort to dig my way out of this hole of bloglessness, and try to gain some of my once-loyal readers back! My plan is to be a consistent Missing Saddle blogger for the entirety of the season, and on through the Aussie Summer… BUT… First things first…
I am not exactly sure where to begin, because I have made three prior attempts to get back on track, with titles such as “Here I am”, “Back on Track”, and even “Back on Track… Again”, all without any success.
Just for a bit of background on me, computers are not my thing, neither is any form of technology, but I am trying my best to get better at both! I got a new computer, and am in the process of figuring it all out. One of the biggest problems I have had is that I can’t figure out how to put photos in my posts, and for me, that is what makes a post!
I have a stock-pile of about 90 photos that I would have been putting in various posts over the last, well, I lost track of how many months! These were going to be the back-bone of my posts, so I didn’t have to depend on writing skills, or a lack of!
Well, where to start… What I am going to do is start from NOW, and work backwards as the photos become a part of the story. I will have a bunch of photos, but they will have to be through an external website, so just click on the links and I hope it will direct you to the right thing! Thanks to Leigh for the advice there!
So right now I am sitting in Roeselare, Belgium. It is in between Brugge, and Kortrijk, and basically right in the middle of West Flanders, for anyone who is familiar with Belgium. I am this year racing for the French National Team, Dunkerque Opale Team Cycling, which is just over the border from Belgium, on the Opale Coast. The team website is in French, but most computers I think will give you the option to translate it, otherwise, go to Google.com, and go to the language tools, and translate the webpage… For the most part, it will just be results listed on the website, but I think they are going to give it a bit of a work-over soon…
The good thing about this team, is that I still have the opportunity to live in Belgium, and do a lot of kermesse races. Belgium is a great place for cyclists, because there are races 2-4 times per week, and also, the main thing, is that cycling is one of the most popular sports here, so all of the communities really get behind cycling. Also good with this team is that I will return to race with the best team director I have ever had, Nico Mattan, and also our friend Philippe is going to be involved again. The manager of the team is Laurent Thirionet, world and paralympic champion on the track and road.
So far we have done a few races, and I have had a very busy first month or two since I left Australia. First up, I went through Gig Harbor, which is in Seattle, WA, USA. I spent a week there with Keally and it was the first time I had seen Oldie Dave and Jean since I left in 2008. It was great to see them, and see their new place, as well as see how amazing Gig Harbor and the surrounding area is. We had a great time, and I am already looking forward to getting back there at the end of the year and spending a month more there! It was also great to take a step towards acclimatising to the Belgian winter, which I have to add, is not possible, except maybe in Antartica or something!
After the week, I headed off to Belgium, and have been lucky enough to be given a place to stay temporarily in Roeselare, with two friends, Tine and Eline. Tine and Eline are great supporters of cycling, and for the last three or four years, they had been housing my mate Logan Hutchings, from Cinelli last year. This year Logan is off to the USA to race for team Texas San Hose.
As soon as I got to Belgium, Nico and I went over to Dunkerque for a training weekend, and it was a quick welcome to the freezing cold weather! The two days were about 4-5 hours each, and the second half of the second day was done in the rain, and cold! Good combination that was! Welcome to Europe 2010!
Little did I know that after that weekend, the temperature continued to drop, and the next couple of days were done in sub-zero teperature. Followed by that, it snowed for the next three days! That is the first time I had really seen snow in a civilised area! I mean, I have seen snow before, but it has usually been at the top of mountains, and not in the street stopping traffic… and training!
At the end of that first week in Belgium, it was off to the coast of France, down near Bordeaux or something for the Plage de Vendee race. It was way too cold there for me! We were racing each day and the water in the guttering on the sides of the roads was all frozen, and I was just wearing all of the clothes that I had. That included 2-3 pairs of gloves, 2-3 pairs of shoe covers and socks, and the same for jackets and either knee and leg warmers, or two pairs of leg warmers! On top of that, I had a cold. Great start to the new season!!!!
I couldn’t get out of there soon enough, and the next part of the trip was the fun part, heading down on a drive to Sant Feliu de Guixols, for our training camp, at Eden Rock hotel. Now that was something! We got in a great week of training, lots of climbing, and nice weather. Apparently we got very lucky, because it rained all week before we arrived, then was glorious weather for us every day, and then after we got back to Belgium, I hear they are having snow storms in Girona, which was just 20km away!
There are a great bunch of photos of the training camp below. All you have to do is click on each of the different names and hopefully the photos will appear!
After a quick flight back to Belgium, we went to race Gent-Staden, which was on the same day as Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne. It was in the middle of a massive storm that was big enough to be given a name; Xynthia or something. Apparently the storm killed around 60 people it was so bad, and we raced right in the middle of it! I have never seen anything like it, it was just ridiculous. Every 30 seconds to a minute, we would just see riders get blown off their bikes and into the grass or shrubs at the side of the road. It really was something, but not something I ever need to do again!
So since then, we have been doing a few more races in France and Belgium, just the usual, but no podiums or wins to speak of just yet. I will report in when something nice happens! I just want to get everyone back on track, and I didn’t even know where to begin. For now, consider yourselves up to date with now! There will be more to come shortly, after I get settled in, and once I get some photos figured out. I will be able to go back and cover the time in Australia, and have all of the photos and stuff on the website soon I hope!
So, provided it is all going to work, just click on the following words, and you should have my photos. I think each one is going to have to be clicked on seperately, but I think it should be worth each click!
photo shoot!
gig harbor
training camp
gig harbor
training camp
descend faster like this!
ahhh!
training camp
Seattle
seattle
olympic mtn range
bridge with Mt Ranier in the distance
Bridge to Gig Harbor, WA
It is as cold as it looks!
team car
1st training in Belgium, weather check!
Do I have to train today?!
Welcome to Belgium!
Atlantic Ocean by the race hotel
chamon, vanhaecke, me, aziz
Mechanics wash bikes, then the water freeezes!
Atlantic Ocean
out the hotel window!
ME!
Corniche
team photo
Costa Brava coastline
me and Chamon
practise for the blog photo
Good spot for wireless
So I hope they will all work. There are plenty of different ones there, and I think they should all be worth clicking on to see what they are. I hope this is now the biginning of a new me!
By the way, for anyone who is still a reader, or a hopeful reader (ie. check the blog to see if it is updated), please make a comment and let me know of anything you would like me to write about. You can also use the comments section to give me a hard time and express your disappointment with my complete lack of posts, or entertainment, if you like!
I hope everyone is keeping well.
The word “queue” is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at March 15th, 2010 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
November 13, 2009
Thanks to my friend Leigh for sending this video, it is a must watch!
Click here!
A group of owls is called a “parliament”.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at November 13th, 2009 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
October 30, 2009
Howdy everyone! Once again I have returned to my useless ways, but you have to understand how hectic everything has been! I started this post in September, before we started the Franco-Belge race, and it has taken me until now to sit down at a computer long enough to complete the entry… Most of you will know by now, that I am pretty useless…!
So anyway, the brief look at the last month has been a bit like this:
Start packing, head off to the 4-day Franco-Belge, come home, finish packing, go over to the Horse races at Nico’s place, race our final race for the season in Europe, WIN my final race for the season in Europe(!), do the last little bit of packing and head off to the airport, spend a ridiculous amount of time in transit, get home, see Keally, head off to Ballarat to do the Sun Tour, hear that my good friend Frank Vandenbroucke died, finish the Sun Tour, then finish the season off and head down to Phillip Island for a break and some relaxing!
Still, relaxing is not entirely possible when I am still looking for a team for next year… If anyone has any ideas, or wants to help me find a team, please contact me! huckfactor@hotmail.com/+61 432 213 590.
There was no mention of internet anywhere there, as I have not been on it for more than 2 minutes at a time, until today, Halloween! Funny that, because the original meaning for this post was to show how crazy-big the pumpkins were I saw on the side of the road while training in Belgium, and as it turns out, Halloween and pumpkins make an appropriate fit! What a day; luck is on my side!
So, I don’t really know where to start with all of this stuff. It will probably take me the wohle of the Aussie Summer to get through it all, and as the action is wearing down, maybe I can elaborate on more of the things I mentioned above…
Franco-Belge was the biggest race of the season for our team, so it was nice to finish the year off with a bang. We were very lucky to get the start, and it was great to race against some of the biggest names in the sport.
Two days after the race finished, we headed off to our final race for the year, the Zele Pro Kermesse. Somehow, the rain started to fall, and I couldn’t believe my luck! For some reason I like the rain, I don’t know why, but I think it might have something to do with when I used to play footy when I was younger; playing in the rain and the mud was the best thing ever – so much so that for my seventh birthday, I had a football party, and Mum and Dad had organised a trailer load of dirt, and hosed it to make mud!
Anyway, the course was technical, with some cobbles, lots of corners, and some wind too. I was on my game all day, and when the rain started, I knew I was going to win. As it turned out, I slipped off into a 12-man break with about 5-7km to go. Greg van Avermaet (Silence Lotto) was the home town star, and when I saw him in the group, I knew it would be promising. I was lucky enough to have my team mate Matt Green in the group too. He did an awesome amount of work, and led the group into the last 500m for me. Nick Nuyens hit out early, and I just kept sprinting past him like it was the last thing I would ever do… And no-one was able to pass me! It was the greatest win of my life, and in typical Tommy Nankervis style, I did it at the last possible minute!
So far, the only photo I have is this one from the Belgian Newspaper. I will try to get a copy from them at some point.
The next day, Frank VDB came and drove me to the airport. It was the last time I would ever see him. I feel so lucky to have seen him before I left, but at the same time, I can’t really see that, because it is just so sad that he is gone. Franky was such a nice guy, and he had such a good heart. I am very lucky that I got to race on a team with one of the great riders the sport has ever seen. Just to give everyone an idea of VDB, one race in May, the team was off at a race in Ireland I think. We only had 5 guys left at the house, and there was a 1.1 in Holland. For a 1.1 the team needs to have 6 starters. Frank was sick, and not wanting to race, but he drove up to the race, just so that the rest of the team could race, and he started with his Winter gear on, and a map in his pocket. The only reason for his trip to Holland was so that the rest of the team could still do a race.
I will write more about Frank at a later date…
I also got to race in my second Sun Tour once I got home, and in the National Team for my first ever time. I would have liked to go a bit better, but in the end, I was kind of happy just to limp through it… It is pretty disappointing to start to finish my season off so well, with a win in the bag and everything, then to arrive back in Australia and not give such a good showing. There are a number of reasons for it, but that is just the way it goes…
So anyway, that is a small update. Please do let me know if you can help me with a team in any way. I will be back at the computer later in the week for another post hopefully!
Here is the rest of my update:
Anyone for a pumpkin?! Check out the size of these things! These next four photos are the original thing I meant to have for this post:
I saw this orange blob up in the distance, and at a closer look, found it to be a pumpkin! Check it out!
Pretty scary that 280kg was only enough for 4th place in the contest!
Makes the bike look small!
Here is another crazy thing about Belgium; the road signs. In the lower half of Belgium the cities all have their French and Flemish names listed. Often the names are not even similar!
I hope everyone is well.
According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until the 1730’s, India was the only source for diamonds in the world.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at October 30th, 2009 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
1 person have commented this post
September 26, 2009
Not too much of an interesting post really, but a couple of interesting photos! The internet has been a bit of a no-go for me recently, hence the lack of posts. The wireless thingy on my computer stopped working, so when I wanted to use the internet, I had to wait till the other guys in the house weren’t online, and then plug my computer into the modem. I now have a wireless thingy to plug into my computer, but then I got some virus aswell, but that is all sorted now…
Anyway…
Check this bike out, it belongs to someone on a Belgian team who we race against. I don’t know anything more about him, but he has quite some paint-job on his bike!
My team mate Logan Hutchings and I did a Derny Criterium in Nantes, France a couple of weeks back. It was a fantastic experience, one of the best experiences I have had since I started cycling. Racing around the circuit, each of us behind our own Derny, I was just covered in goosebumps! It was just awesome. I had such a great time, and will jump at the opportunity to do one again anytime!
Nico made sure Logan and I got onto one of the derny bikes for a photo:
Always keen to steal the show, Nico Mattan was up to his trade-mark trick, riding backwards on my bike! After he finished the Tour de France each time he did it, he apparently would ride a lap of the Champs Elysees just like this, in his team uniform!
Outside the USA, Ireland is the largest software producing country in the world.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at September 26th, 2009 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
September 24, 2009
Not too much of an interesting post really, but a couple of interesting photos! The internet has been a bit of a no-go for me recently, hence the lack of posts. The wireless thingy on my computer stopped working, so when I wanted to use the internet, I had to wait till the other guys in the house weren’t online, and then plug my computer into the modem. I now have a wireless thingy to plug into my computer, but then I got some virus aswell, but that is all sorted now…
Anyway…
Check this bike out, it belongs to someone on a Belgian team who we race against. I don’t know anything more about him, but he has quite some paint-job on his bike!
My team mate Logan Hutchings and I did a Derny Criterium in Nantes, France a couple of weeks back. It was a fantastic experience, one of the best experiences I have had since I started cycling. Racing around the circuit, each of us behind our own Derny, I was just covered in goosebumps! It was just awesome. I had such a great time, and will jump at the opportunity to do one again anytime!
Nico made sure Logan and I got onto one of the derny bikes for a photo:
Always keen to steal the show, Nico Mattan was up to his trade-mark trick, riding backwards on my bike! After he finished the Tour de France each time he did it, he apparently would ride a lap of the Champs Elysees just like this, in his team uniform!
Outside the USA, Ireland is the largest software producing country in the world.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at September 24th, 2009 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
September 13, 2009
Howdy readers. I just had an article written about me for the new Australian website, ozcycling.com
Here it is for anyone interested in having a read:
http://www.ozcycling.com/newsarticle/index.html?article=234&page=1
I am a little bit shy about being interviewed, and slightly amazed that anyone is interested in interviewing me, but all the same, it was nice. It will hopefully give me a bit of exposure and help me secure a deal for a team here in Belgium for 2010!
Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at September 13th, 2009 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
September 1, 2009
Okily Dokily readers, I hope you have had time to read up on Mal Sawford and what he does for the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club! Now I have another blog I have been anxiously waiting to post on Missing Saddle; my laziness and ability to find other things to do than write a blog post have nothing to do with this, I was just trying to leave Mal’s extended profile up as my current post for as long as possible!
We have had a busy last few weeks with quite a bit of racing and recovering. The weather here has been great, and all those people who think Belgium does nothing but rain, well, today you are in luck – it started again, and will likely take us through our next couple of races!
Last weekend we did a ride for our team leader, Bert Roesems. The Bert Roesems Classic. Bert has been a top rider here in Belgium for a long, long time. He has raced on top teams, including Davitamon Lotto with all the Aussies; Robbie McEwen, Henk Vogels, Nick Gates, and Cadel Evans. During this time he develpoed a good Aussie slang about his perfect English!
Here is the team with Bert on the left, and his son in the front. I will endeavour to do a post on Bert in the coming weeks, to give a better account of his success on the pushy.
A few weeks ago Nicky did a derny criterium in Antwerpen, and the star of the show was the current World Champion, Alessandro Ballan! Here he is with Nico just before the start. It was great to see how these post-tour races go, and I am glad I was there to watch/mechanic for Nicky, even if I didn’t get to race…
The coolest thing though, of recent times for me, is that I have been hooked up with a new pair of shoes, BONT! These shoes are the best thing I have ever used on the bike I reckon. You can do all sorts of things to make you faster, and put out more power, but when the team usually restricts a number of these things to sponsored products, there are very few additions you can make. Luckily, I am able to wear these new shoes, and it is just ridiculous how stiff and light they are.
Here is the cool thing:
Heat mouldable!
You throw these bad-boys in the oven for a few minutes, and then put them on, and wait for them to cool. Next thing you know, you have a pair of customised cycling shoes! I am so exctied to go for every training ride now, and know that in races I have a little bit more power going straight through the pedals. Top these shoes off, or bottom them off(!), with some “pre-custom” SuperFeet Insoles, and you have the most perfect cycling shoe set-up available! This might sound like I am trying to just give a big plug to sponsors, or something like that, but I am genuine when I say this, and I really feel like I have the most perfect set-up now. It feels like I can now begin my cycling again; cycling “pre-Bont/SuperFeet”, and cycling “with Bont/SuperFeet”! I could go on and on about these things, but all I can really say is, if you get the chance to try it out, you have to see it for yourself!
One thing, I stacked and really made a mess of the new shoes, the very first day I raced in them! A bit of black texta and some craft-work, and they aren’t too bad though…
In other news, racing has been going well. I am definitely going strong, just in search of some big results, still! I hope to capitalise on the good form in the next month – there is no shortage of opportunities! Tomorrow we are doing a kermesse and racing up the famous “Geraardsbergen Mur”, made famous by its cobbles, and always being in the Tour of Flanders.
Hope everyone is going well.
Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise. This is because all knights used to be
right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.
Go to the Source – tommynankervis.missingsaddle.com
Filed by Tommy Nankervis at September 1st, 2009 under Road Blog, Tommy Nankervis
No comments on this post yet
