This race is the first race I visited in Europe. It was 2004.
I am writing the following just to remember what I did. I intend
to use the record to improve my race watch the next time I visit the race.
After all, it is my diary. If someone is reading this, he or she will be bored
to death with the trifle details. Don't forget this is just my diary.
I left Ninove around 17:30 pm for Köln, actually I was heading for
a camping site near Leverkusen which I found in one of my camping
guides. Rund um Köln starts in a city called Leverkusen.
The Sun was still high but I was so tired. I needed a rest. I parked the
car somewhere in Belgium and slept. I woke up sometime in the
evening and drove on. I took a wrong exit near Leverkusen but the
Garmin StreetPilot C510 Deluxe showed the rerouted way.
I arrived at the camping site around 21:45. It was located in a
woody area not far from the residential areas. A man pointed at the
clock and said that it was a bit late as I told my intention to stay at his
site. He showed me the place I should put up my tent and told me that
I should pay the fee the next morning. It was 9 Euro.
The shower was not hot but warm. The water temperature was
not adjustable by the shower takers. It was pre-set.
The bathroom was clean. There was a kitchen with 3 to 4 sinks
and 3 stoves that you drop some coins to make them operate for a
specified period of time.
There was a room next to the kitchen where you can use the Internet.
I did not take a look at the service fees. It would be convenient to
have access to the Net when you want to update your blog.
I put out the tent and began cooking as I was hungry. With a
gas cooker, I cooked a noodle thing. In Köln area, there were
11 DVB channels available. I watched "The Lord of the Ring", or
"Herr der Ringe" in German for a short while. Not really a fan of
those stories.
I woke up around 07:00 and took a shower (as I had described,
a rather lukewarm shower) and then made some coffee. I paid what I
owed the man and left. I think I arrived at the "Sportpark Leverkusen"
around 09:30? There was a free parking back of the facility.
I took out my bike and looked for the Team CSC cars. They were
easily found. The "Sportpark" looked (I don't really know what it was)
like a stadium with a hotel integrated in it. The hotel is
"Lindner Hotel Bayarena". Later I saw either JJ Haedo or Mathew
Goss looking down from the balcony of the hotel room on the 6th( or 5th?)
floor. In Europe (as far as I know, most of Europe), 6th floor means 7th
floor in USA. They count the first floor as the ground floor, so the second
floor is the first "1" floor. In Germany, it is shortened as "E", which means
Erdgeschoss.
There was no security measures around the team cars and buses.
I like this. After seeing the tight security mesures at RVV, I was very
pleased. I greeted the mechanics and soigneurs, who had been already
working. I saw Eddy Merckx being interviewed just a couple of meters
away from us. He was invited as the official, as a kind of honorary race
director, last year and was there this year, too. Oh, Didi Senft was there, too. I did not actually see him but his car was there.
I was to get the autograph from Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Michael
Blaudzun, Mathew Goss, Volodymir Gustov and Anders Lund.
I got what I wanted.
They came out around 10:30? They went into the motor caravan, which
I had seen on many occasions (like Tour de France 2005, 2006 etc.).
Michael Blaudzun came out of the caravan and stayed with mechanics
and soigneurs saying that there was no room left in the caravan and
everybody was on top of everybody.
There was a "jedermann Rennen" before the "Profi-Start". Jedermann
means everybody or anybody and Rennen is race. Profi means Professional
or Elite and Start is start, only it is read "Sh-tart".
I watched the neutralized start and the real start. I left for the feedzone.
I am writing the following just to remember what I did. I intend
to use the record to improve my race watch the next time I visit the race.
After all, it is my diary. If someone is reading this, he or she will be bored
to death with the trifle details. Don't forget this is just my diary.
I left Ninove around 17:30 pm for Köln, actually I was heading for
a camping site near Leverkusen which I found in one of my camping
guides. Rund um Köln starts in a city called Leverkusen.
The Sun was still high but I was so tired. I needed a rest. I parked the
car somewhere in Belgium and slept. I woke up sometime in the
evening and drove on. I took a wrong exit near Leverkusen but the
Garmin StreetPilot C510 Deluxe showed the rerouted way.
I arrived at the camping site around 21:45. It was located in a
woody area not far from the residential areas. A man pointed at the
clock and said that it was a bit late as I told my intention to stay at his
site. He showed me the place I should put up my tent and told me that
I should pay the fee the next morning. It was 9 Euro.
The shower was not hot but warm. The water temperature was
not adjustable by the shower takers. It was pre-set.
The bathroom was clean. There was a kitchen with 3 to 4 sinks
and 3 stoves that you drop some coins to make them operate for a
specified period of time.
There was a room next to the kitchen where you can use the Internet.
I did not take a look at the service fees. It would be convenient to
have access to the Net when you want to update your blog.
I put out the tent and began cooking as I was hungry. With a
gas cooker, I cooked a noodle thing. In Köln area, there were
11 DVB channels available. I watched "The Lord of the Ring", or
"Herr der Ringe" in German for a short while. Not really a fan of
those stories.
I woke up around 07:00 and took a shower (as I had described,
a rather lukewarm shower) and then made some coffee. I paid what I
owed the man and left. I think I arrived at the "Sportpark Leverkusen"
around 09:30? There was a free parking back of the facility.
I took out my bike and looked for the Team CSC cars. They were
easily found. The "Sportpark" looked (I don't really know what it was)
like a stadium with a hotel integrated in it. The hotel is
"Lindner Hotel Bayarena". Later I saw either JJ Haedo or Mathew
Goss looking down from the balcony of the hotel room on the 6th( or 5th?)
floor. In Europe (as far as I know, most of Europe), 6th floor means 7th
floor in USA. They count the first floor as the ground floor, so the second
floor is the first "1" floor. In Germany, it is shortened as "E", which means
Erdgeschoss.
There was no security measures around the team cars and buses.
I like this. After seeing the tight security mesures at RVV, I was very
pleased. I greeted the mechanics and soigneurs, who had been already
working. I saw Eddy Merckx being interviewed just a couple of meters
away from us. He was invited as the official, as a kind of honorary race
director, last year and was there this year, too. Oh, Didi Senft was there, too. I did not actually see him but his car was there.
I was to get the autograph from Kurt-Asle Arvesen, Michael
Blaudzun, Mathew Goss, Volodymir Gustov and Anders Lund.
I got what I wanted.
They came out around 10:30? They went into the motor caravan, which
I had seen on many occasions (like Tour de France 2005, 2006 etc.).
Michael Blaudzun came out of the caravan and stayed with mechanics
and soigneurs saying that there was no room left in the caravan and
everybody was on top of everybody.
There was a "jedermann Rennen" before the "Profi-Start". Jedermann
means everybody or anybody and Rennen is race. Profi means Professional
or Elite and Start is start, only it is read "Sh-tart".
I watched the neutralized start and the real start. I left for the feedzone.
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