I am alive (not dead yet)

I am not dead. I have been busy and also lazy. The 2009 European road race season is just around the corner. This season, I will do the same (hopefully) as I did last year. Here is the rough Spring schedule for the upcoming season.

Date Event Country
March
01.03.2009 Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne BEL
08.03.2009 Paris - Nice FRA
29.03.2009? Critérium International FRA

April
05.04.2009 Ronde van Vlaanderen BEL
(08.04.2009 Gent - Wevelgem BEL)
12.04.2009 Paris - Roubaix FRA
13.04.2009 Rund um Köln GER
19.04.2009 Amstel Gold Race NED
(22.04.2009 La Flèche Wallonne BEL)
26.04.2009 Liège - Bastogne - Liège BEL

May
01.05.2009 Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop GER

I will probably miss the race events in (....). I am not sure about May first event either. After these Spring races, I will try to visit as many events as possible. Tour de Luxembourg, Tour de Suisse, Tour de France and so on.

I will also try to post nice pictures of the events and as informative as possible.

Tour de Luxembourg at home

Tour de Luxemourg finishes on a climb on Montée de Clausen. Before finishing there, the parcours makes loops. My new apartment is actually on the loop part of the parcours. That means that I can stay home or even stay in bed to watch the riders go multiple times. Of course, I won't be at home nor in bed when the race comes.

I will visiting Luxembourg tomorrow. I went there when I had a job interview late in November. I went there last week when I applied for the Birth Certificate at the Japanese Embassy. I also found, of course the kind help with my boss, this apartment. 

I am planning to move my stuff during Christmas (24-25th). I will be moving there on New Year' Eve. By the time I am in Luxembourg, it will be already New Year's Day. No time to celebrate. 

Race watch schedule 2009

So the saison 2009 is just around the corner. I have no plan to visit Tour Down Under in Australia but as many races in Europe as humanly and financially possible. Here is the preliminary schedule for the upcoming season.

Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (Belgium) March 1st (Sun)
Paris-Nice Prologue (France) March 15th (Sun)
Critérium International (France) March 28 - 29th? (Sat - Sun)
Ronde van Vlaanderen (Belgium) April 5th (Sun)
Paris - Roubaix (France) April 12th (Sun)
Rund um Köln (Germany) April 13th (Mon)
Amstel Gold Race (Holland) April 19th (Sun)
Liège - Bastogne - Liège (Belgium) April 26th (Sun)
(Henninger Turm) (Germanry) May 1st (Fri)
Tour de Romandie (Switzerland) May 3rd (Sun)

ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) releases the detailed race plans only one or two weeks ahead of the events. I don't like it but I have to accept it. My concern is that the prologue venue in 2009 might not be near Paris since in 2008 it was too remote from Paris (Amilly) and I gave the race up. 

The previously-called Rund um den Henninger Turm will be presented with another name in 2009 since the title sponsor Henninger Brewery is no more there.  For that matter, Team Saxo Bank - IT Factory will be also presented under another name.  

In 2008, I drove to Switzerland to see the last stage but I will have to be probably no show in 2009 since the schedule is too tight.

The schedule above is not yet set. If Team Saxo Bank does not participate in one of the above, I won't probably visit them.

I hope there is someone out there who reads this.

Luxembourg, here I come!

Wow! I have not updated my blog for a looooong time! 
Luxembourg has been, in my mind, the place where I wanted to live for the last
three years or so. Well, I am going to live and work (sometimes I think that
 "work" is a four-lettered word) in Luxembourg next year. 
I am going to update my blog more often next year. 

Congratulations Frank.

Frank Schleck won the Luxembourg National Championship. I was there to witness
his efforts. And Andy was working hard leading the peloton to catch the breakaway 
during the race. Nice team work or brother work!

Later I heard at the "Frank & Andy Schleck Fan Club" hangout in Mondorf les Bains
that Nicki Sorensen and Kurt-Asle Arvesen won the Danish and Norwegian National
Championship respectively.

What a day! Congratulations guys! Now we have 3 guys with road race National 
Champions and 1 time trial National Champions in our Team CSC SAXO Bank
team for the Tour de France.

I am sure that this great feat will make those Italian sewing masters busy 
for the next couple of days. The deadline (when shipping and delivery takes
about two days or so) is Tuesday or earlier. Can all the three guys wear the
proper champion jersey at the team presentation? I am thrilled to witness that
in Brest on Thursday July 3rd.

Tour de Suisse 2008 Part II

I am back from Switzerland. I will try to post some pictures and to comment
on them but Tour de Frace is just around the corner so I don't know if I can
find time to do so.

You see, I am following all the stages of TdF this year. I have to prepare for it.

It was a great race. Fabian Cancellara won two stages, Team CSC riders did
very well and showed that they were on form for the TdF. However, the most
important thing is that they finished the race. In other words, coming to the
finish safe and sound is the most important thing.

Frank had an extremely unbelievably huge mega luck to survive that crash 
with only scratches, little cuts and a bit of pain in the back. 

The day after the crash, at the start in Ambri, I asked him if he was really
really OK. He said, "... Yeah, I've seen better days but ..."

Anyway, I will try to update this blog before TdF.




Hi, Paul. I did not expect to see you on top of Klausenpass.

Tour de Luxebourg 2008 Part VI

Just pictures and this will be edited later...




















Just pictures and this will be edited later...






















Just pictures and this will be edited later...