Houffalize World Cup Day 3 - Race day part I

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I knew that today was going to be a wet one, as the rain woke me at the crack of dawn. There is something that makes me want to curl up in my sleeping bag when you can hear the rain falling on the tent. Today was no exception.

Luke was eager to go and was up and shouting at me through the tent. As he was here to carry out his day job I left him to get on with it. My plan for the day was to watch some of the action from the Masters and Juniors then have a crack myself in the Open – Non licensed category.

Finally pulling myself out of bed I pulled on the waterproofs and headed the short walk into town. Over night the campsite had filled up and the places was really getting going. Through my reporting for XCracer.com I had managed to swing a press pass. This is the magic ticket that gets you anywhere and even gets you some free beer (but more about that later), but the guy on the gate was having non of it. With a smile on his face he rattled off some French and I knew I was going to have to stump up some cash. A whole 5 Euros. Not bad for an entry fee. Take note Fort Bill, with 20,000 people expected on Sunday you don’t have to charge the earth.

The short walk down the pit straight was starting to take longer due to the build up of the crowds. This was Saturday and the main racing had not even started. Luke and I met up in the Press Centre and I picked up my magic pass.

With the Masters and juniors kicking off the racing at 12pm I headed off to the hill on the start loop. The start loop is a real killer. From the gun you are faced with a 1 ½ Km 14% road climb, then it’s into the woods and the fun really begins. The rain over night and the hundreds of people racing had made the course really tricky, as if it was not in the first place. One tricky decent had to be taken out, and I thought that was one of the easy ones.

Through the day the conditions worsened and the course changed by the minute. With my planned start time of 4pm a few hours away, it was time to check out the VIP area. What can I say, the organizers had laid on a special service. The food was all from the local area and the cakes were amazing. To top it off you had a choice of wine or local beer to wash it all down with. Who said joining the EU was a bad thing.

With a full stomach I headed back to start my race prep. In the typical Wigfall way I started to bottle it, the rain was falling harder and I did not fancy breaking an arm then driving home. So I decide against pulling the 29er out of the car and getting it dirty. Yes, I know I’m going to get stick till the cows come home.

This evening looks like it’s really going to explode, there is a UCI Cat 1 4X event taking place. The course has a bridge and multiple line choices on it. A first from what the promo info tell me.

My waffle count is upto 2 now. I’m trying to be good, but this evening I have a feeling there might be a riot at the waffle van if they run out.

Sorry for letting you all down on the racing front.

More when the big boys start racing tomorrow.

Missed Day 2 - Check it out HERE