Holland to France to Belgium...

Hi Everyone!

We've had the best time since we last wrote!

Race #2 is done. On Dec. 23rd, ER raced in Zeddam, NL. Again, the day was incredibly chilly with ice covering most of the course. Not only was it hard for the riders, but the spectators and officials had a really tough time staying up (see the pic of the icy cobbles below)! As usual, the non-Dutch, non-Belgian riders are called up last to the race start. ER started at the very back, but did a very nice job making his way through even on the icy road. And at the end of the day, ER added another 2 Dutch riders to his hit list!





Following this race (which was approximately 5 1/2 hour round trip drive), we drove another 5 1/2 hours to a wonderful small village in the Normandy region of France to spend time with a good friend of mine, Aimee Ettel, and her dad, Bill, for Christmas. It was so relaxing to just hang with such great people! Bill's house is a renovated potato barn that is 200 years old. Since Bill travels all over Europe for work, he had stocked up on some of his favorite European treats. It was great to take a rest from our travel schedule and spend time with good company and eat some great food! This jaunt to Normandy allowed us the opportunity to visit the Omaha Beach WWII memorial as well as the 1300 year old abbey at Le Mond St. Michele.







We feel so very lucky to have been invited into Bill's home and make such a great new friends. Thank you Aimee for sharing your time with your Dad with us, and a big thanks Bill for making us feel so welcome!

What's on tap?

Tomorrow we're going to watch a GVA race outside of Antwerp, and ER races on Saturday on the Belgian coast. On Sunday, we'll go to the Super Prestige Race outside of Bruxelles. Visiting some of the Trappist breweries is also on our list of things not to miss. We'll definitely be on the move!!

Take good care!

Jen & ER xoxo