Having been doing this for almost ten years now, I should have learnt not to take good weather for granted. But when I left the hotel this morning, it was all blue sky and sunshine, so I didn’t bother putting the waterproof covers on. That bit me in the backside during the U23 race, when suddenly it started to rain like there was no tomorrow.
While we’re at it – this was probably the closest I’ve ever stayed to a race. I could literally see the course from my room, which meant that I didn’t get up until 11:00 and I have still managed to catch the start of the women’s race. The mattress at the Middelpunt hotel was so astonishingly great, that I asked reception where they were sourced from. His response, however, cooled down my enthusiasm: the mattresses cost around €3000, a sum I am not yet willing spend on a mattress. Well, not yet.