Weekend ride around s-Hertogenbosch

This weekend I rode again with our tour group of Marcel and Robert around s-Hertogenbosch. Robert had to catch a train at 1000 hrs so we met at my house and did a ride around Vught and back to his house in the center of town. We stopped there and had a bit to drink before Marcel and I continued on for a bit more touring. It covered eventually 57 km’s and we go in just before the rain started so was a good day!

Fixing up the house a bit

This weekend has been devoted to finishing up the various little tasks that needed to be done on our house. I have several projects that I wanted to finish before we start on getting the my daughters room ready for the baby. We want to move her from the baby room and give her her very own room. This will need cleaning out (was a storage area), painting and the addition of new furniture.

Before we begin on that I wanted to replace our old shower screen, a glass sliding thing that has been in the house for about 10 years. We now have a very nice folding one that I put in, including fresh sealing along most of the tub.

Also needed to finish up the top floor of our house which I had remodelled myself, adding a loft and splitting the large single area into two rooms. We only needed to finish the painting of the laundry area (two walls and the ceiling) one last time. I also want to put up some decorative things in the corners where the walls meet the ceiling to hide any gaps between these walls. They are there to allow the room which is built on the top floor of our house to work in the heat and cold. Once the paint dries I can hang pictures and mark this done!

Next step is to clean out my daughters new room and get it done before the end of August.

Flying to Nijmegen today!

Total ride of 109,6 km. Average speed on the way there was 29,7 km/hr and I was able to hold long stretches of road at 32 km/hr. No rest stops on the way or back home (normally I stop at least once each way to give my bottom a rest). Total average speed was 28,6 km/hr for the total ride.

I was flying, I guess our vacation for three weeks in the Dutch mountains paid off!

Weekend ride through Vught

Took a short 44 km ride last Saturday together with Robert and he led me through the very nice village of Vught. We spent most of the time riding in wooded areas and past very large houses. Nice area, I plan to tour more on that side of s-Hertogenbosh in the future.

Sunday tour ride

Today I went with two friends, Marcel and Robert, for a ride of 49 km’s from here in s-Hertogenbosch in the direction of Heusden and Waalwijk. Was early enough to be cool when we started and a bit warm as we returned but all in all a nice ride! We have decided to make this a standard thing on Sundays for as much as the vacations and weekend appointments allow.

Climbing the Keutenberg!

On July 11th, 2006 I got the chance to take some pictures of me climbing the Keutenberg, one of the most famous of the Dutch ‘mountains’ in Limburg. What makes this one special is that it has a grade of 22%! For a more complete pictorial you can see the link to Climbing the Keutenberg.

Limburg vacation week three results!

The final week (July 12) on vacation in Limburg and I have finished my mountain ’stage’!

• 11/07 - 2x Keutenberg and swing by Margraten in a 35 km ride (will post pictures of this soon)

Grand total of 35 km and 3 climbs!

Limburg vacation week two results!

The second week (July 08) on vacation in Limburg and I have takes a bit longer trips to include Belgium.

• 2/07 - Gulperberg + 4 km climb to Margraten + 4e cat. climb by Eckelrade + long climb to Cadier en Keer + Cauberg in a 42 km ride
• 06/07 - followed part of the course from the 3rd stage of Tour de France: 3 km 4e cat. climb from Eijs to Trintelen + Cauberg + 4e cat. climb from Wijlte to Elkenrade in a 33 km ride
• 08/07 - Vaals + 3 landenpunt 4e cat climb + Belgium via Sippenaeken - Teuven - Slenaken which included 3x long 4e cat. climbs + 4e cat. climb from Tour de France stage by Slenaken in a 50 km ride

Grand total of 125 km and 13 climbs!

Limburg vacation week one results!

The first week (June 29) on vacation in Limburg and I have checked out the three most famous ‘mountains’ they have here.

• 24/06 - Keuterberg in a 27 km ride
• 25/06 - Gulperberg in a 37 km ride
• 27/06 - 2x The Cauberg in a 40 km ride
• 29/06 - 4 km climb by Epen in a 33 km ride

Grand total of 137 km and 5 climbs!

Tour de France 2006 - 3rd stage!

A few pictures of my day at the Tour de France on July 04, 2006:

Visit to PFC Henry L. Hooper with my daughter

I visited Margraten on the 3rd of July with my daughter to place some flowers and pass on a bit of the story to her. Was a nice thing to start sharing with her, I hope to do this often in the future together.

The first picture is of us laying the flowers that my daughter picked herself on PFC Henry L. Hoopers grave. The second is of us selecting a single flower to be placed on a Medal of Honor winner who lays a few rows away (I always do this when I visit). The final picture shows us talking a bit about what happened to PFC Henry L. Hooper. Even though I know she will not understand most of it I feel one can begin small with these stories.