First Interclube races in Flanders Mountains

Time has flown by once again, I can’t believe I have been in Belgium for more than a week. Everything is well, I still feel very lucky to be living with Ruben and Rein; they have been very nice and supportive, coming to my races when they have time. The Belgian weather has also realized I am here, greeting me with a downpour during Sunday’s race. I have raced twice since my last entry both with about 180 starters and Gordon McCauley coming in second. Gordon is a very strong rider and some how always forces the final move. Sundays race was an invitation only kermesse so it was a very big, racing us over some of the Tour of Flanders climbs. First we went up the Berendries with cartoon pictures of a few professional riders at the bottom. The steep grade of the Berendries just seemed to keep coming, making it a great climb. The race then went up a no cobbled climb of the Muur de Gramont; it was also long and steep. The Bosberg quickly followed the Muur. The Bosberg is a lot harder than it looks on TV. The wet cobbles forced the riders to sit and power the Bosberg because if you stood up you were not getting up the climb. The race finished around 10 km circuit that was very tough consisting of many tight turns and a down hill cobbled road that really broke things up. I felt good the whole race but just didn’t seem to have the power to be there for the finish but I know that will come with some more racing. Racing with my Royal Antwerp team was very professional. I know I will have to perform with support like this. Thursday May 1st is my next team race, a 1.5 UCI event in Hoboken near Antwerp. Please everyone keep in touch.

200 starters at Kermess

Finished my first large kermesse yesterday and it was very hard. The race had 200 starters and some ex-professional riders; it averaged 43 km per hours and people just dying to hold on. I feel that I have a lot of space to improve. After the race Ruben, Rein, Niko, Vicky and I had dinner at Niko’s parent’s house and it was a lot of fun. We joked around and relaxed and I also went into the pool and just relaxed. I was so tired last night and slept in a little this morning. The national team was already out training when I called so I guess I will not meet them.

Crushed by John Saey

I have started settling in and I really like where I live and I hope nothing goes wrong with the situation because they are supper nice and I think it could really work out. I raced my first race and Belgium is as tough as I remember. The kermesse here in Gent are supper tough. With Mario Willems and Patrick Conquerc both on the John Saey team controlling every one and crushing us with some fierce attacks. I tried some weak attaches and both times they were counted by Mario and then Patrick and I ended up Bonking at the end of the race I forgot how much you have to eat here in Belgium because you are racing for a solid 3 hours at almost top speed. The weather here has been unbelievable and I hope it stays like this so I can get some good training and resting in and I hope I start going really well. I hope I hope.

Meeting my Room Mates

I feel great, my first few days here in Belgium have gone terrific. I left Reading, Pennsylvania Thursday afternoon and arrived in Belgium Friday morning. My flight over and train ride to Gent went so smooth I really didn’t notice I was traveling. My teammate and friend Brian Fagin has really helped me out and I cannot thank him enough. Not only did he get me onto the Royal Antwerp team but also he found me a place to live here in Gent. I would just like to thank Brian and his wife Miska again for helping me because without them my trip would have been a nightmare to plan. Thanks to them my trip has just gone unbelievable smooth. Brian met me at the train station and in the afternoon we met Miska to remember old times and enjoy a sunny day in Gent. In the evening Brian and Miska introduced me to my hosts that I hope to live with for the next few months. My hosts Ruben and Rein are so nice and wonderful. They have really shown me great hospitality and made me feel right at home. They have started teaching me how to communicate in Dutch. I hope I pick it up quickly. Already I am not sure how I could ever thank them enough. Ruben and Rein’s home was built in the 1890’s and they are working on renovating it. The house is very modern and nice, located in a nice neighborhood with some good shops near by. My room looks out to the street and allows wonderful sunlight in, waking me up each day for a great day of training. I have packed a lot into the first four days and they have gone very fast. Saturday, Ruben and Rein showed me around town and then we celebrated Rein’s Birthday with their friends. It was a great time consisting of cart racing, swimming and a barbq. Their friends were so nice and were able to talk to me in English and also teach me a little Dutch allowing me to practice listening. My ears need to adjust to the new sounds. Sunday, I met my team Antwerp Gold Cycling Club and they were very motivated to have me on the team. Everything is rolling smoothly with the team and I cannot wait to do the first team race next Saturday. Monday, I raced my first kermesse in Waarschoot a 110 km pounding by the Belgians quickly refreshed me as to why I am here. I am here to become tough and race harder and more often than ever could be possible anywhere else’s. I did manage to come in 24th in my first kermesse of the season but it hurt so much. The local John Saey racing team with their big hitters Mario Willems the East Flanders Champion and Patrick Conqouret crushed me. I cannot wait to start the rhythm of racing and resting. Thanks for the support

Pneumonia

Wow, life changes fast. I am doing well but my teammate and good friend Brian is in the hospital with pneumonia. We were both scheduled this upcoming weekend to ride Belgium’s hardest stage race, Triptyque Ardennais. It is three days in the Ardennes, racing up all the highest points in Belgium. Unfortunately Brian will not be able to attend since his hospital stay will probably last well past the stage race. I just hope he recovers fully.
Also some good news from my good friend, Ryan DeWald. He has changed teams and is now riding professionally for a U.S. division three team SportsBook.com. Ryan deserves this break onto the pro scene. He has been working hard in the amateur ranks for sometime now. Last year Ryan and I traveled to Europe to gain experience. We both learned so much and wanted to come back but Ryan decided he could not afford it and stayed in the States to try his luck, while I tried my luck in Europe.
This past week has been hard but my legs feel like they are coming into form. I raced a professional kermesse last Wednesday, an under 25 kermesse on Saturday and a local kermesse on Sunday. All three races were incredibly fast and I felt good most of the race but seemed always to move to the front just as the winning group was riding away and I always seemed to be in the second group chasing. I hope that changes soon. Wish me luck in Ardennes, Thanks.

Gent Belgium and a Reading Eagle Article

I am in Belgium now, and looking forward to meeting my team tomorrow. Back home there was an article about me in today’s Reading Eagle.

Taking DeLong road to cycling success
Belgium is where more biking is, so that's where Wyomissing's John DeLong will be.

By Matt Neatock, Saturday April 19, 2003 Reading Eagle, Reading, Pennsylvania, USA

With a dozen first-place finishes to his credit, Wyomissing's John DeLong wants more from his cycling career. But becoming a serious cyclist in the United States means paying large travel expenses while competing for the support of a professional team. Rather than spending more time driving to tournaments he described as expensive and boring, the 23-year-old DeLong has decided to move to Belgium, where cyclists are as common as football players in America. "Here it (cycling) is a hobby," DeLong said. "Over there it's a lifestyle. They use their bike as everyday transportation, so they've been riding since age 2. The shortest race there is 70 miles. That's a long race here." DeLong's desire to relocate came after he spent three months of 2002 racing in Europe, where his best finish in more than 20 races was fifth. "Last winter I decided I wanted to go spend at least one month there," he said. "I just bought a plane ticket on Priceline, I made a contact by e-mail who happened to live in Belgium, so I went over with a friend of mine from Exeter. "We spent one night in a youth hostel, and one month turned into three months. I made some connections and decided I had to go back." DeLong called his contact after one night at the hostel, and soon made arrangements to live in a Belgian native's farmhouse in exchange for performing small chores. During his stay, DeLong competed in the Triptyque Ardennais, a three-stage race in Belgium. Despite hanging in the top 50 for the first two days, DeLong failed to finish the race on Day 3, a result he said significantly impacted his decision to move to Belgium. "Because the race was so hard, I wanted more opportunities like that by getting on a Belgian team that does races like that all the time," he said. "Opportunities like that are rare, especially in the U.S." DeLong got his opportunity from the Royal Antwerp Cycling Club, which will take care of his bikes, clothing and entry fees while he races overseas. His main responsibility in the club will be to compete in local races in order to qualify for the larger ones. The club takes less than half of its 20 members to the larger races. Hopefully, DeLong said, the club will lead him to a professional European cycling team, allowing his career to flourish for a few more years. In the meantime, DeLong faces a challenge other than cycling. He will have to adjust to a different culture at a time in which the world is unstable. "It's a little scary not being able to read their paper and not having a clear idea of what their outlook on the war is," he said. "I'm not too worried because last time I was in Belgium, they were pretty tolerant people who understand that the world is always changing. "They don't hold too much against people. For them, it's all about respect, and if you respect them as individuals, they'll respect you no matter what you believe."

Contact Matt Neatock at mneatock@readingeagle.com.

Friends in Gent, Belgium

I have arrived in Gent again and the place is still wonderful. I have arrived on another beautiful day. I arrived in Gent at about 10:40 am Gent time. I was able to rest well while on the plane allowing for a full day. Brian picked me up and took me back to his place. Miska and Brian have a new place that is very nice and it seems they are doing well. Brian and I then rode to the centrum to have some lunch with Miska and enjoy the beautiful day with the rest of the people of Gent. We spent the afternoon cruising from place to place eating some food I had not tasted in a while. The waffles were still great and so was the Duvel. Brenden Higgens met us in town and we talked about old times and swapped some good stories during the afternoon. Miska and Brian then had me back to the apartment for dinner where Brian shared more tricks of the trade. Then my new roommates arrived to meet me and take me back. Ruben and Rein a younger couple that know Brain and Miska through Miska’s work. They have a beautiful place on the north side of town that they just moved into at the beginning of the year. They have really renovated the house over the past three years bringing the 1890’s house up to modern standards and beyond. I think I am going to enjoy this up coming season.

Leavin America

Here I am about to embark on my cycling journey, a wander through the unknown in a quest to see how far I can go with cycling, a little money and some connections. I am here in the Philadelphia airport waiting for my plane to Chicago to arrive. The airport security has really increased since I last flew out of an American airport. I had to take my check in baggage to an e-ray machine where they checked it over. They were of course confused by my bike bag and wondered why anyone would travel with a bike let alone ride one. I think I am prepared for this trip or at least a little more prepared than last ears trip where I only had two days planned. It will be different traveling without Ryan. We complement each other well filling in voids for each other and keeping each other focused on our goal while still having fun. I hope Ryan is successful while I am in Europe it would be nice to come home to someone to ride with. I would also have stayed home if I had a setup like Ryan. His new house and business will be good and hopefully a positive influence. I also hope he visits me for a couple weeks so we can jam a little in Europe now that we are sort of comfortable there. We both can make it to the pro ranks we just need some breaks I think they will happen for the both of us and hopefully someday end up on the same team and fly on the bikes. Like Brian Salore said, “Here’s two of a kind that beats any royal flush.

Seaford Road Race and Leaving for Belgium

My Passport arrived back from the Belgian embassy, and I have bought my plane ticket. I am leaving April 17th and my return ticket is for October 7th. It will be a long trip but I believe it will pass quickly. I am not planning on visiting home unless my friend Buck Miller contacts me and his team might let me race a few races with them. I am hoping for visitors coming to Belgium like friends from home and college. This past weekend I raced in Seaford Delaware for a two-day race weekend. The first race was a 50-mile circuit race and the second race was a 100-mile road race. I rode with my old team Lite Bites and we rode to set up our sprinter Mark Light. He was able to sprint for fourth place. The second day in the road race I attacked 20 miles in and created a large break that rode away to the finish. I had a teammate Steve Speaks in the break that I was working for but he unfortunately flatted and was not able to catch back up. The Snow Valley team had five riders in the break and they controlled the finishing laps. I was pleased with my 11th place finish; however, my Lite Bites team was not so happy feeling that they had some bad luck. I feel I am rolling strong and the Seaford race was a good test for my fitness before I head over to Belgium. On Friday my Mom threw a going away party for me and invited all the people that have supported, helped, and believed in me. It was an amazing party and I would like to thank everyone who came. I am really inspired and can’t wait to represent my country and Reading while traveling the world.