London and Willingen - E.T.

After Scotland it was time for the 20+ hour trip back to Germany. Lucky for me, fellow American racers Katie Holden and Curtis Keene joined me in the van and helped out huge by paying for gas. With the van loaded up and the GPS set for London, we hit the road early Monday morning.

Arriving in Chelmsford just outside London around 5pm, we parked the van and searched for some food. There was a decent pub nearby where I thoroughly enjoyed some fish and chips and a beer while waiting for Katie’s English friends to arrive.



Halfway through our meal the two brothers (Steve and Dave) show up and after a quick introduction they bought us a second round of drinks. I could already see how this night was going to go… Katie’s friends Steve and Dave are what movies are made of. They are absolutely hilarious to be around and were hell-bent on us having a good time in London. With no time to waste we soon hopped on a train to the center of London.



During the train ride they pointed out some new construction for the upcoming Olympics. The stadiums and buildings were impressive to say the least! Once in London we quickly hopped in a cab (you know the English ones you see in the movies) and we were off. We had the quickest, funniest, and most informative tour of the city with Dave directing the taxi driver through the city like a pro. I saw Big Ben, the Millennium Wheel, and Buckingham Palace to name a few. It was rad!

We then had the taxi driver drop us off at a very nice pub where we enjoyed a few more beers and had a great night out on the town. What happens in London stays in London!

The next morning we said our goodbyes to our tour guides and headed east towards Dover. We had a 10:45am ferry to catch and being lucky with traffic we made it there no problem. Customs on the way back into Europe was nearly non-existent which was nice, but strange.



The hour and a half ferry ride went by quickly with me REALLY enjoying the English style breakfast that they served on board. Once in France we burned through the countryside eventually making our way to Frankfurt, Germany.

Here I would part ways with Curtis and Katie with them taking a train to Austria and me heading to my home away from home in Ober-Morlen. I spent the next couple days in Germany resting, recovering, and preparing for The Wheels of Speed.

The Wheels of Speed is a once yearly downhill race held on the Willingen, Germany World Cup race track. It is well known for being full of jumps and berms and most resembling an oversized BMX track. Once on course I found it actually quite challenging and surprisingly fun to ride. There were some BIG lines to jump. Stuff that during my course walk I wouldn’t have thought possible. It was possible though…and very eye opening to see what a downhill bike and myself could get away with nowadays.

Camping at this event was great and terrible at the same time.

Positives:

1. Location (right between the finish line and the gondola)

2. Cheap (cost 15 euros for the entire time)

3. Hot Showers

Negatives:

1. Crazy storms! First night there I honestly thought my van was going to be blown over. GNARLY lightning striking constantly and absolutely pissing rain. Not much sleep that night!

2. Drunk Willingen party-goers opening up my van at 3:45 in the morning asking me if I want a beer. Then making tons of noise for at least another hour. Not much sleep that night again.

3. Trying to boil water on a small camp stove in the wind. No luck there!

Despite not getting much sleep the entire weekend, I still managed to hold it together during qualifying and the race, eventually finishing 19th in the finals. Considering the large amount of factory racing teams in attendance and the fact that it was my first time racing here, this was a good result.



I’m once again relaxing at the Zimmermann residence between races. HUGE thanks goes out to the Zimmermann family. Moritz for helping with organization, planning, and psychological support. Jonathan for taking me grocery shopping, letting me ride your hardtail on the pump track, and generally helping me when I needed it. Jorg for cooking AMAZING feasts on the barbeque to make sure I didn’t wither away. And last, but not least Monika for being my Mom away from home. You have been such a HUGE help and have made my trip that much more enjoyable.



Next up is the 3rd World Cup of the season in Leogang, Austria. I am excited about this venue because it is entirely new. There will be no home court advantage. Everybody starts from square one and has to learn the track in the same amount of time. It should be a great race.

Until next time, Prost!

-Evan