Ottawa Cross

This phrase came to me today during my ride. Not sure where it came from: shedding the layers. It just sounded appropriate for this time of the year. I suppose really it can mean whatever you want. Shedding the layers can represent the warm weather and getting out and enjoying it with bare legs and arms. It can go a bit deeper and represent your headspace for this upcoming season and getting rid of negative mental baggage that you take with you on your training rides and races. Really, it can mean whatever you want.

Ah, but what does it mean to me? I guess both of the above. I’m loving being able to ride in my leg warmers, light booties, cycling cap, and lightweight jerseys. I didn’t realize how encumbered I felt with all the layers required for comfortable winter riding. I’m also working hard to stay in a positive mental space. I’m focusing on me and what my legs and brain are doing. I’ve realized that if I want to get ahead in this bike racing game, I’ve got to look inward and really ask myself the all-important question: Vicki, what are you doing right now to get better?

One of my prime tasks to answer this question honestly is to stay confident. I’m not concerning myself with what others may or may not be saying, thinking, whispering, or writing. Really, this doesn’t affect me as a bike racer or a person. I’m responsible for my own success. So this is the person I need to be worried about. If I can continue to do this, I’ll be a much more relaxed and confident bike racer. I can line up knowing I’ve done the work and that I’m ready to cross the finish line first.

Yes, this is a big shift for me. But I’ve learned that power and technical skills really don’t mean much if you haven’t got the confidence to really let loose out there. So I’m working hard to remind myself of all that I’ve done, that I’ve done it, and that it doesn’t matter what others think or don’t think. As a wise friend told me “really, most people are concerned with themselves and aren’t paying any attention to you.” This at first might sound a bit brutal. But when I thought about it, I began to feel taller, more relaxed, and most importantly – happier.

This is why I race my bike after all – because it makes me happy.

Most of you know that I have ulcerative colitis.

This disease is commonly referred to as Inflammatory Bowel Disease. The other disease in this category is Crohn’s disease.

Both of these diseases are unpleasant. The symptoms of these diseases are unpleasant and often people are shy to talk about ulcerative colitis or crohn’s.

But we need to talk about these diseases. We need to raise their profile. It is a little known fact that more people in Canada suffer from crohn’s or ulcerative colitis than suffer from multiple sclerosis.

At present there are no cures for crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. The other problem is that doctors, researchers, and scientists do not know how or why people are afflicted with these diseases.

We need to solve these questions. More and more young children are being diagnosed with these life-long diseases. No child should have to experience such diseases. I can’t imagine being a child and having to live with ulcerative colitis.

So what can you do? Click this link: I Support IBD. All you have to do is click the link and sign the declaration. (Yes, this can be done online.) Help us get to 10, 000 signatures by World IBD Day on May 19, 2010.

What else can you do? Help me raise money for the Heel N’ Wheel-A-Thon. I’ll be participating in this event on June 13 in Ottawa, Ontario. This is a national fundraiser for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada – I’m sure there is an event happening in your community as well. Even better, get out there and participate. Check out this web site for details.

Really, it is hard for me to tell you how important this is. All I know is that crohn’s and ulcerative colitis are rotten diseases and the sooner we get to a cure, the better. I and all the other Canadians out there suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, thank-you for your support.

Ah, the wind. Friend and foe. Seems like the wind is blowing extra strong this year. Suppose this is due to the early spring weather we’re experiencing. Whatever is causing this, it can be a bit annoying at times. Nothing worse than riding along, checking your watch, realizing it is time to head for home, making a turn to get yourself home and being suddenly blasted in the face with a fierce wind. This can be a bit deflating. Not only does this explain why you made record time and broke speed limits on the way out but it also means, the ride home will not be that much fun. I try to tell myself that a strong headwind or crosswind is like climbing a hill…

Thing is, I don’t really like climbing hills… And secondly, hills end – headwinds and crosswinds do not. But I suppose in the grand scheme of things that can be frustrating during the course of a day – a little bit of wind pales in comparison to long meetings, impossible deadlines, and performance reviews. Gee, all things considered – give me a headwind every day – I don’t want to be back filling out my annual performance review ever again!

All this to say, I’ve had some pretty darn good (but windy) rides these past few days. Saturday ended up being three hours of wind and rain. Could have been pretty miserable but luckily I had company on this ride, Skip of KingsBridge came out to ride, chat, and yell at the wind. Definitely helps to have company on longish rides. I have to admit that on Sunday, I chickened out. On top of the ridiculous wind there was a never-ending downpour happening. Luckily I was able to swap my Monday and Sunday training plans. Finally found a not bad core work-out – thanks to some poking around on yogadownload.com I bought a 45-minute core-focused yoga work-out. Pretty good – I had the quivers and shakes going on! Today was another windy day, but I had my trusty iPod for company and a couple of podcasts to keep me company.

Looking ahead, this is going to be super week of training. This week, I get to do some temp intervals. Still without a computer, SRM, or any feedback. These tempo intervals will be done based on rate of perceived exertion. Cool – never done such intervals without some kind of digital feedback. The week gets pretty good on Saturday – this is when I hop a plane and jet off to Florida for four days! I’ll be traveling with the KingsBridge crew to a trade show – we’re staying at a hotel at the Walt Disney World Resort. I’ve never been to Florida before – should be a good time. I’ll get some nice long rides in, get to experience a trade show, check out Walt Disney World, and there is talk of a trip to the Oakley Factory Outlet store. Pretty darn good four days indeed.

I just have one lingering question: “Is it ‘cross season yet?”.

I’m two weeks into training. So far it is going well. Admittedly, that first week was rough. Never before have I taken close to five weeks off. At first my body and brain fought the rest and recovery time. But after a week or so, I started to like this rest thing. And ultimately, by the last week, all I wanted to do was ride. Sign of a good recovery period.

I’ve had some really good rides this week. The legs are coming around. My body has started to remember what it feels like to power itself along. Most importantly, my brain is reacting well to the training sensations. I really didn’t realize how much fitness you can loose in a five week break. Maybe this only happens to me? This break definitely taught me that I’m an athlete who needs to train – not just to keep me sane but to keep my fitness levels up. I’m not one of those bike racers who can ride once or twice a week and then rip it up in the races on the weekends.

I’m looking forward to some longer rides this weekend. Continuing with focusing on riding with a high cadence and at an endurance pace. Next week the fun starts with some tempo efforts. But tempo efforts with a twist. Tempo efforts without an SRM or some kind of computer. That’s right – all done on feel. I’ve never done this. Actually, this entire month of training is being done without some kind of computer feedback. Just a digital watch so I can make sure my two hour rides don’t morph until four hour rides. It is actually a fun way to ride without being concerned with the numbers displaying on the handlebars.

What about you – how do you train in the early months? Do you go by feel and listen to your body or are you right back at it with your SRM, PowerTap, heart rate monitor, cyclocomputer, etc? Oh, I guess I should admit to one piece of technology I can’t do without on my training rides – the trusty iPod Nano. I need to have someone talking or singing in my ears. Without this, my brain goes wild and the ride gets very hectic for my crazy brain.

I’m off to find some core-centric yoga programs that I can download and do here at home. If you have any suggestions, post them up in the comments. I’m looking for the challenging, ab acheing, shaking, quivering core work-outs here – something to really fire up my abs and back muscles.

One little word. An innocent word really. But depending on where your head is, the word “goals” can be a tad unnerving. To step up and to really honestly set some goals takes a lot of guts. Honest goal-setting forces you to take a hard look at yourself.

These goals can’t be simply whipped off in a matter of minutes. Nope, you need to look at the complete package. That is – yourself and your abilities. What can you achieve? What do you want to achieve? What if you fail? There are lots of ways of setting goals. You can set one main goal for the season and then develop a plan to achieve this goal. You can set the main goal and some intermediary goals that you can use to measure your progress and hopefully develop your main goal. You can go so far as to set weekly goals, these can be super useful if you struggle with staying on track with your training. A dangling carrot can do wonders for motivation.

As for me, well, I’ve learned that I need goals. Without goals, I’m simply going through the motions. No fixed plan. No real idea why I’m sitting on my bike seat and pedaling away. I’ve also learned that I need to set big goals. Almost unattainable (in some people’s minds) goals. These big goals really fire me up and get that “I can do it” attitude out. I’ve also learned that if I don’t achieve my main goal, it is not the end of the world. Because of this, I also set goals for each and every race I do. They might be small things like always keeping my head up and looking ahead or they can be bigger, such as winning the race.

Once I’ve set these goals, what do I do with them? I write them down on a piece of paper. I then take this piece of paper and make it waterproof (I cover it in clear packing tape). Then I carry that piece of paper with me – wherever I go. It is in the front right pocket of my jeans – when I jam my hand in my pocket, I feel this piece of paper and I’m reminded of my goals. I put this piece of paper in my cycling jersey when I go out to train. I read this piece of paper daily. It keeps me focused. It keeps me feeling confident. On the other side of the piece of paper, I write some key mantras that I use to maintain my self-confidence.

You might think this is a bit much. Maybe for you it is. But for me, this works. It helps. This is the thing about goals, they are personal. Goals are all about you and no one else.

Ah, the early season. The weather is unseasonably warm. The sky is brilliant blue. Perfect weather for us eager cyclists. Never have I been able to ride outside in March. Super spoiled. But this can all be a bit dangerous for us eager beavers….

The program reads 2 hours. It is your first week of training after a long break…. Your pal wants to ride for 4 hours. Ah, this is where the battle begins with the voices in your head. “Do it – you’ll be fine – you’ll ride super easy” “Don’t do it – stick to the plan – 4 hours is too much”

Sound familiar? I’m guessing yes. It is so easy to cave into peer pressure, even more so when you’re an athlete. You have a plan and you trust it. But then you hear of so-and-so riding for 6 hours on Saturday and then 8 hours on Sunday. Uh oh – you did 2 hours each day. You better get out and ride more. Ride harder. The others are doing it. So they must be right….

It is so hard to stick to the plan. But I truly believe the key to long-term success is trust. Trust in your plan. Trust in your gut instinct. I fully subscribe to the mantra of Tim Harris “the hardest thing a cyclist can do is not ride”. So true.

The weather looks like it will be fine for the upcoming week. Do your best to not give into temptation. Stick to your plan and keep your eyes on the goals you have set. Remember your goals are not necessarily the same as your friend’s goals – therefore you have different training plans.

I know, easier said than done. Such is life.

It is Friday. Normally this isn’t a rest day for me. Normally I ride seven days a week. But this is not the normal time of my training cycle. This is my first week back training after a four week break. I really really want to ride today. Especially since I didn’t get to ride yesterday. Thursday was a core/strength day – but no riding. Yikes – two days in a row with no riding.

You cyclists can appreciate how not riding for two days in a row can cause your brow to wrinkle a bit and your palms to sweat…. But I’m sticking to the plan. After all, the plan has worked so far. In fact the plan has worked really well. So today I rest. Besides Saturday and Sunday are looking darn good – 2 hours on Saturday and 2.5 hours on Sunday. No complaints here. Also some yoga on the schedule as well.

This rest day does give me time to get other stuff done. You might be scratching your head about this – since most of you know that I’m not “working” right now. Well, I may not be working in an office, but I am spending my days hunched over my laptop working on various writing projects. Some pay, some don’t, some might. Progress is all I can hope for. I’m pretty excited to be working with Canadian Cycling Magazine – I’m writing for this new magazine on a freelance basis and on a part-time basis I’m working with the editor to keep the web site up-to-date with the latest news of our fine Canadian cyclists. The web site should be live today (I’ll post the link when it is live). So if you’re a Canadian cyclist, don’t be shy – drop me an email and tell me what you’re up to.

Hopefully next week, I can post about the my team plans for the 2010 – 2011 season. I’m just waiting for the club registration to be finalized. Not really any big changes – if you check out my sponsor page, you’ll see I’m still supported by the same fine companies. Really just a change in my racing kit. Actually, if you poke around the site you’ll see I’ve made a few changes: new banner, updated the About page, updated the links on the right – general housecleaning work.

Alright, I best be off. I’ve got a few writing projects I want to get done this morning. Looking forward to riding outside this weekend. Tempted by a four hour ride on Saturday…. But this isn’t on the plan… Not sure. I best stick to the plan. The plan is the way to go. Right?

Last weekend there was a special ride for Erwin Vervecken and his fans. This was to be Erwin’s last ride as he officially retired from the sport of cyclo-cross. My friend Luc Van Der Meiren, participated in this race. Luc was generous to write a race report for us. Many thanks Luc for taking the time to tell us all what it was like.

Erwin Vervecken’s Retirement

On Saturday 27/02/2010 Erwin Vervecken said goodbye to cyclocross and topsport! For all his fans and cycling colleagues he planned a big mass-event in his hometown of Herentals (Belgium). Everyone who wanted to take part in this event was welcome. If you had a mountainbike or a ‘cross bike you could ride along with the greatest riders off cyclocross. (Participants: men elite: Zdenek Stybar (World Champion), Sven Nys, Niels Albert , Kevin Pauwels (my local hero), Bart Aernouts and Erwin Vervecken himself of course; elite women: elite Daphny Van Den Brand, Helen Wyman, Nikki Harris, Christine Vardaros, Joyce Vanderbeken and Nicole De Bie-Luyten. Even ex- collegues took part in this race! I saw Roland Liboton (7 times world champion), Danny De Bie and many others on the starting line!

But before we started our race there was a special race for kids, they really enjoyed their own race! After their race they got a package with all kinds of stuff in it, from lots of sponsors such as sports drinks and food.

At 2.30pm it was our race. The whole night and morning it rained a lot, so the track in the field and woods from Herentals was very, very muddy! We had to choose between two distances: 20k or 40k. (2 or 4 laps of 10k). There where 3 starting boxes: first box was for the elite men and woman, next box was for all riders with another license and the third box was for the whole bunch of freeriders. With almost 750 people it was not easy to have a fast start. The start was on a football field, but after 200m the road was only 3m wide so it was important to have a good start. My brother and I started at the rear of the pack, because he said he would do it on a slow tempo! But after 200 m we stood still, then we rode a few meters and back of the bike, walked a few meters and back on the bike again! First half lap was very muddy and all singletrack, if you wanted to pass then you must go trough deep mud and water. The Elite men and woman had a clear track so they started really fast!

Just before I ended my first lap I was passed already by the head of the bunch, they rode two times faster than me!!! I think I made a wise decision to do only 20k (2laps)! The pro’s did 4 laps and they had already taken a shower before I ended my two laps! They are really fast, when they passed me, I almost caught a cold!!! In my last lap I made a mistake on a little downhill and fell of my bike and bruised my ribs! Ouch!!!

At the end of the race it was Erwin Vervecken himself who won, behind him the other pro’s made a show of honor and applauded the man who stopped his beautiful career! Afterwards there was a big party for everyone! All the pro’s and fans enjoyed themselves with food , drinks and dance! Then Erwin hung his bike on a hook and that was the really end of his career! Now his new career as sport marketing manager can begin by Golazo Sports, focusing on cyclocross and mountainbiking!

I’m still recovering from my bruised ribs but I was glad that I was there!

(Thanks again Luc for taking the time to write a race report! Greatly appreciated.)

In a word – awesome. That was how the much anticipated Tuesday ride was. It was great to be out pedaling and moving forward rather than pedaling in place.

I hit the road shortly after 10 a.m. The sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue. I bundled up with all my top winter riding gear and got busy. It was just so soothing to be out and feeling my body power me through the air. My legs ticked over nicely finding a relaxed and smooth rhythm.

No SRM for me today. Focus right now is on high cadence and getting back into the training groove. Perfect – just what I need right now. I pedaled along through Barrhaven to Richmond onto Stittsville and then finally ending up at Marc’s office in Kanata. All on my trusty Stevens Super Prestige.

It took a bit to get used to being around cars again. Didn’t realize how spoiled we are in Belgium to have the amazing bicycle path system and very quiet country roads to explore. I think most motorists were shocked to see a cyclist out on the road! Extra bonus of the ride is that the roads were completely dry.

There was a bit of a headwind but, with the ‘cross gearing, it wasn’t an issue. Besides, I think I was smiling too much to notice the headwind. The ride flew by and before I knew it I was putting the bike in my car. Sigh. Ah well, I get to do it all over again tomorrow.

Not sure where I’ll go on Wednesday. Most likely I’ll hit up some of my favorite training loops. Barrhaven – Richmond – Pierce’s Corners? Guess I’ll just have to see where the spirit takes me.

Yes, I’m writing about the Tuesday ride on Monday. Just chalk it up to eagerness. I’m so keen to start training again. I might even go to bed early so that Tuesday comes faster…

Since we’ve had some pretty darn fine early spring weather, I’ll be hitting the open road tomorrow. That’s right. No trainer time for me. I’m going to put on some layers, wrap myself in my trusty neck tube and face the elements. It is going to be a good one. A nice easy 90 minutes focusing on cadence rather than power. Perfect way to ease back into the training mode.

I did ride outside on Sunday. I had this crazy idea that even though it has been very warm, the trails wouldn’t be soft. Silly me. They were so soft it was like riding in rice pudding. Ah well, it wasn’t cold out. So I powered the trusty mountain bike back into Barrhaven and did a little tour of this growing suburb. I just rolled along listening to my music and enjoyed being outside. The easy hour flew by in no time. And it was just what my tight quads needed after my running escapades on Saturday.

Yep, that run really did a good job of reminding me how hard running really is. Everything was smooth as silk on Saturday afternoon. But by Saturday night after enjoying a fine dinner with the Hoppner family (thanks again for the great meal and night out), my quads, calves, even my feet – had seized up into tight wads of tightness. Sigh, suppose this is what I get for running a bit too far and a bit too hard for my first run in over 4 months. But it was worth it. The run was awesome – loved hearing the heavy breathing and feeling my legs power my body through the air.

Today has been pretty mellow. There wasn’t any riding on the calendar today. Just a core/stretch day. So I hit up my fave yoga studio for a 90 minute hot power yoga class. It was awesome. The focus today was on the splits… Not a friendly move for a cyclist with tight hip flexors. But like the run, it was all good. I love seeing how far I can push my body and how long I can hold the poses. The instructor for the Monday morning class is excellent and she is also addicted to pushing her body. We did so many planks (I think four of them – all held for a minute each) and then more ab work. Did I say it was an awesome class? Well in case I didn’t – the class was awesome. I had a nice walk home soaking up the fresh air and enjoying the feeling that yoga leaves me with.

And now I look forward to tomorrow. I’ve already got a ride planned out. An easy roll out to Richmond, then after a few twists and turns, I’ll point myself towards Kanata and finish off at Marc’s office. Luckily I can shower at his office. Then we’ll go out for a nice lunch and I’ll take off with the car to do some errands. Sounds like a pretty darn good way to spend a Tuesday. Ride. Lunch. Errands (i.e. Sbucks coffee and computer time).

By the way, I occasionally post here about different recipes I’ve discovered. Well, I tested out two new recipes last week: chicken cordon bleu and eggplant lasagna. Both recipes were from Clean Eating Magazine. Both were amazing. They were given the “make again” rating. The chicken cordon bleu was uber easy. The eggplant lasagna is a new favorite – who knew that using eggplant instead of lasagna noodles would be so tasty? I also made beet oat squares (thanks to Mical Dyck for posting the recipe) – these are really good as well. The purple color is a knock-out.

Alright, I best be off. Time for a smooth epsom salt bath and some time with Rouleur magazine. (I’ll be careful to not get the pages of this precious magazine wet. Hint if you are thinking of my birthday (April 13), well put Rouleur magazine on the idea list…)