Ever wondered how you eat an elephant? Have you ever thought about how eating an elephant relates to cyclo-cross racing? Well, guess what? I have been wondering just this.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
How do I improve as a cyclo-cross racer? One pedal stroke at a time.
Hmm, kind of the same thought process. Bit by bit, slowly but surely, with steady, measured and small improvements, the bigger improvements will come. Soon enough I’ll have eaten the elephant. The tough part is remembering not to rush this process. An elephant is massive. There is a lot of muscle, flesh, fat, to get through. Lots of lesson learned on the way. I’m sure to overdo it at times and have to take a step back, but this is part of the process.

One pedal stroke at a time.

This was the focus of today’s ride. Marc joined me for some riding at the Averbode Abby race course. With Marc’s help I broke the course down and focused on improving how I was riding through the corners. The focus was on pedaling. Always pedal. Kay Van Den Brand who rides for Scott was out and we watched him ride through various sections. He does slow or brake but then he is quick to apply heavier pedal pressure to get on top of his pedals and back up-to-speed. So this is what I worked on. I could feel myself getting faster and more confident during each “sectioning”. Marc rolled off to do his intervals and I kept on hitting the course.

Definitely a good session on the bike. Small improvements were made. I didn’t eat the elephant but I was able to start in on it.

As for the weekend? Well, Marc is racing in Sint-Niklaas tomorrow. I will be there to pit for him. I’ll be bringing my bikes – I may race with the junior boys. I may simply ride the course and do what I did today. See how I’m feeling and get some advice from Marc and others. On Sunday I’m racing in Tervuren in a women’s UCI race so I want to feel fresh physically and mentally for this race. No matter what happens, it is going to be a great weekend.