Merry Christmas! Hope you’re having a great Christmas weekend. We’re surrounded in snow here in Blauberg. Serious snow – snow to the point that Marc and Karl were out shoveling today!

I just wanted to post quickly to wish you a Happy Christmas. Thanks so much for the support over this past year – it is the best Christmas gift I could receive.

This is a very different Christmas for me this year… One, I’m not racing at the Zolder World Cup on Dec. 26. As much as I dread that race and the insane descent, I’m missing not being part of it this year. Secondly, this year I’m not at the Blauberg house with a bunch of happy Canadians… Instead I’m in the hospital in Herentals. Turns out I’m sicker than we realized and after an emergency colonoscopy, it turns out that I need to be hospitalized for five days. Not good, but at least this way I can get on the path to recovery.

The hardest part about this is Marc. I was really trying to make it to his race on Christmas Day. Not so much now. My being here is harder on Marc than it is on me. So please send your positive vibes his way. If you see him out at a race – give him a hug or a pat on the back.

So all this to say – have a great Christmas weekend. Take the time to savor all that you have – your friends, your family, and your loved ones. Enjoy the laughter, smiles, stories, and good times. Be sure to indulge in some tasty food – my faves include mincemeat tarts, Yorkshire pudding, chocolate log, my mom’s meat stuffing (made with spicy Italian sausage), cheeseburger pie, rice tarts, trifle, brussel sprouts, after eight chocolate mints – basically all the good Christmas food I grew up with.

Merry Christmas! (If you’re racing on the weekend – take a few pedal strokes for me. I’ll be cheering for you.)