Ah, my first Saturday at home in a very very long time. What a great day! A steady day with lots of time to noodle around plus time spent just having plain old fun!

Kicked the day off bright and early with some Olympic highlight watching. I confess, I’m an Olympics addict. I can’t help myself – I just love watching these athletes at the top of their sports out there competing. Can’t imagine how it must feel to compete at the Olympics. It really is the biggest show on Earth! Funny, each time they show an athlete win a medal or show one of those “get to know the athlete” stories, I get all teary eyed. Can’t help it. (I like to think I’m not the only person this is happening to…)

I took the Olympic inspiration with me this morning to my hot power yoga class. My first hot power yoga class in a very long time. I can’t even remember the last time I went to class. It was just what I needed. Challenging but soothing. I was craving the heat of the hot room and my muscles really appreciated the deep stretch. It was also great to catch up with so many people. The energy in a yoga studio can be contagious. Especially at MountainGoat Yoga – this is a great yoga studio with a very fresh and relaxed vibe.

Relaxed for a bit with the Saturday newspapers. Another Saturday habit that I had been missing. I only purchase the weekend papers (otherwise I read online) and really enjoy taking my time to read the latest news and feature articles. Then it was time for some riding. Yes, riding.

After my mountain bike ride on Thursday, I knew I had to get out again for another one. What fun! I hit up the trails down the road for a bit and then explored my old ‘cross training grounds. A good hard ride. Some of the snow was pretty deep so it was a bit of a slog. But I’m pretty sure I was smiling the entire time. Came across a couple of skiers and a couple of walkers. Smiles all around. Nothing like being out in the fresh air and enjoying nature. Especially on a winter day.

Rest of the day has been spent poking around in shops and enjoying a smooth lunch at one of our favorite lunch spots. I came home with a new toy. My very own Bialetti. Yay! I’ve wanted one of these for a while. I just made my first pot of coffee in it. The house smells so nice right now. Nothing like the smell of fresh coffee.

Alright, I best be off. Hope your Saturday is going as well as mine. Good to be home. Great times on the bike. I’m sure Sunday will be just as sweet. One more week of the off-season and then I’ll be back at it on the trainer in the basement. If the weather holds, I predict I’ll be braving the elements as much as possible. Fresh air easily trumps pedaling in place while watching television (though it is an excuse to watch more Olympics!).

I did it. Took the old mountain bike out for a snow ride yesterday. What fun! I had a blast. It had been a very long time since I’d ridden my trusty mountain bike. 2005 I think was the last time. This was when I dabbled in some mountain bike racing. Maybe it should have been called mountain bike crashing…

I’d be fine in training. Could clean the tricky stuff and get over most obstacles and trails, etc. But during a race? Nope. I became a crash fest. It became apparent that once in the “red zone” I couldn’t make smart decisions. This meant I was taking crazy lines, too aggressive lines, and just generally tripping all over myself. After one too many crashes, bent rear derailleurs, broken disk brakes, scrapes, bruises, and much frustration – I put that bike in the garage.

Well, it is time. Time to get the bike out. To get out on the trails and face my demons. Time to put myself in that “red zone” and train my body and brain to react and respond appropriately. I know this will help a great deal with my cyclo-cross racing. In fact, I’m wondering if these old mountain biking demons are hidden deep down in my psyche and are causing me to be overly cautious on my ‘cross bike. Just a thought. Regardless, I’m committed to those fat tires and getting out there and pushing my limits.

What I would really like is to be able to transition from my mountain bike to my ‘cross bike on the mountain bike trails. This would be awesome. This would be a real indicator of my improvement – technical skills, confidence, and pedaling smarts. We’ll see if it can be done.

But don’t worry. This doesn’t mean that I won’t be out on my road bike this summer. I’ll be there. Doing the occasional road race or criterium. I’ll be out at the Tuesday night training crits. And I’ll be there for the long weekend rides to Merrickville. I’ll just be spending some time on my mountain bike as well. Oh and I’ll be riding my ‘cross bike too. Uhm, it looks like I’ve got a busy spring and summer ahead of me. Perfect! I’ll also be squeezing in a regular yoga practice to help keep my muscles long, lean and flexible.

I can’t hardly wait.

Plan for today was to hit up the woods with my trusty mountain bike. Well, it didn’t happen. Woke up to some fresh snow on the ground… Not a lot but enough to make the ride more “slog” than fun. But, the bike is all primed and ready for Thursday. Pedals are on. Tires are pumped up. I’m such a keener that I’ve even got my riding clothes all laid out.

Yep – I want to ride. I miss pedaling and feeling the wind on my face. I miss the smell of the sun. I really miss that dull ache that a good hard ride gives you. So Thursday it is. The forecast is calling for flurries, but I’m ignoring this. Power of positive thinking and I’ll be out there messing around in the woods.

I’m in the last bit of my “recovery block”. This is the longest break I’ve ever taken – 3 weeks. The first week really dragged. The second week was action-packed with lots of walking and sightseeing in London, England. This third week has been pretty good full of catching up with friends, relaxing, unpacking, and watching the Olympics. But, can I let you in on a little secret?

I really really want to ride my bike. I want to ride it so badly I’m actually looking forward to riding the trainer in the basement.

I take this desire to ride, sweat, and ache as a good thing. A really good thing. It tells me that the fire that got me to where I am is still burning bright and fierce. Can you feel it?

Oh man, I so want to ride my bike. It has only been two weeks but I just really want to get back on and start pedaling again. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to spending time on the trainer. But this is what an Ottawa-living bike racer has to do.

I am thinking that if it does hit 0 tomorrow, I can take my mountain bike out for a spin. There is not much snow here so conditions could be good for a fun little spin at Slack or Stony Swamp. Nothing aggressive or hard. (I am still on a rest break…) But just something to bring some pink to my cheeks and a smile on my face.

Groundwork and plans are being made for the 2010 – 2011 season. Lots of exciting stuff is going to be happening. My cyclo-cross schedule is looking pretty awesome so far. The summer is shaping up with lots of fun on bikes. I’m doing a couple of 24 hour mountain bike events this year (not solo…). I’ll also be sporting a new kit… I’ll tell you more when I can. But lets just say, life is good for this little bike racer.

Now what I really should do is put together my bikes… Worst thing about being away for the ‘cross season, is the unpacking and “putting away” of stuff!

I hope to ride outside this weekend. What about you?

Fear not, I’m still around. Just taking a break from cycling right now. I’m in my off-season.. Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of the off-season. I like to ride my bike. I like to sweat and stress my body each and every day. But I’ve had a long season so I do need some time off to let my bones and brain recover.

So what have I been up to since the World Cyclo-Cross Championships? Well, spent a very chilled out week in Belgium just reading, touring around, and visiting Cafe Libro. Then it was off to England. Marc and I spent the weekend with my aunt and uncle who live near Milton Keynes. And now we’ve been in London since Sunday evening. Marc is working. I’m not… I’m being a tourist.

So this means I’ve spent lots of time on my feet. Walking, walking and walking some more. Good news is my shin has healed. The bumps and bruises on my body are nearly gone. And to top it off, I’m having a blast in London. I’ve been pretty much everywhere. And lucky for you, I’ve brought my camera along. So if you want to see London through my eyes, click on over to Victoria’s Island for the photos.

I’m back on the 15th and then hopefully back on the bike soon after that…