Sorry for not posting yesterday. By the time we got home from the race, shopping adventure, and got rid of the layers of mud, I was pretty much wiped out.

I’ve written race reports for the Saturday and Sunday races. All in all, a couple of fun and challenging days of racing. Two totally different types of courses with totally opposite conditions. Just what I want out of a double-header weekend.

Raced with the junior boys again this weekend. Did think of going to Holland to race, but the temptation to race mere minutes from the house was too great. Glad I decided to stay here since the race course in Averbode was a blast and it served me well to race on a tricky technical course today.

Saturday was all about surviving the woods which was essentially a BMX track with hub deep mud. Insane. The key to success was rhythm. Well, if you’ve seen me dance, you know I don’t have much rhythm and I had even less yesterday… I spent most of my time picking myself up off the ground from crashing. I think this is the first race where I crashed pretty much twice every lap! I’ve got some serious bruises and contusions to show for it – but this just is part of the battle! The race on Saturday did an excellent job of putting me well outside of my comfort zone. Good. This is why I’m here. I didn’t have a great result, but I did gain from it. Marc had about the same kind of day as I did…

After the race we decided to go to Antwerp to hit up the Decathlon and Saturn. Whoops – we forgot it was the day before Saint Niklaas day… The stores were packed with parents buying last minute gifts. Sigh. Oh well, we both got what we wanted at Decathlon – I got a really smooth new fleece jacket and Marc got a fleece jacket and some track pants. We ended up getting home quite late and spent a solid two hours cleaning bikes, doing laundry, etc.

Today it was super nice to race close to home. Got there early so that Marc could get in a good warm-up. This is fine with me because it just gives me more time to get comfortable. Super warm today – I raced in short sleeve skinsuit! Pretty cool to do this on December 6! This race was a ton of fun. Lots of twists and turns in the Averbode woods with only one race line to follow. Made it super fast and really tested your abilities at taking corners in this loose loamy soil. Marc had a good race and got faster as the race went on. It was fun to watch him race and cheer him on. My race was pretty much the same. I had a slow start but each lap got smarter, faster and more confident (can’t ask for much more).

Many thanks to Jos and Marc for all of their help today. Also thanks to my cheering section. I stopped off in a tent by a bar before the race to pull on the top of my skinsuit and got talking with the people there. So then every time I came by they would really cheer me on – very cool. There were also quite a few people scattered around the course cheering me on. This is so nice. There were actually quite a lot of people out today to watch the race. Suppose a nice day combined with a downtown location brings out the spectators. Good thing about the dryish weather meant there was much less work to be done cleaning bikes.

We’ve got everything sorted and cleaned, had some tasty red curry chicken for supper and now it is movie time. Another good weekend in Belgium is in the books. This was an extra special weekend as it was Marc’s first time racing here this season. Doesn’t get much better.

Ah, nothing like the Friday ride. Especially when it comes the day before a double-header weekend. For me today this meant a recovery ride. I had a couple of pretty heavy days this week so it was all about recharging. Perfect. Decided to throw the Michelin Jets on and pump them up a bit. Hopped on the road and pedaled off to Averbode to play in the woods.

Rolled around on some trails at the Averbode Abby and then hit up a new-to-me bicycle path. Wow, what a bicycle path. Wide. Smooth. And best of all, it took me to another great training park. This park has dedicated trails for running, cycling, and horseback riding. Perfect. I had a blast rolling around in the woods sheltered from the rain and wind. Found some super fun singletrack and some awesome fire road type trails. Got turned around for a bit and did a bit of head scratching trying to find my way out. But this is all part of the adventure. Then I hopped back on the wonderful bicycle path and followed it for a bit – it seems to go on forever. Nice. Nothing like finding a new path to ride.

I plan on returning on Monday to check it out further. I’m always looking for good paths to ride when I have long intervals to do. I can’t believe how many parks and nature preserves there are around here. Pretty impressive to have so much green space for such a small country. The best part is seeing that these green spaces are actually used by people – it doesn’t seem to matter the time of day or weather – there are always others out walking, jogging, cycling, or horseback riding.

I had wanted to ride in the Blauberg Forest today, but this sign deterred me:

Well, that’s about it for today. It is getting a bit late so I best be off to bed. Early start tomorrow. Marc is racing at 11 (I think) and I’m racing at 2 (I think). But the good news is the bikes are all ready to go, my race bag is packed, food is sorted for tomorrow, and it is a very short drive to the race. Best of all, Marc and I get to watch either race – it has been a long time since we’ve been able to do this.

(Sending some speedy vibes down to Rhode Island for our pals Steve and Josee. Pedal hard. Have fun. Enjoy Rhode Island – my all-time favorite state.)

Into a solid week of training. Nothing like a few hard back-to-back days to keep the pistons firing and the brain alive.

On Wednesday I set out for a longish road ride with a bunch of different intervals. Tempo intervals. Start intervals. More tempo intervals. A good hard ride. Love those start intervals. They’re getting better. Now just need to translate this to the race. This will come as well. Back to the house for some food and a bit of a sit down. Then it was out for the afternoon ride. ‘Cross ride in the woods was on order. Perfect. Put the trusty Stevens Super-Prestige in the back of the car and made my way to Kasterlee. Kasterlee is the cyclo-cross training mecca. So many trails. A specific cyclo-cross training loop that has everything – fast descents, tight twists and turns, sandy climbs, a definite run, some power stretches. Really everything. My goal was to go out and push my limits.

You see, Kasterlee and I have some history… Last year I cracked at Kasterlee. This was the scene of my second crack of the season. I scared myself at Kasterlee last year. Convinced myself that I couldn’t ride the trail. Was all over the brake. Was super stiff. Then I crashed into a tree. That did it for me. I put the bike and the car and told Marc I was done. But that was last year…

Well, yesterday I rode at Kasterlee… And I loved it. Had a blast. Wish I could have gone there again. I started out by just getting a feel for the training loop. Then I started to test my limits – working on staying off the brake, taking corners faster, pedaling more, looking ahead. You know – really riding. I was having a blast. I could feel myself getting better. Then the best thing happened. These two old guys adopted me…

I was running up a sandy climb and about to hop on my bike when the two guys started talking to me. In my broken Flemish and their broken English we managed to sort out who they were and who I was then. They then both gave me lots of tips. The one guy (provincial coach of the little little kids) tested my tire pressure for me and then told me to come out every Wednesday at 2:00 for training. The other guy looked at me and said “you follow me – I’ll show you how to ride”. Well, what a fast couple of laps – it was awesome. This guy was most impressive – I don’t think he touched his brakes once and man can he run! After the two laps we stopped – he gave me more tips and then said he would follow me. Alright. Off we went – I was doing my best and he was riding behind me shouting at me and giving me tips. It was awesome. Rode around with him for a bit more and then we parted ways. I really had a good hard training session. I was able to break the course down into sections and practice specific sections and just keep trying to get faster and more smooth.

It was a great training session. I could have stayed there all afternoon practicing. But my legs were pretty wiped out and there was the small matter of a broken front derailleur. Yep, snapped the front derailleur when I tried to shift to the small ring. Ah well, who needs a small ring? I rode around for a while with just the big ring and then called it a day.

Funny, this ride really showed me how far I’ve come. I had a blast. There was no fear. There was only – how much faster can I go? Get through this section without touching the brakes. Put your wheel in the track and pedal. Look up – pedal, pedal, pedal. Here comes the hill – sprint into it, hop off and run.

So that was my Wednesday. A most excellent day of training on all accounts. Great time in the saddle for my legs, lungs, head, and heart. All translating into some improved skills and a bit more confidence. Can’t ask for much more from a day of training.

Today was another day of intensity. But with only one session on the bike. Today was all about threshold intervals. Ya, exactly. Threshold intervals. Suffice it to say, I’ve pretty much just lazed around since that ride. I had intended to get out on my bike for a little roll in the woods because Marc replaced my chain and brake pads on my “red Hudz” bike. But it was raining pretty hard this afternoon… So I’ll take it tomorrow for a nice ride along the river in Westerlo.

Marc and I hit up the bike shop in Geel for some bike bits. New black bar tape for me and new leg warmers for Marc. (Couldn’t convince him to take my red ones!)

All in all, a couple of pretty darn good days of training. Next week is a bit of a heavy week as well. Good. I love heavy weeks. Have to get them in now because soon enough I’ll be back in the UCI C1 and C2 races and World Cup mode. This weekend I’m chasing the junior boys around in Lotenhulle and Averbode. The Averbode race is literally a ten minute ride from our place. It will be nice to stay nice and close to home on Sunday. I’m thinking this will leave me some time to go chill out at the cafe in the afternoon…

I have a new article up on Cyclocross Magazine. Click on over and give it a read…

Balint Hamvas of cyclephotos.co.uk was out at the Koksijde World Cup on Saturday and snapped some pretty great shots of me racing. Many thanks to Balint for the great photos. They photos give you an idea of how insane the sand is!

Thanks again to Balint for the awesome photos! Be sure to check out his site for lots more Koksijde World Cup photos.

Four weeks in. Yep, I’ve been here for four weeks now. Amazing. Crazy. It doesn’t really seem possible. The time has whipped by. Yes, there were some quiet days when I just rode my bike, came home and didn’t do anything or talk to anyone. But this is the life of a bike racer living far away from home.

I admit that it is not easy. Some days after a tough race or even a quiet day – I would question my decision to be here alone. I used to scoff at riders who said it was so “hard” to come to Belgium and live and race. In the past, I couldn’t relate to this sentiment… But now that I’ve been here alone – I totally understand where these guys are coming from. It is one thing to come here with your spouse, best friend, team mate, etc – and a completely other thing to come here alone.

But, I’m glad I did it alone for a bit. It has made me a stronger person and bike racer. From getting the flat tire on the first day, to being responsible for all my own bike maintenance, to getting to the races, finding pit help, and just simply getting on with the business of racing my bike – I’ve learned a lot.

Really, it has taught me that, I can do this. I can race my bike here in Belgium. I’m not winning any races. But I’m not out-of-place. I can think on my feet to adapt to the race conditions and most importantly recognize when things aren’t coming together. I think this has primarily come from not having a “shoulder to cry on” after the tough days. I’ve simply had to learn to suck it up, listen to the hard advice “your starts are terrible”, “you’re too tense on the descents”, “yep that was a bad day”. Truly these are all things that have been said to me after races. Tough words to hear, but I’m really thankful that people took the time to give me this advice.

I think this is what can make or break a stint of racing ‘cross in Belgium. You really have to be ready to have some hard days and to hear the sometimes brutally harsh words after a race. There is no coddling here. You have it. Or you don’t.

I like to think that I’m on the path to getting close to having it. I’m learning each and everyday. Now the next big step is to make these things second nature… For example: always a high cadence, don’t grind through the mud and sand, look ahead, don’t use the front brake, light on the saddle, sprint out of everything, start wide, go slow to be fast, don’t stop pedaling when you’re thinking/nervous.

I’m looking forward to a good couple of weeks of training. I’ve got two weekends of smaller racers happening. Looks like this weekend I’ll be chasing the junior boys around. The following weekend I’m off to Holland for some races with the girls. Then the big races happen with Scheldecross, two World Cups, Azencross, etc. Fast times indeed.

I have a feeling the next four weeks are going to be just as good. My head is ready for more lessons. My heart is feeling strong. My legs are fresh and want to keep pushing on the pedals.

And in typical Vicki fashion, I’m already thinking ahead to next season and how I can swing coming here in September… Yes, September. I need to be here racing and training to reach the level I want to be at. Just need to work on that money tree! All kidding aside, I am serious about coming in September – so if you have any ideas/suggestions – I’m all ears.

Oh, Marc brought some goodies with him yesterday. Most importantly my Fatcyclist.com cycling hat and socks. Lets just say both items are super hot. Love the pink detailing on the cycling cap. And the socks – perfect height – not too high and not too low -black with the Fatcyclist.com logo on the back. Very cool. Marc, also brought me a super gift for achieving the UCI points I need – a Sony eBook Reader. This is the coolest gift ever! I am a book lover. I can’t get enough books. And now with Sony eBook Reader, I can cart around up to 350 books on my handy little device. Perfect gift for a book loving bike racer living far away from home. Thanks Marc!