It has been another couple of most awesome days on the cyclo-cross bike. Lots of learning. Lots of laughs. Really just a great time. It has been awesome to learn from Rudy and just listen to the little subtle tips he gives that make a big difference on the race and in just being a bike racer.

So on Tuesday we all did our own thing in the morning – this meant that Rudy and I didn’t have to leave so early to make the two hour drive to Koksijde. But as we were leaving at 10:30, I still went out early for my ride. I got in a great 90 minute “sightseeing” ride – it was amazing. Got to watch the sun come up, followed a rainbow and just generally was able to open my legs up a bit from the efforts on Tuesday. Then quick shower and pack of the bag, dash to the health food store to buy some peanut butter for my sandwiches and we were off.

The drive was pretty easy. Well, especially for me because I just had to sit there! Had good conversations with Rudy about bike racing, life, and Belgium. We hung out with the Danish kids for a bit and then it was off to De Panne to hook up with Kate and Ian. We quickly hopped on our ‘cross bikes and rode over the race course.

When we got there we met the Mongolian team and we got to meet their prime sponsor: Johan Museeuw. Wow – I was kind of starstruck. I think I stuck out my sweaty glove and said “I’m really happy to meet you”. Surreal. The Museeuw ‘cross bikes are interesting they are made of flax carbon (yes, flax). Then we all jumped on the course to check it out.

What a course! I really really like it. It has so much going on in it. There is the sand. A lot of sand. But there are also some fun kind of bumpy power sections where you can really open it up. There are some fun descents. A couple of fly-overs. Some fast twists and turns. Probably the trickiest parts of the course are the sand descents. The sand is so deep it is hard to get going. One of the descents is quite steep – just push the bike over the edge and go! It is a really challenging course but also a fun course. The brain is always working and it is just fun to ride it.

The only negative thing happened yesterday was the theft of my jacket… Can’t believe it! I left it on the back of the Belgian team truck. And when I came back, it was gone. Ticks me off because unlike some racers, I don’t have a closetful of team clothing. I have one jacket. Sigh. Well, if I see someone wearing it tomorrow or on Saturday at Koksijde, you can be pretty darn sure I’m going to get it back!

After the ride we were treated again to some amazing tea – so tasty – and really helps you warm up after a ride in the rain. Then it was back to the hotel to get cleaned up and hit the road to drive home. I tried to clean my bike, but Rudy wouldn’t have it. He cleaned my bike for me while I showered! So amazing. Drive home was a bit slow because we got caught in rush hour. But still a good drive.

I was a bit wiped out though last night – hence no blog posting.

Today we did things differently. Rudy said it would be too much to ride the Koksijde course again so instead we met at his place. His wife had prepared lunch for us and then we jumped on our bikes for one of the best rides I’ve done since I’ve been here. We did a combination of on and off-road. Super fun. I had the Michelin Jets on and they were perfect. One minute we’re rolling along the bicycle path and then we’re in this super fun forest all trying to keep up with Rudy. Then we rode along a river on this little grass road. Then more pavement. It was super fun. Great way to keep the ride interesting. I’m definitely going to try to do more rides like that – great way to train for ‘cross with some time in the woods combined with some road riding. I think we were out for about 2.5 hours. Nice.

While we were showering, Rudy cleaned all of our bikes. That was five bikes that he cleaned and lubed. I tried again to clean my bike and help him out. But he wouldn’t have it! We were told to go inside and drink tea. We hung out for a bit and then went to a bike shop so we could all look at gear. Looks like I’ve found another pair of Mavic Fury shoes – yay! We had a great afternoon of just talking about racing, training, and some of the stories about Rudy’s racing days. Then we were treated to supper. Many thanks to Rudy and Anita for their hospitality and for letting us take over their house today!

All in all another great day. It was just what we needed – to get out on our bikes away from the race course and just enjoy being outside.

Tomorrow I’m off to Koksijde to ride the course a couple more times and then I’ll stay over night there. Racing on Saturday! I’m pretty excited. I have no expectations going into the race. I don’t know how well I will do in the sand compared to the other girls. I only know that I have improved a lot in the sand this week. There were sections that I really struggled with on Tuesday that I was able to ride yesterday. Sand is funny stuff. It is so unknown – one lap it can be almost easy to get through a section and then the next lap you stall out before you even get half-way through it. I can only go out and do what I can. I’m looking forward to it. The course is challenging and interesting. I’m bracing myself for the spectators as well. Luckily I have some experience with this at some of the races I did last year. Definitely it is going to be a good day. I’m super luck to have one of the BKCP team (Neils Albert’s team) mechanics helping me out on Saturday and on Sunday in Geiten, Netherlands.

Alright, time to go. I’ve said it before, but it needs to be repeated – many thanks to Matt Knight of the CCA for helping me register for this camp and supporting my desire to participate. It has been an invaluable week. I’ve learned so much on and off the bike. Also many thank to Rudy for everything this week.

I’ll check in with you tomorrow night (hopefully – I don’t know if I’ll have Internet access) with my pre-race thoughts. Thanks for reading and send me some speedy vibes on Saturday and Sunday. Also make sure you send some down to New England since Steve a.k.a Fearless Leader is racing this weekend.

Today was the first day of the much-anticipated UCI cyclo-cross training camp. I stumbled onto news of this camp in the summer, thanks to some poking around the UCI web site by my number one supporter. A quick email later and I was registered and set for a week of cyclo-cross training.

Many thanks to Matt Knight of the CCA for handling the registration process and helping me find out more about the camp. If the rest of the camp is anything like today, this is going to be one heck of an excellent week!

So the camp is basically on-site course training at Koksijde – the location of the World Cup on Saturday. I really didn’t know much about the Koksijde race course. I had just heard that it is quite sandy and that everyone says it is “special”. Well, they got that right. This course is mega-sandy and this does make it very “special” i.e. super challenging.

Anyway, back to the first day of the camp. I’m lucky this week that I’m able to get a drive to Koksijde and back each day with Rudy De Bie (Belgian National Team coach) and the coach for the camp. This saves me a lot of money on hotels and also I get to relax in the car and just chat and hear different stories. We hit the road pretty early this morning since we had a two hour road ride scheduled at 9:30 (so we left here at 7..). Got to De Panne (just outside Koksijde) and met up with Kate Potter (Australian mountain biker and cyclo-cross racer) and her husband Ian. They have a small hotel to themselves this week so we unloaded Rudy’s truck and then he set off to get the three Danish riders also participating in the camp.

Then it was off for a windy ride. This was wind like I’ve never ridden it before. There is quite the storm situation happening in Europe right now and the coast is particularly rough. At times I felt like my bike was sideways in the wind – making for some hard morning training. But after a nice lunch break and chatting with Kate, Ian and Rudy we were all ready for the afternoon session. We hooked up with the Danish riders (two guys and one girl) and went to check out the course.

Wow – what a course! Never have I ridden on such a course. The entire course is intense. There is a lot of sand. There is also a lot of grass. But the grass is not nice friendly grass. It is soft and kind of bumpy – seems like there is a deep layer of sand below the grass. So you feel like you are on the gas the whole time. There is short uphill sand run but it is the hardest 200 meters of your life. And then there is the descent right away – in super deep sand. Sounds easy to descend in sand… Nope. It is even more challenging than riding in the flats!

We weren’t able to ride all of the course today. But we did see some of the key sections. Already after riding the course for just 90 minutes, I know I have improved. I picked up a lot of tips and advice from Rudy about riding in the sand, the transition points, what to do in the start, etc. A super valuable day.

We did some “hot” laps and attacked the sand, sand run, sand descent. Then we’d recover a bit and then hit the finishing section with another key sand section in it. Recover a bit. And then do it all over again. Super fun.

I have to say that this sand dwarfs any sand I’ve ever ridden in before. It makes the 100 meters of volleyball court sand we have in races at home, seem like nothing. This sand is something else. But it is fun. Really fun. Sand riding as I learned today is a skill. Just have to learn the skill. The things I was told today: keep the feet turning over, stay loose on the bars (don’t hold on tight), don’t steer the front wheel – let it go where it wants. Just need to remember to do all this and hopefully the sand won’t suck you down. It is funny because one time you can get quite far through it, then the next time you stall out really early, and then the next time you can get all the way through. As Rudy said “also with sand you need to have some luck”.

I can safely say that I am definitely lucky to be participating in this camp. Especially with such a small group, we are all getting a lot of help and advice.

Now it is time for me to get my stuff out of the washing machine and get it dried so I can be ready to do it all again tomorrow. We’re heading out later tomorrow. We’re all doing our road riding separately and then meeting up for the afternoon. This makes it a bit easier for myself and Rudy as we don’t have to leave so early.

I’m only one day into this training camp and I do believe that this will be a very valuable week for me. I’m learning so much – just from being around Rudy and getting his advice on training, racing, recovery, eating (chocolate is not good for bike racers…) and also from meeting the other racers and learning from them and feeding off their energy. It is also super nice to be with a group of people all week. Helps chase the “quiet” time away.

Well, I best be off. Still have to get up a bit early tomorrow to get in a spin on the road before the drive to Koksijde. I’m sure I’ll have more lessons and stories to tell you tomorrow. Tomorrow the entire course will be set up and even the road section will be closed to traffic so that people can train. Nothing like being in a country that embraces bike racers so much!

(Thanks again to Matt Knight and the CCA for supporting me and registering me for this camp. Super valuable week.)

Been thinking a lot about my races this past weekend. I’m feeling pretty good about them. Yes, I can always do better, and I will. But these two races really taught me a lot about bike racing and myself as a bike racer. Both race courses did an excellent job of highlighting some of my cyclo-cross weaknesses. I did not let this stress me out or intimidate me.

Rather I adapted as the races went on. I had a few not-so-good-moments during both races. But I recognized this. Gave myself a kick in the head. And got on with the racing. I forced myself to improve through-out the races. I was able to get faster, more smooth, and smarter. This resulted in me passing people. In racing faster.

I essentially coached myself during the races. “Eyes up”. “Pedal”. “Stay off the front brake”. “Good job”. “Sand – okay dismount now and run”. “Look ahead and attack the base of the climb”.

Literally this is what I did during the races. And it worked. I listened. I improved. Especially on Sunday, I started picking off riders. As this happened, my confidence began to sky rocket and I rode faster and faster. Nice.

A breakthrough weekend of racing I think. Also a testament to the mantra “focus on performance and the outcomes will happen”. Two days of racing with two good days of racing and learning. I’m a pretty fortunate athlete right now – to be able to reap such rewards from my bike.

I’ve got an even bigger week ahead with the UCI cyclo-cross training camp in Koksijde. Will be some good hard days of riding in the sand and testing myself. Can’t hardly wait. The training camp is bookended with with the Koksijde World Cup on Saturday and the Super Prestige race in Geiten, Holland on Sunday. Sweet.

Well, in the end I decided to race in Den Haag, Holland today. This was my original plan but then I switched it to stay closer to home and race in Tessenderlo. Found out yesterday from Nikki that the race in Tessenderlo wasn’t a sanctioned race, so I couldn’t race it. So back to plan A – race in Den Haag. Really glad I went.

A lot of people here thought it was a long way to go for a race – it was two hours away… As I told my pal Harrie Van Der Hoorst today at the race “two hours is nothing for a Canadian!”. Left with plenty of time this morning – in the event I got lost or had to make a stop on the way. As luck would have it, I did get a bit confused by the GPS so the little bit of padding was definitely handy. Got to the race site just in time to watch the Masters men start. This was useful since I could watch this race and pay attention to how the leaders were riding some of the different sections.

There was only 20 minutes between each race so I hopped on the course right after the Masters race to get in my first look at the course. In a word: muddy. In another word: greasy. How about: tight, twisty, turny, slippery, muddy, heavy grass? Yep, all of these and more. Wow – a really doozy of a course. But typical for cyclo-cross in Holland. Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on how you look at it) – all of these things are a real challenge for me… There was also a super steep slippery, grassy, and muddy climb that descended straight down into a mud field. Crazy. In years past, this course would have sent me running. But I’m here to race and to be challenged. So I had no choice but to get on with it!

Funny, as it got closer to my race start, I started to have some negative thoughts and really had to convince myself to race today. First time this has happened this year. Suppose it was a bit of insecurity over the course creeping in, and also I really was there alone today – no pit person or really anyone to hang out with. Guess a bit of homesickness crept in. But I was able to rebound and my confidence and zest for racing and being challenged quickly returned.

The last minute tire panic probably helped with this… So I did two laps on the typhoons. Determined that they were picking up too much mud. Plus a quick peak at Edwin Raats tire choice (rhinos) confirmed that rhinos were the tire for the day. Cool, I had rhinos in the car. Switched out the tires. Went out for a couple more warm-up laps between the 1:00 and 2:00 races (basically on at 1:40 for a couple of laps) – my race was at 3 and I still didn’t have my number… I noticed that my front wheel was washing out on the pavement and really seemed to be buckling a lot. Strange. Picked up my number and hustled back to the car. It is now 2:15. I race in 45 minutes. Pin number on. Clean bike quickly. Check the tire pressure in the front tire – around 15 psi. Yep, too low. I simply thought that I hadn’t pumped it up. But, you know me, I’m anal about such stuff – so I knew I pumped it up. Uh oh – leaky tired… So I ended up running a typhoon on the front and a rhino on the back. Worked okay but I did notice after the race that the typhoon had picked up so much more mud than the rhino. And the leaky rhino – flat as a pancake when I got back to the car. Sigh.

So the race? Well, in short – I was 12th. I think there were close to 40 starters… So numerically this is not bad. But it could have been better. I explain this in detail in my race report. But suffice it to say, I was hesitant in the first lap and a half, then gave myself a stern talking to and forced myself to learn, adapt and ride this muddy twisty turny greasy single track stuff the way it should be ridden. This resulted in my passing lots of girls. A few more laps and I would have been in the top ten. Lots of lessons today. Good ones. I’m happy with the result but not content. I have more in me. And the next time I race in this type of stuff, I know I will do better. Bonus was getting a little prize money (10 euros) – not bad considering the race was free…

I was cleaned up and packed up super quickly – inside of 45 minutes and on the highway for the drive home. Was a bit white-knuckled with some crazy wind and rain. Not to mention the insane traffic through Rotterdam. But I’m home now. Clean. Fed. Rested. Looking forward to a super week ahead.

Tomorrow is an easy day on the bike. And then… I’m taking part in a UCI cyclo-cross training camp…. Cool. It is going to be at Koksijde. Run by the Belgian National Team Coach – Rudy De Bie. So everyday this week I’m driving to Koksijde with Rudy for training at the course. This is excellent preparation for the Koksijde World Cup on Saturday. Definitely going to be some tough days – two hours on the road in the morning followed by cyclo-cross training in the afternoon – not to mention the travel. But it will be so worth it. I believe the Mongolian team is participating, four Danish riders and a girl from Australia. Should be good. Think this will be one of those weeks where I learn and grow a lot as a rider and a person. I’ve never raced at Koksijde but I’ve heard stories – apparently there is a lot of sand at Koksijde. From what I can understand, you either lover or hate Koksijde. I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it. Then right after the World Cup on Saturday, I’m hopping in my car and driving 4.5 hours to Gieten, Netherlands for a race on Sunday. Then home from Gieten (3 hours I think) on Sunday. And then…. Off to the Brussels airport on Monday to pick up my favorite guy.

Like I said, next week is going to be awesome!

Speaking of my favorite guy… He was third today at the OBC race at Upper Canada Village! Congrats Marc! Sounds like an awesome ride. It was great to hear his excitement and zest for racing when he told me about his race. I’m super proud of him. Can’t wait to cheer him on in his races here.

Okay, I best be off. Think I should give the muddy clothes another run through in the washer. And I’ve got to look into that flat tire. Oh again, for the second day in a row, I was able to race in my short-sleeve skin suit without an undershirt. Yep, it is warm here. Nice.

Hope you had a good day today – be this racing, riding, hanging out with friends and family, eating turkey and pumpkin pie, or just simply being. Thanks for reading.

Thanks to a tip off from Nikki, I learned about the junior boys race in Hasselt today. Much closer than my previous choice. So I hit the road this morning for the easy 45 minute drive to Hasselt. I’d never been to Hasselt before. Turns out it is a pretty big town/city.

Anyway, found the race course with no issues (thank-you GPS). Got settled in the parking lot and then got out for some warm-up laps. It was super warm this morning. So I decided to wear the red leg warmers. I think I like them. They made me feel fast so that is all that matters. Got in some good warm-up laps. Did a few of the key sections a few times to get a feel for lines. Watched some of the juniors to see how they were riding sections.

Since I was there alone, I needed to find someone to pit for me. Turned out to be super easy. The friendly guys parked next to me said they would do it. This helped so much – a big weight off my mind. Did the typical pre-race stuff. Number pinning. Warm-up – decided not to get out the trainer today. Just warmed up on the road. It was super warm so I was able to race in my short sleeve skinsuit with out an undershirt. Yes – that warm in November. I was warm-up with bare legs – did get some looks for that!

The race was pretty good. My goal was to not get lapped. Well, didn’t quite fulfill that goal. I got lapped half-way through my second last lap. So I finished in 40th place – 1 lap down. Mind you, considering everyone from position 24 down was lapped, I’m not too crushed. But still, it would be nice to hold off these kids. (Some of whom I was 20 years older than!). I’ve written a race report over here.

Perhaps one of the best things about today was seeing so many people that I knew. Ran into Rudy before the race. He gave me a few tips “don’t be afraid of the sand, just pedal through it”, and he cheered me on each lap. Saw Serge of the BKCP Team (he is wrenching for me at Koksijde) – he introduced me to a few people at the BKCP compound and told everyone that I also ride a Stevens. Hung out with Nikki and Nicole a bit as well. Just nice to have some friendly faces at the race.

Did a little cool-down ride that took me into the centre of Hasselt. Mmm, what a place. I’ll definitely returned. Discovered many little winding streets with lots of top shops and some very interesting looking restaurants – including an Indian restaurant. Since Hasselt is so close, I think I’ll be making a trip there one afternoon for a bit of a wander around.

After the cool-down and a quick bike racer shower at the car, I dug out my camera and took some pics for you. Decided to take some photos of the elite vehicles/campers/set-up. So here are some pics of how the top men’s teams roll: