Yikes what an insane trip I’ve had. Pretty much every leg of it was met with some head scratching and little hiccup. But the good news is, I’m here. Sitting at the grand dining table in Blauberg, staring at a bunch of cycling trophies and flowers that were won by the likes of Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins. Doesn’t get more solid than that.

So the trip. Well, I wrote all about it over at Victoria’s Island. But in case you don’t want to click over there (you should by the way – more interesting writing happening at my first home on the WWW), here is the day:
1. Pay an extra $500 at the Air Canada check-in desk: $225 x 2 for extra bags + $50 x 2 for bikes.
2. Make a medical emergency landing in Halifax. Stuck in Halifax for 1 hour.
3. Land in Frankfurt at 9:30 a.m. I miss my connection by 15 minutes.
4. Wait for 3.5 hours for next flight to Brussels.
5. This flight is delayed by 30 minutes.
6. Land in Brussels. No bikes. File baggage claim.
7. Get flat tire in rental car. Get tire fixed.
8. Rescued by Jos.

Just heard that my bikes have been found. They will be delivered tonight. Need to stay awake now!

The good news is I’m here. Everything worked out. I’ve got some groceries. I’m sitting down in front of the computer. I’ve got a good day planned for tomorrow. Thursday looks good as well (group ride). Bonus is I get to race the World Cup in Nommay, France this weekend. Really it doesn’t get much better than this. Well, some fine Belgian bread would help – but this will have to wait until Wednesday morning.

A crazy block of travel is in the books. I miss Marc like crazy. But he’ll be here soon enough. Until then I need to put my head down and get some excellent races in the books.

Alright, this is all I have for today. Sorry for the brevity. I’m feeling a bit punchy so I’m kind of afraid of what might come out of these fingers. Really I need sleep. But really I need my bikes more.

Today is the day. Hopping on the plane in a few hours. Off to the land of cyclo-cross. So so lucky. So fortunate to be able to do this. It is finally sinking in that I’m doing this. I guess I kind of take it for granted that I’m doing this. I mean, it only makes sense to me. I want to do something to the maximum, so figure out what that maximum is, pursue it, and then do it. But I forget that this is not always possible for people – or even imaginable. Guess I really am lucky in more ways than one.

I’m really feeling ready for this trip. This is my time. I can feel it. My body is strong. My mind is here. Confidence is high. Legs are fresh. Lungs and heart are ready to go. As I was driving home from some errands today, I started to think about the upcoming racing. I broke out into a massive smile. This is massive for me. In years past, I would have started to stress and worry about the race and what “could happen”. Not any more. Nope, I don’t have these thoughts. Rather I look forward to the races. I want to race, rip my legs off, rip your legs, test myself, scare myself, push my limits.

This is just where I need to be right now. How did I reach this nirvana? Don’t know. Suppose it is a culmination of the hardwork on and off the bike. Maybe my racing experience is starting to shine through? (Yes, I know in the relative grand scheme of things, I don’t have heaps of racing experience…) But maybe I’m finally ready and able to learn from the bike? Don’t know really how I reached this point. But I’m super glad I’ve found it. I imagine this is what the women who are always on the podium feel like. A wave of confidence and restfulness – knowing that they (I) am doing the right thing?

Whatever it is, I’m going to roll with it.

I really need to get get going – leaving for the airport in a few minutes. But before I do, please be sure to check out my sponsors:
– KingsBridge Disaster Recovery
– The Cyclery
– Outdoor Gear Canada
– Clif Bar
– Bell Lap Coaching

Without these fine companies, I would not be where I am. Many many thanks to: Skip, Vince, Dave, Eric, and Steve.

Time is ticking down. Can’t really believe that I’m leaving in two days. Crazy. I’ll be gone for 98 days. This is awesome. I’m feeling so ready for this trip. It just makes complete sense. This is making the preparation much easier and more simple. I suppose since this is my third winter in Belgium, it should be easier to get ready for.

But there is still the last minute chaos. Checking lists. Looking at what seems like a ridiculous amount of stuff piled in the living room. Trying to sort out wheels and tires. Picking up last minute spare parts. Finding some decent reading material to keep me occupied. Loading up the laptop with movies. Then there is the actual packing. Which really doesn’t take too long. I’m getting quite experienced with breaking down bikes and cramming them into bike boxes now!

I’m not one for reminiscing. But for some reason today things kind of hit me. I’ve come along way in a short period of time. It has been a gradual steady progression. But one that I don’t think anyone who knew me as a racer four years ago would have predicted. But here I am. Going for it. It makes sense to me. I’m not one to do something if I can’t do it all out. So now thanks to that attitude and some excellent guidance, I’m getting real close to meeting my goals. Very cool.

So tomorrow I’m racing in my local Ottawa Bicycle Club Cyclo-Cross series. This is where it all started for me. So it only makes sense that my last race of 2009 in Canada be one that is part of this local ‘cross series. I remember lining up for my first ‘cross race back in 1994 – I had a Specialized Stumpjumper. I had no idea what to expect. I remember being completely exhausted at the end of the race. But I was hooked. As hard as it is, there is something about cyclo-cross racing that keeps drawing me back. In fact after a break from cycling to play hockey and to study taekwon-do, it was ‘cross that brought me back to bike racing. All this thanks to the local OBC series. Another reason to get out and support the local race series – you never know where it will take you.

Guess the moral of the story is to simply keep pedaling and dreaming.

Well, it really didn’t take me long. Not that I expected it to. I’m fully in the groove of bike racing and training and not sitting in a cubicle. This is only my second day of such a life, but already I’m noticing changes in my body and mind. All for the better. It is interesting that I’ve noticed this adaptation so quickly, particularly since I didn’t leave a stressful work environment. But I guess there was the hidden stress that probably was affecting me more than I realized. By hidden stress, I refer to the small little things: what to wear to work, commuting back and forth, scheduling rides around being at the office, and generally just getting everything done. I know, I know – poor me – this is what everyone goes through. But believe me, when one big piece of the daily life puzzle is taken care of, it is amazing how much lighter you feel.

We are getting a dose of rainy weather here. I’m not a massive fan of the rain. I think this has something to do with growing up in northern Saskatchewan – suppose this is because it rarely rains there. In fact, I didn’t even own a rain coat – if it rained, we stayed in… But I’m starting to appreciate the rain, because rain isn’t snow. I have a strong dislike of the snow. Again, I attribute this to growing up in northern Saskatchewan where it seemed we were blanketed in the white stuff for most of the year (October – April).

Got out for an excellent ride yesterday. It was suprathreshold day. Love and hate these intervals. So so hard. But so satisfying when they’re done. The feeling of speed when doing these is amazing. The intervals did a number on my legs – just what I wanted. I cooled down/recovered by riding through the crazy traffic of Kanata to get to Marc’s office. Nice reward of a hot shower and a lunch date with my favorite guy made the rain and traffic worth it.

I’m just sitting here looking at the soggy air and considering today’s ride. It is long ride day with a block of tempo at the end. Perfect podcast riding. Then post-ride I’m looking forward to a chilled out afternoon. Have a few more errands to run and then I’ve got plans tonight. Nice.

Things are coming together really well for my trip. Pretty much everything is organized. Really all I have to do now is pack. And I can’t do this until the weekend. So I get some time to relax and double-check my lists!

Okay, I’m out of here. Time for another cup of tea before I face the soggy outdoors…

Boy oh boy did I ever need that ride today. By the time I got home from my last day in cubicle land I was feeling sluggish, tired and worked up about stuff. Not a good combination. I dawdled a bit in the house and then finally got my act together to go for a ride. Talking with Marc before heading out reminded me to take a deep breath and let things go.

On the agenda today: start intervals. If you’re a regular reader of my site then you know my love-hate relationship with starts. My ‘cross starts need to improve. So I had to get down to business and work on them. Well, I had a great work-out. No, let me rephrase that – fantastic work-out. Hopped on my trusty Stevens Super Prestige and rolled on over to the trails off of Woodroffe for some training.

We have a little “race course” that is the perfect length to get in some hard fast efforts. I warmed up by exploring the web of trails and then hit up the “race course”. Then it was time to work in the start intervals. I tried to simulate the race start as best I could: watch set to a 30 second count down and then hit it on a stretch of pavement before making a sharp left into a ditch and then drilling it through a stretch of sand popping out onto some deep grass and sprinting to a narrow opening into the woods. I mixed this section into my ride and got in five excellent start intervals combined with a bunch of other mini-burst through out while riding through the woods.

Definitely what I needed to put me in a good frame of mind. It was just me, the woods, the fall leaves and the odd dog walker. Perfect. Before I knew it, my ride was over and the sun was getting a bit low. Time to roll home. I’m not sure what was the best component of this ride – the physical efforts, the confidence boost of riding hard and fast on technical terrain, or the mental clarity it provided. Really can’t ask for much more out of a ride.

Had a great talk with my coach Steve Weller of Bell Lap Coaching. He has really prepared me well for this next block of racing in Europe. I mentioned this to Steve but it is worth stating here, that it helps so much to know that I’m well trained and prepared. This helps me get through the days when things feel like they’re not coming together. At the very least, I know I’m lining up for each and every race ready to race at my best.

As I progress on this bike racing journey, I’m really starting to appreciate how important the mental aspect is. Confidence is huge. It helps me get through the little hiccups that come along the way. When confidence is at its peak, I really think it gives athletes the ability to “roll with things” in the truest sense. Little things that can happen on race day become so minor because I know that whatever happens, I’m physically and mentally ready to race.

I’m feeling a wide range of emotions today. (As if you couldn’t guess from the rambling nature of this post!) I can’t believe that as of today, I’m able to devote myself full-time to bike racing. This is crazy. This is huge. I’m so proud that I can do this. Yes, I’m proud of myself. I’ve come along way this past year. Battled a lot of obstacles. But through it all I’ve come out a better bike race and a better person. Now the reward is to live a dream and fulfill a goal.

I’m so ready for this. Can’t wait to get to Belgium and get going. Life is good. Pinch me.