I added some photos from the race in Varsenare on Dec. 13.

Check them out here.

Bike racers everywhere – go read this.

You owe it to yourself and to your team.

Well back in the groove here in Belgium. Back to my normal patterns on and off the bike. Pretty chilled out day. Up early with the birds for a few hours of work in front of the keyboard.

Reward for this hard work was a pleasant walk through Westmeerbeek to the bakery. Mmmm, what a tempting place. This bakery seems to specialize in pies. Oh the pies are something else. But I stuck to the bread. 9 grain bread. Fresh baked and sliced perfectly. I was tempted by one item – macaroons. Real macaroons – not the coconut macaroons but the real deal “French” macaroons. I feel I might have to cave and try one or two (they are small).

Had an excellent recovery ride today. Started off with Jos and she showed me an excellent route that took me to the “old” house in Blauberg. I continued on to Averbode and toured around on some of my favorite roads. On the way back I picked up Jos and we had a good ride back to the house here. Perfect day for riding. Light wind. 3 celsius. Dry. Can’t complain about that.

Highlight of the day has to be the arrival of Ed’s new bike. Thanks Steve for packaging it up and arranging the transport. Ed is very happy with putting it together in the garage.

After a quick lunch and dash to the grocery store, Jos and I set off on a trip to Antwerp. We wanted to hit up the Decathlon, Ikea and Saturn (electronics shop). We made out pretty good. I got a real deal Belgian cycling hat – it is pretty sharp. And I managed to pick up the plug converter that I forgot at home. All in all a solid shopping trip.

Just relaxing now. About to hit the sack. Begijnendijk ride tomorrow. Smooth – been looking forward to this ride for some time now.

Wow – Kansas City looks like it was pretty exciting. Most impressed with Laura Van Gilder – so inspiring. Congrats to Brandon Dwight for getting another W. Fast times. Enjoy the off-season. But by the looks of the WWW, I’ll be seeing lots of you guys over here in the next few weeks. Even better.

Okay, I’m out. Have a good one.

Our first weekend of racing in Belgium has come and gone. What a weekend. Two totally different race courses. Two most excellent race experience.

(Sorry I did not post on Saturday night – we had a busy evening – company for supper complete with fine food, laughs, and stories. Check out all the details (including photos) on Victoria’s Island.)

So Saturday we were off early for the drive to Varsenare. This race was part of the Vlaamse Cyclo-Cross Cup – a pretty big series here in Belgium. We entered the small town of Varsenare and quickly saw the posters and signs advertising the race. The race was centered around the Sporthaal in Varsenare – so there were pretty good pre and post-race facilities. Got registered. Hit the course for some early warm-up laps. The course was pretty tame- long straight aways, some twists and turns in the woods, some tight turns on the grass, two ditch crossings and one set of barriers. Nothing crazy or scary. Just what we (Marc, Ed and I) needed for our first race in Belgium. There were lots of people out watching and just generally milling about. So cool to see so many people out to watch a local series race. I’ve written a complete race report here. Suffice it to say, we all raced well – Marc was 9th in Masters B, Ed was 8th in Masters C, I was 22nd in the juniors race and the first woman. I think all in all it was a good first race experience. Got the cob webs out and got to feel some effort in the legs.

We made short work of getting ready for the next day. Marc and Ed hit the bikes and I took care of the general tidying and laundry. We were treated to a fine meal cooked by chef Tim. Had lots of laughs and stories. An excellent way to round off our first day of racing in Belgium.

Today (Sunday) we were off early again in the super duper van. Got to say – the van rocks. So much room – we put five bikes, wheels, gear, tools, buckets in the back and still had plenty of room. The back has so much room that I can stand up and get changed in the back (some curtains on the window would be good…). We traveled very comfortably with lots of room and then perfect for pre and post-race. I like the super duper van. I even drove it today. Not too bad.

Today we raced in Maldegem. A very different race course and conditions from Saturday. Today was warm, wet, and muddy. A real farmer’s ‘cross course. Bumpy. Muddy. Big mud bog (I think in real life it is a road). Two little climbs. Lots of turning and twisting. A real leg-sucking course. The key for this race course was momentum. Keep the legs spinning and turning over. I’ve written a race report and posted it. All in all, another good day on the bike for all of us. Marc had the best ride of us – finishing 6th in the Masters B race. Ed had a solid day and finished 11th in Masters C. I lined up with 20 or so junior boys and three other women. I chased the other woman (the other was behind me) for the entire race. I almost caught her but a bobble in the mud and some struggles and I lost contact with her. In the end I was 16th overall – the race paid to 15th…

We made it home in excellent time. Stop on the highway for some food and a Cecemel for me and then we were home. Marc spent some time in the garage cleaning the bikes and getting them ready for tomorrow. I did my usual stuff and then Ed and I got supper together. Tonight we had some fine soup with some meatball things, some Bami Goreng (thanks to the Lidl), and salad. Now we are just chilling out with Tim and Jos – watching the Overijse ‘cross race. What a race course this is. Hopefully next year they’ll bring the women’s race back – this is an awesome race course.

Okay, I’m out. Have a good one. Best of luck to everyone racing in Kansas City today. Next race is Scheldecross on Friday (Marc and Ed are also racing here) – should be a good one.

Feeling pretty much at home here in Belgium. I really feel like I’ve never left. Everything just seems to fit so well together – biking, me, and Belgium. All the hassle we went through trying to get here was totally worth it.

Yesterday was a pretty busy one and I definitely went to bed a bit wiped out. Marc was a star and got all our bikes put together.

Got out on a little ride today. Thanks to Jos we are set up with some road wheels so we don’t have to do all the tire swapping we did last year. Marc, Ed, and I hit up a really nice bike path close to the house here in Westmeerbeek. This path is super smooth and wide enough for three abreast. It basically goes through people’s back yards and farmyards. Quiet and peaceful. Dead straight and of course flat. Made it to the canal and then turned back. The path along the canal is awesome. Hoping to get a ride in on it on Monday.

Marc and Ed have got Ed’s bike problem fixed. In the end a bike is coming for Ed from Ottawa. Once again Steve and Vince have come through and are really making a big difference in Ed’s racing and riding here in Belgium. Thanks so much guys for helping Ed out.

Not much else happened today. Normal goings on. Finally have everything unpacked and sort of organized. Got the race bag packed for tomorrow. Packed a short sleeve skinsuit to make sure the rain gods stay away. Racing with the juniors tomorrow – so it is bound to be fast and furious. Have no idea what to expect of the race course or my legs. Just have to see. I felt pretty good today. (Must have been those Skins…)

Okay, well I best be off. Have to make some sandwiches and then go to bed. No peanut butter and banana for me here. Had to switch to gouda, prosciutto, and dijon mustard. But the bonus is my recovery drink is nice smooth bottle of Cecemel.

Good luck in Kansas City. I’ve got my favorites and my race predictions. Best of luck to the fine racers from New England – I’ll be cheering for you.