Boy oh boy do I want to get back to training! Now I have been riding for the past few weeks, but I’m not training… Rather I’m riding for sanity and fun. Yes, I’m riding the trainer in the basement of my Ottawa home for fun. (It is a good reason to watch television and the Adele concert over and over again…)

But what I want and crave is structure and a plan. Guess this all speaks to my Type A personality. I think partly this is because normally I would be training right now. I would have a plan and goals for each ride. But right now, I don’t have this. I know that a lot of road racers are not yet back into training yet – instead they might be out skiing, snowshoeing, running, and enjoying some outdoor winter trail riding. Well the thing is I can’t do any of this – the risk of falling is too high for me and my L3 vertebrae.

So I pedal. Now, I’m not complaining or whining. I know how lucky I am. It is just that I’m ready to get going. I’ve got my sights set on a really strong and fun 2012 so I want to get started. Yes, yes, I know that nothing will be accomplished if I’m not fully healed and recovered from my injury…

Plans for 2012 – yes I’ve got a few. A bit early for me to share them here with you. But as it stands you’ll see me out racing my road bike, hitting up the local cross-country mountain bike race series, and of course dialling in my cyclo-cross skills. For some 2012 is the Year of The Dragon but for me it is The Year of the Bike. I’m ready and open to try new races and opportunities – yes, seriously considering Almonte-Roubaix and some of the crazy Tall Tree Cycles rides…

Wish me luck as I’m seeing my doctor tomorrow – hoping to get the green light for some yoga and stretching… I’m feeling good and ready to get going. How about you?

Thank You Belgium for a great time. You have taught me so much and showed me that I really want to keep learning and growing. While the cyclo-cross season was very short and I only got to race twice – I will cherish the time I had with you.

On and off the bike I have been so lucky to meet a fantastic group of people. Passion would be the central theme for my family of cyclo-cross friends and fellow racers. We are bound by a love of the bike, the mud, the sand and the constant challenge that racing cyclo-cross in Belgium gives us.

This was my fifth season of racing in Belgium and it seems like no matter how many times I’ve been, my eyes and brain are rewarded with more sights and lessons. People often ask me why I go to Belgium to race my bike – it can be hard to answer this question without rambling on and on. To answer this question simply – because there is no place like Belgium and no other place to be than at a cyclo-cross race in Belgium.

Thank You Belgium for reuniting with my friends, for introducing me to new friends, for reinforcing my love of the bike, for testing me in a way that no other place can, for reminding me that it is important to live each day to its fullest, for showing me that dreams do come true, for reminding me that the work is never done, and for forcing me to push my limits.

I miss you already and I will be back.

When I arrived here in Belgium on Nov. 10, I had a return plane ticket booked for Feb. 6, 2012… Instead I’m flying home on Dec. 29. To be blunt: this sucks. Not the most eloquent, but really this is the way I feel right now. I really wish I wasn’t going home. Don’t get me wrong – I’m super excited to see my big grey cat Murphy and to re-connect with friends and family. But I really would rather be here in Belgium racing my bike.

I’ve been doing a good job of staying positive these past few weeks and enjoying my “off-season” – but today is a tough day. I did get out for an easy two hour ride today. My back felt pretty good – some upper back muscle tightness but my lower back (where the vertebrae is fractured) felt fine. It is strange because I feel like I can race – but I know I can’t…

These past few days though have been action-packed with lots of off-the-bike action. On Christmas Eve, Marc, Nikoline, Jacob and I loaded into our trusty Peugeot and drove to Bergen-Op-Zoom, the Netherlands for the day. We had a great poke around in Hoppmans (massive bicycle store), a good lunch and wander around the town. We celebrated Christmas with a hearty and fairly healthy dinner and then the four of us went to the Blauberg church for the Christmas service.

Here are a couple photos from the day:

We had a great Christmas day with Marc racing to a solid 6th place in Balegem. The course had some crazy descents in it and was a tad muddy…

After the race we zipped off to Zolder so I could connect with some good pals. It was great to hang out with Nancy and Andy – I’m very happy that Nancy is getting better and is able to get back to racing. I talked to a bunch of other folks and then it was time to come back to the house here so Marc could get ready for racing on Dec. 26.

Today has been pretty chilled out. Nikoline and I got out for a good ride today. I’m going to miss Nikoline – we’ve become very good friends. We first met in Treviso, Italy at the 2008 World Cup and we’ve been friends ever since. We had a great ride chatting and ruminating about life, bikes, and everything in between. Really, we should be packing but I think we’ll just procrastinate and have a big packing marathon on Wednesday!

Alright, this post has gone on long enough! Time to do a bit of work and then we’re off for dinner out with our good friends. Really going to miss this place…

Have a fantastic day with your family and friends! Eat lots of good food. Drink some tasty drinks. Watch some cheesey Christmas movies. Go for a nice long walk. Play a rousing game of Scrabble. Play a raucous game of street hockey. Take a nap. Go watch a cyclo-cross race.

Enjoy being with the ones you love.

For cyclocross racers, this is a very special time of the year. Yes, it is Christmas season racing time. This means six races in nine days. This week is a whirlwind of racing, recovering, cleaning bikes, talking about the races and getting ready for the next race. A very special time indeed.

The week was kicked off yesterday with the Diegem Superprestige. I did this race way back in 2007 with the junior boys. What a race – the course is like no other race course and the crowd is positively electric. Yesterday marked the first time for the women’s race at Diegem. It was tough to not be racing but I thoroughly enjoyed hearing all about the race from Nikoline and Sarah – sounds like it was an epic day on the bike. The whole gang of us watched the men’s race last night – definitely a race worth putting on your “to do” list – either to race it or watch it…

This is our fifth Christmas in Belgium – amazing how time passes so quickly. The first few years here we didn’t do much for Christmas but now we’re into having a dinner with whomever is staying in the house and simply enjoying the day. After a spin on the bike we’re off to Bergen-Op-Zoom to visit the Hoppman’s bicycle store and then wander around the shops in this pretty little Dutch town. Tonight we’re having a big house dinner and closing the night off with midnight mass at the Blauberg church.

Racing kicks off again tomorrow with Marc racing in Balegem and the others going to Zolder to pre-ride for the Boxing Day Zolder World Cup.

We’ve only got five more days left here in Belgium (well really four since we fly out on Thursday) and we plan to make the most of them.

I wish you all the best during this Christmas season – I sincerely hope you’re able to spend this time with family and friends enjoying one another’s company. If I’ve learned anything over the five Christmases we’ve spent here in Belgium is that this time of the year isn’t about unwrapping presents – it is about family, friends and smiling faces.