Sitting on a plane and in an airport for the bulk of Tuesday gave me a lot of time to think about my cyclocross season so far… Well, in a nutshell I’d have to sum up the season to date as “not bad”. Now some of you might be thinking that this is a bit of harsh assessment – particularly considering how I was doing last year.

But, I’m a big believer at not giving myself too many pats on the back. One too many pats on the back can sometimes result in complacency or false expectations. The thing is, I know I’m riding better than I was last year. But the thing is, last year I was sick. This year I’m not sick. (Knock on wood.) Luckily for me I’m in a “remission” right now and I’m able to push my body just the way I want to.

So, yes, this season is a vast improvement over last year but to me, I expected it to be. I really expected nothing less from myself. I knew that healthy I could return to the form I’ve had before and that I could and will continue to improve.

The season so far has had its share of ups and downs – some good rides and some not so good rides. Days on the bike where I was really pushing my limits and loving every aspect of being a cyclocross racer. I’ve had races where I’ve exceeded my expectations and races where I was thoroughly disappointed in my performance. I suppose this is what keeps me lining up – waiting to see what the 40 minutes or so will bring.

So now, less than two weeks before cyclocross Nationals and less than two weeks before I leave for Belgium, I’ve realized the following:
– strength is returning – in some areas it is better than it has ever been
– confidence and mental strength are spot on – a very nice change from years past where I grappled with self-confidence
– technical skills are better but I still need to do the little things better to see bigger gains
– my start is still sub-par – this is my biggest area of weakness and is holding me back
– I want to race my bike and I want to get out and train – my motivation is very high
– I’m super lucky to have such a strong support network

My goals for the season remain the same and I’m just going to keep working towards them. My approach to racing remains the same – focus on a good performance and the outcome will happen. But I think where I need to make a change is with my technical training – I’m at the point where I need to really drill down and work on my weaknesses, so this means focusing on the start, leg speed and the ability to ride up any and all steep climbs.

Hence the “not bad” assessment. At this point in the season I’m close to where I want to be and with some continued hard work and improvements I’ll be closer to where I want to be. The interesting thing about this is the closer I get to where I want to be, the line shifts a bit more and I’ve still got further to go….

Just sitting here in my hotel room in Tabor surrounded by bikes, wheels, damp cycling kit and an array of other items that somehow need to get packed up tonight. Definitely looks like a bomb went off in here! But this is a small price to pay for the day I had today. Yes, in the end, it was a good day.

It seemed like everything just came together really well today. I guess this is when experience pays off. Nancy and I gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the course – which was good since we got a bit twisted around trying to find the parking. Ignace and Andy left earlier to get everything set up for us. So awesome to have the use of a mobile home (RV) at these races. I had somewhere warm to relax, get changed and to just chill out before the race.

Pretty much did the usual World Cup drill – got on the course for two easy/moderate laps right after the junior race – this allowed me to see the course again and to test out tire pressure and tire selection. Then it was back to the mobile home to relax. Today I had a bit of a massage before the race – Ignace rubbed some kind of cream into my legs before I hopped on the trainer – I think it really does help – my legs felt really loose when I started warming up.

So the race… I was called up last to the fourth row and elected to take a better spot on the fifth row and managed to squeeze up into row 3.5! Many thanks to Katie and the Danish team manager for taking my warm-up clothes. The traffic light changed and it was odd – nothing happened on our side of the start grid – we were all stalled. A bunch of us flubbed the start and missed our pedals… Sigh, but I just tried my best to catch back on and managed to get on the group by the first corner. There was lots of pushing and shoving in the first bit of the course and one rider event stopped to adjust her shoe… Anyway I was just off the back of the girls ahead of me and then I made a couple of mistakes and was chasing for the entire race. I had some fast laps and some slower laps. Essentially I really went hard and well for the first three laps and then the last two laps I made a bunch of mistakes that added up – missing my pedals multiple times after the stairs, crashing, using the front brake, not turning my wheel enough and being in the wrong gear at times. As well, I should have been standing up and sprinting more to accelerate rather than trying to accelerate from a seated position.

But these mistakes happen when you’re tired and I can learn to overcome them as well as improve on the acceleration. So all in all, I’m okay with the race. Getting closer to the UCI points I need to qualify for the 2012 World Cyclo-Cross Championships and this is the ultimate season goal.

Had a good time after the race chatting with so many different people and then watching the last few laps of the men’s race with Nancy and Andy. A big thanks to these two for all their support and friendship these last few days in Tabor – really great to get to know them better. Big thanks to Matt and Mo for their friendly faces, cheering and words of encouragement. Thanks to Jonas and Christine for letting me tag along with them for supper tonight and for helping out so much. Massive thanks to Ignace and Katie for their support, mechanic work and great company. Big shout out to Gabby for a fine ride today – and to Gregg for his help in Plzen. Thanks to Luc and Kelly for the cheering and photos.

Of course, this wouldn’t be possible without Marc so a big thanks to him for believing in me and enabling me to follow through with my dreams and goals. My sponsors have been awesome this season and it is so nice to be supported by a find group of companies who really help me out in any way I need.

I’m off to Prague on Monday and then flying home on Tuesday. Looking forward to getting home and seeing Marc and Mr. Murphy! Also can’t wait to eat some food that I’ve cooked myself. Alright off for some supper and then I’ll be packing up bikes. Thanks for the cheering, the Twitter comments, the emails, the Facebook comments and blog comments – really means a lot to me!

Had a most excellent day today in Tabor. I’m very happy/relieved to be getting full nights of sleep – definitely cracked the jet lag that was plaguing me last week. After a great dinner last night with a very good group of friends I was feeling much better. It helped to be out laughing, talking and enjoying some excellent Indian food. Thanks to Christine and Jonas for the hospitality after supper.

Today was a very good easy day. Took it easy this morning with some work on the computer and then went out for a good easy spin with Andy (he is the husband of my friend Nancy Bober who races for the Belgian team). We went on a great route that took us by the Tabor World Cup course – it looks very similar to the World Cyclcocross Championships course from 2010 (though there is not a fly-over or a second set of stairs). We didn’t ride the course since today was all about an easy ride. Mind you, here it is challenging to have an easy ride with all of the darn hills! The company was excellent and we stopped at the course afterwards to talk to some friends as well.

This afternoon we walked down to the old town square for some warm drinks and treats. I snapped a few photos for you:

In the Mocca Cafe in Tabor:

The Old Town Square:

Christine talking to us from her apartment window:

As you can see it has been a good day. Closed the day off with a good meal with Gabby, Gregg, Andy and Nancy.

I’m feeling much better than I was yesterday. The evening out helped me feel much happier and relaxed. Today I’ve been super relaxed and haven’t really had a moment to think about the race and get nervous. I’m looking forward to racing on a course on which I had one of my best days on the bike. It is a challenging course – but this is the case for every course on the World Cup circuit.

Tomorrow I’m off to the course for my usual pre-race routine and then I’ll relax here in the hotel for the afternoon. Yes, life is good. I feel super fortunate to be doing this and to be surrounded by such helpful and friendly folks. A big thanks to Nancy, Andy, Christine, Jonas, Ignace, Katie, Gabby and Gregg for letting me join in with them.

Hmm, the last time I wrote a similar title was in 2010 – the year I raced in the World Cyclocross Championships. What a roller coaster it has been since that amazing day, race and cyclocross season. It almost feels as though I’ve come full circle now. Last year was a rotten year – both on and off the bike – thanks to ulcerative colitis. But this is a new year of cyclocross and I’m starting to really feel like my old self.

It is amazing how much can change in a year. I went from being very fit, strong and confident to super sick and wondering if I’d ever ride my bike again to now being back racing and striving to get back to where I was. Really, I suppose I’m one of the lucky ones. I doubt that many who saw me sick last year would have believed or imagined that I could be back racing again.

Well I am! It just goes to show that obstacles can be overcome and really you can do whatever you set your heart on.

Though I have to admit that I’m having a rather tough day today. Not sure what it is but I’m really missing Marc. Guess it is because I’ve been away for a week now. I know, I’ve been away for much longer than this but I think it seeing everyone else here with their boyfriend/husband and I’m wishing that Marc could be here as well. Well, he is here in spirit and each time I push on the pedals – Marc is there with me – cheering me along.

I did get out for a ride this morning in Plzen. It wasn’t the best ride – I don’t think I was really in the mood for it. I went out to the race course to work on some cornering and to just get in some cyclocross training. Between the super slippery mud, the cold air, crashing, being chased by a dog and thinking about having to pack my rental car – I really wasn’t into it. Normally I can get focused and work on the drills and skills that I want to practice. Guess it was just an off day. I did get some good practice in – I worked on putting my wheels in the ruts – something I’m not that comfortable with and in getting comfortable with riding with my rear wheel sliding around.

I took a bit of a wander around the main street of Tabor this afternoon and snapped a few photos:

Tomorrow I’ll head out for an easy spin on the bike on the road. Hoping it isn’t too hard to find some good quiet roads to ride on. Thanks again for all of the support – couldn’t do this without you guys cheering me on!