Yes, this lesson finally clicked today. The faster I go, the easier it is. With speed the bumps and roots seem to disappear and flatten out. With speed, getting around a tricky corner is almost effortless. The faster I attack a steep climb the easier it is to get up and over it and prevent the mid- hill stall and fall over to the side… The more speed I take into the turns and cambers the easier it is to keep on moving forward and not get bogged down. The more speed I can take with me into the sand, makes it so much more easier to get through it without the front wheel diving down and the handlebars going haywire. The faster I let the bike run down steep descents, the sooner the descent is over and I have less time to think about what it is I’m doing on my bike.

Speed is my friend. Speed is your friend. Now I’m talking reckless riding with a “no-brakes” attitude. No I’m talking about letting the speed that you’ve worked so hard to find and amp up on flats and pavement do the work for you in the technical sections. I’m not a technical wizard but over the last few weeks of training and learning, I’ve had some major light bulbs go off.

Lessons that Marc and the young guns have been trying to teach me over the past few years are finally coming to fruition. I remember being told that each race and training session I would learn things that I didn’t even realize and one day these lessons would be apparent. Well, it seems the time has come. I’m learning. I’m catching up to my competitors with these technical break-throughs. I may not have the overwhelming power of Katie Compton or the technical finesse of Sven Nys but I’ve got a jersey full of confidence and trust in my abilities.

Each time I go out I ask myself to let the speed run more and more, to try attacking the hills in a harder gear and to sprint that much faster up the climbs. Clicking, learning, and getting it – all this is happening for me in my suburban stomping grounds.

This past weekend featured the Canadian elite road championships. I did not attend these races but I did follow them closely on Twitter and on various websites. Lots of impressive rides and some definite breakthroughs (even for those not on the podium). Clara Hughes won the individual time trial championship on Friday and on the weekend an article ran in the Toronto Star featuring her accomplishments. What stood out for me though in this article is that Hughes revealed she has a sole sponsor who is providing her with $120,000 to support her cycling season and quest to race once again at the Olympics. Here is what Hughes had to say about this support:

“He said the reason he’s supporting me is ‘I really like what you do and I like the example you set for young people.'”

“A part of my mission is to show what’s possible and also I hope to show when you support an athlete, you’re a part of their process, a huge part. The person that funds me, I send him updates all the time. And he emails me back ‘I feel like I’m doing this with you.’”

Hughes said she doesn’t think people realize the difference they can make in helping an athlete achieve their dreams.

“I remember reading about Silken Laumann,” she said. “She had a supporter, a man who gave her $10,000 when she had nothing. I think she tried to convince him not to, but he just wanted to help her and be part of her success. I remember thinking that was the coolest thing.

“I’m so lucky and I don’t feel like I should be the only one.”

In my opinion this really shows the type of person Clara Hughes is. She really appreciates the support she is receiving and even more, recognizes that not all athletes are as fortunate as her. I wonder if more athletes realized that sponsorship is so hard to come by, they would appreciate what they have that much more. Yes, this is a cyclical process – appreciate what you have, show your sponsors that you appreciate it (and are overwhelmed by it), and maybe you’ll end up getting more support or maybe another athlete will get some support. All this adds up to strengthening our athletes and giving everyone a warm happy feeling in their soul.

Okay, a bit corny I know but sometimes I can’t help myself. For my part I’m pretty sure it is clear how much I appreciate and am thankful of the support I get from my sponsors. When I pull on my cycling kit, I see those logos and I remember that these companies didn’t have to sponsor me – they chose to – so I better do my best to represent them the best I can.

And now that I’m moving so much faster, you’ll have to look extra hard to see the blur of logos as I race by! In case you can’t remember who my sponsors are, here is a cheat sheet:

• Stevens Bikes
• The Cyclery
• Clif Bar
• Champion Systems Canada
• Bell Lap Coaching
• Outdoor Gear Canada

Really this just has been a really good week. Good rides on the cyclo-cross bike. Good feelings overall. Simply good.

But the really good news came yesterday. As you may know I have ulcerative colitis and I’ve been dealing with some side effects from some medication. These side effects wiped out my white blood cell count, gave me anemia and lowered by hemoglobin levels. So suffice it to say, training at full capacity was pretty much impossible. I stopped the medicine about three weeks ago and have been going for weekly blood tests. Each week hoping to hear that things were starting to get back to “normal”.

Well yesterday I got the good news: my numbers are all inside of the normal ranges. What a wave of relief. I’m super stoked about my iron level: 138 – crazy high for me! White blood cell counts are just at the bottom of normal and my hemoglobin (red blood cells) are right in the middle of normal. All very good news. Signs that my body is healing itself and I’m getting back to my old self.

So what does this mean for me? Well as much as I’d like to get into some intensity right away, common sense prevails  and I’ll be taking another week of steady riding, do another blood test – and then make a decision with my coach, doctor, and Marc.

But what it really means for me is this: I’m stoked! I can’t wait to get out and ride hard again. I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. And most importantly – Belgium is going to happen.

I’m feeling better everyday. My confident is sky high. My technical skills are getting better with every ride. Really, I can’t explain how relieved I and excited I am.

(And in the other news department…)

If you follow professional road cycling, you may have read about the sponsorship problems of HTC-Highroad:

HTC-Highroad owner Bob Stapleton told the AFP today that he is desperately seeking a sponsor for the team. HTC will end their commitment as title sponsor at the end of this season, which leaves the team without funding to continue. Money quote!

“If we haven’t secured a sponsor by the end of the Tour de France, we will have to sit down and start considering how to wind down operations,” Stapleton told AFP.

Stapleton also said that the doping controversies have made sponsors wary of committing to the sport. According to the AFP story, he is looking for a €10 million commitment per year for three years to keep the team on the road. HTC-Highroad boasts a ridiculous number of wins this season so far and includes some of the top riders in men’s and women’s cycling. The roster includes 36 riders, who will need new teams if Highroad stops.

(From Podium Cafe)

Very sad that such a team might be in jeopardy. Also interesting how much money the team needs for a season.

Well, this is where the extra dose of good news comes in…. The good news for you is that to sponsor a cyclo-cross rider for a season it doesn’t cost anything close to €10 million! Nope, you can sponsor me for a mere fraction of that cost. In fact my budget doesn’t even come close to having that many zeroes in it. The extra good news is that you can make a difference by sponsoring me and help instill confidence in the sport of cycling. And don’t worry – there won’t be any doping scandals with me. Nope – 100% clean and natural athlete (with a few tasty Clif Bar products in my belly to give me that boost I need). The even better good news is that you’ll be part of a super exciting season of racing and will be joining some pretty darn fine sponsors.

I’d say this is pretty solid dose of good news for a Friday morning. Really it doesn’t get much better: first off it is Friday, my health is back on track, I’m going to Belgium, you can sponsor me instead of HTC-Highroad and save yourself lots of money, and did I mention that it’s the weekend?

First off, big welcome to readers coming here from Citizen Cycle! I hope you like what you read here and maybe you’ll be encouraged to take up cyclo-cross racing. Ottawa has a vibrant cyclo-cross community with races for all levels and experience. If you have any questions about cyclo-cross, drop me an <a href=”mailto:vickith@yahoo.com”>email</a> or post in the comments (don’t be shy). And if you want some help with training and techniques – well let me know and I’ll be glad to help.

So today I was out in my regular stomping grounds doing some technical training and I started to get a bit frustrated. Things really just weren’t clicking the way I wanted. I suppose since these last few weeks of training have been really outstanding and I’ve had a few break-throughs and epiphanies, I’m kind of used to this happening with every ride. Sadly, this is not the case.

Today I wanted to work on bike acceleration. Sounds simple enough… Well, I went over to a sandy area that has a short but steep little climb. My idea was to start on the flattish but sandy ground and focus on sprinting and accelerating up and over the climb. Well, I got up and over the climb but I have to say there wasn’t much in the way of sprinting or acceleration happening. Rather I was muscling my way up and over. Sure I got over the climb but it was too slow and there really wasn’t any “jump” or sprint.

I started to get frustrated with myself and thought “if only I had someone here to show me how to do this”. Luckily I caught myself thinking this and was reminded of what Marc has been telling me the past few days “you don’t need someone to teach you. You have the skills to figure this stuff out. Play around on your bike and you’ll get it.”. So this is what I did. I played around with my gearing. I tried starting with my bum on the saddle and off. I tried starting on firmer terrain. I moved my bike back a few feet. Slowly things started to work. But I left still not feeling satisfied. All this means is that I need to go back again this week and give it another shot. Practice makes improvement after all.

The rest of the ride went really well. I now have my 44 tooth chainring on my bike (previously I was riding a 53/39 setup) – so now that I’m back to my 44/38 cyclo-cross gearing I can test my legs more and push things with the speed. One spot where I appear to be continuing to improve is in the sand. In years past I would ride in a much too easy gear – resulting in little to no speed going into the sand and with poor leg speed I wasn’t able to drive the bike forward. Now I’m riding in a much harder gear, sprinting much faster into the sand, using a few new techniques such as pulling up on the handlebars and pushing with my hips to keep the momentum forward rather than going down into the sand and I’m focusing on as high a leg speed as I can get. Now I find I can get through heavy sand pits I wasn’t able to before and with a lot more speed.

After this I hit up another spot to work more on my acceleration over steep climbs. In years past I’ve really struggled with steep climbs. Stalling out half-way up or even at the very top. Well, I discovered that once again, I’ve been riding in too easy of a gear. I’m happy to report that I can now get over climbs that last year left me bumbling and floundering around – and I did it in my 44/17 today! So this is some improvement. For me to do this, I have to remind myself to really sprint into the hill, to use my arms as well and then to continue sprinting up the hill and use my entire body to get over the top – literally thrusting my body over the lip.

So all this to say that the improvements are coming – slowly but surely. It really is the little adjustments along the way that will have the biggest pay-offs in the long run. I’ve updated my race calendar for the cyclo-cross season – I really can’t wait for September.

One final thought, this is thanks to Marc “Talent Is Over Rated”.

Today was a big day here in Ottawa – it was the day of the famous Preston St. criterium. This race has been going on for years (I don’t know how long) but I first watched it in 1994 (mine and Marc’s second date was me watching him race) – and I’ve hooked ever since…

I’ve done this race three times – the last time it was the big all-one category 100 km criterium that included the hill on Gladstone Ave. and then twice racing with the women. I had planned to do it this year, but it wasn’t in the cards.

Instead I was out to watch the races and to hand out The Cyclery water bottles to the little kids. It was literally an entire day of racing today including an hour of kids’ racing. Yes, one hour of all ages of kids on all manners of bikes – some raced for 100 meters on bikes with training wheels (or bikes with no pedals) right up to an under 13 category that races on the full course. Seeing those kids race was something special. Even better was talking to some of them after the race and hearing them replay the race and seeing the enthusiasm in their faces and body language. Let’s hope these kids stick with cycling.

For me the other highlight of the day was watching the men’s racing and cheering on Marc. Watching him race and seeing so many others race really made me miss racing. It was hard to be at the race and explain to people when asked why I wasn’t racing. But I know my time will come soon and when it does I’ll be ready for it.

A sign of progress is  being at the race and really wish I could do it. I’m feeling stronger and stronger every day. My legs are coming around. My recovery is better. My technical skills are increasing by leaps and bounds. Now I just need the okay from those who look at the numbers and I’ll be back on full-steam ahead.

As John Gee said to me today “you’re always an optimist” – well there really is no other way to be. I’ve got that feeling that this is going to be a good one.

I realize the other day that I haven’t written about an integral group of people of companies in a while. Yes, I’m talking about my sponsors. As any athlete knows, without sponsors, it is literally impossible to race a bike. I’ve been fortunate to have a core set of sponsors who have been with me from the start of my cyclo-cross racing adventure. So without further mumbling, I just want to say thank-you to the following outstanding companies:

• The Cyclery: gosh what can I say about Vince and his tremendous support? Without Vince’s support and encouragement, I don’t think this website and Ottawa.cx would even exist. He has provided me with bikes, group sets, clothes, mechanical work – basically anything I need – Vince and his staff at The Cyclery are there. Not many people realize the amount of support that Vince gives to local cyclists. Thanks Vince and The Cyclery for the support.
• Stevens Bikes: I’ve been racing on Stevens Bikes since 2007. I can’t say enough about these bikes and the company. I’ve been very lucky to have the support of Stevens Bikes Canada. I get to race on one of the most popular and in-demand cyclo-cross bikes on the scene. The Stevens Carbon Team is a pure beauty to ride. Thanks Stevens Bikes Canada for the bikes and sponsorship.
• Clif Bar: having food in my jersey pocket that I want to eat, makes it really easy to be on top of my training, racing and recovery nutrition. This might sound cheesy, but honestly, I haven’t tried a Clif Bar product that I don’t like. I’m really happy to see the new gluten-free products as well. From gels that go down easy to the Luna protein bars to the very popular Clif Shot Bloks – this food is simply the best. Yes, I call it food – because Clif Bar products are made from real organic ingredients. Thanks Clif Bar for helping me to  so easily stay on top of my nutrition and fueling my rides.
• Bell Lap Coaching: without coach Steve Weller, I wouldn’t even be here writing this post. He really has believed in me from the start and has made it realistic and possible for me to chase my cyclo-cross racing dreams. No challenge is too big for Steve – when I tell him what I want to do, he gets down to business and figures out how I can get there in the best form possible. This past season has been a roller-coaster with my health, and Steve is always there to adjust my training as needed and to remind me of the big picture. Thanks Steve and Bell Lap Coaching!
• Outdoor Gear Canada: thanks to a great local rep, I’ve been fortunate to have some incredible support from Outdoor Gear Canada. New helmet, new gloves, flashy new shoes, fast wheels – really whatever it is, I’m lucky to receive some top notch gear. Thanks to Outdoor Gear Canada for the continued support and great products to race and train with.
• Champion Systems Canada: I’ve been racing in Champions Systems clothing since 2007 and last season I received sponsorship from Champion Systems Canada. Everyone I’ve worked with has been top-notch and very understanding when it comes to uploading logos, making last minute changes to my clothing design and delivering my racing and training clothes early. I’ve tried a whole range of Champion Systems Canada products, and really there is not one item of clothing I have complaints about – everything fits, looks good, is durable, and best of all is completely customized for me. Thanks Sean for helping me look good while going fast!

A pretty darn solid group of companies and people – really the backbone behind my racing and training. I’m looking forward to another excellent season of racing and training – showing off the sponsors who have supported me over the years.