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November 14, 2010

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Wet

Dudes, it is wet here in Belgium. Really really wet. I’ve never seen it so wet. But on the upside, it is warm. With the super rain coat and pants, the rain really isn’t an issue – but the relentless rain is becoming a bit much. I’m sitting here on the couch watching the Hamme Zogge cyclo-cross race, very relieved that I did not race this race. (No women’s race anyway…)

It is so muddy. The racers are literally running more than they are riding. A true “Belgian ‘cross”. My housemate Karl Hoppner raced the junior race in Hamme Zogge today. Karl rode really well to finish in 25th position. Pretty darn good for a super muddy race and the first race of his 2010-2011 European season. I’m looking forward to hearing all the race stories over supper tonight.

Have to say things are going really well at the house. Right now it is the three of us (Karl’s mom is also staying here) and on Saturday Alex arrives and then next Thursday, Marc arrives. We’ll be a tight knit group of Canadians by the end of the season. This is the perfect number of people to live with in this house. No one feels cramped or confined and there is lots of room for everyone to find some “space”. So far I’ve been lucky with Denise feeding me supper every night! But tomorrow it is my turn – tacos are on deck (a Vicki Thomas specialty).

I got out for a good ride today. Well-protected from the rain in my rain jacket and pants and actually a bit overdressed. Today I made my way to the canal (this canal goes all the way to Antwerp – I believe it is called the Schelde). The ride today was all about VO2Max intervals and sprints. I have to say I’m struggling with the VO2Max efforts – just can’t keep the wattage where it should be – I’m attributing this to the effect of the low ferritin and red blood cells – it is as if I just can’t go super super hard for a long time. But if I do 30 second all out efforts – I can hold a good hard and high wattage for the 30 seconds. I’m wondering if there is something connected here? I’m hoping to get into see a cycling doctor this week so I can back on track with the iron infusions and I’ll be asking him about this. Anyway, the ride was good – I did get a flat during one of my intervals. This was a drag and I got a bit nervous since I only had one spare tube with me…. But it all worked out. Ended up riding for closet to 3 hours – so a good day out on the bike.

Strange to not be racing this weekend but I’m enjoying the time to relax and just simply catch my breathe. The first few days here were definitely busy.

Mega congrats to Marc for his fine race at the Hammer Cyclo-Cross race on Saturday. Marc raced in the elite men’s race and finished in 7th position. I was so happy to hear this. Best of all was listening to Marc tell me all about his race – the excitement and happiness in his voice was overwhelming. Marc is racing again today in the Anvil Cyclo-Cross race – so send him your fast vibes. Also congrats to Conor for his 6th place finish and Evan for his 2nd place. Some fine riding from my trusty riding partners. In fact all of my training partners are throwing down some good results: Karl 25th, Marc 7th, Conor 6th, and Evan 2nd. Guess I better step up to the plate!

Well, the race is nearly over – looks like Sven is going to win again. My new favorite (Bart) is having a good ride today as well. I’ve never seen such dirty cyclo-cross racers before. Their legs are black from the mud!

Alright, time to go. I’ll have this mud to look forward to in Hasselt and Aspere Gavere….

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November 13, 2010

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Recovery Day

Recovery day today on the bike. With the crazy rain this meant one thing – time for an on-road/off-road ride. I rolled out and down the road to the Averbode Forest. Had a great zoom around there on the boggy, muddy trails then off down the bicycle path to my favorite training grounds. There is a most excellent Wandelpark that has trails for walkers, cyclists and horseback riding. So I rolled around in there for a bit – being careful not to get lost. Then I hit up the Averbode Forest one more time for good measure. A perfect ride. Wet but not cold.

Spent a good amount of time cleaning my bikes and getting them sparkling. Now they’re all fresh and ready to get muddy again tomorrow! The crazy thing here right now is the rain. I’ve really never experienced rain like this. But it is still better than snow and the cold. So I’ll take it.

Tomorrow is not a recovery day. V02max and sprint day on Sunday. I’m actually looking forward to a good hard day. Karl is racing in Hamme Zogge on Sunday so I’m looking forward to hearing all about his first race in Belgium this season.

Life here is in full swing now. Pretty good routine down. Next week there is the group ride on Tuesday and then on Wednesday off to Kasterlee for some training on the cyclo-cross training course. Maybe Leuven on Thursday afternoon for a wander around. Then it is the double-header weekend with Hasselt and Aspere Gavere. Oh and Alex arrives on Saturday. Marc is coming on Nov. 25th and then we’ll have a full house here of Canadians. Very lucky and happy to have this living arrangement this year.

(Best of luck to my favorite guy racing in Ottawa today. Also shouts out to Conor and Evan – rip it up and make us Canadians in Belgium proud. What are the bets again? Anyone going for the white hat?)

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November 12, 2010

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In The Groove

Fully into the groove here in Belgium. The first few days of craziness have settled. I always forget how much there is to do the first few days here. But now all the little jobs and errands are taken care of. The race in Niel was a great way to kick off my race season in 2010-2011.

Today was a pretty chilled out day. Karl and I hit out in the windy blustery (but dry) day for an adventure on bicycles. I was relieved to see that Karl was riding with ‘cross tires – this way I would be able to keep up with him on the road! I took Karl all over the place, showing him some excellent training parks and roads. We did a solid two hours together and then I set out for my last hour of riding. I must say that the last hour really nearly cracked me – the wind was wicked (but it was dry).

The afternoon was spent visiting the local bicycle stores and grocery stores. An action-packed day. Now it is time to relax and just catch my breath. Tomorrow is all about recovery. My plan is to go and ride the trails at Averbode. I’ll be riding with my “backwards” Grifos… Turns out I put the tires on backwards.. Sigh – learn something new everyday!

No racing for me this weekend. It is just about training and finding my groove. I’ve got a double-header next weekend and a couple of double training days as well. I’m really happy to be here and to be back in my training groove. Next week I’m hoping to see a doctor who can get me back on the iron infusions as well as add in B12 injections. The more I read about this anemia and iron-deficiency, the more depressing it is. It takes along time to recover from this – 6-8 weeks and the training makes it harder to recover. But I know this and I’ll deal with it. For now I’m focused on improving technically, getting my body back to feeling like itself and most importantly having fun.

Send your positive race vibes Karl’s way on Sunday – he is racing at Hamme-Zogge at 11:15. This will be his first European race of the 2010-2011 season. It is going to be a good one.

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November 11, 2010

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A Day Out in the Mud (Niel, Belgium)

Today was my first race in Belgium of the 2010-2011 season. It was a good one. I really like the course at Niel and it is very close to my place here in Blauberg. Today Luc, Kelly, and Johnny picked me up in the trusty camper and drove me to the race. It was awesome – very relaxing. Great to have people to talk with. I’m sure I talked their ears off since I really haven’t spoken to anyone in two days! Thanks so much. Also Luc has sent some excellent photos, they are posted on Facebook.

The day was very cold and grey. Really cold. Really grey. Really wet. Really muddy. Everything you expect in a Belgian cyclo-cross race. Luckily I had my trusty Sealskins to keep my feet and hands dry. Could have done with a thicker undershirt (summer weight is not so good in such conditions).

Many thanks to Ludwig for the amazing pit support today. Ludwig fixed my bikes before the race. Yelled at me during the race – reminding me when to pit and offering words of encouragement. Luc and Johnny were out there taking photos and cheering me on. Kelly was at the start and finish with my clothes and cheering me on for the entire race. Thanks so very much.

It was an excellent day at the races. I can honestly say that I had a lot of fun today. Others would be disappointed with such a result (somewhere in the 30s) but I wasn’t lapped and I wasn’t last. I learned that I need to work on my mud riding skills and actually practice running in the mud. All in all, a good day.

I’ve written a race report here. When we got back to Blauberg after the race, Karl and Denise were here. Very nice to have them here now. It has been a whirlwind of activity here already. Tomorrow looks like a good day – Karl and I are going out for a ride and then the usual first day in Belgium things: bike store and food.

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November 10, 2010

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Cyclo-Cross Takes Character

Today I was out for a ride and was rolling along one of my favorite bicycle paths. This particular paths takes cyclists and walkers through a forest. It is a very popular path with more walkers than cyclists. I whistled to alert two men that I was coming up behind them. They stopped and started talking to me. Right away they were asking about cyclo-cross, where was I from, where I am living, what are my results, and when I was racing. These two men were obvious cyclo-cross fans. What struck me was what one of the men said “We admire you. Cyclo-cross takes character.” I smiled and agreed.

This sentence has stuck in my head all day. This guy is right. Cyclo-cross does take character. Really anything worth doing takes character. Particularly if you want to do it well. But maybe cyclo-cross is different. The conditions can be a bit rough. Training for cyclo-cross requires technical training and aerobic/anaerobic training. The demands on the equipment are time consuming. I suppose it does take character. Unlike road racing. there is no hiding in cyclo-cross. I can sit in a pack during a road race or criterium knowing that I may not be the strongest person there – but I can follow wheels and find the protection from the wind. Not so in cyclo-cross. It is an all or nothing race.

Kind of like life. It is all or nothing. I admit I had my doubts about returning to Belgium this winter. I’m not the healthiest and I’m not riding the way I want to be. But there are no second chances or “do overs” in life. Who knows, I might not be able to return next year. So there really was no other option. All in. All or nothing. I’m here and I’m going to make the best of it.

(Mental note – putting on new road tires is very very hard on thumbs and arms. Then a few hours later putting on new clincher cyclo-cross tires is also very very hard on thumbs and arms. To sum up, I have very very sore thumbs and arms.)