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January 29, 2011

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Patience

Weird weekend for me. Everyone I know is racing their cyclo-cross bikes. Be it here in Belgium at various races or in St. Wendel, Germany at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships. It seem that I’m the only person not racing. This is the first time I’ve found it really quite hard to not be racing.

Yes, I missed racing in the three World Cups I missed along with the other UCI races I missed…. But this weekend it is harder to not be racing. Not sure why. I’m guessing it is because I’m finally starting to feel better. I’m not back to my normal fitness and strength but I’m at the point where the sensations in my legs and lungs are coming around.

Not being at St. Wendel makes me want to be in Koksijde so much more in 2012. I really want to get started on training again but I know I have to take things slow and really let the medicine do its thing before I can start stressing my body again. All part of the balance of being an athlete – learning to listen to your body to know when to really push it and when to pull back and rest.

Anyway, all this to say that my thoughts are with my pals in St. Wendel this weekend. I’ll be there with you next year in Koksijde ripping it up in front of 30,000 fans on the famous sand dunes. It is going to be good!

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January 28, 2011

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Recovery

Got some excellent news yesterday from my Belgian gastro doctor: my recent blood sample shows no signs of inflammation. This means that I’m on my way to full recovery from this recent ulcerative colitis flare. The other piece of good news is that my body is responding well to the Imuran. Definitely the news I’ve been waiting to hear!

I had four days of excellent riding in a row and ended up taking a much needed rest day yesterday. It is so easy to forget during my recovery process that I don’t have nearly the same fitness, strength or reserves that I had in the past. It is amazing to me how much I’ve lost in such a short time.

I think what did me in yesterday was the three hour ride on Tuesday. In retrospect, this was probably a much too ambitious ride to do considering that four weeks ago I was in the hospital hooked up to an intravenous line and eating only chicken broth and dry toast… But it is this ambition that has got me where I am…

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of my recovery process for me has been my mental state. If you’re a regular reader of this web site, you’ll be familiar with my mental battles. All too frequently I would battle my “crazy brain” and lack self-confidence. Well, I’m proud to say that mentally, I’m feeling 100 per cent. It would be easy to get frustrated about my current lack of fitness and strength – but I know this will come back. How I’m riding and recovery right now will not be permanent. If anything this rotten 2010-2011 season has reinforced my mental resolve and strength – I know I didn’t ride and race like I can – so I’m super stoked to get out there and really race the way I know I can.

This period of recovery has also emphasized to me how important it is to get back to the basics.  Basics of cyclo-cross like: smooth transitions and pedaling and focus and aggression on the bike. You might find the word “aggression” a strange on my website. But it is going to be a keyword for my 2011-2012 season. Last night over dinner, Marc pointed out that I’m not aggressive on my bike during cyclo-cross races – instead of fighting for positions at the start, I slip into a complacent mode of being “at the back” – the opposite of how I used to approach my cyclo-cross racing. This we determined is because “I got used to being in the back”. Well this is changing for the new season. I don’t want to be at the back nor am I going to be at the back.

One of the best parts of my recovery process has been the freedom to let my legs and mind wander. While out on the bike I can ride as hard and for as long as I want. My mind is free to simply relax and enjoy the moment. I’m not focusing on wattage numbers, cadence, the next interval, etc. If I am thinking it is typically about the drills and skills I need to focus on when I get home to make me a better racer.

Would I prefer to be in St. Wendel, Germany right now getting ready to race in the World Cyclo-Cross Championships on Sunday? Yes! This was my season goal after all. But everything happens for a reason and I can’t dwell on what didn’t happen. I know that really this season was out of my control. My body took over and I simply couldn’t race my bike.

I don’t know how much longer I’ll be in this recovery phase. I think the next phase will be the re-building stage where with expert guidance from coach Steve Weller, I’ll start getting my fitness and strength back. In a twisted sort of way, I’m looking forward to riding the trainer in my basement in Ottawa – this will be a sure sign that I’m on my way to a bigger and better 2011-2012 season.

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January 26, 2011

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Blauberg Forest

Ah, today I hit up the Blauberg Forest. Can’t believe I’ve lived here for four cyclo-cross seasons and this is the first time I’ve hit up the Blauberg Forest. Yesterday Marc rode the green route in the Blauberg Forest so I thought I’d check it out today.

Literally three minutes from my place I hooked up with a green triangle marker posted on cement post and followed these markers for around 26 kilometers. The “green route” is a mix of heavy muddy fire roads, singletrack in the woods, some pavement, and some serious mud bog riding. A perfect ride to do on a cyclo-cross bike.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect of my fitness or technical skills. I haven’t done a cyclo-cross ride since my last race which was the Koksijde World Cup. Well, lets just say I was a bit rusty at first but as things got rolling I got into the off-road groove. I did my first lap in around an hour and then decided to do a second lap of the green route. I completed this second lap in 40 minutes or so – so a definite improvement on the first lap. I didn’t kill myself – just tried to keep things steady.

This ride reinforced my main issue on the cyclo-cross and road bikes: when there is resistance (i.e. mud, a steep incline, hill) I drop my cadence – I switch into the slow pedaling power type of cadence. This does not work for cyclo-cross – it is much easier and faster to get through the mud and sand with a high cadence and smooth pedaling rhythm. I struggle with steep inclines – always seeming to stall out just at the top of the incline – again where the resistance is the greatest. As for climbing on the road – lets just say that 55 rpm is not the best cadence out there….

This ride also highlighted another area I need to work on: turning my front wheel. It seems that I always want to “carve” corners rather than turning my wheel sharply or even continuing to complete the “turn”. Oh and another thing I noticed is that I really need to get comfortable at cornering with speed.

So, I consider this to have been a great training ride. I got to play in the woods, trees, and mud – the sun was shining and I was smiling as well! To top it off, I’ve got some great learning points that I can take away from this ride and store in my brain.

I think that what I really need to think about at all times is “keep the pedals turning”. This is easy to do on the road when I have my SRM showing my cadence but when I’m on my ‘cross bike training or racing, I don’t have this. The only solution is to make this a natural part of my riding style. I’m not sure of the best way of teaching myself this skill – the only thing I can think of is to simply “drill” this into myself – I think the best way to do this is to simply get out and ride sand, mud and steep inclines purely focusing on keeping my cadence high and smooth. Guess this means you’ll see me out riding in muddy fields this spring in Ottawa….

If you’re curious about my route today, check out this PDF of the riding routes in the Blauberg Forest:

Blauberg Forest Mountain Bike Routes

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January 25, 2011

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Almost Time

Yesterday Karl and his family packed up their camper and hit the open road bound for St. Wendel, Germany. On Saturday Karl will race in his first World Cyclo-Cross Championships. What a lucky guy to be racing at the top level of his sport. Definitely a well-earned honor. When Karl left, I told him “try not to cry on the start line like I did”.

Yes, that race – the World Cyclo-Cross Championships has a powerful effect on me. There is nothing quite like lining up in your country’s national colors and racing with the best in the world. This is huge. It is an honor but it also represents sacrifice, dedication, risk and accomplishment.

I wish I was racing this weekend in St. Wendel, Germany. Plain and simply – I’m not.

So to the Canadians who will be out their ripping it up in their red and white skinsuits (Karl, Benjamin, Yohan, Natasha, Derrick and Craig), remember this:

– you deserve this honor

– you worked hard for it

– have fun and soak it all in

– smile when people cheer for you

– whatever happens  out there on the race course – remember that we’re all supporting you and are super proud of you

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t include a shout out to Nikki, Gabby, Helen, Katie, Amy, and Sue. Have a great race and enjoy every minute of it.

I’ll be out there pedaling with you – cheering you on and sending you all the speedy vibes I can.

It’s the World Cyclo-Cross Championships! A great time to be a cyclo-cross racer. Looking forward to hearing all about the race and how it played out.

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January 23, 2011

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On Not Riding

I didn’t ride on Friday. I had planned to ride. But it was cold. I was tired. I didn’t really want to ride. So I didn’t.

At first I felt guilty. I’m a bike racer. I should be riding my bike. There were many days when I couldn’t ride my bike. So each day that I can ride my bike – I should.

I’m really glad I didn’t ride my bike on Friday. I didn’t miss it. Instead I went to Leuven. I poked around the shops and had a very relaxing lunch with Denise. I had a good day. But I didn’t ride my bike.

Today it is Sunday. I’m going to ride my bike. I want to. I don’t know for how long I’ll ride my bike. I just know I want to pedal and feel my legs moving me forward. When I’ve had enough, I’ll turn around and get myself home.

Not riding is not easy. But sometimes it is the best thing a bike racer can do. Will I ride on Monday? Most likely. But only if I want to.