Sunday was the Plzen World Cup. World Cup number two in the World Cup circuit. This race in Plzen was a new race for me – there wasn’t a women’s World Cup in Plzen last year.

As you know from reading my blog, we arrived in Plzen on Thursday and I’d ridden the course many time before race day. I liked the course a lot – fast, some challenging steep climbs, a fast and twisty descent, subtle elevation changes with tight turns that kept you thinking, barriers, a fly-over, and over course the 23 stairs… All this made for a fast day on the cyclo-cross bike.

Did the usual pre-race routine – got out for a lap with Gabby and Nikoline and then back to the RV to chill out and try to relax. I’ll admit, I was very nervous before this race. I think actually that the nerves set in last night. I could feel myself becoming more and more anxious about the race and this morning I had a bad case of the nerves. When I get very nervous, I cry. Yep, this is what I do. I become overwhelmed with emotion and I end up crying. Silly I know but this is what happens. Thank goodness for cell phones and very supportive and understanding husband – talking to Marc this morning before leaving for the race and then again less than an hour before the race did help a lot. But I still ended up rolling into the staging area with watery eyes….

Many thanks to Luc for brining the trainer and trainer wheel for me. This made my pre-race warm-up so much more simple. There are very good bike paths by the race course but they involve a lot of climbing – not something I wanted to do before the race.

Got called up to the last row of an uphill start with a headwind… Well, I had a typically start. I managed to stay just in contact with the group – frustrating that I can’t accelerate from a stop. (Something Marc is going to help me with this week…) Anyway got through the tight corners and onto the descent – was just off the back of a couple of riders and I felt I was gaining on them. And then I made a mistake. After the stair run-up there is a very steep climb. In warm-up I had been making it up the steep climb by the skin of my teeth… Well, I didn’t make it up – my bike fell to the side. I rolled down the hill, had to grab the course tape, get clipped out and drag the bike up the hill. By now the other two girls were gone and I was simply focused on trying to minimize the damage I had created. Good news is I feel like I generally rode the course well technically. I know this is where I have the most to learn and to improve on but I feel like I rode it better technically than I would have last year.

I remembered to shift before the corners, to ease off on the brake and to trust my tires in the corners, and then to accelerate after the corners. I was pretty good at maintaining speed through the tight twisty little climbs. I caught some air on the bumps before the pits – this was exciting. I made it up the steep climb on the back side 2 out of 3 times. And I learned from my mistake in the first lap and dismounted part way up the steep climb after the stairs and ran up the rest. So these are pluses.

Really my problem lies with acceleration. Accelerating from a dead stop (such as a start). Re-accelerating the bike after dismounting for something like a long run. Accelerating to get up and over steep climbs that I don’t have a long run-in for. I can accelerate decently if I’m moving – still not that great for the power numbers I have. So this is something that when I get it sorted will make a big difference in my riding.

Many many thanks to Pete and Julie Harris for helping us out so much with the RV. They arrived at the race course before us and saved us a spot close to the exit so we could make a speedy get away after the race. Pete was also super helpful in getting the little RV quirks sorted out. Also many thanks to the cheering during the race and the kind and encouraging words after the race.

Big shout out to Nikki Harris for her fine ride today. Also thanks to Nikki for reminding me that I need to approach the races as just another day on the bike. She pointed out that I make myself too nervous before the races and that this could be affecting my performance. Thanks Nikki – see you in Niel in a couple of weeks.

Massive words to Gabby Day for being a great pal these past two races. We hung out quite a bit together – stayed at the same hotels, rode together, etc. Big help to have someone as experienced as Gabby to ride with before the races and just to hang out with before the races. Thanks Gabby for everything – looking forward to catching up with you in Niel in a few weeks.

Also thanks to Greg, Jacob, Nikoline, Nancy, Andy, Rudy, Joyce, Nicole, Luc, Kelly, Christine, the Canadians from Winnipeg, Simon and basically everyone else who cheered me on, encouraged me, took photos, and just generally made this racing experience so worthwhile.

Of course this trip wouldn’t have been possible without my dad. He is now a pro at helping out at cyclo-cross races. He was really thrown into the deep end with his first World Cup in Aigle. He survived that one in fine form – learning the ropes in the pits from Greg. He was top notch at the Plzen race – had the pre-race routine down perfectly – cleaned my bikes, cheered me on in the pits, helped pack up the bikes, and basically just did anything and everything that I needed to do. I could really focus on riding and not worry about the little things that come along with such big races.

And even though the wasn’t here in Europe, Marc was an ever constant help. He seemed to always know just what to say – to keep me fired up, to calm me down, to help me with the races, and to just really be my number one fan. Thanks Marc – couldn’t do this without you. See you on Tuesday.

So there you have it, first two World Cups in the books. I admit, I’m not happy with how I did. I always want to do better. I really would have liked to have finished on the lead lap. It will come. I just need to keep digging, keep learning and stay focused on the goals I’ve set out. I’m further ahead than I was last year, and this is all I can ask for.

Doing the tourist thing in Frankfurt on Monday and then flying home on Tuesday. I’ve got Nationals on Nov. 6 and then I’m racing in Niel, Belgium on Nov. 11. I’m really looking forward to getting to Belgium and getting settled for the winter. Looking forward to hooking up with the gang at Kasterlee for some riding in the woods, to some group riding on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to some long on-road/off-road rides in and around Averbode, and to just being able to race and learn as much as I can.

Spent the morning relaxing in the hotel and then made our way to the race course for one last check over. As usual we arrived before the official training time – this way the course wouldn’t be crowded.

Set up nicely in the parking lot surrounded by lots of friendly faces. Off out on the course and it really was unchanged from the previous few days. A few more ruts since and obvious lines since there was a mountain bike race on the same course this morning. The one change was that the fly-over was finished so I could finally ride it. Typical fly-over – not as steep as the one at the World Championships but a good solid sprint into is still required.

I did a couple of laps – one with Gabby and then I hooked up with Nancy Bober, her husband Andy and Ellen Van Loy for a lap. We chatted and checked out lines. Then it was time for a hot lap. I did turn on the helmet cam to take record this lap but the camera didn’t work properly – so sad to say it – but I don’t have any footage for you. The hot lap went well – I’m able to get up all the steep climbs though I must say after running up 23 very enormous steps the climb is a challenge.

As is typical in cyclo-cross races, the start is critical. But even more so tomorrow since the start is uphill then quickly down and around a corner and then onto the descent. I predict a few tumbles on the descent with people going down it five across – so moving up beforehand will be important. Both Marc and Pete (Nikki Harris’s dad) have told me that they want to see me moving up before the descent… I will do it!

Got in one more cool-down lap and then I set off on the bicycle paths to flush my legs and head out. Quick change in the camper and it was off to the number pick-up. Quick stop off at the grocery store and now we’ve just been hanging out. Fine supper at the hotel restaurant with a great gang of people.

Got my clincher wheels ready to go for the spare bike. Both bikes are working well. Body feels good. Head feels good. I’m looking forward to racing tomorrow. I really like the circuit – it is challenging and there is nothing “ridiculous” in it. So all in all, I’m feeling pretty good. I’m hoping it stays dry – primarily because it makes the clean-up post race so much easier….

So, not sure when my next blog post will be. Don’t know if we’ll have Internet access tomorrow night. But I’m sure we’ll have it Monday night in Frankfurt. Flying home on Tuesday and then soon enough back on the plane to fly to Brussels. Time is whipping by (this is a good thing).

Good luck tomorrow if you’re racing. I heard there is a big sand pit in the Perth OBC course…. Looking forward to hearing all about it. Alright, have a good one. Cheer for me tomorrow – 1 p.m. I set off.

A most excellent morning was spent on the ‘cross bike today. On the schedule was a one hour recovery ride. I chose to return to the race course to ride a couple of easy laps and practice some of the key sections.

After a bit of sleep-in (8:00) and a tasty breakfast at the hotel, we hopped in the RV and made a stop off at the massive shopping plaza by our hotel. The largest Tesco I’ve ever seen along with a bunch of shops and restaurants. Had a bit of a wander around and got some Czech Kroners. By this time the frost had burned off and the sun was out. Time to ride!

Just as I was getting my bike sorted out, my friends Nikoline and Jacob rolled up. We had a good chat and then Nikoline and I set off for a couple of laps. It was good to ride with someone else and talk about the course, race lines and just chat. (Nikoline and Jacob lived with myself and Marc last winter in Blauberg, so we know one another well.) Got in a couple of laps and then Nikoline set off for a road ride. I stayed at the course and practiced the key sections – working on the steep climb, the fast downhill and the climb after the stairs. I’m feeling fairly comfortable with all three. Tomorrow I’ll try the descent without braking… Turns out there are 23 steps in the stair run-up! Yes, it is long and the steps are enormous.

I got in some road riding as well, just to shake out the legs and clear my brain a bit. Discovered some excellent bicycle paths by the course and was treated to some wonderful view of the city. Quick lunch in the RV and it was back to the hotel for a shower.

We spent the afternoon being tourists in Plzen. We explored the old town square taking numerous photos and poking in some shops. I was careful to not do too much walking. This meant we spent some time sitting in two very nice cafes. The second one was excellent – Orient Cafe (best hot chocolate of my life!). Then we hooked up with Nikoline and Jacob for supper (Happy Birthday Jacob!).

Tomorrow is the “real” pre-ride day. The fly-over (bridge) was not finished today so I’ll get to give this a whirl on Saturday and get in a few more laps of the course. Then it is the usual number pick-up, parking pass pick-up and back to the hotel to chill out and relax. Looking forward to the race on Sunday. My dad tells me the Sunday forecast calls for rain… But I won’t think about this until Sunday morning…

So all in all, I’m feeling good. I’m still a bit stressed about getting the UCI points I need on Sunday. But as my dad pointed out, if I don’t get them on Sunday it only means the next few races are that much more important and it doesn’t mean that I won’t qualify for the World Champs. Really, the best possible outcome is to get the points I need on Sunday, but if I don’t – it is not the end of the world. Rather just changes the emphasis of the next few races.

I really like the course. The grass is super bumpy. The descent is fun. The stairs are wicked (but stairs always are). There are some challenging twists and turns. Really a lot of variety. The trick will be to continue to accelerate and and not get bogged down in a gear (I think). I’ve been watching the video from last year’s race and really paying attention to where and how the top riders attack the course.

Hard to believe that in two days I’ll have raced two World Cups and that in two weeks I’ll be getting ready for the Canadian National Cyclo-Cross Championships and then a mere five days after this race I’ll be racing in Niel, Belgium on Nov. 11. Guess time really does fly!

Got in a great two hour road ride this morning in Nurnberg, Germany. I set off for the town of Brunn again. This time I completed the rolling climbs and enjoyed the descent into town. A picturesque German town with a very nice walking, riding, and horseback riding park. All in all, an excellent ride.

Then it was a quick shower (as my dad cleaned my bike!) and we were on the road to Plzen, Czech Republic. Luc, his daughter Kelly and friend Karin also stayed in the same campsite as us last night. We had a good visit with them and then we split up as they were onto Prague.

The drive to Plzen was pretty smooth. Basically no traffic on the highway so we made it in good time. Had some major headaches getting to the campsite – the GPS kept on trying to send us through a 2 meter high tunnel (the RV is 3.3 meters high)… We ended up parking and walking the 800 meters to the campsite only to discover it was closed…. After some consultation with Marc (he had the Internet connection), we decided to stay at the Ibis Hotel.

Got out to the race course for my second ride of the day. Did about five laps of the course, with some extra time spent on the key sections. Well, the stair run-up is wicked. Very long and the stairs are massive. Right after the stairs there is a steep climb. The descent is long and pretty much wide open – it curves a bit but there is nothing crazy on it. On the far side of the course there is another steep climb, a flat bit and another steep climb. Rest of the course features very bumpy grass, false flats and some slight rises that can suck the speed and power. Oh and there is the curb…. After the start/finish stretch, there is a curb that you have to “hop”. Sigh. I can’t “hop” curbs – I’ve struggled with learning this skill for many years now. Hoping the curb is sandbagged on Sunday. If not, well, I’ll figure it out….

Legs felt good for the second ride of the day. I was careful not to go too hard on the course. Really just wanted to get a feel for it and get a solid picture of it in my mind. I’m going back tomorrow to do my ride on it. Looking forward to racing it – I think it is a course that suits me – power course.

Have to say my dad has been a rockstar – doing all the driving, putting up with my stress and fatigue, cleaning my bikes, remembering to keep the RV tidy and just generally agreeing to whatever I want! (I guess my mom has trained him well!)

Well, went to bed last night listening to the pouring rain. Woke up through-out the night to the pouring rain. Alarm went off at 7 a.m. and I heard what I thought was pouring rain. Honestly, I was dreading my ride. Cold and rain for two hours is not fun. But then I was greeted with a great surprise when I stepped out of the trusty RV…. The pouring rain I heard was simply the water dripping off the leaves onto the roof of the RV. Phew!

Anyway, I set off a little after 8 for a two hour ride that involved tempo intervals with 10 second accelerations every minute thrown in for some extra spice. Oh and the last minute of each interval was at VO2Max…. The trick was finding a stretch of road that would allow for 7 minutes of hard pedaling and a 5 minute recovery stretch (four times). I had no idea where to go so I just followed a bicycle path and eventually after a few left and right turns I found a sign for a town called Burn. This town was signed for cyclists and was 10 km away so I decided that I would be able to do my intervals along this route.

Well, I found actually the best road ever for doing this type of interval. Basically a very quiet road that had multiple rollers and short flat sections between. Not so steep that I dreaded riding it, just steep and long enough rollers to really get the heart rate and power numbers up. Basically I had did the interval up the hill, turn around, roll down, recover and repeat. An excellent work-out. One of those work-outs that really gets the body firing on all cylinders.

The perfect work-out I needed to see how deep I can go right now. I’m pleased to report that I think I’m back to my old self. I don’t have my SRM here so it is hard to know my exact power numbers but lets just say I was pretty wiped at the end of each interval and it was a different type of fatigue than I experience a few weeks ago.

This is encouraging for the weekend. I’ve been thinking a lot about the race in Aigle…. I have to admit that I didn’t go as hard as I could. I held back. I’m not sure if this was conscious or sub-conscious. But based on how I felt on Monday and Tuesday and on reflecting on my body sensations during the race – I could have and should have gone harder. I think I was afraid of blowing up/cracking/exploding – feeling like I have been feeling… Not good. But at least three days later I can recognize and admit this.

So where does this leave me? Well, with no choice but to go past my limits on Sunday and really dig deep. I have no choice. After some number crunching and chatting with Marc last night, we have determined that basically the race in Plzen, Czech Republic will determine if I qualify for the World Cyclo-Cross Championships…. There are 35 registered starters. I need to finish no worse than 30th…. In other words I need to have the race of my life. I need to have the start that we all know is in me. I need to ride as technically clean as possible (i.e. no brakes and smart lines). I need to really just pound the long straight sections and go as hard as I can at all times. If I do this, I have an excellent chance of getting the job done. If I do all this and I finish below the top 30, well at least I can say I gave it my all and I have no regrets.

So today during my work-out I was taking photographs of the body feelings I was experiencing and telling myself “remember this feeling – you need this on Sunday. Remember how much your legs ache right now – you need to feel this on Sunday.”

Am I stressed? Yes. Am I freaking out? Yes. Can I do it? Most definitely. As Marc said, “If you really want to race in St. Wendel then you’ll get the job done on Sunday. It all depends on how badly you want it.”

Some of you are probably wondering why I’m telling you all of this and really letting you know what I’m feeling and thinking. Well, I’ve always tried my best to be honest on this website. So this is no different. Quite literally, I have a job to do on Sunday. And I have to do my job to the best of my abilities. I want to race in the World Cyclo-Cross Championships in St. Wendel, Germany. So I have to do what needs to be done.

What if I don’t do it? Well, this is not an option. I’m not letting my brain go down this road. I have to face the race with confidence, convinced that I can do it. I need to have a good start (like the start I had in Cross Vegas), I need to drill the long straight sections like I’ve done in the past, I need to let things fly on the long descent. I need to race with my head. But most importantly, I need to race with my heart and soul.