Oh man, I so want to ride my bike. It has only been two weeks but I just really want to get back on and start pedaling again. Honestly, I’m not looking forward to spending time on the trainer. But this is what an Ottawa-living bike racer has to do.

I am thinking that if it does hit 0 tomorrow, I can take my mountain bike out for a spin. There is not much snow here so conditions could be good for a fun little spin at Slack or Stony Swamp. Nothing aggressive or hard. (I am still on a rest break…) But just something to bring some pink to my cheeks and a smile on my face.

Groundwork and plans are being made for the 2010 – 2011 season. Lots of exciting stuff is going to be happening. My cyclo-cross schedule is looking pretty awesome so far. The summer is shaping up with lots of fun on bikes. I’m doing a couple of 24 hour mountain bike events this year (not solo…). I’ll also be sporting a new kit… I’ll tell you more when I can. But lets just say, life is good for this little bike racer.

Now what I really should do is put together my bikes… Worst thing about being away for the ‘cross season, is the unpacking and “putting away” of stuff!

I hope to ride outside this weekend. What about you?

Fear not, I’m still around. Just taking a break from cycling right now. I’m in my off-season.. Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of the off-season. I like to ride my bike. I like to sweat and stress my body each and every day. But I’ve had a long season so I do need some time off to let my bones and brain recover.

So what have I been up to since the World Cyclo-Cross Championships? Well, spent a very chilled out week in Belgium just reading, touring around, and visiting Cafe Libro. Then it was off to England. Marc and I spent the weekend with my aunt and uncle who live near Milton Keynes. And now we’ve been in London since Sunday evening. Marc is working. I’m not… I’m being a tourist.

So this means I’ve spent lots of time on my feet. Walking, walking and walking some more. Good news is my shin has healed. The bumps and bruises on my body are nearly gone. And to top it off, I’m having a blast in London. I’ve been pretty much everywhere. And lucky for you, I’ve brought my camera along. So if you want to see London through my eyes, click on over to Victoria’s Island for the photos.

I’m back on the 15th and then hopefully back on the bike soon after that…

Well, it has been a few days now since the Cyclo-Cross World Championships. My bikes are in the garage. Clean and ready to be ridden. But I’m not riding them. I thought about it. Then I changed my mind. I’m on my “off-season break”. Two weeks of non-bike riding. Seems strange to be in warm and dry Belgium right now and to not be riding. But I have to consider the big picture, the future, the next season. And truth be told, I’ve got a bit of a nasty injury that I need to heal. I ended up with a wicked shinsplint (I think – self-diagnosis) the week before Worlds. It was so painful at points that I could barely walk. So now I’m doing the smart thing and resting, letting my leg heal. It is amazing what adrenaline can do – I didn’t feel the pain at all during the race, but as soon as I was back at the hotel and had taken off my magic Team Canada skinsuit, the pain came back with resounding fury. Ah well, small price to pay for the season and race of my life.

Speaking of which, here are some photos that I snagged off of Sharon Harrison’s Facebook photo page. Thanks Sharon for the photos and cheering.

So what’s next? Well, I’m taking a couple weeks off from the bike. I’m going to do my best to not think about bikes, read about bikes, and be bike obsessed. I’m hoping that the sights and sounds of London, England will help keep me on the straight and narrow for a week or so! I’m flying home to Ottawa on Feb. 15. As much as I love being in Belgium and Europe, I am looking forward to getting home. I miss my “things”, my cat, my friends, Chapters, the Food Network. It will be refreshing to have a bit of a different routine for a while – I’m also on the job hunt so if you need a freelance writer, technical writer, editor, “jack of all trades writer” – send me an email.

This is the time of the season when I should be reflecting, analyzing, and assessing what worked, didn’t work, and where I want to go. But frankly, I don’t want to do this now. I’ve kind of been thinking about and writing about this stuff all year. I do believe that this season was a break-through year for me. I made some big strides. I know where I want to be. I have a more clear picture of how to get there. I’m stoked for the 2010 – 2011 season.

But for now, I need to take a break. So, this means that this web site will be silent for the next week or so. I may pop in and throw a post up. But a break is a break – I’m going to try really hard to not be bike obsessed. There are some exciting changes in store for the next season. I’m really excited to tell you all about this, but all in due time.

Really, the best way to close of the 2009 – 2010 season is to simply say this: Thank You.

Thanks to my sponsors for their continued support and commitment. Check out this amazing blog post from KingsBridge Disaster Recovery.

Thanks to you my readers – you are my rock – posting amazing comments, cheering for me, sending me super positive emails (I’m doing my best to respond to the emails – I promise to get a response out to you today…).

Thanks to Marc – I truly couldn’t do this without him. While I was out training, recovering, and “living the life”, he was glued to his computer working hard and wishing he was out with me having fun on bikes. His patience, support, calming-influence, technical advice, bike mechanics, and belief in me are worth more than I can ever explain.

See you out there on the road and trails. I’ll be dusting off my trusty mountain bike and hitting up the trails, so ping me if you want to hook up for a ride.

Okay, I’m off to think about and read about things other than bikes… Just need to figure out what that is!

I’m still riding a pretty strong wave of emotions from the race. Amazing what feelings of pride, success, and confidence can do! We had a great morning in Prague. Walked around, took in a few sights and have made plans to return. Such a beautiful city.

But I digress, what you really want are the photos! Here are photos from the pre-race action:

Race action – thanks to Luc for these photos:

Race photo taken by Cor Vos:

Race photos taken by Rob Jones:

Here is a post-race photo of Alex, myself, and Marc:

Me and U23 Mongolian team:

This is myself and Miroslav. Miroslav lives in Chicago but returned to the Czech Republic because his brother was announcing the race (along with Richard Fries):

Team Ottawa/Chelsea:

Team Canada 2010:

Thanks again for the support. Many thanks to Matthew Knight of the Canadian Cycling Association, he made it super easy to concentrate on the racing – Matt did basically everything for us – number pick-up, registration, transponders, etc (all the stuff I’m used to doing at a World Cup). Huge shout out to Alex Sanna of Soigneur Race Services for his amazing work through-out the week – cleaning, fixing, tweaking my bikes and being there on race day for anything I needed. Marc was amazing this entire time – his support, patience, guidance, reassurances, and bike work were outstanding and definitely played a huge role in my getting to and racing in the Cyclo-Cross World Championships. Couldn’t have done it without you Marc!

Well, this is the last “night before” for the 2009 – 2010 cyclo-cross season. The day before my last race of the season. Kind of cool to finish the season at the Cyclo-Cross World Championships. But kind of sad to see the season ending. It has been a break-through year for me. I’ve pushed myself harder physically, mentally, and technically than I ever have.

The good thing is knowing that I’ve still got more in me. I see this really as my first season of racing cyclo-cross. I’ve come a long way this season but I’ve still got so much more to learn. This is a good thing. I’m thankful for this situation. I know that with more hardwork during the off-season and in-season, I’ll return for 2010 – 2011 even more prepared than I am now.

I’m feeling pretty good. Had a good dose of the nerves earlier today. But this has passed. I knew it would happen, just sure when it would happen. Got in a solid opening work-out on the trainer today. I watched the junior boys’ race as I pedaled away. It was nice to have Jared Stafford (who raced in the U23 race today) keeping me company while I sweated it out. We watched the race, oohed and ahed at the television and then Jared zipped off for his race.

Many congrats to the young Canadians who raced today: Conor O’Brien, Kris Dahl, Mack Carson, Keirnan Orange and Jared Stafford. For some of these young guys, it was their first racing experience in Europe. Not easy to have your first race in Europe happen at the World Championships. The energy these guys had at supper, reliving the race and talking about what happened was pretty energizing. I think this is one of the best aspects of racing, being able to sit around and talk about the race afterwards.

Well, my numbers are pinned on. Race bag is packed. Pre-ride clothes are organized. Pre-race food is ready. Bikes are in tip top shape thanks to Marc. I’m ready to go. I’m getting to the course early as usual. I’m a creature of habit and like to arrive three hours in advance. For some people this is overkill but I like to have time. I always run into someone and get talking… I also need to get out on the course and ride a few laps. The conditions have changed a lot since I was last on it. I also don’t like to be rushed. So three hours is perfect for me.

Alright, next update from me will be a Cyclo-Cross World Championships race report. Man, I get the chills just writing that!

Couldn’t do this without the amazing support from my sponsors, my coach, Marc and you.